Sony DADC - US announced an agreement with D&D Automation, a Terre Haute-based CNC machine shop and design firm. D&D Automation is a vendor for the KLA Corporation of Milpitas, CA. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, KLA designs and manufactures critical components for the inspection of semiconductor chips during manufacturing. These components routinely travel worldwide and require extreme care during transportation.
D&D Automation fits that need by manufacturing specialized "shipping canisters" for KLA, each of them custom-built for the many types of components KLA needs to ship. The canisters are machined from solid blocks of stainless steel and are precision-cleaned before assembly.
Due to the sensitive nature of the components made by KLA, no particles, oils, or any other type of contaminant can be present on the canister. This necessitates an extremely clean environment for assembly.
Through their partnership with D&D Automation, KLA will utilize cleanroom space at Sony DADC to assemble these shipping canisters. Part of the former mastering cleanroom was recently recertified to Class 100/lSO 5 level, with the remaining portion meeting Class 1 000/lSO 6 specifications.
Each canister must undergo a rigorous inspection process during assembly. All forms of remaining contamination must be removed. lf any contamination - organic or inorganic - is found upon delivery to KLA or the end user, the canister is deemed to be unusable and must be sent back for cleaning. The components that go into these canisters are extremely sensitive to any type of foreign matter, so each unit must be assembled with extreme caution and care.
After assembly, the canister will sit on a heater plate to bake off any remaining organic contaminates, while ultrapure nitrogen is pumped through integrated gas ports in the canister to purge out any vapors generated during the baking process. Sony's team of skilled technicians are trained by KLA and D&D Automation to ensure each canister is correctly cleaned, assembled, and quantified.
This partnership between Sony DADC, D&D Automation, and KLA Corporation will help support the growing semiconductor industry.
