CMP CONSUMABLES FOR IC DEVICES
We develop, produce and sell CMP slurries for polishing a wide range of materials
that conduct electrical signals, including tungsten, copper, tantalum (commonly
referred to as "barrier"), which is used in copper wiring applications,
and aluminum. Slurries for polishing tungsten are used in the production of
advanced memory applications, including mobile and server applications transitioning
from traditional planar, or 2D NAND memory, to 3D NAND. Tungsten slurries are
also used in advanced logic devices for a multitude of end use applications
including MIDs such as smart phones and tablets, gaming devices, and in high-performance
computing and artificial intelligence, as well as in legacy logic applications
such as those used in automobiles and connected communication devices. Tungsten
slurries are also used in some of the most advanced technologies, such as 3D
memory and FinFET for advanced logic IC devices. Slurries for polishing copper
and barrier materials are used in the production of advanced IC logic devices
such as microprocessors for computers, and devices for graphic systems, gaming
systems and communication devices, as well as in the production of advanced
memory devices. These products include different slurries for polishing the
copper film and the thin barrier layer used to separate copper from the adjacent
insulating material. Slurries for polishing aluminum are used in certain advanced
transistor gate structures. We offer multiple products for each technology node
to enable different integration schemes depending on specific customer needs.
We also develop, manufacture and sell slurry products used to polish the dielectric
insulating materials that separate conductive layers within logic and memory
IC devices. Some of our slurry products for these materials are used in mature,
high volume polishing applications called Interlayer Dielectric, or ILD, in
the production of both logic and memory devices. Our more advanced dielectrics
products are designed to deliver higher throughput, improved defectivity, and
lower cost of ownership than required in traditional ILD applications, as well
as to meet the more stringent and complex performance requirements of lower-volume,
more specialized dielectrics polishing applications at advanced technology nodes.
Some of the applications for advanced dielectrics slurries include shallow trench
isolation (STI), "stop on poly" or "stop on nitride" isolation,
bulk oxide polishing, and polishing of various dielectrics in advanced transistor
designs.
We develop, produce and sell CMP polishing pads, which are consumable materials
that work in conjunction with CMP slurries in the CMP polishing process. We
believe that CMP polishing pads represent a natural adjacency to our CMP slurry
business, since both technologies are required by our customers to deliver their
intended result and utilize the same technical and sales infrastructure. Our
polishing pad product portfolio includes pads utilizing both thermoset and thermoplastic
polyurethane pad material. We produce and sell pads that can be used on a variety
of polishing tools, over a range of applications, including tungsten, copper,
and dielectrics, over a range of technology nodes, and on both 300mm and 200mm
wafers.
CMP CONSUMABLES FOR THE DATA STORAGE INDUSTRY
We develop, produce and sell CMP slurries for polishing certain materials that
are used in the production of rigid disks and magnetic heads used in hard disk
drives for computer and other data storage applications, which represent an
extension of our core CMP slurry technology and manufacturing capabilities established
for the semiconductor industry. We believe CMP significantly improves the surface
finish of these rigid disk coatings, resulting in greater storage capacity of
the hard disk drive systems, and improves the production efficiency of manufacturers
of hard disk drives.
PRECISION OPTICS PRODUCTS
Through our QED subsidiary, we design and produce precision polishing and metrology
systems for advanced optics applications that allow customers to attain near-perfect
shape and surface finish on a range of optical components such as mirrors, lenses
and prisms. Historically, advanced optics have been produced using labor-intensive
artisanal processes, and variability has been common. QED has automated the
polishing process for advanced optics to enable rapid, deterministic and repeatable
surface correction to the most demanding levels of precision in dramatically
less time than with traditional means. QED's polishing systems use Magneto-Rheological
Finishing (MRF), a proprietary surface figuring and finishing technology that
employs magnetic fluids and sophisticated computer technology to polish a variety
of shapes and materials. QED's metrology systems use proprietary Subaperture
Stitching Interferometry (SSI) technology, which captures precise metrology
data for large and/or strongly curved optical parts. SSI technology includes
proprietary Aspheric Stitching Interferometry (ASI), which is designed to measure
increasingly complex shapes, including non-spherical surfaces, or aspheres.
QED's products also include MRF polishing fluids and MRF polishing components,
as well as optical polishing services and polishing support services.