Torlon 4203 PAI (Polyamide-imide)

Excels In Wand Application

Background:
High purity is essential when handling silicon wafers in semi- conductor device manufacturing. Wafers (from which chips are
made) cannot be touched by human hands. An y oil that is transferred from fingers would contaminate the wafers. Even gloves
cannot be used, because fine dust or lint might get on the wafers. Chip manufacturers use ultra-clean, hand-held vacuum wands
to pick up the silicon wafers and transfer them to handling trays. Wand tips directly contact wafers.

Problem:
Wafers come out of a forced air oven. They are very hot, and can have high static charges. So, in addition to the utmost purity,
the material used for wand tips must be non-conductive (to prevent discharge) and heat resistant. Because of the press-fit design
and the need to maintain a tight vacuum seal, vacuum tips must have excellent dimensional stability over a broad temperature
range.

Solution:
A leading supplier of wafer handling tools machines wand tips from 3/8 thick Torlon PAI plate. It retains its high strength and
stiffness at temperatures up to 520F. Furthermore, it has low levels of ionic impurities. The coefficient of linear thermal
expansion for the unfilled PAI is very low. The excellent, dimensional stability of this material ensures that the vacuum tip
remains flat and can hold a high vacuum.


Overall Benefits:
- Virtually no dimensional change from environmental conditions
- Tips last longer due to durability and stability
- Contamination risk is eliminated


Torlon 4203 Plastic has impressive strength and provides electrical insulation. This material possesses amazing power to transfer
high loads over various temperature ranges. The major advantage to working with this incredible industrial plastic is found in the
abilities to custom mold, form and injection mold. There are various forms that this comes in when ordering from a plastics
supplier such as rods, tubes and sheets.

According to this particular assessment, it is has been concluded that 4203 is the leading choice for hand held vacuum wands.
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