5-Axis CNC Machined Stainless Steel Vacuum Chuck for Semiconductor Wafer Handling
5-Axis CNC Machined Stainless Steel Vacuum Chuck for Semiconductor Wafer Handling
Project Overview
This custom project is a stainless steel vacuum chuck used for semiconductor wafer holding. The part contains dozens of tiny vacuum holes, precision flat sealing surface and vacuum distribution channels. Flatness and hole position accuracy are extremely critical to hold thin wafer stably without deformation. Chenrong Precision delivered prototype and small batch production, all parts passed vacuum leak test and flatness inspection.
Client Background
The customer is a semiconductor automation equipment manufacturer from Singapore. They required a vacuum chuck to fix silicon wafers during optical inspection. Their previous supplier failed to maintain flatness after machining, and vacuum micro holes had residual burrs, leading to unstable wafer suction and particle contamination. They chose Chenrong Precision for high-precision semiconductor CNC machining.
Key Challenges
- Large flat sealing surface with flatness requirement ≤0.003mm across the whole plate.
- Dense array of micro vacuum holes, burr-free requirement to avoid particle generation.
- Internal hidden vacuum distribution channels, difficult deburring.
- Stainless steel material prone to thermal distortion during long-time milling.
- 100% vacuum leakage test required for every finished workpiece.
Our Manufacturing Solution
- Adopted 5-axis CNC milling with low-stress machining strategy to minimize thermal deformation.
- Multiple stress-relief cycles between roughing and finishing to stabilize stainless steel plate geometry.
- Custom micro deburring process for micro vacuum holes and internal hidden channels.
- Ultra-precision surface grinding for the wafer contact plane to meet flatness requirement.
- Each workpiece undergoes vacuum leak testing and full CMM dimensional inspection.
- Clean room packaging after ultrasonic cleaning to prevent particle contamination.
Project Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Material | 316L Stainless Steel |
| Machining Process | 5-Axis CNC Milling, Surface Grinding, Micro Deburring |
| Surface Finish | Fine Ground Surface |
| Critical Tolerance | Flatness ≤0.003 mm |
| Delivery Scope | Prototype + Small Batch |
| In-house Tests | CMM Inspection, Vacuum Leak Test, Particle Inspection |
Measurable Project Outcomes
- ✅ Full plate flatness controlled within 0.003mm, meets wafer handling requirement.
- ✅ All micro vacuum holes burr-free, no particle contamination during wafer suction test.
- ✅ Zero vacuum leakage for all finished chucks.
- ✅ Prototype samples delivered within 10 working days.
- ✅ Customer integrated the chuck into their inspection machine and placed repeat orders.
Application
Semiconductor wafer inspection equipment, vacuum adsorption platform, optical test fixture, thin substrate handling system.
