Complete Application Fields of Silicon Carbide Ceramic Precision Equipment Bases (Including Integrated Water-Cooled Bases)
Silicon carbide bases, relying on five core advantages—high specific stiffness, high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, wear resistance/cleanliness, and the ability to integrate water-cooling channels—replace granite, cast iron, aluminum alloy, and alumina ceramics. They are primarily used in nanometer-scale ultra-precision equipment, categorized into six core tracks:
I. Integrated Circuit Semiconductor Equipment (Largest application market, main scenario for high-end water-cooled bases)
- Lithography Machines (EUV/ArF/Immersion/Compound Semiconductor Lithography Machines)
Main load-bearing water-cooled base of the whole machine, reticle stage base, wafer chuck support frame, air-bearing gantry crossbeam, optical reference base
Core value: High-speed scanning without elastic deformation, built-in full-field water-cooling temperature control, thermal drift <1nm, ensuring overlay accuracy of 2–10nm; lightweight design significantly reduces drive load, adapting to 3nm/2nm advanced processes. - Wafer Metrology / Inspection Equipment
White light interferometers, CD-SEM, defect inspection machines, film thickness measurement machines’ whole-machine bases
Replacing traditional granite: Faster heat dissipation, no local thermal warping, long-term maintenance of sub-micron planar reference, avoiding imaging distortion and measurement misjudgment. - Probe Test Stations (12-inch / 8-inch chip probe equipment)
Whole-machine load-bearing base, probe station XY motion platform base
Suppresses micro-vibrations, probe contact repeatability remains stable at the nanometer level, preventing wafer pad contact deviation and scrap. - Wafer Processing Equipment (Dicing, Grinding, Thinning, Polishing Machines)
Wafer double-sided polishing machines, SiC substrate thinning machines, laser dicing equipment high-precision machine beds
High rigidity suppresses processing vibrations, ensuring wafer TTV thickness uniformity ≤1μm, wear-resistant and dust-free to prevent wafer surface contamination. - Thin Film, Etching, and Heat Treatment Vacuum Equipment
MOCVD, PVD/CVD, etching machine vacuum chamber external precision support bases, wafer transfer robot bases
Vacuum low outgassing, plasma corrosion resistance, dimensionally stable at high temperatures, adapting to long-term hot and cold cycling of the chamber.
II. Ultra-Precision Optics and Optoelectronic Instruments
Large-aperture optical systems: Space telescope mirror substrates, interferometer whole-machine reference water-cooled bases, laser scanning galvanometer bases
Synchrotron radiation / Precision spectroscopy equipment: Beamline precision load-bearing platforms, optical adjustment table bases
Advantages: Stable mirror surface figure in environments with severe temperature differences, lightweight design reduces optical system load, no thermal distortion causing imaging distortion.
III. High-End Ultra-Precision Machine Tools and Metrology Equipment
Nanometer-scale ultra-precision grinders, diamond lathes’ whole-machine beds, gantry bases
Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) high-precision slide bases, measurement host load-bearing bases
Comparison with granite: Can feature integrated water-cooling channels, faster dynamic response, and lighter weight; comparison with steel: Extremely low thermal expansion, dimensionally stable under temperature fluctuations, meeting nanometer-scale dimension detection requirements.
IV. Aerospace and Space Precision Payloads
Satellite optoelectronic payload precision support bases, space telescope integrated water-cooled bases
Aerospace inertial measurement equipment, high-precision navigation optical platform bases
Core advantages: Lightweight weight reduction, resistance to extreme space temperature differences (±200°C), radiation resistance, long-term zero dimensional drift, significantly reducing satellite launch costs.
V. High-computing AI liquid-cooled precision equipment and power electronics equipment
Ultra-high power GPU/AI server integrated silicon carbide liquid-cooled load-bearing cold plates, computing module precision bases
New energy vehicle power modules, wind power converter precision water-cooled substrates
Advantages: Insulating and corrosion-resistant, ultra-high thermal conductivity, integrated micro-channel design with no leakage risk, suitable for kilowatt-level high heat flux dissipation scenarios.
VI. Photovoltaic and wide-bandgap semiconductor crystal growth equipment
Monocrystalline silicon / silicon carbide monocrystal furnace body precision support bases, MOCVD epitaxial equipment load-bearing bases
Sapphire crystal growth equipment constant temperature bases
High temperature resistance, strong thermal shock stability, uniform heat conduction across the entire area, ensuring a uniform temperature field for ingot growth and reducing crystal defects.
