• Total income for the first quarter of 2022 was EUR 3.6 million (first quarter 2021: EUR 3.8 million)
• Cash position further improved in the first quarter of 2022
• Order book value increased with 16% compared to March 31, 2021

Deventer, April 12, 2022 – RoodMicrotec N.V., a leading independent company for semiconductors supply and quality services, today releases its trading update for the first quarter of 2022. The total income for the quarter was EUR 3.6 million, which is 5% lower than the total income in the first quarter of 2021. In the first quarter of 2021, the total income included work in progress of EUR 0.5 million for SCM project preparations. With this adjustment, the total income for the first quarter of 2022 rose by 9% compared to the first quarter of 2021.
“The cash position at the end of the first quarter of 2022 has further improved compared to the end of 2021 thanks to the increased total income and a continued tight control of operational expenses”, says Martin Sallenhag, CEO of RoodMicrotec. “The increase of the total income in the first quarter, adjusted for work in progress movements, compared to 2021 also shows that the company is focusing on the right markets, customers and services.”
With the forecasted increase of total income in 2022 over last year, it is encouraging to see that the order book value continues to increase. The order book contains orders for both long term contracts and engagements as well as short term orders. The long term contracts and engagements are mainly in the SCM and Test Operations units and the short term orders are mainly in the Failure Analysis & Qualification unit. RoodMicrotec is maintaining a very tight control of all expenses, and only absolutely necessary costs for delivering our high-quality services to the customers are approved. Additional capital investments are also reviewed in detail to make sure they are done to either increase capacity or to add new capabilities to the service portfolio.

Outlook
RoodMicrotec expects the total income in 2022 to be in the range of EUR 15.0 million to EUR 15.6 million with a positive result before tax. The current situation in the world regarding lead-times for wafers and packaging as well as shipment delays may impact the ability to achieve the expected total income. The war in Ukraine could also have an impact on the business but in the short term we don’t see any significant impacts. RoodMicrotec is keeping a close eye on the situation and is doing everything possible to mitigate any impact.

Audit
The financial data in this press release have not been audited.
 
About RoodMicrotec
RoodMicrotec is a leading independent company for semiconductor supply and quality services. With more than 50 years of experience in the semiconductor and electronics industry, RoodMicrotec is well-established as a highly valued partner for many companies worldwide. The Company provides full-turnkey ASIC services for complex microchips that are customized to handle specific applications for individual customers. In cooperation with strong partners, RoodMicrotec manages the entire development and production flow of ASICs in the target volume, ranging from low quantities up to multiple millions per year. The turnkey solution includes project management, wafer test, assembly, final test, qualification, failure analysis and logistics. All services comply with the industrial and quality requirements of the high reliability, aerospace, automotive, healthcare and industrial sectors. RoodMicrotec’s headquarters are located in Deventer, Netherlands, with operational units in Nördlingen and Stuttgart, Germany
For more information visit https://www.roodmicrotec.com

Further information
Martin Sallenhag - CEO, Arvid Ladega – CFO
Telephone: +31 570 745623 Email: [email protected] Web: www.roodmicrotec.com

This press release is published in English and German. In case of conflict between these versions the English version shall prevail.
This communication contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The company’s managing director and CEO Martin Sallenhag, is responsible for arranging the release of this document on behalf of RoodMicrotec.

• Read more about Trading Update: RoodMicrotec announces total income for the first quarter of 2022

Deventer, April 8, 2022 – RoodMicrotec N.V., a leading independent company for semiconductors supply and quality services, today announces that the trading update for the first quarter of 2022 will be published on April 12, 2022.

Financial calendar
April 12, 2022 Trading update quarter 1-2022
April 21, 2022 Publication Annual Report 2021
April 21, 2022 Conference call for press and analysts
April 28, 2022 Publication of invitation and agenda for the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders
June 9, 2022 Annual General Meeting of shareholders
July 21, 2022 Publication Interim Report 2022
July 21, 2022 Conference call for press and analysts
October 13, 2022 Trading update quarter 3-2022

About RoodMicrotec
RoodMicrotec is a leading independent company for semiconductor supply and quality services. With more than 50 years of experience in the semiconductor and electronics industry, RoodMicrotec is well-established as a highly valued partner for many companies worldwide. The Company provides full-turnkey ASIC services for complex microchips that are customized to handle specific applications for individual customers. In cooperation with strong partners, RoodMicrotec manages the entire development and production flow of ASICs in the target volume, ranging from low quantities up to multiple millions per year. The turnkey solution includes project management, wafer test, assembly, final test, qualification, failure analysis and logistics. All services comply with the industrial and quality requirements of the high reliability, aerospace, automotive, healthcare and industrial sectors. RoodMicrotec’s headquarters are located in Deventer, Netherlands, with operational units in Nördlingen and Stuttgart, Germany.

For more information visit https://www.roodmicrotec.com

Further information
Martin Sallenhag - CEO, Arvid Ladega - CFO
Telephone: +31 570 745623 Email: [email protected] Web: www.roodmicrotec.com

This press release is only published in English. This communication contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The company’s managing director and CEO Martin Sallenhag, is responsible for arranging the release of this document on behalf of RoodMicrotec.

• Read more about Trading update for first quarter of 2022 will be published on April 12, 2022

Brewer Science Earns Intel’s 2022 EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award
Brewer Science is one of only 26 Distinguished Award recipients across Intel’s global supply chain

Rolla, MO. April 7, 2022 – Brewer Science, Inc., is proud to announce that it has earned Intel’s EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award. Through its dedication to excellence, partnership, inclusion, and continuous quality improvement, Brewer Science has achieved a level of performance that consistently exceeds Intel’s expectations.

 
“As one of only 26 Distinguished Supplier Award recipients across the Intel global supply chain, Brewer Science has been crucial to Intel’s success while offering agility and flexibility during the ongoing volatile supply chain environment,” said Keyvan Esfarjani, EVP and Chief Global Operations Officer at Intel. “They have provided exceptional collaboration and commitment toward safety, quality, diversity & inclusion, and exceeded our expectations in support of Intel’s supply chain operational excellence. Earning this award speaks to their dedication to Intel values and their partnership.”
 

The Intel EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award recognizes a consistent level of strong performance across all performance criteria. Of the thousands of Intel suppliers around the world, only a few hundred qualify to participate in the EPIC Supplier Program. The EPIC Distinguished Award is the second-highest honor a supplier can achieve. In 2022, only 26 suppliers in the Intel supply chain network earned this award.

To qualify for an Intel EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award, suppliers must exceed expectations, meet aggressive performance goals, and score 80 percent or higher in performance assessments throughout the year. Suppliers must also meet 80 percent or more of their improvement plan deliverables and demonstrate formidable quality and business systems.

Get more information about the Intel EPIC Supplier Awards

Find the latest at the Intel Newsroom

Visit the Intel EPIC Supplier Awards page

About Brewer Science
Brewer Science is a global leader in developing and manufacturing next-generation materials and processes that foster the technology needed for tomorrow. Since 1981, we’ve expanded our technology portfolio within advanced lithography, advanced packaging, smart devices, and printed electronics to enable cutting-edge microdevices and unique monitoring systems for industrial, environmental, and air applications. Our relationship-focused approach provides outcomes that facilitate and deliver critical information. Our headquarters are in Rolla, Missouri, with customer support throughout the world. We invite you to learn more about Brewer Science at www.brewerscience.com.

PRESS RELEASE CONTACT

Tracy Jenkins

Tel: (US) +1.573.364.0300, ext. 1427

Email: [email protected]

www.brewerscience.com

• Read more about Brewer Science Earns Intel’s 2022 EPIC Distinguished Supplier Award

Kitchener, Ontario, April 7, 2022 – PEER Group® is proud to announce that it has earned the exclusive EPIC Program Outstanding Supplier Award for 2022. This award recognizes the absolute top performers in the Intel supply chain for their dedication to continuous quality improvement, performance, partnership, and inclusion over the past year.

“Congratulations to PEER Group on receiving Intel’s highest supplier recognition, the EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award. As one of only six companies recognized in 2022, they truly exemplify world-class performance,” said Keyvan Esfarjani, EVP and Global Chief Operations Officer at Intel. “In a truly unique and volatile supply chain environment, PEER Group has earned Intel’s top supplier award through its steadfast commitment to safety, quality, diversity & inclusion, continuous innovation, and its close partnership with Intel toward operational excellence results.”

The Intel EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award recognizes the highest level of achievement in the Intel global supply chain and is an ongoing realization of continuous improvement within the high-performing Intel supplier ecosystem. Of the thousands of Intel suppliers around the world, only a few hundred qualify to participate in the EPIC Supplier Program. In 2022, only six suppliers across the Intel supply chain earned an Intel Outstanding Supplier Award, making them truly the best of the best.

To qualify for an Intel EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award, suppliers must exceed the highest expectations, meet aggressive performance goals, and score 95 percent or higher on performance assessments throughout the year. Suppliers must also meet 90 percent or more of their improvement plan deliverables and demonstrate formidable quality and business systems.

About PEER Group
PEER Group® is a leading supplier of innovative factory automation software products for the semiconductor industry. Since 1992, our solutions have helped the world’s most advanced OEMs and factories reduce time to market and lower costs by solving their equipment automation, data management, and process control problems. A multi-award winning company, PEER Group has been named a Best Workplace by Great Place to Work Canada 10 times, and most recently was one of six recipients of Intel’s 2022 EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award, which recognizes the absolute top performers in the Intel supply chain. Follow PEER Group on LinkedIn and Twitter at @PEERgroup_Inc.

• Read more about PEER Group Earns Intel’s 2022 EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award

At the end of 2021, 57% of the industry’s total monthly wafer capacity was owned by the top five companies. One year earlier the share was 56% and back in 2018 it was 53%. A decade ago, the share held by the top five was about 40%. The industry continues to get more top heavy regarding the composition of companies fabricating ICs. This analysis comes from Knometa’s recently released Global Wafer Capacity 2022 report.

Combined, the top five companies had the capacity to process 12.2 million wafers per month at the end of the year, or 10% more than the year before. That growth rate was one percentage point higher than for the industry’s total capacity.

View Table of Data

Samsung — In 2021, the company widened its lead as the industry’s biggest source of fab capacity. At the end of the year, Samsung held 19% of total global IC wafer capacity and 44% more capacity than the second largest company TSMC. Samsung boosted its capital spending 45% in 2020 and that translated into a sizable increase in available capacity in 2021. Most of the money was spent on the construction of multiple 300mm fab lines at its site in Pyeongtaek.

Samsung said at its 2021 Investors Forum that, when compared to its 2017 capacity level, the company’s fab expansion plans will result in a tripling of capacity by 2026. Those plans will include a new $17 billion fab to be built in Taylor, Texas, the construction of which is due to start in 2022. The Taylor fab will support the company’s strong push to expand foundry services for leading edge processes.

TSMC — The company’s capacity growth in 2021 was relatively mild, but strong demand for its services spurred a significant increase in capital spending during the year that will result in a higher capacity growth rate in 2022. TSMC plans to remain aggressive with its spending in 2022 and 2023 as well.

Most of TSMC’s recent fab construction activity has been centered at its Fab 18 site in Tainan. The company recently started adding capacity again at its Fab 12 site in Hsinchu. The last fab phase to open at the site was Phase 7 in 2017. Fab 12 Phase 8 is under construction and scheduled to begin operations in 2022.

TSMC has also experienced strong demand for mature technologies, especially for 28nm CMOS. To meet this demand, the company is expanding its Fab 16 facility in China to double the capacity there by mid-2023.

Fabs at three entirely new or “greenfield” sites around the globe are or soon will be under construction. The first phase of a large fab site (Fab 21) in Phoenix, Arizona, is already under construction and will begin processing 300mm wafers in 2024. The $12 billion Fab 21 Phase 1 plant will be used to make chips with 5nm technology. In Kumamoto, Japan, TSMC partnered with Sony to build a $7 billion 300mm fab that will also open in 2024. In November 2021, the company announced the selection of Kaohsiung as the site for another fab complex in Taiwan.

Micron — The company’s capital spending the past couple years has been focused more on upgrading existing capacity for more advanced processing capabilities than on increasing capacity. Nevertheless, the company made some additional capacity available in 2021 in the form of phase 4 at Fab 15, phase 2 at Fab 16, and an expansion of its legacy products fab in Virginia.

During Micron’s fiscal Q1 2022 earnings call it was reported that for both DRAM and NAND the company plans to achieve bit supply growth with node transitions through the middle of the decade. In other words, Micron’s capital spending is focused on new technologies and equipment that will enable it to increase chip production volumes via die shrinks for DRAM and continued 3D scaling for 3D NAND. As a result, the company will not bring online any major fab expansions in the next couple years. The next big fab project for Micron, announced in October 2021, is the construction of a new 300mm fab at its site in Hiroshima. This fab will open for production in 2024.

SK Hynix — After boosting its capital spending substantially in 2018 for the construction of new fabs in Korea and China, SK Hynix scaled back expenditures in 2019 and 2020. Fab M15 in Cheongju and Fab C2F in Wuxi both began operations in 2019 but ramping of capacity and production at the fabs has been gradual. The company lifted its capex significantly in 2021 and that should translate to a larger increase in capacity for 2022.

Construction of the company’s newest fab, M16 in Icheon was finished in early 2021 and the company began operations in the fourth quarter of the year.

In December 2021, SK Hynix took ownership of Intel’s Fab 68 facility in Dalian, China. However, the fab is still used by Intel to fabricate 3D NAND chips, so its capacity at the end of 2021 was not included as part of SK Hynix. The acquisition of Intel’s NAND and SSD businesses by SK Hynix is a multiple-stage transaction over several years and stipulates that Intel can use the fab for wafer fabrication until March 2025, when SK Hynix will complete the purchase.

Kioxia/Western Digital — Capacity jointly owned by Kioxia and Western Digital increased at the lowest rate among the top five companies in 2021. The partners are increasing 3D NAND die production volumes more by 3D scaling advancements than by increasing capacity. Western Digital’s President of Technology & Strategy, Srinivasan Sivaram reported in December 2021 that the company’s approach to production capacity is currently about “95% conversion, 5% new wafers,” meaning that nearly all its product supply needs are being met by converting to new technologies. For 3D NAND, that means increasing NAND layer counts on the chips to achieve a greater amount of memory storage per unit area. Mr. Sivaram has said Western Digital has a clear roadmap to more than 300 layers in the next four to five years.

Kioxia and Western Digital have a new fab at their site in Yokkaichi scheduled to begin operations in early 2023. Like other fabs at the site, the Y7 fab will be built in two phases. In April 2022, the partners started building a second fab at their site in Kitakami. The existing K1 fab started production in 2020 and the new K2 fab is expected to start up in 2024.

About Global Wafer Capacity 2022
Global Wafer Capacity provides a detailed examination of existing fab capacity along with a five-year forecast. The report has been published on an annual basis since 2007, initially by IC Insights. In December 2021, IC Insights transferred business associated with Global Wafer Capacity to co-founder Trevor Yancey. Mr. Yancey became an independent contractor in 2014 but continued as the principal analyst and project manager for Global Wafer Capacity. Published in February 2022, Global Wafer Capacity 2022 is sold by Mr. Yancey’s company Knometa Research. For more information, visit https://knometa.com/gwc.

About Knometa Research
Knometa Research is a semiconductor technology and market analysis firm led by former IC Insights executive, Trevor Yancey. Mr. Yancey co-founded IC Insights in 1997 with Bill McClean and Brian Matas. In 2014, Mr. Yancey established Knometa Research to serve as an independent contractor for IC Insights and TechSearch International. For more information, visit https://knometa.com.

• Read more about Top Five Leaders Continue Expanding Share of Global IC Fab Capacity

ESPOO, Finland, 5th of April 2022 – Picosun Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) has played a vital role in enhancing electro-optical characteristics of micro-LEDs in research done by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in Taiwan.

The usage of dielectric films as a passivation material is a popular technique to suppress dangling bonds as well as to improve output power and external quantum efficiency in LEDs. The study conducted at NYCU compared III-Nitride micro-LEDs of different sizes with and without ALD Al2O3 passivation. The results showed external quantum efficiency enhancement of 70% for 5 µm × 5 µm micro-LEDs and 60% for 10 µm ×10 µm micro-LEDs when using ALD Al2O3 passivation.

In addition, to achieve full color display, an inkjet printing to pattern quantum dots automatically has been developed at NYCU. The solution can considerably improve the precision of color pixels and satisfy the high-resolution requirements. Picosun ALD passivation technology was successfully used for preventing the quantum dots from photo-oxidation and degradation. After a 500 hours environmental reliability test, the color gamut remained at excellent level.*

“Micro-LED technology has been the disruptive technology in the next generation displays, and more application areas are emerging its benefits being long lifetime, high power efficiency and high brightness. With quantum dot-based technology micro-LEDs can be used in applications such as virtual and mixed reality as they allow the use of single-color, blue, micro-LED chips resulting in lower manufacturing costs. Our study has proved that ALD passivation plays a key role in upcoming nanometer-scale devices”, says Hao-Chung Kuo, professor at NYCU.

“Picosun’s ALD technology has been production-proven at many prominent LED manufacturers. ALD films’ superior conformality and uniformity, and their ability to ensure reliable, pinhole-free encapsulation even at extremely low film thicknesses is a key benefit. Furthermore, the ALD process can be run at moderate temperatures”, explains Juhana Kostamo, VP, Industrial Business Area of Picosun Group.

*NTSC and Rec. 2020 standards: Color gamut 99% and 90% at 50% humidity and 50℃ temperature
NTSC: Analog television format encoding system developed by National Television Standards Committee
Rec. 2020: International Telecommunication Union Recommended standard defining various aspects of ultra-high-definition television with standard dynamic range and wide color gamut.

More information:
Juhana Kostamo
Vice President, Industrial Business Area, Picosun Group
Tel: +358 50 369 9565
Email: [email protected]
www.picosun.com

About Picosun
Picosun provides the most advanced ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) thin film coating solutions for global industries. Picosun’s ALD solutions enable technological leap into the future, with turn-key production processes and unmatched, pioneering expertise in the field – dating back to the invention of the technology itself. Today, PICOSUN® ALD equipment are in daily manufacturing use in numerous leading industries around the world. Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in Germany, USA, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China mainland and Taiwan, offices in India and France, and a world-wide sales and support network. Visit www.picosun.com.

• Read more about Picosun ALD enhances micro-LED efficiency

Heidelberg, Germany – Heidelberg Instruments has received a significant order from a leading semiconductor wafer-level packaging production company in Asia for its MLA 300 Maskless Aligner. With this order, Heidelberg Instruments has reached another important milestone towards the company’s goal of becoming a leading supplier of maskless lithography tools to the advanced wafer-level packaging industry.

Optimized for industrial manufacturing, the MLA 300 Maskless Aligner features distinct benefits for the wafer-level technology: The flexibility of maskless lithography allows rapid design customizations, and even unique designs on each substrate. This is of particular use for chip packaging where mounted die shift and each panel is unique. Meeting these demands, the MLA 300 can be seamlessly integrated into wafer-level packaging production lines, fully automating wafer production with a resolution down to 2 µm lines and spaces. The MLA 300 reduces production costs and efforts by eliminating mask procurement, verification, and management requirements. Operating costs are reduced by utilizing a long-lifetime exposure laser and fewer consumables. Modularity enables fast maintenance, replacement, or repair. Real-time autofocus compensates substrate warp or corrugations for flawless patterning.

Since its market introduction at the end of 2019, the MLA 300 has received a terrific reception and has become a popular tool for the microfabrication industry. The MLA 300 comprises a customizable wafer handling system, customizable vacuum chucks, and a large autofocus compensation help account for challenges like warped substrates, and software designed for production environments.

“This latest order, by a leading advanced wafer packaging production group, is a big step forward for us and maskless lithography. With the MLA 300, Heidelberg Instruments has introduced the most innovative maskless lithography system for mid-volume wafer production and high-volume prototyping. So far, several fabrication groups globally have purchased and installed the MLA 300 tool, replacing their traditional lithography production platforms, such as mask aligners and steppers,” says Alexander Forozan, Head of Global Sales and Business Development, Heidelberg Instruments group of companies.

MLA300 is a versatile tool for application areas such as advanced semiconductor packaging, IR sensors, MEMS, electronic probes, and high precision electronic components.

Contact:
Veronika Loose
Marketing and Communications
[email protected]
+49 931 90879288

Further information:
https://heidelberg-instruments.com/

About Heidelberg Instruments Mikrotechnik GmbH
With over 35 years of experience and more than 1,200 installed systems, Heidelberg Instruments is one of the leading international players in developing and producing high-precision photolithography systems and nanofabrication tools. Heidelberg Instruments systems are installed in industrial and scientific facilities around the world. They are used for efficient direct writing and photomask fabrication for various industries, including semiconductors, quantum computing, photonics, 2D materials, IoT, and many related fields.

• Read more about Heidelberg Instruments receives an order from an advanced wafer-level packaging provider in Asia

Brewer Science Expands Analytical and Application Testing Services
Chemical, Polymer, Trace Impurity, On-Wafer & Thin Film Characterization among many testing services company offers
 

Rolla, Mo. March 30, 2022 – Brewer Science, Inc., a global leader in developing and manufacturing next-generation materials and processes for the microelectronics and optoelectronics industries, has recently expanded its analytical and application testing services to include stand-alone chemical, polymer, trace impurity, on-wafer & thin film characterization testing services to customers – services the company has perfected through its processes for nearly four decades.

 
Material purity requires metrology and statistical analysis
Material purity within the industry is being pushed to unprecedented levels for many reasons, including extending the life of the products and ensuring the functionality of products within a wide range of applications. Brewer Science invests in metrology to better create customized solutions and better understand our supply chain. Our standards of materials testing and tracking are unmatched in the industry.

Concerns over additive tolerances and mixing pure materials with suppliers’ products that may not be as pure requires careful attention to statistical analysis, to measure what level of purity a material can handle before it loses its characteristics. An impurity can be required for certain reactions, thus understanding the material, and balancing that knowledge with the models and research of polymer chemists, is critical. We can not only measure the purity of materials but report on the impurities with a parts-per-trillion detection capability.

Four decades of refining testing processes led us to become a world-class manufacturer
Over 40 years of experience in chemical analysis and semiconductor application testing has allowed us to apply this expertise to not becoming a world-class manufacturer, but also apply the knowledge of defect detection to supply chain partners to elevate material purity standards.

Brewer Science offers a complete line of analytical and application testing services, specializing in semiconductor and other high-technology products, through materials characterization and contaminant reduction that we now offer to customers worldwide.

Since this is just a brief overview of our capabilities, not an exhaustive list, please contact a testing services expert to find out which services we offer will provide the most benefit to you and your company.

Analytical testing services offered:

• Small Molecule Analysis
  • purity determination
  • impurity identification
  • structure
  • quantification
  • general profile
• Polymer Analysis
  • accurate molecular weight and polydispersity
  • polymer conformation
  • oligomer investigation
• Thermal Analysis
  • thermal properties
  • mechanical properties
• Trace Metal Analysis
• Particle Analysis

Wafer and Thin Film Testing services offered:

• 300-mm Si Wafer Testing
• SEM – Cross-Section and Focused Ion Beam (FIB)

To learn more about how our state-of-the-art instruments, combined with our analysts' knowledge, experience, and skills, enable our advanced material characterization capabilities, schedule a call with a testing service expert.

About Brewer Science
Brewer Science is a global leader in developing and manufacturing next-generation materials and processes that foster the technology needed for tomorrow. Since 1981, we’ve expanded our technology portfolio within advanced lithography, advanced packaging, smart devices, and printed electronics to enable cutting-edge microdevices and unique monitoring systems for industrial, environmental, and air applications. Our relationship-focused approach provides outcomes that facilitate and deliver critical information. Our headquarters are in Rolla, Missouri, with customer support throughout the world. We invite you to learn more about Brewer Science at www.brewerscience.com.

###

Company Contact:

Tracy Jenkins
Tel: (US) +1.573.364.0300, ext. 1427
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about Brewer Science Expands Analytical and Application Testing Services

Rochester, NY—Linton Crystal Technologies (LCT) has been awarded a U.S. Letters Patent for its Seed Lifting and Rotating System for Use in Crystal Growth. Patent 11,255,024 is the first of four applications Linton has made to the USPTO for innovations related to the seed lifting and rotating mechanism, and the company’s first approved patent.

“This patent is the first of four applications that address the increasingly critical need to counteract centrifugal forces created by the rotating mass of the seed lift as the cable spool translates along its axis of travel. As growers become larger, the need for this technology becomes even more essential” explains John Reese, mechanical engineering manager with Linton Crystal Technologies.

Typically, silicon crystal growing furnaces use a cable winch system to lift and rotate a growing crystal. Most traditional seed lift mechanisms have a grooved spool that wraps and gathers the seed cable, lifting the crystal. The spool must translate side to side to keep the gathering cable centered to a pulley, which in turn is centered on the growth chambers. Most often, the spool moves this way via an attached thread that engages to a nut. As the bolt turns into the nut in its fixed position, the head of the bolt becomes closer to the nut. In the case of a seed lift spool, the length of the screw depends on the length of translation that is necessary to wind and/or unwind the cable enough to grow the crystal to a desired length. Thus, the length of the screw increases the overall length of the cable winch system. This adds size and weight to the overall system.

As the spools shifts/translates from one end of its travel to the other, the shifting mass of the spool dramatically and negatively influences the dynamic balance of the rotating seed lift assembly, thus creating centrifugal forces that have a negative impact on the stability of the overall growth process.

Linton’s patented new “guided spool” design utilizes a floating roller that engages with the grooved spool, therefore eliminating the need for the extra threaded feature and fixed position nut. This reduces the overall weight of the mechanism, making for a more stable rotating mass. Current units that don’t have this feature require additional fixed and active weight to balance them.

About Linton
Linton is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of equipment for producing monocrystalline ingots for the solar and semiconductor industries. The company specializes in silicon and produces equipment for materials such as germanium and gallium arsenide. They also provide technical support, process engineering support and replacement parts to help clients get businesses off the ground, improve productivity and continue to innovate. Linton has been the exclusive owner of Kayex technology for eight years.

For more information, visit www.lintoncrystal.com.

# # #

• Read more about Linton Crystal Technologies Awarded Seed Lift and Rotating System Patent