Overseas examples of air pits used for transporting semiconductor wafers～ Shanghai Tokiwa Precision Machinery Trading Co., Ltd. ～
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Shanghai Tokiwa Precision Machinery Trading Co., Ltd. is a local distributer in China of Miruc OpticalCo., Ltd. They are handling our microscopes, lenses and dovetail stages. This time, we interviewed Managing director, Mr. Dai about the use case of our one-touch air pits (vacuum pens) that has been delivered to a Chinese semiconductor manufacturer.

■Problems faced by Shanghai Tokiwa Precision Machinery Trading Co., Ltd.

• There are many semiconductor manufacturers in China. The vacuum pens used to handle wafers are required to be highly reliable and there are many users’ needs for not only cheap but also high-quality vacuum pens.
• We want suction attachments with a rich lineup that can be flexibly attached and replaced with the vacuum pens body.

◎his is the solution!!

• By using Miruc Optical’s one-touch air pit, it is possible to select P type, N/O type and each short type with a short main body, etc. according to usage conditions and applications and it is easier to use.
• It is very popular with customers because of its high quality, durability and long life.
• Our suction attachments for wafers, in addition to genuine Miruc Optical products, can also be attached low-priced, high-performance resin molded products for wafers sold in China can also be attached. We are pleased with our customers because we have a huge selection.

Demand for vacuum pen for wafers in China

Muramatsu：Are there any domestic manufacturers of vacuum pens for wafers in China ?

Mr. Dai：Of course, there are some in China. However, there have been cases of air leaks and broken vacuum pens in less than a month at sites where they are used frequently
due to the lack of reliability in terms of quality. In that respect, Miruc Optical’s air pits are of high quality and excellent durability, so we can recommend them with confidence to our customers and sell them.

Muramatsu：Thank you. It is a great honor to be recognized overseas. By the way, what other requests are there from Chinese semiconductor manufacturers ?
　　　
Mr. Dai : Since it is used to handle expensive semiconductor wafers, reliable adsorption is required. It is also important to have a wide variety of suction attachments since the fit feeling is different depending on the size of the wafer.

Muramatsu：Our air pits bring out their strengths for micro parts but there are few attachments that can be used for wafers. Isn’t that our weak point ?

Mr. Dai : It is true that the kind of products manufactured by Miruc Optical is not sufficient to meet the needs of semiconductor manufacturers. However, only a wide variety of attachments for wafers are sold in China, so if we can prepare a joint part that can be easily attached to and detached from Miruc Optical’s air pits, it becomes possible to use products on the market and to increase the variations at once.

Muramatsu：I see, it’s convenient ! For our company, if we were to make dozens of types from molds, the initial investment would be difficult, but if we could use suction attachments on the market in China in that way, we can connect them to a high-quality air pit body and it can be used safely.

Mr. Dai：Yes, the combination is very popular among semiconductor manufacturers. Due to non-disclosure agreements and restrictions on entering and taking photos inside the factory, we cannot publish it, but the video we demonstrated is below.

Muramatsu：It is certainly excellent. By offering a wide variety of the attachments on the market for wafers, we believe that we can make various proposals to semiconductor manufacturers and equipment markers according to the size of the wafer.
Mr. Dai：I think so. We will continue to make efforts to expand sales to semiconductor-related fields.

Regarding the handling of micro parts and optical parts etc. and the usage of suction transport
Muramatsu：Air pits are widely used in Japan and overseas, especially for the handling and suction transfer of minute parts etc. How about in China ?

Mr. Dai：Miruc Optical’s Air Pit is often used instead of normal tweezers as a necessity for on-site work in China.

Muramatsu：What kind of works are suction attachments popular for ?

Mr. Dai：Soft Teflon for easily scratched workpieces, conductive PEEK and conductive rubber pads for the workpieces that dislike magnetism, syringe-type for extremely small workpieces and for applications where workability is important. are popular respectively. When handling micro parts and optical parts etc., I have the impression that they are really popular on average.

Muramatsu：I see. thank you. The trend is the same in Japan and China.

Suggestion from Miruc Optical

Muramatsu：To summarize what we have talked about so far, I understand that the air pit is used regularly at work sites and inspection processes, but in Japan, it is often used by inspection equipment manufacturers and receives bulk orders. How is it in China ?

Mr. Dai：So far, unfortunately, we have not received such orders in China. In other words, are there other ways to use the air pit besides its use as a handling tool for work and inspection ?

Muramatsu：Yes, absolutely. For example, one air pit is installed in each equipment in a manufacturer of inspection equipment for electronic parts. If the workpiece clogs or an accident occurs during the inspection process, the extremely small parts can be immediately adsorbed and removed. There are also sales channels for such applications.

Mr. Dai：I learned a lot. In addition to applications in the on-site, we have been using so far, we will also conduct sales activities for inspection equipment manufacturers in China. thank you very much.

Muramatsu：Thank you, too.

From Muramatsu of Miruc Optical

Thank you very much for letting us know the usage situation of air pits in China from semiconductor-related to field work today.
There is a one-hour time difference between Tokyo and Shanghai, so I can often exchange information with President, Mr. Dai through ZOOM meetings, which is very helpful for us.

This time, as an example of our products overseas, we were able to learn more about the usage situation of air pits in semiconductor wafers and on-site work and inspection processes in China.
In addition, it is very encouraging for us that the quality and durability of our products have been highly evaluated and recognized overseas.

We would like to continue to offer information so that we can introduce examples overseas and custom-made suction attachments with unique shapes.