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Tag: automotive electronics components

  • Why Yield Changes When You Follow the 4 Steps of the Semiconductor Cleaning and Drying Process in Order

    Why Yield Changes When You Follow the 4 Steps of the Semiconductor Cleaning and Drying Process in Order

    A systematic and clean semiconductor production line processing ultra-precision components.

    If you are in charge of designing or improving a semiconductor production line for the first time, you have probably felt uncertain when facing the cleaning process. Which cleaning method should be selected, whether drying can be handled within the same process, and how far the level of automation should go. There is an overwhelming amount of information, but without clear standards it can become even more confusing. It is natural for the cleaning process to feel difficult. From here, let us look at its structure step by step.

    A circuit board equipped with camera modules and sensors that are sensitive to microscopic contamination.

    Why Cleaning Determines Yield

    It is often said that cleaning is important in semiconductor processes, but the impact feels different when the reason is shown in numbers. According to research by CMC Northeastern, 75% of yield loss in semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing originates from contaminants. If a single microscopic particle settles on the substrate during the exposure process, it can lead to a 5~15% yield loss per batch.

    Contaminants begin disrupting the process at sizes invisible to the eye. In ultra-precision component manufacturing sites where surface cleanliness is directly connected to performance, such as camera modules or autonomous driving sensors, this issue becomes even more sensitive. The quality standards required in the automotive electronics industry cannot be met by visual inspection alone. The understanding that the cleaning process is the starting point of yield is now widely established across the industry.

    A multi-step cleaning system where water jets and microbubbles are applied through spray nozzles.

    Structure of the 4-Step Cleaning and Drying System

    The 4-step cleaning and drying system is structured to apply microbubbles, water jets, air knives, and oven drying in sequence. Each step has a different role.

    • Microbubbles lift microscopic contaminants without physical impact on the surface.
    • Water jets push away the lifted contaminants.
    • Air knives serve as the primary drying step by removing moisture remaining on the surface.
    • Oven drying handles the final step by removing residual moisture.

    This structure processes cleaning and drying together within one system instead of separating them into different processes. The Huvics cleaner system is designed to integrate these 4 steps into a single line and apply them to cleaning various components such as camera modules, sensors, VCM motors, and trays. Both Full Auto and Manual methods can be selected, allowing the system to be configured according to the automation level and maintenance conditions of the production line.

    An organized automated production line that reduces labor time in the cleaning process.

    Practical Effects and Decision Criteria for Automation

    The difference between manual cleaning and automated cleaning is not simply a matter of speed. In a case from Alliance Manufacturing, direct cleaning labor time was reduced by about 60% after switching from a manual solvent cleaning method to an automated system. According to an analysis by Zenith Ultrasonics, ultrasonic cleaning can reduce cleaning time by 60~85% compared to traditional methods.

    What these figures mean is that the process layout within the production line changes. When the time required for the cleaning process is reduced, there is room to redesign the connection structure with the previous and following processes. However, introducing automation is not equally suitable for every site. Depending on the diversity of production items, batch size, and workforce operation method, there are environments where Manual can be more advantageous than Full Auto.

    The reason the Huvics cleaner system is configured to allow selection between the two methods is that it reflects these differences in site-specific conditions. The key to determining which method is right is to first understand the overall flow of the process.

    An automated cleaning line where robot arms and conveyors are integrated and organically connected.

    How the cleaning process is configured is ultimately connected to the question of where to begin designing the efficiency structure of the entire production line. The fact that contamination control is a key variable for yield, the possibility of integrating cleaning and drying into one process, and the flexibility to select the automation level according to the site. Only when these three factors are considered together does the direction of the line layout become clear. When what felt difficult at first begins to appear as a structure, the criteria for making decisions also become clearer little by little.

    Huvics is an advanced technology company that develops and manufactures automation equipment and
    production systems across the semiconductor, LED, Mobile, and Cosmetic industries.
    With top-tier talent and continuous technological innovation, Huvics supports customers in improving productivity and
    securing quality competitiveness.

    Huvics Contact

    Phone: 031-374-8285
    Email: cdpark@huvics.com

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  • 3 Core Principles Behind How Semiconductor Cleaning Processes Affect Yield and Production Cost—How Are You Managing Them?

    3 Core Principles Behind How Semiconductor Cleaning Processes Affect Yield and Production Cost—How Are You Managing Them?

    Close-up view of a silicon substrate engraved with fine circuit patterns

    In semiconductor production lines, one point many still overlook is that more than half of defects originate from invisible microscopic contaminants. A single cleaning process determines yield, and yield directly determines unit cost. Once you understand this connection, it becomes clear why precision cleaning technology is treated as a critical variable in semiconductor manufacturing.

    Silicon wafer with precise fine circuit patterns highlighted

    Why the Cleaning Process Determines Yield and Production Cost

    In semiconductor manufacturing, cleaning is not a finishing process but the starting point of quality. A single microscopic particle left on the chip surface can cause a circuit short or damage an insulating layer, turning the entire chip into a defective product. As this problem accumulates, yield drops, and as yield drops, the cost required to produce each chip rises.

    According to analysis by KeyLink, manufacturing yield loss caused by inefficient cleaning reaches 5~15%, while the introduction of precision cleaning equipment has been shown to reduce defect-related yield loss by 8~12%. When these loss rates are viewed numerically, it becomes clear that the precision of the cleaning process is directly tied to cost competitiveness.

    As chip integration increases, the allowable size of contaminant particles becomes smaller, and cleaning requirements become more demanding. As process nodes become finer, the cleaning frequency itself also increases. Some reports show that advanced process nodes require more than 30% more cleaning steps than legacy nodes. Ultimately, the precision and stability of cleaning technology are key factors that shape the overall production cost structure.

    Numerous microbubbles gathered in liquid

    How Multi-Step Cleaning Technology Improves Microscopic Contaminant Removal Efficiency

    Microbubbles generate bubbles measuring several tens of micrometers in water and physically separate nanoparticles adhered to surfaces. The shock waves generated when the bubbles collapse, known as cavitation, instantaneously create jet speeds of up to 1,096 m/s. An MDPI study confirmed that microbubbles remove nanoparticles from silicon substrates with 90% efficiency without damaging the substrate structure.

    Residual contaminants that are difficult to remove with microbubbles alone are then washed away by a water jet using high-pressure water flow. In the next stage, an air knife removes surface moisture and remaining particles with a sharp stream of air. When these three technologies are applied in sequence, each following stage compensates for the limitations of the previous one.

    Components requiring optical precision, such as camera modules and autonomous driving sensors, require ISO Class 5 cleanliness at the point of optical system integration, and it is difficult to meet this standard consistently with a single cleaning method. Huvics’ 4-step cleaning and drying system addresses these requirements by arranging microbubble, water jet, and air knife processes sequentially, enabling the removal of microscopic contaminants from the surfaces of ultra-precision components such as camera modules and autonomous driving sensors.

    Heated processing oven equipment receiving parts through a conveyor belt

    How Integrated Cleaning and Drying Design Meets Automotive Electronics Quality Standards

    The automotive electronics industry requires strict quality standards across the entire manufacturing environment. The IATF 16949 standard requires temperature, humidity, and contamination levels in manufacturing facilities to be maintained below specified limits, and this concept also includes the management of residual moisture after cleaning. Even if cleaning is performed with high precision, any moisture remaining in the drying stage can lead to corrosion or electrical failure. For this reason, cleaning and drying should be designed not as separate processes but as one continuous process.

    Huvics’ cleaner system uses a built-in oven drying function to handle everything from cleaning to drying within a single piece of equipment. If the process is not separated, recontamination during transfer can be avoided, and if separate drying equipment is not operated, process time and equipment costs are reduced accordingly. This batch processing structure reduces both types of loss at the same time.

    As the defect rate decreases, the number of discarded parts falls, and rework costs are also reduced. As precision requirements for semiconductors and automotive electronics components continue to rise, process designs that integrate cleaning and drying are becoming a key tool for managing production costs.

    Large manufacturing equipment installed inside a cleanroom under strict management standards

    The view that cleaning is merely a procedure for maintaining cleanliness became outdated long ago. Protecting yield means protecting cost, and the fact that this begins with the cleaning stage becomes even clearer as semiconductor processes become finer. A process design that extends from microbubbles to oven drying is the result of implementing this logic directly into the equipment structure.

    Huvics is an advanced technology company that develops and manufactures automation equipment and
    production systems across the semiconductor, LED, Mobile, and Cosmetic industries.
    With outstanding talent and continuous technological innovation, we support customers in improving productivity and
    securing quality competitiveness.

    Huvics Contact Information

    Tel: 031-374-8285
    Email: cdpark@huvics.com

    Huvics Inquiry