We build chambers for the equipment makers rather than for the fabs. That means the acceptance criteria are dimensional as well as vacuum: a plasma etch chamber has to seal at 10⁻⁹ and also hold flatness across a metre of aluminium, because the electrode gap depends on it.
What we actually make
Process chambers and chamber parts for plasma etch, CVD and PVD tools; load-lock and transfer chambers; and the large aluminium and stainless weldments that carry the process. Most of our work goes to semiconductor equipment manufacturers as a build-to-print or build-to-spec supplier, not to fabs directly.
The two acceptance criteria that decide everything
Vacuum integrity and dimensional accuracy pull against each other. Welding a large chamber distorts it; machining it after welding puts coolant and chips into a surface that must ultimately be clean. Our sequence is weld, stress relieve, machine, electropolish, leak test, bake — each step verified before the next, so a dimensional problem is caught before the vacuum work begins rather than after.
Materials and why they are chosen
316L stainless is the default for process chambers because of its corrosion resistance and low outgassing after electropolishing. 316LN is specified where magnetic permeability matters, for example near an electron column. 6061 and 5083 aluminium are used for large etch chambers where weight and thermal conductivity dominate, at the cost of a harder welding and cleaning route.
Documentation
Each chamber ships with its own test record: dimensional report from CMM inspection, helium leak test result with method and detection limit, surface finish measurement, material certificates, and the weld procedure and welder qualification. This is the package a semiconductor customer's supplier audit asks for, and producing it is not optional in this market.
A representative project
A Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturer needed large aluminium vacuum chambers for plasma etch systems, with extreme flatness across an 800 mm face. The chambers were machined to 0.015 mm flatness, passed helium leak testing at 1 × 10⁻⁹ mbar·l/s, and were integrated with no field modification. That project became a long-term supply agreement for more than 50 chambers a year.
Chamber types and the parameters that matter for each
| Chamber type | Typical material | Vacuum target | Critical parameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plasma etch process chamber | Aluminium 6061, anodised | UHV, 10⁻⁹ mbar·l/s leak-tight | Flatness across the electrode face |
| CVD / PVD process chamber | 316L stainless | UHV with bake-out | Internal surface finish and outgassing |
| Load-lock / transfer chamber | Aluminium or 316L | HV to UHV | Port position and flange flatness |
| Sputter deposition chamber | 316L stainless | UHV with bake-out | Target mounting geometry |
| Thermal / bake-out chamber | 316L stainless | HV | Temperature uniformity and seal rating |
| Battery degassing chamber | 316L stainless | HV | Seal compatibility with process vapour |
What we control in-house
- 304 / 316L stainless steel and 6061 / 5083 aluminium fabrication
- Clean-environment TIG welding with full penetration and no micro-porosity
- Helium mass-spectrometer leak testing to 1 × 10⁻⁹ mbar·l/s
- In-house electropolishing and passivation — not subcontracted
- Chamber bake-out to 150–400 °C for UHV outgassing control
- Precision-machined ISO-KF, ISO-K and CF (ConFlat) flanges
- Zeiss CMM verification to ±0.02 mm across large work envelopes
- 12 m gantry CNC machining — 12 m × 4 m × 2 m envelope
- SEMI-referenced documentation and inspection protocols
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a UHV and an HV chamber?
Roughly, high vacuum ends around 1 × 10⁻⁷ mbar and ultra-high vacuum starts below 1 × 10⁻⁹ mbar. Reaching UHV requires more than a good pump: the chamber must be electropolished, bakeable and all-metal sealed, because at that pressure the residual gas comes from the walls rather than from a leak.
Can you machine a chamber after welding it?
Yes, and for semiconductor work it is normally required. We weld, stress relieve, then machine so the sealing faces and mounting surfaces are true after the distortion from welding has been removed. Machining before welding would mean the distortion lands on the sealing face.
What flatness can you hold on a large chamber face?
We have delivered chambers at 0.015 mm flatness across an 800 mm face, verified on a Zeiss CMM and reported per chamber rather than per batch.
Do you work to SEMI standards?
Yes. We work to customer specifications that reference SEMI requirements, and we provide the documentation package — material certificates, weld procedures, leak test records and dimensional reports — that a supplier qualification audit expects.
What is the largest chamber you can make?
Our gantry machining envelope is 12 m × 4 m × 2 m, so chambers up to that size can be machined in one setup rather than split and re-aligned.
Related capabilities
Need this made to spec?
Send the drawing or the specification and we will come back with a DDP price, lead time and inspection plan.