Accelovant Awarded Japanese Patent for Kristonium™, Advanced materials expand applications and increase performance in semiconductor manufacturing
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Sep. 14, 2022 – Accelovant, a leader in the design and manufacture of fiber optic sensing solutions for semiconductor, industrial, IoT, medical, and power distribution markets, today announced that it has been awarded Japanese patent 7078942 for Kristonium™, the primary photo-luminescent material utilized in its florescent-based fiber optic sensors. Kristonium replaces traditional phosphor materials, allowing fiber optic sensors to increase performance and enabling extended thermal control in extreme temperature and harsh operating environments such as those demanded by next-generation fabrication processes being implanted by leading Japanese semiconductor manufacturers.
“This patent is a fundamental breakthrough in fiber optic sensing materials that addresses critical precision control aspects in semiconductor manufacturing,” said Michael Goldstein, chief executive officer of Accelovant. “Accelovant’s fiber optic sensors employing Kristonium allow for improved temperature control on the wafer, further advancing wafer uniformity, chamber matching, and process control in both extreme high- and cryo-temperature applications.”
"This is something that the semiconductor fabrication equipment industry has needed for years. Accelovant’s Kristonium enables higher temperature performance, higher accuracy, and improved cost dynamics, characteristics that Japanese semiconductor equipment manufacturers are striving to obtain from fiber optic sensors,” said Sada (Samuel) Machida, senior manager fiber optic sensors, at KLV, Co., a leading value-added distribution partner for the semiconductor industry in Japan.
Kristonium’s impacts on semiconductor manufacturing performance and costs include:
Broader operating temperature range: Legacy fiber optic sensors start to fail above 250 degrees Celsius and below negative 40 degrees Celsius. Kristonium increases the operating range from negative 95 degrees Celsius to over 450 degrees Celsius.
Higher accuracy over the full temperature range: Kristonium measurement accuracy is ±0.10 degrees Celsius for the full measurement range, with no calibration requirements. This compares to legacy sensor accuracy of ±1.0 degrees Celsius at negative 95 degrees Celsius, and ±0.50 to ±2.0 degrees Celsius for applications requiring long-term exposure above 300 degrees Celsius.
Improved measurement repeatability: Kristonium-based sensors have a repeatability of ±0.005 degrees Celsius, delivering 10 times better repeatability performance as compared to legacy sensors.
Vacuum- and process chemistry-inert: Kristonium is a high-durability ceramic-like material that is inert to extreme operating conditions, including semiconductor vacuum applications, exposure to process chemistry, and applications requiring physical durability.
Semiconductor manufacturing yields are extremely dependent on precision process temperature control on the wafer. Until now, full system measurement accuracy of ±0.10 degrees Celsius was considered impossible under plasma manufacturing conditions due to the limitations of legacy technologies. The new material now opens the door for high-temperature and cryo-level plasma enhanced applications, previously considered impossible environments for fiber optic sensors.
“Semiconductor yield and cost dynamics are directly related to the ability to more accurately control process temperatures,” continued Goldstein. “Kristonium is one of the most profound materials advancements since the advent of fiber optic thermometry more than 50 years ago and should aid in enhancing productivity under increasingly harsh fabrication environments demanded by leading-edge Japanese chipmakers.”
To learn more about Accelovant fiber optic temperature sensor solutions, please visit www.accelovant.com.
About Accelovant:
Headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Accelovant is a leader in the design and manufacture of fiber optic sensing solutions for semiconductor, industrial, IoT, medical, and power distribution markets. With a vertically integrated approach that combines materials science mastery with design expertise, Accelovant delivers measurement solutions that increase yields, decrease costs, and provides exceptional domain and product support. Details are available at www.accelovant.com.