Case Study: BOE’s Primary Cleaning Process Maintenance Provider—XianDao (Guangjin)

I. 1.1 Process Flowchart of the Pan-Semiconductor Industry

Before a silicon wafer enters each processing step, its surface must be clean, requiring multiple repeated cleaning cycles to remove surface contaminants. Chip fabrication is carried out in a cleanroom, and any contamination during the manufacturing process can compromise the proper functioning of the devices on the chip. Contaminants refer specifically to substances introduced during semiconductor manufacturing that degrade yield and electrical performance. These contaminants include particulates, organic materials, metals, and native oxide layers, among others; they can originate from the environment, other manufacturing processes, etching byproducts, polishing slurries, and more. If such contaminants are not promptly removed, they can lead to failure in subsequent process steps, resulting in electrical failures and ultimately causing the chip to be scrapped.

The number of cleaning steps accounts for the largest share of all process steps in chip manufacturing, representing more than 30% of the total. As semiconductor manufacturing technology nodes continue to advance, the number and importance of cleaning steps will only increase. With the transition to 28nm, 14nm, and even more advanced process nodes, the overall process flow becomes longer and increasingly complex, leading to a corresponding decline in fab yield. One key reason for this is the heightened sensitivity of advanced processes to impurities, making it more challenging to efficiently remove sub-micron contaminants. The primary solution is to increase the number of cleaning steps. Each wafer may require as many as or even exceed 200 cleaning steps throughout the entire fabrication process, rendering wafer cleaning both more complex and more critical—and presenting significant challenges.

1.2 Flowchart images for TFT and OLED

1.2.1 Tool systems, cutting tools;

1.2.2 Abrasive tools and abrasives;

1.2.3 Phosphor bronze steel wire thread inserts; & Corresponding tools;

1.3 Case Study: BOE’s Primary Cleaning Process Maintenance Provider, XianDao (Guangjin)

Cell Packaging Process Flow

Evaporation deposition equipment: This type of equipment cannot be obtained through retrofitting or upgrading existing LCD production lines; it is currently the most in-demand and most critical piece of machinery in the industry. The complete system comprises multiple chambers and performs a full suite of processes, including substrate cleaning, emissive-layer deposition, and glass encapsulation, all of which are highly customized. Key challenges in this stage include alignment accuracy and the hermetic sealing of the encapsulation process. Encapsulation equipment: Primarily categorized into glass encapsulation, metal encapsulation, and thin-film encapsulation, with major manufacturers including Tokki and Chou Hsing Engineering.

1.4 Etching Equipment: Etching equipment is used in the etching process to remove the film beneath the areas of the substrate that were not covered by the photoresist, thereby leaving behind a film layer with the desired pattern. Major manufacturers include Toppan Printing (Japan), Evatech (Japan), and STI. Developing Equipment: This equipment uses a reducing agent to develop the latent image formed on the film or printing plate after exposure. Currently, the global market for exposure equipment is essentially dominated by Canon and Nikon of Japan, with individual exposure machines fetching as much as RMB 200 million each. Stripping Equipment: After etching, the panel already features an array pattern; stripping equipment removes the remaining photoresist to produce the finished TFT substrate.

Arrowstone, in collaboration with equipment supplier Guangjin Technology, provides solutions for BOE’s Hefei TFT Gen 6, Gen 8.5, and Gen 10.5 production lines.

Visionox Hefei’s OLED G6, as well as the future G8.6, will provide new equipment, tooling, and O&M services.

and provide TFT array process services to relevant flat-panel display industry enterprises.

II. Cooperative Product Proposal

2.1 Overview of Equipment and Tooling Manufacturing Processes

Material: 6061 aluminum (with some 5-series and 7-series aluminum as well)

Main equipment: New Way PM2540HA

Main processes: milling, grinding, and hole machining;

2.1.1 Tool System: Schunk BT50 Hydraulic Tool Holder

2.1.2 Cutting Tools: YESTOOL milling (roughing and finishing with PCD),

2.1.3 Drilling: YESTOOL Non-Standard Cutting Tools

2.1.3 Abrasives: Sanmo Institute, surface grinding, aluminum-specific abrasives;

FMM (Fine Metal Mask) is primarily made of metal or a metal–resin composite. Based on the shape of its apertures, FMM can be further classified into slot-type and slit-type masks. The FMM mask is an indispensable material in display manufacturing. In small-molecule OLEDs, the organic emissive layers are deposited via vapor deposition. To form red, green, and blue subpixels, the RGB emissive layers must be precisely aligned and deposited onto their respective pixel locations. Unlike inorganic or metallic films, OLED materials are highly sensitive to moisture, making it impossible to achieve patterning using conventional photolithography. To enable the separate deposition of RGB patterns, current mass-production OLED vapor-deposition systems employ FMM masks to ensure the precise deposition of the RGB emissive layers for each subpixel.

2.2 Equipment Tooling Maintenance and Repair (Cleaning + Remanufacturing) Process

2.2.1 Remanufacturing of Equipment and Tooling (Machining Down to Reduce Surface Finish, Feature Repair)

2.2.2 Equipment Tooling Module Replacement (Removable Threaded Connection)

For detailed information, please contact the author: Nanjing Jianchuanshi, Engineer Du, at 18265612588.