Leading manufacturer of ceramic components Morgan Advanced Materials (MTC) has entered into an exclusive European distribution agreement with Kennametal Sintec Keramik (UK) Ltd. (Sintec). Since the 1st March 2010 Sintec has been distributing both MTC's Pyrolytic Boron Nitride (PBN) and CVD Silicon Carbide (SiC) materials, which are used in semiconductor manufacturing.
"We continually look at ways to improve our processes and by working with Sintec we will be able to shorten lead times, meaning customers will receive products sooner," says Phil McGraw, General Manager, MTC. "Previously parts were shipped from our site in Hudson, USA, but Sintec has a local customer service organisation in the UK and Germany, that is able to offer faster response times to our European customers."
PBN is ideal for use in compound semiconductor manufacturing because it offers intrinsic purity, superior mechanical strength and thermal stability. It is a non-toxic, non-wetting material that does not react with acids, alkalis, organic solvents, molten metals or graphite. PBN has bulk impurity levels of less than 100 parts per million with metallic impurities of less than 10 parts per million. It also withstands high temperatures (1800°C in vacuum and 2000°C in nitrogen), without deformation, making it an excellent choice for furnace components and melting vessels.
Performance SiC is used for semiconductor processing equipment manufacturing and is available in two grades - ultrapure and low electrical resistivity. Using an advanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) manufacturing process, both ultrapure and low electrical resistivity Performance SiC outperform conventional materials in hostile chemical and plasma environments. Performance SiC's high purity, stiffness, thermal shock resistance and thermal conductivity make it ideal for a variety of demanding semiconductor processing applications.