Electronic Equipment
◼ Voltage testers, radars, wiring systems, gateways and connectors.
◼ Current transmission, signal transfer, sensors and safety systems in automotives and industrial applications (robotics). Fluoropolymers also provide very low dielectric constant that minimises signal losses at high frequencies.
◼ Other sensor applications, such as measuring devices using microwaves, process and hydrostatic pressure measuring devices and various probes for liquid level measurement.
◼ Level-controlled condensate drains (typically electronically controlled) in several industrial and professional applications also use fluoropolymer components. Other components and devices of such systems designed for drying of compressed air, such as measuring devices, also use fluoropolymer components, such as membranes.
◼ PTFE in plastics used in smoke detectors.
◼ Wires, cables and connectors for semiconductor manufacturing for the defence market.
◼ Cables in automotive applications, e.g., in emission and other sensors, safety systems to warn a user that the brake pad needs replacement, in gearboxes, in the fuel pump, and in heating cables.
◼ In servomotors for medical devices and industrial applications
◼ Tools. A lot of jigs and tools in the production of sensors are based on PTFE: wafer carrier, sealing rings, handling tools in MEMS (micro electrical mechanical systems) processes in the production of pressure sensors or inertial sensors. Other components using fluoropolymers include inductors, laminated chokes, transformers, TVS diodes and membranes and sealings for thermomanagement modules.
◼ Testing of the semiconductor chips and sensors. Thermal shock testing of chips requires the chips or sensors to be immersed in a fluid in order to test their reliability (especially critical for automotive and aerospace). PFPE fluids are used because of dielectric properties, inertness and ability to stay pumpable at extreme temperatures.
◼ Amorphous fluoropolymers are used as 3D printer vat windows on account of high oxygen permittivity which facilitates a dead layer and thus easier printing.
Semi-conductor
The semi-conductor industry relies on precision processes and requires an ultra-clean environment where manufacturing takes place, as it has very low tolerance to contamination26. Therefore, the use of materials that contribute to minimising contamination is essential. As a result, the semiconductor industry has relied on fluoropolymers for wet processing equipment, fluid transport systems and wafer handling tools. Fluoropolymers are used in fluid handling part of the process where ultra-pure types are used with very low leachable content that can withstand the harsh chemicals used in the etching process. Reducing contamination from particles, metallic contaminants and outgassing caused by seal deterioration are major goals of semiconductor fabricators.
Plasma is a powerful tool for etching, cleaning, deposition, etc., which are processes commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing. Fluorine-containing plasmas, e.g., NF3 and CF4, are used for deposition process chamber cleaning due to their high reactivity towards materials to be removed. Since all materials are consumed in plasma, seals need to withstand plasma attack, i.e., exhibit low weight loss (erosion) and leave minimal particles behind after being etched. Plasma attack can be chemical (seal exposed to radicals), physical (seal subjected to ion bombardment) or both. In most seal locations on wafer processing equipment, the plasma attack mechanism is mainly chemical. Fluoroelastomers exhibit better resistance to such environments versus other elastomeric materials.
High purity PFA is also needed to keep fluids used in manufacturing ultra pure. It allows larger wafers and therefore ever improving and affordable microchips and LEDs due to higher production yields in semiconductor manufacturing.
In addition, the need to maintain a clean atmosphere in the processing areas urges the use of high-performance filters relying on Everflon™ fluoropolymer membranes, which minimise contamination by particulates, chemicals and metals (e.g., from piping or other equipment). Piping of ultra-pure water needed for semiconductor manufacturing is carried out using pipes, joints and processing tubes made of or coated with fluoropolymers, e.g., PVDF. For semiconductor manufacturing, combining cleanliness requirements with harsh conditions (extreme temperatures, vacuum, high intensity plasmas, harsh chemicals) often means fluoropolymers are required for sealing, heat transfer and pumps lubrication applications.
Finally, Everflon™ resins and coatings ensure communications equipment (i.e., cell towers, cabling) achieve speeds, capacity, and low latency that 5G requires. Fluoropolymers can also be found in seals in etching equipment and as protective film on photomasks in lithography processing.