From the emailed description of the defect, we expected to discuss furnace issues. Of course, until we actually saw the wafers, there was the chance that it could be something else altogether. When the customer arrived with the wafers, the actual image on the wafer was different from what we saw in the emailed photo. When viewed from an oblique angle to the surface, instead of concentric rings, a spiral pattern was seen emanating from the center. It looked like a “pollywog with a long tail” spiraling out towards the edge. From my experience working in fabs, I remembered seeing this as a characteristic of a malfunctioning spinner, possibly either a speed issue or a problem with the “Suck Back” action at the end of the dispense function. The customer was just as surprised when he saw the pattern, and confirmed that it was most likely the cause. He thanked us and said that while he does not do business with us currently, he would see about trying to change that in the future.

This brought back to me advice from a manager early in my career. He said, “Go that extra mile. It may not bear immediate fruit but eventually, it pays to take care of your customers.” There are going to be many times that you will not be able to chalk up the man hours spent assisting a customer or a potential customer to a specific category. Unless of course, you make a category called “Good Will”.

This is something Aptek has always done and relates back to our business in the late 90′s, early 2000′s. At that time, we were very busy not only processing product but also assisting our customers with process issues. Our customers were also being pushed to solve problems and would turn to their vendors to prove their process “was not” the issue.  One customer had asked us if our process had had an adverse affect on their product since it was failing post CMP test. Our process experience enabled us to provide failure analysis and identify that the failure sources were fab process related, outside of the polishing area. We provided photo evidence as well as possible solutions to look for inside their own fab. In fact, we became so busy at one point with failure analysis, we considered charging for consulting work. Eventually, we decided that this was just good customer service and wanted it to be a normal part of what Aptek offers. Today, Aptek still holds true to this philosophy and will do what is necessary to best serve our customers’ needs.

While our recent visitor would not mention the foundry he was working with, I knew that he was referred to us by someone familiar with our reputation for solving process problems. Even if it wasn’t a grind or polish issue, it was a pleasure to help out a colleague. I can place it in our “Good Will” category for now.

There are few measures manufacturers can take to reduce the risk of infringement in China; one is to file a patent in China, since China does not recognize patents in other countries. The expense may be well worth the effort, but defending the patent will add to the expense of doing business off shore.

The cost advantages of moving your manufacturing processes off shore may indeed be less than estimated when the loss of IP and litigation expenses are included. The advantages of keeping your back-end manufacturing with a contractor in the US include quicker turn around times, customer service responses within the same work day and the dependability of working with domestic companies under US laws.

Think about what additional actions have to be taken and the additional costs incurred when you send your materials off shore for processing: customs forms to be completed, increased shipping costs, longer shipping times and often delays getting through customs, communication complications when dealing with vendors many time zones away and the uncertainty that your products will be processed with the care you require.

Aptek has been in business since 1983; we pride ourselves in providing the best customer service at the most cost effective price available. We routinely process materials with same day turnaround times, our processes are ISO 9000 compliant, and we have many years experience processing materials to customers’ exacting standards.

Your IP is safe with us, and you save the hassles of sending your products off shore. Call us today to see how we can help you.

Stay tuned here for more information over the next few weeks.

We offer several levels of Premium Services to help our customers meet their processing goals. Our standard turn time for Backgrind is 1-2 business days and 3-5 business days for Grind&Polish operations. For both process areas, we offer “Quick Turn” in one business day for a 50% premium and “Same Day” turn for a 100% premium. We will even work evenings, weekends and holidays with a standard overtime charge. Just give us a call or email us for quotes or to discuss your requirements.

Dramatically Increased Yields

Changing to Aptek wafers, one customers yield at the saw operation increased from approximately 30% to 90% and the die yield after being mounted went from approximately 30% to 80%. In real numbers, this means that using our exclusive, patented low stress grinding and polishing process, the final yield for 1000 incoming dice would have increased from 90 salable Smart Cards up to approximately 600 salable Smart Cards. A BETTER THAN 600% YIELD INCREASE!

Measurable Reduction in Stress

The graphs shown below are actual reproductions of wafer stress analysis read on a Tencor FLX Laser System. The first two charts, (Process X and Process Y) are for two standard Grind and Polish technologies; they clearly indicate that only approximately 30% of the wafer is stress relatively free. The third graph of the Aptek processed wafer indicates at least 80% good die. The scale for stress for the Aptek wafer is at least one order of magnitude lower than for the other two wafers. In addition, the resultant relative smoothness of the sawed die edge of the Aptek wafers is less than 2 microns peak-to-peak versus 4+ microns peak-to-peak for other methods. Substantial Cost Savings Aptek’s superior technology results in much higher die yields per wafer. Also, Aptek per-wafer costs continue to be 30 to 50% lower than our competition. The higher yields and lower prices result in dramatic cost savings for our customers!

Process X

Process Y

Process Z