At a glance
| Booth | J2654 |
| Country | KR |
| Website | acenanochem.com/56 |
Company profile
ACE NANOCHEM is a colloidal silica and colloidal silica sol specialist established in 1999, with a business centered on materials and slurries used for precision polishing. The company commercialized colloidal silica for semiconductor CMP in Korea and developed its business around semiconductor CMP slurry, wafer slurry and other polishing slurries that require tightly controlled performance. Its manufacturing scope also extends beyond semiconductor polishing to materials for steel plate, glass coating, paper and refractory applications. ACE NANOCHEM applies its own particle technology to multiple application fields and has been selected as an outstanding supplier by customers in Korea and overseas markets including the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Its semiconductor slurry brand ACESOL® and industrial colloidal silica brand SILIFOG® are positioned around product quality, performance and price competitiveness. To diversify its production base, ACE NANOCHEM completed a second factory in December 2014 and completed a raw-material factory in April 2015. Production is organized around the Gyeongsan plant and Yeongcheon Plants 1 and 2, where the company manufactures semiconductor polishing liquids and functional colloidal silica for industrial uses. The manufacturing operation is described as combining strict process control with accumulated production know-how to support stable quality and supply capability. The plant information lists current colloidal silica production capacity of 60,000 tons per year, with an additional 15,000 tons per year planned, and silicate production capacity of 60,000 tons per year. The facilities apply an independently developed manufacturing-technology program and make SILIFOG industrial Colloidal SilicaSol, SILIFOG SS sodium-silicate raw material, ACESOL, Silica Sol and Abrasive Silica. Product Warehouse A has storage capacity for 5,000 drums, stated as 1,100 ton, and is dedicated to ACESOL. Product Warehouse B has storage capacity for 7,500 drums, stated as 1,700 ton, with one area for ACESOL and another for SILIFOG. ACE NANOCHEM's CMP research institute began in 1999 as an affiliated laboratory and pursued localization of colloidal silica through development of proprietary technology and production methods. The institute conducts research not only on colloidal silica manufacturing technology but also on new nanomaterials, and the company states that it invests 10% of annual revenue in technology development. Its CMP laboratory uses pilot and polishing equipment, combines in-house research experience with accumulated technology, and also links with outside research organizations through industry-academia-research development consortia. Reaction conditions can be used to control silica-particle size, shape and pH, and the company reports patents and know-how related to polishing materials accumulated through close to 25 years of independent technology development. Quality and environmental management are operated on an ISO9001&14001 certification basis for products that require nanometer-scale precision. Its 8-Core QOS covers customer-specific recipe development, FMEA&CP for proactive defect-risk analysis and process control standards, and Lot Traceability from incoming raw materials through final shipment. The same quality framework includes SPC for statistical analysis of manufacturing and analytical data, MSA for measurement-system precision, PM&5S for preventive maintenance and contamination prevention, PCN for advance verification and approval of process or material changes, and Nonconformance management based on root-cause analysis and control of nonconforming product. ACE NANOCHEM also operates general and ultra-trace QC laboratories with controlled temperature and humidity and measures designed to block external environmental variables from affecting analytical data.
Exhibits
ACE NANOCHEM supplies semiconductor CMP slurry and identifies the ACESOL® CMP Slurry Series as its semiconductor CMP product family. In semiconductor CMP, the wafer surface is polished chemically and mechanically to secure flatness of each process layer, and slurry characteristics influence polishing performance, selectivity, scratch behavior and resulting surface quality. The ACESOL® Series is designed for the film characteristics encountered in different semiconductor processes and is presented as supporting productivity and yield through polishing performance and stable process characteristics. The semiconductor CMP lineup includes Oxide CMP Slurry, Poly CMP Slurry, Cu Bulk Slurry and Cu Barrier Slurry. ACE NANOCHEM also supplies Silicon Wafer CMP Slurry for ultra-precision planarization of silicon-wafer surfaces during wafer manufacturing, a use with objectives and required characteristics that differ from device-process CMP slurry. The silicon-wafer slurry is used for surface planarization, removal of Saw Mark and Lapping Damage, control of Surface Roughness (Ra), improvement of TTV (Total Thickness Variation), minimization of Warp and Bow, and reduction of defects including Scratch, Pit and Haze. It is used in the Final Polishing stage of silicon-wafer manufacturing to realize high-quality Mirror Wafer for subsequent semiconductor-device processing. Colloidal-silica-based slurry is identified for 200 mm and 300 mm silicon-wafer manufacturing because it can combine low defect levels with strong surface quality. For abrasive materials, ACE NANOCHEM manufactures colloidal silica particles intended as raw material for semiconductor CMP slurry and describes them as optimized for advanced semiconductor processes. Particle growth can be controlled in stages from 10nm to 160nm by reaction conditions, allowing particle size to be managed at the nanometer scale. The particle technology covers both spherical particles and non-spherical, asymmetric silica particles formed by bonded particle structures. The non-spherical particle technology is used to raise polishing rate relative to conventional colloidal silica and is presented as a route to higher productivity. A high-purity Metal Improved Silica process reduces fine impurities such as alkali metals that could contaminate semiconductor devices, targeting the strict requirements of fine CMP processes. Beyond colloidal silica and CMP slurry, ACE NANOCHEM develops and manufactures chemicals matched to customer demand, including Surfactant ADC-100, Lithium Silicate LS85 & LS45, Special Polishing Slurry SP900 and Sodium Silicate SS3H. Surfactant ADC-100 is a 300mm Si Wafer surface-protection product developed with the company's own technology and is specialized for Metal contamination and LLS. Lithium Silicate LS85 & LS45 is described as having solubility and chemical stability suitable for formulations used in marine coatings and high-performance anti-corrosion coatings. Special Polishing Slurry SP900 uses spherical particles for stable polishing and is used for sapphire wafers, glass, silicon parts, optical lenses and special metals. Sodium Silicate SS3H is liquid sodium silicate, commonly called water glass, and serves both as a main raw material for colloidal silica and as a material used in construction grouting, detergent, adhesive and binder, and silica-gel manufacturing. Across this portfolio, the company's named supply range spans semiconductor CMP slurry, wafer polishing slurry, silica sol, abrasive silica and other specialty chemicals for semiconductor and industrial polishing applications.
Capabilities and products
- Oxide CMP slurry
- Polysilicon CMP slurry
- Copper bulk CMP slurry
- Copper barrier CMP slurry
- Silicon wafer CMP slurry
- Manufacturing of colloidal silica abrasives for CMP
- Silica particle size control from 10–160 nm
- Manufacturing of spherical and non-spherical silica particles
- Purification of high-purity silica with low metal impurities
- Silica pH control
- Surface protection agent for 300 mm silicon wafers
- Lithium silicate
- Polishing slurry for sapphire wafers, glass, silicon parts, optical lenses and specialty metals
- Liquid sodium silicate
- Manufacturing of industrial colloidal silica
- Custom chemical development and manufacturing