Sharkskin® Textured Coatings

Morgan Technical Ceramics a leader in engineered ceramics has developed an alternative method to improve process residue adhesion for next generation chips. Sharkskin^® provides a controlled, high-roughness surface texture that covalently bonds to the surface of alumina base materials.

The Sharkskin^® textured surface is an integral and indistinguishable part of the ceramic base material, not a separate coating layer and can be placed exactly and precisely where it is most needed. Existing components that are coated with TWAS (twin-wire arc sprays) can be textured with the Sharkskin^® material, minimising disruption to existing processes and speeding up the new component qualification process.

The roughened surface improves process residue adhesion for film processes, primarily for physical vapor deposition (PVD), plasma-enhanced PVD and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The improved adhesion enhances equipment productivity by extending service life, reducing overall particulate defects and reducing the total number of preventative maintenance cycles per chamber.

Morgan’s Sharkskin^® process can also be used on new or used parts, providing opportunities to reclaim old parts that have damaged surfaces from bead blasting and aggressive cleaning.

Sharkskin^® Textured Coatings Benefits:

• Permanent solution: Ends the need for re-grit blasting after each cleaning. The roughness is permanent and doesn't degrade with multiple use cycles.
• Reduced contamination: Unlike grit blasting, Sharkskin^® doesn't contaminate or destroy the integrity of the ceramic surface as grit blasting does and, unlike arc sprays, is an integral and indistinguishable part of the ceramic surface.
• Precise texture application: Can be applied exactly where needed on parts with complex geometries. Available for green or fired parts, as well as new and used parts.
• Compatible with existing processes: Minimal disruption leads to quicker qualification of new components.
• Increased adhesion: Prevents process residues on chamber components from flaking off onto the wafer. 
• Longevity: It has the same acid and plasma-resistant qualities as the parent alumina material and can be cleaned and recycled using current technology.

Additional Sharkskin^® Applications

• Semiconductor manufacturing
  • Sharkskin^® texturing may be suitable for etch processes, where photoresist materials can deposit within chambers and flake off
• Solar applications to modify surface reflectivity to improve efficiency of solar panels 
• Medical and laser applications that require high adhesion properties