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The company in brief...
Electro-Graph designs and manufactures replacement subassemblies and parts for wafer fabrication equipment. As a second source supplier, the company places particular emphasis on improving equipment performance. More than 90 percent of wafer fabs in the world use Electro-Graph parts, which are widely regarded as equipment upgrades.
Electro-Graph today...
Today Electro-Graph continues to offer design, engineering and manufacturing of more than 2200 products in the categories of Ion Implantation, Sputtering, CVD, and Ion
Milling. Recent product developments include Bearing Style latch Assemblies for the TAZÒ EclipseÔ equipment, which greatly extend maintenance intervals; Materials development for Beamline components on Varian, Applied Materials, and Axcelis Implanters; and complete Ion Milling extraction Assemblies for the Veeco Ion Mill.
Increasingly, the company's product development is being driven by expanded OEM relationships and by equipment end users. The increase in demand has required additional space, which now totals
25,000 sq. ft. Our in-house engineering resources and association with the National Laboratory Technology Transfer Program, has earned Electro-Graph the reputation for being the leader in component development for the
Semiconductor Equipment Industry.
Once upon a time...
The company was founded in 1979 by Paul and Jill Hacker who began the business by offering reliable custom machining of high-purity graphite
materials to the aerospace and semiconductor industries. Doubling sales during the first year, Paul recognized a need for replacement parts in ion implantation equipment, which formed the basis for a new, broader line of
consumable parts. Products during the early '80s included ion implantation source replacement parts, PECVD (plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition) graphite plates and electron-beam emitter assemblies.
By the mid '80s demand was high for readily available, low-cost replacement parts. Semiconductor manufacturers saw the need to reduce equipment maintenance and maximize throughputs. In many cases they worked
with Electro-Graph to define and help develop consumables that cost effectively improved performance over that of the original equipment. The company's product line grew to include PECVD carriers, RF (radio frequency)
connection systems, electron-beam emitters, and plasma/RIE (reactive ion beam etching) components. As sales tripled during this period, so did the need for detailed documentation of its product line.
In 1988 the company moved administrative and manufacturing operations into the 12,000 ft. facility it currently occupies. The '90s saw a 5,000 sq. ft. expansion to the facility as well as an expansion in product
offerings, including shield sets for TAZ Ò ECLIPSE Ô and Varian 3180/3190 sputtering systems and EFL (extended filament life) sources for medium- and high-current implanters. Consistent with its goal to be the leading supplier of readily accessible replacement parts, Electro-Graph now began offering two innovative stocking programs for high volume customers -- on-site inventory and same-day part delivery worldwide. Based on customer part usage patterns, Electro-Graph arranged to maintain customized inventory of replacement parts at the facility to avert critical part outages. Additionally, for same-day delivery service to most international facilities, Electro-Graph can arrange for stocking of frequently used parts in the U.K. Japan, Taiwan and central Europe.
Our Core Capabilities...
Over a period of many years evaluating thousands of
products, Electro-Graph has come to excel at mechanical design. This ability entails more than product duplication. It requires a process to fully understand the intent of the original design to assess problem areas
and to develop a solution that actually improves upon the original design. The latest measuring Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM), analysis tools Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems
support this capability.
Secondly, our in-house manufacturing capability enables us to control our supply line. We produce 70-80 percent of what we sell, and we continue to add vertically to this
capability. Our capabilities include the following processes and equipment: Milling - CNC Vertical and Horizontal; Turning - manual engine lathes, CNC Turning Centers; Grinding - surface grinders; Electrical Discharge
Machines (EDM) - Plunge, CNC Wire; Welding - TIG; Blasting/Finishing - grit blasters, vibra-finishers; Saws - vertical and horizontal; Ultra-sonic cleaning tanks and high temperature bake oven for graphite products.
Our Products Today...
Today Electro-Graph continues to offer its unique stocking programs covering more than 2200 consumable parts in the categories of sputtering, RIE, CVD and ion implantation. Recent product developments include smooth roller wafer holder assemblies for PVD equipment, which minimizes wafer breakage and particle generation; Ion source and beamline upgrades, which improve tool utilization and reduce cost of ownership; and the new CoolPLAZ® plasma flood system which dramatically improves yield by reducing charging damage during ion implantation.
Increasingly, the company's product development has been driven by OEM demand and, by end users. Using both internal and external R&D resources, Electro-Graph has produced a successful track record of
meeting the challenges of these two market segments. In this way the company has been able to experience steady growth rates and stay true to its historical commitment to improve process performance.
Continuous Improvement at EG...
Quality has always been a top priority at Electro-Graph. We have developed a fully integrated continuous improvement program based on Process Review and Reengineering. The company received certification to the ISO 9001 Standard in November 1995, on its first application and within just 12 months. We successfully transitioned to the ISO 9001 standard in February of 2003.
The Outlook...
Despite the cyclical nature of semiconductor demand, Electro-Graph has maintained a steady rate of growth and product development over the past 30 years. The company is well positioned to play a critical role in what has been an ever-increasing demand for improved equipment performance, while still reducing cost of ownership. Electro-Graph's products and subassemblies are found in more than 90 percent of the world's fabs, and the company has sales offices in every major market location. As a supplier of equipment upgrades, Electro-Graph expects continued growth in this important niche market.
The Future...
With the recent acquisition of Electro-Graph by Plansee, the available capabilities have tripled and the alignment helps position Electro-Graph at the front of the refractory metals market. This merger also provides knowledge and support for future semiconductor product development and supply chain stabilization.
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