Finetech’s high-precision placement and assembly systems support customers from the photonics and optoelectronics industry in cost-efficient product development and transfer to automated manufacturing.
With the newly introduced FINEPLACER® lambda 2 and the high-yield production platform FINEPLACER® femto 2, the Berlin-based precision machine manufacturer offers integrated equipment and process solutions for all product stages from a single source.
As a manufacturer of micro assembly equipment and process technology, Finetech has been supporting start-ups, as well as global technology leaders, for almost three decades in the development of innovative semiconductor products. The highly accurate sub-micron placement and assembly systems are a cornerstone of the Berlin-based mechanical engineering company’s portfolio – valued worldwide as versatile, cost-efficient and compact bonding platforms for R&D, prototyping and automated production.
They are the first choice for complex multi-stage assemblies with extremely high accuracy requirements, as well as diverse and very demanding bonding technologies. Applications include the development and production of optical transceivers up to 400 G for data communication, environmental sensors for autonomous driving, or power laser modules for use in industrial and medical applications.
FINEPLACER® lambda 2 – the starting point for successful product development
For basic research, concept and prototype phases, Finetech offers manual and partially motorized table-top systems. For this segment Finetech recently presented a new version of its long-standing successful model, the FINEPLACER® lambda.
The FINEPLACER® lambda 2 is used to place and connect components with an accuracy of better than 0.5 microns – ideal for the high requirements, e.g. in the development of opto-electronic products such as transceivers (TOSA/ROSA) or laser diode modules.
Thanks to the proven FINEPLACER® alignment and placement principle with only one moving axis, the system combines highest process quality, stability and accuracy. In conjunction with specially developed optical systems with an optical resolutions down to 0.7 µm, it enables superimposed images of the highest optical quality for the reliable detection and alignment of finest structures in the micron range.
Focus on the user
During the development of the FINEPLACER® lambda 2, Finetech put particular emphasis on the user’s needs. Thanks to the ergonomic machine design and software-supported guidance, the user always remains at the center of the action.
For greater comfort and safety, all operating elements have been adapted to the typical workflow. This allows the user to concentrate on the essentials and quickly obtain results. The uniform operating concept with clearly structured process sequences also ensures quick familiarization.
The library-based toolbox design of the newly developed IPM Command operating software simplifies the preparation and modification of process sequences. Instead of predefined scripts, the user can freely create, modify and combine sequences. The visual representation of all process components and parameters in real time enables intuitive and efficient process design.
Thanks to the intelligent user guidance, user errors are minimized.
Automated processes with the FINEPLACER® femto 2
Placement and assembly processes can be automated quickly and easily on Finetech equipment. The FINEPLACER® femto 2 maintains the level of reproducibility and accuracy of the processes developed on the FINEPLACER® lambda 2, while at the same time integrating the automatic handling and process steps required for series production.
The automatic bonding platform offers placement accuracy down to 0.3 micron @ 3 Sigma and supports a wide range of assembly applications at chip and wafer level. Designed for complex applications with highest accuracy requirements and a diverse technology mix, the system is suitable for automated development environments, as well as high-yield manufacturing of high-quality semiconductor products.
The Vision Alignment System FPXVisionTM allows cost- and time-efficient passive optical placement of devices. In combination with a powerful pattern recognition, it opens up numerous possibilities for the user in terms of application flexibility and accuracy.
The FINEPLACER® femto 2 has a special housing to eliminate external interference factors and to precisely control and influence the process conditions. Filter technology ensures a protected process environment in cleanroom quality up to class 100/ISO 5 – regardless of the machine’s location.
Flexibility and compatibility
Both FINEPLACER® systems follow Finetech’s uniform software concept IPM Command and share the same process module base. In this way, processes which have been already qualified during the development phase can be transferred to automation without technology change or changeover effort and scaled for production.
Like all FINEPLACER® bonding systems, the machines support individual configurations. The modular architecture of the platform makes it possible to equip the machine with a multitude of extension modules for a wide range of assembly and bonding technologies, including eutectic soldering, thermocompression bonding or bonding with UV-curing adhesives. This technological diversity opens up a wide range of applications, which can be further expanded by the large bonding force range.
Thanks to the modular system architecture, the systems remain adaptable at any time: if the technology requirements change, the corresponding process module can be retrofitted by the user via plug & play.
Process development and automated production cannot be more flexible; at the same time follow-up costs are kept low and the investment is safeguarded even with changing application requirements. Ideal scenario for users who frequently want to implement new technologies and processes in the long term.