KAM’s Design Fabrication Services

KAM’s Design Fabrication Services (DFS) Group provides semiconductor fabrication services and characterization capabilities for engineers developing microelectronic, semiconductor, MEMS, and other advanced device technologies. By combining wafer processing, photolithography, thin-film processing, microreplication and molding—including small-substrate and hot embossing, soft lithographic molding, replica molding, and polymer microstructure replication—, inspection, reliability testing, and material characterization in one facility, DFS helps engineers evaluate materials and processes before moving toward larger-scale manufacturing.

Our Capabilities

KAM offers a broad range of in-house design, fabrication, processing, inspection, metrology, and material testing capabilities to support development from initial process evaluation through device fabrication and characterization.

Wafer Processing & Photolithography Tools

Pre-Treatment, Coat, Bake, Exposure, Development

Inspection & Metrology Tools

Microscopy, Dimensional Characterization, Film Thickness 

Reliability Tools

Environmental, Thermal, Humidity & Reliability Testing

Other Application Tools

Sputtering, Plating, Wafer Bonding & De-Bonding

Kayaku's Material Testing Capabilities

Physical, Electrical, Mechanical, Thermal, Analytical & Reliability Testing

Wafer Processing & Photolithography Machines and Tools

The Design Fabrication Services Group has a range of wafer processing and photolithography tools for developing and evaluating microfabricated structures across multiple wafer sizes. Our capabilities span surface preparation, coating and lamination, thermal processing, exposure, and development. All coming together to provide flexibility to support different materials, process conditions, and fabrication requirements.

Surface Preparation Machines & Tools

Surface preparation helps optimize substrate conditions before coating and patterning. DFS has in-house capabilities for both HMDS priming and plasma treatment across wafer-level substrates.

YES HMDS oven for wafer dehydration and surface preparation

YES HMDS Oven

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
HMDS Vapor Priming
Controlled HMDS vapor priming to improve surface conditions and promote adhesion of photoresist and other coatings for reliable subsequent processing.
Plasma treatment system for wafer surface preparation

PVA PLASMA Tool

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Plasma Surface Treatment
Plasma treatment to clean and modify wafer surfaces, removing contaminants and enhancing surface properties to reliable subsequent processing.

Coating and Lamination Machines & Tools

DFS supports multiple methods for applying photoresists, dielectrics, and other functional materials to wafer-level substrates. Spin coating provides flexibility for liquid materials and controlled film formation, while lamination enables processing of dry-film and other film-based materials across a range of wafer sizes. These capabilities support photoresist processing, dielectric patterning, and other wafer fabrication applications.

Apogee spin coater for wafer photoresist coating

Apogee Spin Coater

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Spin Coating
Spin coating capability for applying liquid photoresists, dielectrics, and other functional materials to wafer scale substrates.
TTS laminator for dry film resist wafer processing

TTS Laminator

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Film Lamination
Wafer level lamination capability for applying film based materials to 4- or 8-inch wafers for subsequent fabrication and patterning processes.

Thermal Processing Machines & Tools

DFS maintains multiple thermal processing systems to support different stages of wafer and material processing. Capabilities include controlled baking, inert atmosphere processing, and vacuum processing for substrates up to 12 inches, providing flexibility for processes requiring different temperatures and environmental conditions.

Apogee bake oven for wafer thermal processing

Apogee Bake 300

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Controlled Wafer Baking
Controlled thermal processing for wafer-scale substrates, supporting bake steps used throughout photolithographic and microfabrication processes.
ESPEC inert oven for controlled wafer thermal processing

ESPEC Inert Oven

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Inert Atmosphere Processing
Controlled heating under an inert atmosphere for wafer and material processing where environmental control is important.
Sheldon vacuum oven for wafer and material thermal processing

Sheldon Vacuum Oven

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Vacuum Thermal Processing
Vacuum-assisted thermal processing for wafer and material applications requiring controlled heating under reduced-pressure conditions.

Exposure Machines & Tools

Exposure is a critical step in photolithography, transferring patterns onto photoresist-coated substrates using controlled light sources and alignment systems. DFS maintains multiple exposure platforms to support different wafer sizes, exposure requirements, and process approaches, providing flexibility for developing and evaluating patterned structures.

NXQ wafer exposure tool for photolithography processing

NXQ Exposure Tool

4″, 6″, & 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Multi-Wavelength LED Exposure
LED-based exposure with selectable 356 nm and 405 nm wavelengths, including the ability to blend wavelengths. The system supports 4-, 6-, and 8-inch wafers for flexible photolithography processing.
OAI wafer exposure tool for photolithography processing

OAI Conatct Mask Aligner

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Contact Mask Alignment & Exposure
Contact mask alignment and exposure for transferring photolithographic patterns onto wafer-scale substrates. The system supports mask-based patterning for a range of microfabrication processes.

Development Machines & Tools

Following exposure, development removes the soluble portions of the photoresist to reveal the intended pattern. DFS has in-house development equipment capable of processing wafer-scale substrates, supporting a range of photolithographic materials and patterning requirements.

Apogee 300XD wafer bonding and de-bonding system

Apogee 300XD & 200X

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Automated Photoresist Development
Automated wafer development for removing exposed or unexposed photoresist, depending on the resist chemistry, to reveal patterned features following photolithographic exposure.

Inspection & Metrology Tools

Inspection and metrology capabilities enable engineers to evaluate patterned features, film thickness, surface characteristics, and dimensional performance throughout the fabrication process. These measurements help assess process results and identify variations that may affect device performance.

FilmTek film thickness measurement tool for semiconductor wafers

FilmTek Film Thickness Microscope

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Contact & Non-Contact Thickness Measurement
Measures thin-film thickness across wafer substrates using contact and non-contact measurement methods, supporting process control and characterization of deposited and coated materials.
Nikon optical microscope for semiconductor wafer and microfabrication inspection

Nikon Optical Microscope

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
High-Resolution Optical Inspection
Provides detailed optical inspection of wafers and fabricated structures for evaluating surface features, defects, pattern quality, and overall process results.
KLA-Tencor P-17 surface profilometer for wafer and thin film characterization

KLA-Tencor P-17 Surface Profilometer

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Step Height & Surface Profile Measurement
Measures surface topography and step heights to characterize patterned features, film thickness, and changes in wafer surface profiles.
3D profilometer for semiconductor wafer surface and dimensional characterization

Keyence VK-X3000 3D Surface Profilometer

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
3D Surface Profilometry
Provides three-dimensional surface measurements for evaluating feature geometry, surface roughness, height variation, and detailed topography of fabricated structures.
Scanning electron microscope SEM for semiconductor and microfabrication inspection

Hitachi TM4000 / JEOL JCM-7000

Key Capability
High Resolution Surface Imaging
Provides high-resolution imaging of microfabricated structures and surfaces for examining feature dimensions, pattern quality, defects, interfaces, and process results.
Nikon Ti2 inverted microscope for wafer and microstructure inspection

Nikon Ti2 Inverted Microscope

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Inverted Optical Microscopy
Optical inspection and characterization of wafers, surfaces, and microfabricated structures during process development and evaluation.
Bonding microscope for wafer alignment and bonded interface inspection

Bonding Microscope

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Wafer Bonding Alignment & Inspection
Microscopic alignment and inspection of wafers and bonded interfaces to support wafer bonding processes and device fabrication.

Reliability Tools

KAM’s reliability capabilities evaluate materials, processes, and devices under accelerated environmental, thermal, and humidity conditions to identify potential reliability risks and failure mechanisms.

ESPEC HAST chamber for accelerated semiconductor reliability testing

ESPEC HAST Chamber

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Highly Accelerated Stress Testing
Accelerated environmental testing under elevated temperature and humidity conditions to evaluate material and device reliability and identify potential failure mechanisms.
ESPEC thermal cycle chamber for semiconductor temperature cycling reliability testing

ESPEC Thermal Cycle Chamber

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Thermal Cycling
Controlled temperature cycling to evaluate materials and devices under repeated thermal expansion and contraction conditions.
LR environmental chamber for temperature and humidity reliability testing

LR Environmental Chamber

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Environmental Reliability Testing
Controlled environmental testing for evaluating material and device performance under temperature and humidity conditions representative of demanding operating environments.
GCMS gas chromatography mass spectrometry system for material analysis

GCMS Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry System

Key Capability
Chemical Analysis & Material Charcaterization
Controlled environmental testing for evaluating material and device performance under temperature and humidity conditions representative of demanding operating environments.
HIPOTRONICS breakdown voltage tester for dielectric strength testing

HIPTRONICS Breakdown Voltage Tool

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Environmental Reliability Testing
Controlled environmental testing for evaluating material and device performance under temperature and humidity conditions representative of demanding operating environments.

Other Applications & Processing Tools

KAM’s additional processing capabilities support specialized fabrication requirements, including thin-film deposition, plating, wafer bonding, and de-bonding. These tools provide additional process steps for developing and evaluating advanced materials and device fabrication approaches.

Semicore sputtering system for thin film deposition on wafers

Semicore Sputter Tool

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Thin-Film Deposition
Physical vapor deposition (PVD) for depositing thin metal and other functional films onto substrates. Supports material deposition for metallization, electrodes, and other device fabrication applications.
Technic plating system for wafer metal plating

Technic Plating Tool

Up to 8″ Wafers

Key Capability
Electroplating & Metal Deposition
Electrochemical plating for depositing metal films onto patterned substrates. Supports applications requiring controlled metal buildup for semiconductor and microfabrication processes.
Apogee wafer bonder and de-bonder for wafer processing

Apogee Bonder & De-Bonder

Up to 12″ Wafers

Key Capability
Wafer Bonding & De-Bonding
Wafer bonding and de-bonding capabilities for temporary or permanent substrate integration. Supports advanced packaging, wafer-level processing, and device fabrication workflows.

Material Testing Capabilities

KAM provides in-house material testing and characterization for evaluating physical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, analytical, and reliability properties. These testing capabilities help engineers characterize materials, compare formulations, evaluate process performance, and identify potential material-related issues during product and process development.

Physical &
Mechanical
Testing

Capabilities

  • Coating stress
  • Adhesion / shear testing
  • Chemical resistance

Electrical
Testing

Capabilities

  • Dielectric testing (Dk and Df up to 50 GHz)
  • Breakdown voltage
  • Conductivity

Thermal &
Mechanical
Testing

Capabilities

  • TGA
  • TMA
  • DMA
  • DSC
  • Tensile testing

Analytical Testing Capabilities

Analytical testing provides detailed characterization of material composition and physical properties to support formulation, processing, and performance evaluation.

Spectroscopy

Capabilities

  • UV-VIS spectroscopy
  • FTIR spectroscopy

Chromatography

Capabilities

  • GPC
  • GC
  • HPLC

Physical &
Chemical Testing

Capabilities

  • Refractometry
  • Surface tension
  • Particle counting
  • Particle sizing
  • Percent solids
  • Viscosity (kinematic and dynamic)
  • Density testing

Supporting Development from Process Evaluation to Fabrication

Developing advanced materials and microfabricated devices often requires evaluating multiple process steps and material properties together. KAM’s in-house fabrication, processing, inspection, metrology, reliability, and material testing capabilities allow engineers to evaluate these variables within a connected development environment. This integrated approach can help accelerate process development, troubleshoot fabrication challenges, and evaluate materials under application-relevant conditions.

Contact Us

Contact Our Design Fabrication Services Here

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