Semiconductors are compact, powerful electronic components that include elements like chips and sensors, that process data, execute commands, communicate with other devices, connect to the internet and store memory. Whether optimizing agricultural practices with autonomous irrigation sensors or powering pacemakers that regulate heartbeats, semiconductors enable transformative technologies. As we become increasingly more connected, advanced semiconductors are essential for enhancing the efficiency and impact of the devices that link us and shape our daily lives.

Overcoming challenges with next-generation innovations 

As the electric vehicle (EV) market accelerates, it is pushing the boundaries of semiconductor technology to address pressing challenges like range anxiety, insufficient charging infrastructure and slow charging speeds. Innovations in this sector are focused on creating more efficient semiconductors that improve battery life, reduce the weight of power devices and tackle critical issues affecting EV performance and infrastructure. 

The shift to silicon carbide for long-lasting semiconductor solutions 

Recently the semiconductor industry has transitioned from using silicon-based (SI) slurries to silicon carbide (SIC)-based slurries for semiconductor chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). SIC slurries offer significant advantages over traditional slurries due to their electrical properties, including: 

• Higher thermal conductivity: SIC materials provide better heat management during the polishing process, ensuring stable conditions. This helps prevent wafer damage, improves polishing accuracy and boosts reliability.  

• Improved efficiency in power devices: Using SIC slurries in CMP allows systems to handle higher voltages and temperatures, improving efficiency and performance.  

• Greater mechanical hardness: SIC is mechanically harder than silicon, which enhances its longevity and speed in smoothing wafer surfaces because it can withstand great force without deforming. This combination makes it more durable, scratch resistant and better at delivering uniform results.   

• Lower energy loss and better performance: Silicon semiconductors waste energy as heat but SIC semiconductors can run at higher frequencies and temperatures, reducing energy loss and enhancing improved performance. 

• Thinner wafer production: SIC enables smaller and more compact semiconductor devices that are both lightweight and durable. 

• Compatibility with high-voltage applications: EVs and renewable energy systems require materials that can handle high-power demands and SIC is well suited for these challenging applications. 

Vibrantz is making strides in SIC slurries

With over 60 years of expertise in surface finishing technology, Vibrantz’s research, development and analytical resources empower us to drive innovation in the industry. Our new acidic permanganate SIC slurry offers high removal rates (from 4.5-7 micrometers per hour) and very low defectivity. This single-pass slurry yields surface finishes of 0.7 angstroms. With a total usable area percentage of 99%, it does not compromise surface quality for speed and is an ideal choice for semiconductor CMP.   

For insights and details about our next-generation SIC slurry or any of our advanced formulations, reach out to our expert team. Our scientists and commercial specialists will also be attending upcoming industry events ICSCRM and ICPT where you can connect with us in person.  

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Recognizing this, climate experts have diligently provided resources and education to help individuals make micro-level changes, such as electrifying stoves, using induction cooktops or producing more efficient consumer electronics. Government-backed organizations, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the U.S. Department of Energy, for example, offer guidance on finding energy-efficient appliances and accessing government tax credits for greener purchases. Similarly, non-profit organizations worldwide exist to partner with families and businesses to provide simple and credible information that consumers can rely on to make well-informed climate-aligned decisions and receive incentives for home efficiencies and electrification. 

The push toward electrification is gaining momentum globally as advanced economies around the world  embrace the urgency of addressing climate change. Whether one rents an apartment, owns a home or lives in a recreational vehicle, upgrades to electronics and lifestyle adjustments can significantly contribute to solving the larger climate challenge. By adopting simple yet practical changes like using an electric kettle instead of a gas stove or upgrading to a more efficient water heater, individuals can reduce their carbon footprint and save on energy bills.  

We play a vital role in powering electronics and appliances

Vibrantz offers premium heater on steel (HOS) paste systems that protect electronics by acting as insulators, preventing the conduction of electricity. High-quality paste systems result in greater product reliability and serve various functions including: 

• Electrical insulation of electronic or appliance heating elements such as wires or coils  
• Insulation of stainless or austenitic steel parts  
• Prevention of electrical hazards and short circuits 
• Additional layers of protection from external factors like dust, moisture and physical damage 
• Creation of conductive pathways for electrical currents to flow safely  
• Precise control over the amount of heat produced and accurate adjustment of temperature levels in the heating system 

Our HOS paste systems make electronics and home appliances more efficient in an array of everyday products like electric tea kettles, milk frothers, tankless water heaters and coffee makers.  

Vibrantz’s technologies in consumer appliances and electronics

Choosing efficient electronics and appliances is paramount to support renewable energy initiatives. Our HOS applications offer systems tailored to meet stringent requirements. Our expertise is evident in key aspects including: 

1. Compatibility: We ensure that our systems integrate with specific substrates and the end product will be adaptable to diverse environments and harsh conditions and provide long-term performance. 

2. Reliability: With over a century of experience, we leverage our expertise to offer superior-performing products that are trusted worldwide.  

3. Versatility: Our solutions are customized to meet the unique requirements of appliances, consumer goods and industrial products. 

4. Efficiency: Our paste systems are compact in size yet boast high power density. 

Tailored electronics materials support 

At Vibrantz, we are committed to responsible manufacturing and product management while supporting global goals to reduce GHG emissions. We understand that the shift toward electrification may seem overwhelming, and we provide world-class products that make getting there easier. 

Contact our team to learn more about our customized electronic materials solutions and how we can help you plug into the electrification movement.  

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We often hear about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) and appreciate their modern features. But what lies behind the seamless driving experience drawing consumers to purchase EVs?

While vehicles today showcase a range of technological advancement driven by sensors, EVs heavily rely on sensors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a luxury experience.

A closer look at EV sensors

EV sensors require capacitors to store energy passively until it is released on demand, ensuring a responsive power source for the intricate functionalities of EV systems.

A capacitor is composed of dielectric material sandwiched between two conductive plates. The dielectric material is an insulator that enhances capacitance and prevents the free flow of charges, ensuring that the stored energy remains stable and controlled. This neutralization enables efficient energy storage and plays a vital role in successful capacitor operation.

Your partner in electronic materials

As society embraces cleaner vehicle options, original equipment manufacturers must rely on dependable suppliers for high-performing materials. Vibrantz provides dielectric ceramic powders that offer competitive advantages, such as:

• Responsible environmental care – Our products are registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant.
  
• Quality assurance – Our accomplished engineering and quality teams deliver lot-to-lot consistency.
  
• Technical service resources – Our highly experienced technical service team is available for guidance and recommendations on choosing the optimal product to achieve the best possible outcomes for your specific applications.
  
• Research and development – Our global research and development team supports customers in designing next-generation electronics through highly engineered formulations and hands-on assistance.
  
• Vertically integrated supply chain – We create customized proprietary products with minimal disruptions in sourcing and obtaining raw materials.

“Our dielectric ceramic powders are essential for EVs, enabling sensors to do things like filter noise, control speed, regulate temperature, detect proximity to other vehicles and objects and much more. Capacitors are fundamental to EVs because they’re inherently full of electronic circuits.”

-Heidi Van Halle, Global Commercial Director, Electronics and Surface Technology

The need for steadfast manufacturing partners has never been greater in today’s global manufacturing environment and markets. Vibrantz’s dielectric ceramic materials are a small, yet crucial piece of solving the broader sustainability challenge.

Contact our advanced materials team for more information on dielectric ceramic materials and our full range of electronic materials.

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Surface polishing’s critical role in electronics manufacturing

Precision is paramount in the dynamic world of electronics manufacturing. Whether it’s the intricate components of a computer chip or the cutting-edge technology in electric vehicles (EVs), achieving a flawlessly smooth surface is a crucial step. As electronics have evolved – shrinking in size while expanding in functionality – the need for precise surface polishing and chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) processes have become increasingly important.

CMP, a process utilizing specialized slurries to blend mechanical abrasion with chemical reactions to make surfaces perfectly flat and uniform, plays a pivotal role in guaranteeing the seamless functionality and reliability of electronic devices.

Slurries serve a dual purpose in CMP

Slurries play a key role in creating high-quality semiconductor devices with flat and smooth surfaces, which are essential for proper device performance and reliability. They are an essential part of the CMP process providing:

• Material removal: The abrasive particles in slurries act as a microscopic sandpaper, gently wearing down uneven or excess material from the surface of the electronic component.
• Chemical control: The chemicals in slurries are crucial in controlling the chemical reactions that take place during CMP. These reactions help in selectively removing specific materials while preserving others. This recision is vital to the integrity of the component’s functionality.

Customized CMP solutions

At Vibrantz, we recognize there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for electronics manufacturers. Our technical team collaborates with customers to reformulate and optimize slurry solutions. Our CMP slurries enable high-yield processes for next-generation devices, offering properties like better polishing capability, low defectivity, excellent stability and extended shelf life. We also work with customers to design custom polishing products with tailored properties required for increasingly complex CMP process requirements. Our entire production process is in-house, allowing us to have full technical and quality control of our products.

With two fully staffed CMP R&D teams, Vibrantz is pushing past barriers through innovative product development in the fast-growing silicon carbide (SIC) and colloidal ceria markets. With pioneering SIC slurry products developed in facilities around the world, Vibrantz is considered an industry leader in SIC advancement. Our technologies offer optimal performance while keeping cost and product yield as a top priority. As the semiconductor industry advances and devices become more complex, the importance of CMP in achieving high-quality electronic devices continues to grow. Learn more about our innovative role in surface polishing technologies here.

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• Medical advancements that improve detection and treatment to enhance the quality of life. 
• Connected device enhancements that allow multiple platforms to communicate and share data in real time.
• Improvements in telecommunications that have led to increased learning resources.
• The advancement of electric vehicles.

Electronics materials are at the heart of who we are.

Under the harshest conditions, our electronic materials and custom products must perform. Our highly reliable materials can be found in critical applications like pacemakers and defibrillators through glass powders, dielectric powders, thick film pastes and green tapes. These components ensure the materials inside, such as circuit boards and connecting parts, continue to provide the electrical current and structure needed to keep them operating. 

“Our team is regularly adapting our products to address customer needs and anticipate future market trends. We help customers make materials that save lives, all while tackling challenges like making it easier to access and share patient information through electronic medical records, improving the quality of wearable devices that can help identify health problems early on and connecting the world to telemedicine opportunities that were previously unavailable.”

– Heidi Van Halle, global sales director, surface technologies and electronics.

A customizable solution to everyday challenges

Our expertise in electronics extends beyond the healthcare industry. Our materials are also critical to the automotive, defense and aerospace, power management and telecommunications industries.

The post Electronics and our role in elevating the everyday appeared first on Vibrantz Technologies.

We reorganized our new company into three rational business units with new leadership and ways of working collaboratively. We also began to develop a strong, shared culture as we rally around our purpose to bring color, performance and vibrancy to life and our six core values.

We are proud of who we are and what we do.

We’re experts and innovators focused on solving challenges, embracing change and growing. We are innovators passionate about helping you and committed to creating a workplace where employees authentically contribute their best. Our purpose to bring color, performance and vibrancy to life is evident every day in the work we do to provide critical, high-value products; in the creative, innovative and team-oriented spirit embodied by our employees; and in our pledge to be a responsible, thoughtful and impactful presence in our communities.

We elevate the everyday.

Our advanced materials, color solutions and performance coatings are used in small amounts to make sizable impacts on a variety of industrial and consumer applications.

We have made great strides in Year One as Vibrantz.

Since Day One, we have worked to become a sustainable, world-class specialty chemicals and materials provider. In our first year together, we made incredible strides:

• Shared processes and drove efficiencies
• Exhibited, attended or presented at more than 35 industry trade shows
• Launched a new corporate website to demonstrate our broader Vibrantz offering
• Rolled out our global Environmental Health and Safety strategy
• Finalized plans to launch a new corporate philanthropy program
• Regularly communicated externally via social media and our CEO podcast series

A look ahead at what you can expect.

We are committed to continuing to provide world-class service and products. Expect us to:

• Focus on maintaining and working to continually improve service levels
• Continue investing in safety, maintenance and optimization projects at our sites
• Identify the most promising innovation pipeline projects and work to advance them faster
• Share more about our sustainability initiative, including lifecycle impacts of some products  
• Gather feedback from customers in a survey later this year to understand how we can improve

Thank you for choosing to partner with us.

We hope you experience the Vibrantz brand as reflective of who we are – energetic and bold – and what we do best, which is innovating to bring color, performance and vibrancy to life. We are excited to share our journey as Vibrantz in each edition of our monthly blog.

The post Reflecting on our first 365 days as Vibrantz appeared first on Vibrantz Technologies.