Semiconductor Plasma Measurement 'Electrostatic Chuck (ESC)' Company Powell Corporation [Semiconductor Korea]

Kang Chang-su CEO: "We Will Become a Game Changer in Semiconductor Plasma Measurement with Proprietary Technology"
Commercialization of Plasma Sensor-Equipped Electrostatic Chuck... Aiming to Become a 100 Billion KRW Revenue Company Within 5 Years

Kang Chang-su, CEO of Powell Corporation.
[Photo by Powell Corporation]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Min-jae] Semiconductor plasma processes are used in etching processes that remove unnecessary parts from semiconductor circuit patterns. Since errors can occur in the produced semiconductor chips if the circuit is broken or uneven due to faulty processing, plasma measurement is directly linked to yield. Typically, measuring plasma requires stopping the process and inserting sensors for measurement. However, Powell Corporation is a notable small and medium-sized enterprise that possesses technology enabling measurement without stopping the operating equipment.

On the 18th, Kang Chang-soo, CEO of Powell Corporation, who met with Asia Economy, said, "We received technology transfer from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science and succeeded in developing the world's first basic technology for an electrostatic chuck (ESC) equipped with a plasma sensor, and we plan to launch a prototype by the end of this year." According to CEO Kang, it is expected that this system can improve yield by about 2%.

Electrostatic chuck (ESC) equipped with a plasma sensor from Powell Corporation. [Photo by Powell Corporation]

Powell Corporation measures plasma using a direct density measurement method rather than the indirect measurement method that involves inserting sensors. This method allows real-time plasma measurement without stopping the semiconductor process, which can reduce costs in the time-sensitive semiconductor manufacturing process, according to the company. The measurement accuracy is also higher compared to the indirect measurement method. CEO Kang explained, "In the case of indirect measurement methods, errors of up to 30% can occur during measurement, but Powell Corporation's method has a measurement uncertainty of 2%, which is world-class."

CEO Kang founded Powell Corporation in 1999. Having worked nearly eight years as an engineer at a foreign company manufacturing vacuum pumps, he became interested in the semiconductor industry after seeing the vacuum pumps supplied to Samsung Electronics' semiconductor lines and decided to start his own business. In its early years, Powell Corporation participated in the development and design of ceramic electrostatic chucks with Samsung Electronics for over three years, laying the foundation for growth. This is why Powell Corporation's main product is the electrostatic chuck, a key component that uses electrostatics to fix wafers without physical damage. The DC power supply that controls the electrostatic chuck by supplying a high-voltage 2500-volt DC current is also one of the company's main products.

With 12 employees, Powell Corporation recorded sales of 25 billion KRW last year. This is about a 30% increase from 18.8 billion KRW in 2020, which the company attributes to increased demand for semiconductor equipment as major domestic semiconductor companies build new factories in places like Pyeongtaek.

Powell Corporation views Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) technology as its new growth engine. PHM is a technology that optimizes equipment management by predicting failure timing in advance through predictive diagnostics, and the company plans to apply this to semiconductor processes. Previously, parts such as vacuum pumps used in semiconductor processes had to be replaced annually on a fixed schedule because their failure timing was unknown. However, by adopting this technology, it becomes possible to identify and replace only parts likely to fail in advance. This reduces unnecessary part replacements and can cut overall facility and operating costs by 10 to 30%.

Since 2015, the company has invested about 10% of its annual sales in research and development (R&D) to develop related technologies. CEO Kang stated, "Our goal is to complete the commercialization of the electrostatic chuck equipped with the plasma sensor currently under development by 2024, actively target global semiconductor companies overseas, and grow into a comprehensive semiconductor parts company with sales of 100 billion KRW within five years."

Suwon = Reporter Kwak Min-jae

Semiconductor Korea

A corner prepared by Asia Economy to widely promote and support the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment technology, which play a solid foundational role in the semiconductor industry, a core of national competitiveness.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.