Providing the technology for tomorrow’s solution

PROVIDING THE TECHNOLOGY FOR TOMORROW’S SOLUTIONS

Atotech’s Vice President Electronics, Gertjan Van-der-Wal, explains to Julia Snow how this promise is fulfilled in decorative and functional surface finishing, semiconductor and printed circuit board manufacturing.

With annual sales of €893 million, Atotech is one of the world’s leading suppliers of integrated production systems, by providing chemistry, equipment and service for decorative and functional surface finishing, semiconductor and printed circuit board manufacturing. Their know-how is applied directly to customer oriented technology applications and related end-markets.

Committed to sustainability, Atotech develops technologies that minimize waste and reduce environmental impact. The core business units – GMF (General Metal Finishing) and Electronics (Printed Circuit Board and IC-Substrate) contribute approximately 50 per cent to total sales each; but the additional business units such as Electronics Materials and Semiconductor Technology play an increasingly important role.

Atotech was founded in 1993, when the Elf Atochem Group merged its M&T Harshaw operations with Schering Electroplating Division, whose experience in electroplating dates back to 1901. Today Atotech is a direct subsidiary of the world’s fifth-largest oil and gas company Total, which holds a leading position throughout the world in the markets of petrochemicals, fertilisers and specialty chemicals for consumer as well as industrial markets. Atotech has access to substantial resources and benefits from production, R&D and distribution synergies within the chemical branch of the group.

International presence

Being close to customers is a top priority for Atotech. The company employs over 4000 people in more than 40 countries. With Berlin as the international R&D and administration center, it has established regional headquarters with application centers in Rock Hill (USA) and Yokohama (Japan), supported by 40 regional service centers, of which 17 are specialised as TechCenters, providing advanced analytical and technical support. With 14 production plants for chemistry and two for equipment, Atotech ensures fast, on-time delivery all over the world. While maintaining the strong positions in Europe and the Americas, Atotech has responded to the growing Asian market and made large investments in this region. Today, there are plants and TechCenters in Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Czech Repbulic, India, China, Japan, Singapore, Italy, South Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, USA and Canada.

“Our test and pilot line capacity is constantly increasing at all sites” reports Mr Van-der-Wal. “The new clean room for flat panel display and semiconductor manufacturing equipment in Feucht, Germany, is due to open in 2013, and more clean rooms in our international TechCenters will follow.

Developing a deep understanding of market needs

Atotech focuses on providing systems solutions for its customers who target the key end-markets such as automotive, consumer electronics, industrial and medical, sanitary, furniture and construction industries.

Customers are found in the field of worldleading job shop plating, printed circuit board, advanced packaging and semiconductor companies, as well as in Tier I, Tier II, Tier III, electronic manufacturing services and original equipment manufacturers. “Time to market is critical in markets like consumer electronics. “says Mr Van-der-Wal. “Although we are operating at the bottom of the supply chain, we try to be involved with the entire industry value chain to provide fast answers to current and future market needs. We talk and collaborate with OEMs, institutes, universities and external companies to develop solutions for future manufacturing techniques and to detect trends at an early stage.” Our dedicated OEM teams are in constant direct contact with the market leaders to align research and development projects

Components for optimum use of ultrasound

When it comes to cleaning complex workpieces and complete assemblies, ultrasound is quite simply indispensable. Ultrasonic cleaning allows defi ned levels of cleanliness to be met reliably, reproducibly, quickly and in a way that is gentle on materials.

Ultrasonic cleaning is therefore the cleaning process of choice for many applications in the automotive and supply industry, the mechanical and plant engineering sector, the fi tting/fixtures and sanitary facility industry, the fi eld of optics and precision mechanics, the fi elds of electroplating, and microtechnology and many other sectors.

How ultrasonic cleaning works

The cleaning effect is based on cavitation. An ultrasonic generator emits electrical signals at a certain frequency which are then transferred to the liquid as waves of ultrasound via a rod-style or plate transducer. These transducers create high intensive soundwaves. As a result of the high intensity, microscopic bubbles form in the vacuum phases which then implode in the subsequent overpressure phase, releasing shock waves with considerable energy densities. This also triggers microflows in the liquid, which separate and clean away fi lms and particulate matter from the components being cleaned. The key to achieving the desired cleaning result is selecting the right frequency.

As one of the world’s leading manufacturers, Weber Ultrasonics offers a wide range of innovative ultrasonic components that allow the cleaning process to be matched perfectly to specific requirements. Its portfolio encompasses the digital ultrasonic generators SONIC DIGITAL with frequencies of 25 to 250 kHz and the module generators ULTRASONIC MICRO CLEANING (UMC) with digital 1 MHz and 500 kHz frequency generation. SONIC DIGITAL MULTI module ultrasonic generators can be used to generate up to three different frequencies. The high efficiency, compact design, convenient operation and sophisticated features of all the ultrasonic generators from Weber Ultrasonics ensure maximum process and operational reliability, giving the ultrasonic generators an edge over the competition.

SPECIMEN

accordingly. The Electronics OEM Group concentrates on advanced packaging companies, chip manufacturers, mobile phone and other electronic end-device manufacturers, whereas the GMF OEM Group concentrates mainly on automotive manufacturers and Tier I/II/III suppliers.

Sustainable development a top priority

Atotech is committed to achieving tangible objectives through its corporate social responsibility policy, which clearly defines procedures, practices and performance levels. Therefore, one of Atotech’s main challenges as a manufacturer is to create processes and systems that ensure safe manufacturing and operations while keeping any impact on the environment to a minimum. The replacement of toxic substances with more environmentally friendly materials in the production process is one example of this.

“We pride ourselves on setting benchmarks in development and operation processes and we put continuous improvement programmes into place to reduce our own, as well as our customers’ environmental footprint, while maintaining superior performance, quality and profitability. We assess each and every one of our products for potential health, safety, environment, quality and security risks before launching them to the market. We also pioneer new and improved recycling and wastewater treatment methods for our products.” says Mr Van-der-Wal.

According to Gertjan Van-der-Wal, “the TechCenters also play a crucial role in Atotech’s commitment to sustainability”. Extensive R&D efforts adapted to application work and tests have resulted in some of its most renowned Pb-free, EDTA-free, formaldehydefree and cyanide-free processes. Those developments increasingly gain customers’ trust, also thanks to many trials and demonstration runs that took place at the TechCenters.

Future developments

The rapid advances in technology anticipated for the coming years will drive the company to strengthen and expand partnerships with customers and their end markets. “Growth is expected to come from organic expansion and through innovation,” says Mr Van-der-Wal. “We are always looking out for new technologies, new markets and applications. Our systems approach stands out in the market because we do more than just sell chemistry or equipment. As integrated process supplier we strive for an intimate working knowledge of the requirements of the whole supply chain, including future developments.”

Particularly strong growth is expected in semiconductors and new fields, and the current investments in suitable production facilities show how serious Atotech is about creating the infrastructure to be the best-placed provider of “technology for tomorrow’s solutions”. n