Contact photolithography mask aligners have long been used for building ICs in semiconductor production to reproduce extremely minute designs on substrates such as silicon wafers. Neutronix Inc. in San Jose, Calif., (neutronixinc.com) says the machines can now makes cutting-edge products that incorporate MEMs, LEDs, and biomedical elements. The added capability comes from remanufacturing and custom — engineering Canon PLA 501/600 and MPA 600 series mask aligners.

“The machines make reliable production tools and are not limited to just silicon wafers,“ says President Brett Arnold. “Their new application is an example of morphing of technology - capability originally intended for one industry is applied to another to create a new product, or even a new market.“

The company first dismantles the machines and cleans and reprocesses salvageable components such as castings and guideshaft parts. It then remachines consumable items or replaces them with new parts, also replacing most optic components. The emphasis is to return machines to OEM specs. Company engineers then customize the machines for additional functions for specific customer applications.

Arnold says an infrared backside alignment, for example, allows using the Canons for MEMS applications. The machines can be adapted to handle new shapes and sizes of substrates, such as square and rectangles, which were not available when the machines were originally designed. “Refurbished machines provide a thick-photoresist-based process that provides high-aspect-ratio printing for 3D parts,“ says Arnold. “Machines can create microchannels in polymers in a matter of hours.“

Neutronix Quintel mask aligners are also available for handling large wafers. The machines target manufacturers and researchers in optoelectric, microsystem, and nanotech industries and can be modified for specific mask, substrate, or printing requirements. An example application comes from the Harvard Medical School lab in the Boston General Hospital. Researchers there are using a Quintel machine customized for the use of plastic masks and substrates of different thicknesses and shapes. The machine gives the lab flexibility in testing and developing bioMEMS prototypes.