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BTU International, Inc. engages in the design, manufacture, sale, and service of thermal processing systems, which are used as capital equipment in various manufacturing processes, primarily in the electronics and energy generation industries. The company sells its products worldwide. The company primarily serves in the United States. In addition, it has direct investments in various subsidiaries outside of the U.S., primarily in Asia and Europe.
The company manufactures reflow furnaces for printed circuit board assembly as well as semiconductor wafer-level and die-level packaging equipment. It provides thermal process equipment for the solar cell, fuel cell and nuclear fuel industries. In the semiconductor market, the company participates in both wafer level and die level packaging, where its thermal processing systems are used to connect and seal integrated circuits into a package. The company’s customers in the energy generation market use its thermal systems to process ceramics and metal alloys which are used in fuel cell, solar cell and nuclear fuel applications.
Products
The company supplies a range of thermal processing systems for the electronics and energy generation markets. The company’s products are used for such applications as printed circuit board assembly, semiconductor packaging and material processing of products used in energy generation.
Electronics Markets
Printed Circuit Board Assembly: The company sells thermal processing systems used in the solder reflow and curing stages of printed circuit board assembly. The company’s printed circuit board assembly products are used primarily in the high-density segments of the market, which utilize surface mount technology.
The company's Pyramax family of convection reflow systems is designed on a single platform which is intended to limit the product build cycle. Pyramax processes printed circuit boards of up to 24 inches wide. Rated up to 400°C, these products are designed to operate in air or nitrogen atmospheres. Pyramax utilizes impingement technology to transfer heat to the substrate. These systems are offered in 7-zone and 10-zone heated lengths and are capable of processing lead free solder. Pyramax thermal processing systems are equipped with a patented flux management system structured to isolate the flux outside the main process chamber.
Wafer Level and Die Level Semiconductor Packaging: The company sells various systems for the thermal processes used in semiconductor packaging.
Flip chip reflow provides the physical and electronic bond of the semiconductor device to its package. The Paragon and Pyramax families of convection reflow systems, utilizing the company’s closed loop convection technology, rate at up to 400°C and operate in air or nitrogen atmospheres. These products are offered in three models based on the heated lengths of thermal processing chambers. Heated length is based on the required production rate and loading requirements.
The company’s TCAS series of continuous belt thermal processing systems is rated up to 800°C and is designed for wafer bump reflow. It can operate in various controlled atmospheres, including hydrogen, using patented gas barrier technology.
The company offers integrated systems for flux coating and reflow of 200mm and 300mm wafers. The 300mm systems are designed to be fully compliant with I300i protocol and with SEMI S2 and S8 standards. These integrated systems include commercial robotics with FOUP handling, fluxing stations, reflow soldering systems.
Alternative Energy Markets
The processing of materials used in non-fossil fuel power generation applications is a significant target market. The company supports its worldwide energy customers through its global sales and service network.
Fuel Cells: The company offers a range of products used primarily in the manufacturing of SOFCs. Typical processes performed by the company’s equipment in this market are drying, sintering, co-firing and glass to metal sealing. In addition to supplying individual systems, it offers systems for the manufacture of fuel cell components. Drying applications are processed in the company’s CHT Series convection drying systems. Sintering and co-firing applications can be in excess of 1500°C. The Company's Convection Batch and Pusher furnaces are used for these processes.
Solar Cells: The company offers continuous furnaces for solar cell manufacturing. Processes for this application include diffusion, anti-reflective coatings and thick film silver contact firing. The company’s Quartz TQ Series muffle furnaces are used for phosphorous diffusion. Its Atmosphere Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition furnaces are used in the deposition of anti-reflective coatings. The company’s Infrared IR Series tungsten lamp furnaces are used for thermal processing of silver contact applications.
Nuclear Fuels: The company offers both walking beam and pusher systems for sintering fuel. These processes operate at temperatures in the range of 1750°C in a hydrogen reduction atmosphere. The company’s primary product for this market is its patented Walking Beam system designed for manufacture of nuclear fuels. Walking Beam systems are used to sinter gadolinium and uranium pellets used for nuclear fuel generation.
Customers
The company's primary customers are global manufacturers that use its products in multiple facilities worldwide. Its major customers in 2006 included AREVA, Celestica, Intel, AMD, Solectron, Hangzhou, BP Solar, Sagem, Jurong High-Tech, Long Manufacturing, HMT, Compel and Sony.
License and Joint Development Agreement
The company has a license and joint development agreement with Boston University focused on optimizing processes and materials used to manufacture solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs).
Competition
The company’s primary competitors for solder reflow systems are Vitronics-Soltec, Heller, Furakawa, ERSA, Rehm and Electrovert. The company’s primary competitors for semiconductor packaging are Sikama, SEMIgear and Heller. Its systems for the energy generation markets and other applications compete primarily against products offered by SierraTherm, Centrotherm and Harper.
History
BTU International, Inc. was founded in 1950.
