Polysilicon Feedstock Automation

The Situation

Industry leader in polysilicon feedstock reactors needed to ramp manufacturing output.

The Challenge

Polysilicon rods are very fragile and heavy. Manual handling generates yield loss from contamination and damage. The rod diameters can vary significantly and the spacing between rods is small. The factory environment is classified as hazardous area.

The Solution

Owens Design developed and built an automated mechanism to handle rods. The design minimized particle and metals contamination through guards and material selection. The mechanism accomodated a wide range of rod diameters and was compact enough to fit between the largest rods. Owens Design provided the safety and standards knowledge and design including Class 1, Division II, Group B environment compliance.