Polishing specialist delivers 100th unit to wafer makers

The company says its AC 2000-P2 is recognised in the semiconductor industry worldwide as a benchmark in the double-side polishing of 300 mm silicon wafers, the raw material used for computer-chip manufacturing. “With the tremendous success of the AC 2000-P2, Peter Wolters has demonstrated its market leadership as a supplier of technology for challenging high-precision machining, even in the electronics industry. We will continue to strengthen this position in the future,” said Udo Hieber, chief executive officer of Peter Wolters AG. The semiconductor industry committed itself to a future wafer size of 300 mm in 1995 and when the decision was made that the new 300 mm wafers would have to be double-side polished, development work began on the first AC 2000-P machine series. Peter Wolters delivered its first AC-2000-P in October 1996 to a Japanese wafer manufacturer. The machine was further developed and reintroduced to the market in early 2001 as the AC 2000-P2. With this model, Peter Wolters gained "clear market leadership in the double-side polishing of 300 mm wafers".