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The PEEK Pick-Up Shoe identified by OEM part number 0040-97186 is a precision wafer-handling contact component used on the transfer and scan robotics of Applied Materials ion implantation platforms. The descriptor “Shoe Pick Up 150mm 3mm Edge 30 Degree PEEK” defines its geometry: a moulded polymer shoe sized for 150mm (6-inch) substrates, with a 3mm contact land that engages the wafer along its edge bevel at a nominal 30 degree included angle. Rather than gripping the active surface of the wafer, the shoe cradles the wafer at its periphery, supporting and locating it during pick, transfer and place operations performed by the end-effector or wafer paddle.
Within an AMAT implanter, this shoe sits at the very tip of the substrate-handling chain. As wafers move between cassette or load-lock, the orientation/alignment station and the spinning end-station disc or scan arm, they are repeatedly lifted, carried and seated by end-effectors fitted with edge-contact shoes such as this one. The shoe is therefore a quietly critical interface: it is one of the few components that physically touches the product wafer, and its condition directly governs handling reliability and particle performance.
Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is specified for the shoe because it combines high mechanical stiffness, excellent wear resistance and dimensional stability with the cleanliness, low outgassing and chemical inertness demanded inside a high-vacuum implantation tool. The 30 degree edge geometry and 3mm land are engineered so that contact occurs only on the wafer bevel, minimising backside and frontside contact while still providing a secure, repeatable seat under the accelerations of fast robotic motion.
The pick-up shoe is the working contact surface of a wafer end-effector. Its job is to acquire, restrain and release a 150mm wafer cleanly and repeatably as the robot or scan mechanism moves it through the tool, while contributing as little particulate and surface contact as possible.
PEEK is chosen for wafer-contact shoes because it offers a rare balance of properties for vacuum semiconductor handling: high rigidity and creep resistance under load, a high continuous-use temperature, very low moisture absorption and inherently low outgassing. These qualities keep the 3mm contact land dimensionally stable so that the wafer seats consistently shoe after shoe.
The defining feature of this shoe is that it touches the wafer only at the edge. The 30 degree land confines contact to a narrow band on the bevel, keeping the device-bearing frontside and the polished backside untouched. This edge-only strategy is central to particle control and to avoiding mechanical damage on product wafers.
Because the pick-up shoe is one of the last surfaces a wafer touches before it is processed, its condition has an outsized effect on handling reliability, particle counts and ultimately device yield. A worn or contaminated shoe is a common, often overlooked root cause of intermittent handling faults.
Repeated contact between the hard silicon bevel and the PEEK land gradually abrades the 30 degree contact surface. As the land wears, the wafer seats lower or shifts laterally, eroding seating repeatability and progressively degrading handoff accuracy until faults appear.
Worn or scuffed PEEK sheds microscopic debris, and process residue can build up on the contact land. Both raise particle counts on the wafer edge and can transfer onto the substrate, directly threatening cleanliness and defect performance in sensitive implant steps.
Chipping, cracking, deformation or loosening of the shoe relative to the end-effector can cause the wafer to sit at the wrong height or angle. This leads to mis-seat, slip or drop events, sensor faults during pick or place, and in the worst case broken wafers and a soiled handling path.
Replacing a wafer pick-up shoe is a precision task: the part is small, but its position defines where every wafer is presented. Carry out the work under proper cleanroom discipline and verify handling accuracy before returning the tool to production. The following sequence is a general guide and should always be performed in line with the relevant AMAT service procedures and your site safety rules.
Wafer-contact shoes are genuine consumables: they wear with use and are best managed as planned-replacement items rather than run-to-failure parts. Holding qualified spares on the shelf turns a potential line-down event into a routine swap. ESCT Fab Support helps fabs keep these handling-critical components available without overcommitting capital.
It is the wafer-contact tip of a robotic end-effector. The shoe cradles a 150mm wafer at its edge bevel along a 3mm contact land set at a 30 degree angle, supporting and locating the wafer as the robot picks it up, carries it and places it within the implanter.
No. This shoe is supplied by ESCT Fab Support as a new, OEM-compatible component verified to the form, fit and function of AMAT P/N 0040-97186. It is not an original Applied Materials part and is not sold as such; it is an independent equivalent under ESCT P/N ES3033-087.
PEEK offers high stiffness, wear resistance and dimensional stability together with low outgassing, low moisture absorption and chemical inertness. That combination keeps the contact geometry stable, protects vacuum integrity and provides a clean, wafer-friendly contact surface that softer plastics or bare metals cannot match.
Because it is a wearing contact part, replacement is best driven by inspection and preventive-maintenance schedules rather than a fixed lifetime. Indicators include visible wear or scuffing of the contact land, rising particle counts at the wafer edge, or an increase in mis-seat, slip or handling faults.
A correctly fitted equivalent shoe should restore the original seating geometry, but because the shoe defines where the wafer sits, it is good practice to verify pick and place positions after replacement and re-teach if necessary. Always confirm reliable, clean handling with test wafers before resuming production.
The indicative lead time for this shoe is approximately 1.5 months. Because handling consumables are best managed proactively, we recommend ordering in advance of need and holding qualified spares on the shelf so a worn shoe can be swapped without waiting.
The PEEK Pick-Up Shoe (OEM P/N 0040-97186, ESCT P/N ES3033-087) is an edge-contact wafer-handling component for AMAT Quantum / xR-class ion implanters. Moulded in PEEK with a 3mm contact land and a 30 degree bevel-engaging geometry, it seats and restrains 150mm wafers during robotic pick, transfer and place. Though small, it is one of the few surfaces that touches the product wafer, so its condition governs seating accuracy, particle performance and handling reliability. Managed as a planned-replacement consumable, a clean, in-specification shoe protects both yield and uptime.
Disclaimer: This part is supplied by ESCT Fab Support as a new, OEM-compatible second-source component, verified to the form, fit and function of Applied Materials part number 0040-97186. It is not an original OEM part and is not sold as one. It is not manufactured by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Applied Materials, and all manufacturer names and part numbers are quoted for identification and compatibility purposes only.
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