Dicingis a technology widely adopted as part of the manufacturing process during the rapid growth of the semiconductor industry. It continues to evolve as a method to precisely cut fine semiconductor devices.In recent years, due to the rapid progress of IoT, 5G, AI, VR, etc., semiconductor devices that require delicate processing like MEMS are emerging one after another. As the most advanced processing technology for them, the development and dissemination of methods using lasers or plasma in dicing are progressing. However, the dissemination of these processing technologies is still very limited. Blade dicing, which is mechanical but versatile, is still used in many products. We started our business by dicing semiconductor devices related to light with a blade. Currently, it adapts to a variety of materials and specifications. There are many cases where we handle the development materials of our customers, and we may undertake joint development according to the situation or support patent cases.
Electrode printing is a technique used to form fine patterns on substrates using conductive materials, widely popularized in Japan in the 1980s with the rapid development of the microelectronics industry. At LEAD Co., Ltd., we started our business by forming electrodes for ceramic capacitors. We now have developed various methods such as roller printing, dip printing, and screen printing to cater to diverse needs. Firing is a technique that has been used from ancient times in pottery, but its application from an engineering perspective progressed markedly in the 1970s due to the rapid proliferation of automobiles and electronic components. We installed our facilities, triggered by the initiation of drying automotive parts and brazing ceramic components. We currently own several drying machines and firing furnaces, making us capable of handling up to a maximum of 1100℃. Firing may also be conducted in a nitrogen and hydrogen atmosphere. We also own batch furnaces that can create profiles for testing or small-scale use.
In semiconductor devices, it is common for a semiconductor chip to be mounted on a heat dissipation chip. This is designed to efficiently dissipate the heat generated by the light or signals from the semiconductor chip, and the heat dissipation chip serves this purpose. The semiconductor chips and heat dissipation chips are of a fine size (e.g., 0.3mm), and they are created by precisely cutting one sheet. This precise cutting is called dicing. Our company uses the method called blade dicing; however, this method generates burrs. This is because blade dicing is a processing method that involves physical contact, and burrs are an eternal challenge not only for us but for the entire industry. In recent years, non-contact dicing technologies such as laser and plasma dicing have been developed and are gaining attention, but they still have many limitations in terms of materials and thickness, making their application range limited. This time, our company has advanced research and development on properly removing burrs, the eternal theme of blade dicing, with consideration for the environment and efficiency. This has led to the commercialization and industrialization of the method as part of the Yamaguchi Prefecture's Semiconductor and Battery Industry Integration Strengthening Subsidy Project (Promotion of Material Development) for the fiscal year 2024.
Pad printing (also known as tampography) originates from a technique developed in the 18th century in Switzerland for printing pictures and characters on watch dials. Its characteristic ability to print precisely on curved surfaces and complex irregularities led to its application in a broad range of industries. It’s a technique where ink is filled into logos engraved on the plate, picked up with a silicone pad, and transferred onto the workpiece. At LEAD Co., Ltd., our business started with printing on automotive indicators and wipers, and through medical components, we now often print on decorative items and prizes.
Through extensive research in response to customer requests, our company has successfully implemented painting. Since our company traditionally possesses technologies such as electrode printing, pad printing, firing, and drying, we have been able to address these requests through the application of our existing technology. In the painting industry, painting small items is often considered troublesome and labor-intensive. However, our company has experience handling much finer objects than these, allowing us to treat small items, considered small by the painting industry, as relatively large objects. We aim to promote small items in the painting industry as our specialty size, seeking to expand our business by increasing the volume of work. With the increase in the volume of handling, we can consider automation, which will also contribute to cost reduction.
In various industrial sectors, inspection is essential and human eyes have long been considered the most accurate and versatile. However, this method relies on the skill and experience of the operator, making consistent inspection difficult in mass production, and exacerbating labor shortages. Recently, advancements in cutting-edge technology such as image processing and AI/deep learning have been remarkable and the demand for inspection is increasing even more, but the majority of inspections still rely on human eyes. At LEAD Co., Ltd., we have experience inspecting products in various fields, such as semiconductor components, electronic components, ceramic components, automotive parts, and medical parts. We have gradually expanded our business due to increased opportunities to undertake standalone inspection tasks. We have experienced from visual to microscopic (x8 ~ x80) inspection. Advantageously, even though the gap between chips after dicing is only 0.1mm, we possess the highly skilled technique of skillfully inserting the tip of the tweezers into this gap to pick up defective chips. We also have experience in developing image inspection machines, leveraging our years of inspection expertise.
When we faced the Covid-19 pandemic, our workload significantly decreased as many of our clients followed the same trend due to their close industry relationships. As a result, we sought connections with different industries that exhibited different trends. We learned about a Hagi-yaki pottery company through the business matching site of Ube Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Although we were complete novices in pottery, we approached them, and thanks to the understanding of their president, we were able to start as a business. Firstly, we are helping with the intermediate process of pottery, and eventually, we aim to acquire the technology to complete it, and strive to cooperate in product planning and expansion. Despite problems such as the younger generation’s departure from pottery, aging of craftsmen, and manpower shortage in the pottery industry, we are working on combining our fine processing technology, mass production technology, and advanced technology cultivated in semiconductors and fine ceramics with the artisan skills and established brand power of pottery companies to pave a new path.
We have dealt with various industries over the years, which could not have been achieved solely by our own efforts. It’s because of the existence and good relations with our clients, partner companies, sales manufacturers, production manufacturers, and equipment manufacturers. As we handle different things each time, we needed to build new relationships and communicate, but now, thanks to our many years of accumulation, we have constructed a broad communication network that can overcome various difficulties. Therefore, we have found ourselves increasingly taking on a trading company’s position, arranging for products or introducing businesses and brokering in situations where we cannot perform the necessary processing. For example, we may introduce plating companies to clients who have issues with plating, or if a client is having trouble with tooling, we may use our 3D CAD to create a prototype and ask a metalworking manufacturer to produce it. We will take your concerns as sincerely as possible. Please do not hesitate to consult with us.
