Case Studies

This project involved the heating of high-purity gas used in semiconductor processing. The challenge was to optimize the flow rate and watt density of tubular-style heaters to prevent overheating while maintaining a maximum temperature of 200°C.

The application involved heating hydrocarbon elastomer material to transform it into a renewable resource. The flow rate and watt density of the rod-style heaters needed to be optimized to reduce carbonization on the heat source and ensure material compatibility with the process.

The application required a custom heating solution at 0.25 CFM with an operating temperature of 800°F (427°C) and an inlet pressure of 800 PSI. The medium being heated was nitrogen. Stainless steel (such as 316) and nickel alloy 600 were used for the heat source in this low flow/mid-temp application.

Industrial & semiconductor applications require high heat in a centralized location. BCE designed a heater platen with the goal of 900°C operation (and beyond).

When it comes to semiconductor manufacturing, precision and reliability are non-negotiable. BCE's Vented Hole Heater Chuck plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of your processes.

In the battle against air pollution and the effective management of organic waste, cutting-edge technologies are emerging as essential tools. Among these, the air circulation heater stands out as a crucial component within a larger system designed to efficiently combust organic materials while mitigating harmful emissions.

The demand for high temperature applications in various industries such as vacuum chambers, laboratories, green energy, and 3D printing has led to the development of the innovative High Temp Puck Heater.

Vacuum chambers often require tube and thermocouple feedthroughs that allow for specific distances during installation. To address this need, we offer a compression fitting solution, empowering our customers with control over the distance in their installations.

In addition to optimizing liquid flow in space launches, more research and design facilities require a heater that will work in vacuum without outgassing the internal resistor and insulating materials. 

The application requirement was a 2" Stainless Steel heater capable of 120 CFM with a 250°C outlet temperature. The heater required two Conflat Flanges (CF2.75), which could be used in a parallel flow configuration. The heater needed to be air tight.

Deionized water application requiring the recirculation of 3 gallons per minute to reach 66°C in 2 hours. NEMA 4 moisture resistant housing was required.

Customer needed to find a solution in a Vacuum Chamber for the testing and processing of silicon and glass components ~650ºC. The heater surface, 350mm x 300mm x 12.7mm thick, was flat with no lift pin holes or gates to hold the product in place.

Find a solution in a Vacuum Chamber for the testing and processing of silicon and glass components ~650°C. The heater surface, 350mm x 300mm x 12.7mm thick, was flat with no lift pin holes or gates to hold the product in place

BCE customer needed a heating solution for an ALD Vacuum Chamber Heater testing 6” (152mm) wafers up to 450ºC. There were obvious space constraints at the customer site requiring an extended sleeve of 25”. The extra-long length enabled the placement of the wafer on the top surface eliminating the need to modify the existing chamber.

The BCE application was a custom heating solution for harsh environments where the medium material needed to be heated using low carbon metals. Stainless steels such as 316L and 304L are the best option for low carbon, these materials were not readily available on the a standard Mini Clean Flow (MCF) heater. BCE adapted making all wetted parts 316L or 304L while being heated with a 321 stainless steel heat source.

The application involved using environmentally friendly electric heat replacing a gas burner type system. The engineering request was to conform to a direct replacement 3” stainless tubing while utilizing BCE’s Mini Clean Flow In-line design. 

With the existing chip shortage, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) application up to 360º C was the focus of the latest BCE Vacuum Heater Chuck.

The new Vertex line of feedthroughs was born out of the necessity of making a right angle feedthrough that was robust enough to handle the high vacuum requirements, voltage, amperage, and pin dimensions, as well as the challenging space constraints. BCE responded quickly to the application by working tirelessly with the customer to put forth a design.

An ALD chamber needed to be upgraded to a higher temperature platen, beyond the limits of aluminum. The application involved reducing the cost of a replacement vacuum heater while keeping the heat transfer and uniformity the same or better in vacuum.  

Lubricants need to be heated and tested in vacuum for quality assurances that they will work at high altitudes and beyond. The application involved reducing the cost of a replacement heater component while keeping the heat transfer the same in vacuum. Vacuum integrity was crucial to the success of the project since it needed to comply with the existing component used.

In an effort to reduce the overall cost for an existing application, BCE developed a 300mm Aluminum Heater chuck that is Un-brazed utilizing the compression of two plates with counter sink set screws. The heater surface specs were 0.003” flatness at a 0.005” parallelism. Using a 208 volt power supply at 9.7ohm, start @ 25°C temperature and ramped from 100°C to 465°C in 23 minutes.

A research and development company approached BCE wanting to heat a 1mm x 1mm x 0.5mm thick component. This was a very sensitive part that needed to be tested to a maximum exposure of 200°C continuous with very precise temperature uniformity for sampling purposes.

An analytical company approached BCE for their small space and high temperature heated gas requirement. They needed to reduce the length and diameter of the current heat source to be able to fit into a more compact design for their next generation mass spectrometry tool.

A 3D Printer company provided BCE a challenge in creating a High Temperature Feedthrough for their new composite 3D printer. The 3-D composite company needed a high enough temperature in the sealed area with a vacuum chamber being essential in printing various components.

A gas chromatography application was brought to BCE involving a custom heater to ramp a cell end plate to 105°C. The customer had issues finding a solution due to the small surface area that needed to be heated (~ 0.75” diameter). 

A semiconductor equipment company in the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) market approached BCE in need of a custom high temperature heater solution. 

A biotechnology company approached BCE in need of a custom heating solution. Their application required that the media must be heated to 75 °C in order to eliminate any pathogenic bacteria that may be present.  

A major US company approached BCE in need of a custom immersion heating solution requiring very even heat and protection from a runaway condition.

A customer involved in lithium ion research approached BCE in need of a high amperage, low voltage feedthrough that also met their packaging (size) requirements. While the customer had no problem finding high amperage feedthroughs, or feedthroughs that met their size requirement, they could not find an acceptable electrical feedthrough that satisfied both.

A plastic extrusion customer approached BCE with a problematic heater that, upon its failure, would render the entire line out of commission. Not only did the failed heater stop production, but it also was difficult and time consuming to replace.

An application was presented to BCE in the semiconductor equipment industry for a high temperature, high vacuum thermocouple (TC). There was space limitation with a requirement for a multi-point TC to sense a very small insertion dimension.

An application was presented to BCE in the high-resolution scanning industry for sealing a control panel. The panel had over 10 inlet and outlet ports using various DB connectors that required hermetic sealing. The BCE engineers and technician were ready for the challenge since the experience with PCB boards was similar in scope using multiple components.

A BCE customer needed to replace a cast aluminum heater that had surface finish challenges and extremely long lead-times. A vacuum brazed-in 6061 T6 aluminum heater with a 2-3 Ra μin surface finish was the answer.

Using a small (~25HP) lean burn natural gas motor for cogeneration, our customer wanted to mitigate toxic emissions on the exhaust. The challenge is reducing Formaldehyde and Benzine output levels as well as reducing all other toxins without air-flow exposure to ni-chrome resistors. 

Ideally a rocket engine would capitalize on internal heat dissipations to create a self-regulating thermal environment. However, in the majority of instances, maintaining a high flow rate of cold propellants can obstruct the flow path. Thus, it becomes essential to integrate resistive heaters inside the flow path’s valves and manifolds. Surface-mounted patch heaters are generally used for this application. These are polyimide/silicone sheathed resistive elements with one side adhered directly to the valves and manifolds. Although patch heaters may present a viable solution, the BCE Hem Sealed Heater™ outperforms as heat flows uniformly from inside the cartridge directly to the heated bodies.

Disinfecting water in residential and commercial applications has always been at the core of public safety. An efficient way to eliminate pollutants from water bodies is through the creation of ozone by the means of sophisticated equipment. In order to enhance the performance of existing ozone generators, a large multinational approached BCE to provide specially engineered heaters capable of continuous operation while being submerged in a fluid. It was thus imperative for the heaters to be hermetically sealed and easy to install into the existing ozone generating assemblies.

Providing uniform heat to semiconductor devices in degassing chambers is essential in extracting impurities. This can only be achieved if a heating device has the proper fit and temperature uniformity for a given chamber. It is for this very application that BCE was approached by a large semiconductor company from Silicon Valley. In order to heat this company’s semiconductor wafers, it was critical that the heating device be manufactured to fit precisely into a large and circular degassing chamber posing manufacturing challenges due to dimensional and application parameters. BCE was able to provide extensive design consultations, 3D CAD modeling and lean manufacturing capabilities to this semiconductor giant at a competitive price. All these services were rendered while catering to all requirements needed to successfully manufacture their products. 

One of the most effective ways to increase heating of plant utilities is by pre-heating combustion gases supplied to burners. This can be challenging especially when a small footprint, high thermal efficiency and low maintenance are required in very harsh environments. In fact, BCE was approached by an international petrochemical giant seeking to replace their line of cartridge heaters used for this very application. This multi-billion dollar oil and gas company was primarily concerned with improving thermal efficiency and heater life as heaters needed to be replaced often due to exposure to corrosive materials and high watt densities. Replacing these heaters was proving to be quite costly and a quick remedy was needed to allow for greater profit generation.

Some of the most stringent tolerances and vacuum requirements exist in the ever-expanding semiconductor industry. Tight restrictions in vacuum ports, high temperature applications and exposure to high stress environments further add to the challenge of designing an electrical feedthrough that can be manufactured quickly and installed with ease. An American multinational manufacturer of chips and microprocessors approached BCE with these exact requirements in order to replace their existing vacuum feedthroughs incapable of providing an adequate performance in ultra-high vacuum environments.

A heater that can sustain elevated motion, high temperatures and pressures, and be compact enough to fit into a restricted assembly. BCE was approached by a worldwide provider of 4D cinematic experiences to help design a custom heating apparatus. This novel thermal assembly would be capable of creating a desired heat effect enhancing the viewing of attraction films around the globe.