In a semiconductor cleanroom, the projection lens of a lithography machine transfers circuit patterns onto silicon wafers with nanometer‑level precision. Meanwhile, hundreds of watts of exposure energy are continuously delivered, causing the lens’s internal temperature to rise gradually. If the cooling‑water temperature fluctuates by more than two thousandths of a degree, the lens will thermally expand, leading to focal‑point drift and risking the scrapping of an entire batch of wafers.

In the world of precision manufacturing, temperature is never a matter of “comfort”—it is a stringent technical safeguard. Jice (Nanjing) Technology Co., Ltd. The high-precision chiller is specifically designed to safeguard this line of defense.

From “Cooling” to “Temperature Control”

Traditional chillers simply cool water. However, in high-end manufacturing, “cooling” is only the surface capability; “temperature control” is the real differentiator. A chiller used in etching equipment must not only dissipate process‑generated heat but also maintain precise temperature stability even under severe load fluctuations. The JiCe Chiller features a proprietary high‑precision temperature‑sensing module that ensures measurement accuracy at the data‑acquisition level, with current outlet‑water temperature stability reaching as tight as ±0.002°C.

Two types of products, two distinct paths.

Chiller offers two product types. The ambient‑temperature compression‑refrigeration model completes the entire cooling cycle on‑board, providing flexible deployment and making it suitable for most standalone cooling applications. The heat‑exchanger model, on the other hand, leverages an existing centralized cold source at the site, using a high‑efficiency heat exchanger to couple the external cold source with the equipment’s precision water‑cooling loop. This design reduces both capital expenditures and long‑term operating energy consumption while delivering lower operational noise, making it ideal for environments with stringent acoustic requirements, such as semiconductor fabs and laboratories.

Both product lines support non‑standard customization. The equipment is equipped with a large‑size touchscreen that displays water temperature trends in real time. It also features a built-in historical data storage module. In terms of safety, it incorporates multiple protective measures, including overload protection, liquid level monitoring, and leak detection.

Application scenarios

In front-end semiconductor manufacturing processes, lithography, etching, and thin-film deposition all generate substantial amounts of heat. Take dry etching as an example: the plasma temperature inside the chamber can reach several hundred degrees Celsius. If this heat is not promptly removed, it can not only damage the wafer but also cause permanent deformation of chamber components. In optical metrology, laser interferometers are highly sensitive to ambient temperature; even micrometer‑scale changes in optical path length due to temperature fluctuations can render measurements invalid. Moreover, in applications such as precise temperature control for injection‑molding molds, chillers play an equally critical role as foundational support systems.

Every leap in precision in precision manufacturing hinges on the concurrent advancement of underlying environmental control. ±0.002℃ is not a marketing figure—it is the true benchmark for precision manufacturing.

Chiller with ambient-temperature compression refrigeration

Heat-exchange chiller