Silicon wafers power our phones, our consumer devices – and the first AI-powered laptops that are becoming the future of personal and commercial computing. And making them isn’t a simple task: you need a stepper machines. Or more accurately, a step and scan machine, which prints the circuits for chips in the silicon wafers. In very simple terms, these machines work like photo-enlargers – they print with light onto and under the surface of silicon wafers to create tiny but powerful circuitry. But rather than enlarging, they are reducing – a lot. They now have a fidelity of less than a micron, and will no doubt achieve much greater benchmarks as more computer power is required from ever smaller and ever more intricate circuitry. This means that while these machines are amazing technological feats, they are also incredibly expensive – and incredibly fragile and challenging to ship.

Cathay Expert and more

Ordinarily, Cathay Expert, Cathay Cargo’s default special-handling solution for large, heavy and fragile shipments, would be the default setting here – however, such is the size, fragility and value of these stepper machines that that the Customer Solutions Team has designed other protocols to ensure that things go very smoothly – literally – as Cargo Customer Solutions Manager Joey Lee explains. 

“These are sensitive machines,” he says. “During the build-up and breakdown process we ensure that the forklift truck never exceeds 5kph, and that the blades are always kept 10 to 15cm above the ground to ensure safe handling in the warehouse.”

Additionally, the shipments are kept out of direct sunlight both on the ramp and in the warehouse. Transfers from the aircraft to the warehouse are also speed-limited and drivers take the smoothest possible route on the ramp and in the warehouse. This extra care is baked into this custom set of protocols.

Routes to market

Unsurprisingly, the major manufacturing bases for stepper machines are in North East Asia, where the production and ultimate destinations are concentrated. South Korea, Taiwan China, Japan, and the Chinese Mainland account for the lion’s share, thanks to the concentration of high-tech manufacturers in this region.

Cargo Manager Japan Takaaki Watanabe backs this up. “We have shipped 43 steppers this year so far, which we can ascertain by the special handling code given to steppers – STP,” he says. “All departed from Tokyo Narita or Osaka with the majority bound for Taipei, plus a few for the Chinese Mainland, and fewer still for the US and Malaysia.”

Of course, finished products or chip/wafer components can be shipped as general cargo, so it is harder to get actual breakdowns to see the level of high-tech shipments. However, Cargo Manager Taiwan Tony Jiang reports that nearly 2,400 tonnes of just one type of next-generation AI chip from one of the leading manufacturers were transported from Taipei between January and October, plus components for stepper machine manufacturers. On top of finished chips, Taipei has also shipped around 1,000 tonnes of stepper equipment via the Taipei-Hong Kong-Seoul Incheon freighter service. 

Even with shipments of this size, the logistics require a blend of bulk-meets-finesse. “This is sensitive cargo requiring a more complicated process, such as extra ground handling time during the transit at Hong Kong, while onboard the aircraft temperature control is always maintained to minimise the risk of damage to the instruments and machinery caused by temperature fluctuations,” says Jiang. “This professional handling and bespoke handling processes have earned the trust of our customers.”