Type an address to search for nearby blocks
Whitepaper
Explore More
Sign Up / Log In
Semiconductor History | NGK Nagoya — Ceramics Hold the Wafer Still
· 1996
Personal memoryBy kevin · · updated · Report an issue
Search by address
Search
Loading...
Highlighted Moments
Featured Memories
Find memories left by people near you.
Distribute Bounty
Total to distribute
0 MR
Qualifying memories
0
This will distribute the bounty equally among all qualifying memories. This action cannot be undone.
Cancel Bounty
Refund amount
0 MR
Are you sure you want to cancel this bounty? The remaining amount will be refunded to your account.
Success!
Operation completed successfully.
Error
Something went wrong.
Back to map
Back
This memory is part of
Semiconductor History | NGK Nagoya — Ceramics Hold the Wafer Still
kevin
1996
Listen
Directions
In 1996, NGK—then widely known in English as NGK Insulators—began making ceramic heaters and electrostatic chucks for semiconductor production equipment. The move joined two Japanese industrial stories: a company formed around electrical porcelain in 1919, and a chip industry learning that the material touching a wafer could matter as much as the machine around it.
An electrostatic chuck holds a silicon wafer flat without ordinary mechanical clamps. A ceramic heater can warm it evenly while process gases attack, deposit, or clean surfaces only atoms thick. NGK’s strength was not chip design; it was shaping, firing, bonding, and controlling advanced ceramics so that they stayed electrically predictable, chemically resistant, and dimensionally stable inside harsh tools.
The good was enormous but mostly invisible. Better wafer holding and temperature uniformity helped manufacturers pursue tighter process windows, larger wafers, and repeatable yields. It also showed how Japan could remain indispensable even as memory-chip leadership shifted overseas: knowledge accumulated in an older industry could be redeployed into a high-value component that toolmakers and fabs had to qualify carefully.
The bad came from the same specialization. A ceramic component can be brittle, difficult to repair, and costly to manufacture when defects appear late in firing or bonding. Demand also follows semiconductor capital spending, so a supplier can face sharp cycles even when its technology remains excellent. Long customer qualifications protect incumbents, but they can also slow the adoption of a new design and concentrate revenue among a small number of equipment programs.
This Nagoya pin marks the corporate and engineering lineage behind the 1996 transition, not a publicly accessible cleanroom. The cover shows NGK’s nearby Mizuho Hall, photographed in 2017; it is a real company facility in the same district, not the semiconductor production line itself.
Sources: NGK corporate history and network pages; NGK annual-report material on semiconductor-production ceramics; Wikimedia Commons file page.
Photo: “Nihon Gaishi Mizuho Hall 20171217,” 円周率３パーセント, CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nihon_Gaishi_Mizuho_Hall_20171217.jpg
Related Memories
Memory Marks
You marked this memory as
InspiringHeartwarmingEnjoyableSolemn!
You have 0 Memory Marks left to give today
Nice work! You have given out all your memory marks today!
Come back tomorrow or own more Blox to get more daily Memory Marks!
Thank you for alerting us of this Memory. We will review within the next 24 hours.
Save to Collection
Semiconductor History | NGK Nagoya — Ceramics Hold the Wafer Still
New Collection
No collections yet
Create one above to get started
0
Do you want to remove this memory from the collection?
Do you want to save
changes?
changes?
The changes you made have been saved
Root to Blockchain
Do you want to root this memory to IPFS with 1 Metablox Coin?
You currently have Metablox Coins
Root to Blockchain
You need 1 Metablox Coin to root this memory to IPFS.
You don't have enough Metablox Coins
Uploading to Blockchain…
Preparing your memory for IPFS. Please don't close this window.
Upload Failed
Something went wrong while connecting to IPFS. Your Metablox Coin was not deducted. Please try again later.
Push New Version
Create a new version of this memory, preserving its current state on IPFS.
Cost: 1 Metablox Coin
You currently have Metablox Coins
New Version is on its way to the Blockchain!
Your updated memory will be available on IPFS within 10 minutes.
Your Memory is on its way to the Blockchain!
You'll be able to access it on IPFS within 10 minutes.
Uploading your memories
Are you sure you want to
delete this memory?
delete this memory?
Are you sure you want to delete this memory?
Keep
Delete
Take Photo
Add your photos
Add more photos
Preview your memory
Uploading your memory
You have successfully preserved a memory!
We detected that you have a Blox in your crypto wallet! We will import the Blox into your account.
Click on done below to complete the import.
Welcome Back!
Sign in to preserve cherished moments
Don't have an account?
Welcome!!
Sign up and start preserving cherished moments
Password Recovery
Enter the email associated with your account
Check your inbox
Use the link in the email to reset your password
Would you like to level up
?
?
Cost
MetaRent
Would you like to level up
?
?
Cost
MetaRent
reached Level !!
MetaRent / day
Max Storage
Coins Earned
+
reached Level !!
MetaRent / day
Max Storage
Coins Earned
+
Add your
photos
Tell us about this
Moment
Description (Optional)
/140 characters
Where is this moment?
location
Try searching for: Golden Gate Bridge, Miami Beach, or an address.
Uploading your moment
You have successfully preserved a memory!
Your moment is now
on .
You have successfully preserved a memory!
Your moment is now
on .
Uploading
exoangel
Hidden in 91hrs
Global Blox
Aug 31, 2026
Sprouts sandwich
exoangel
Hidden in 66hrs
Global Blox
Aug 30, 2026
Sunday beach time
exoangel
Hidden in 67hrs
Global Blox
Aug 29, 2026
Weeekend scene
exoangel
Hidden in 45hrs
Global Blox
Aug 28, 2026
Feeding the birds
exoangel
Hidden in 21hrs
Global Blox
Aug 28, 2026
Shrimp fried rice
You marked this moment as
InspiringHeartwarmingEnjoyableSolemn!
You have 0 Memory Marks left to give today
Nice work! You have given out all your memory marks today!
Come back tomorrow or own more Blox to get more daily Memory Marks!
Choose your payment method
Buy with Metablox Credit
Do you want to mint Blox with Metablox Credit?
Which Crypto would you like to use?
Payment confirmed!
Your Blox is being minted on-chain. This usually takes under a minute.
Check your Metamask extension
Step 1: Click "Confirm" to give Metamask permission to access your crypto
Important: When the extension shows up, scroll down and hit "Confirm" to mint.
Important: You must change the suggested gas fee to High in order to process the transaction.
DO NOT refresh or close the page before seeing this.
We're processing your order...
This sometimes takes a few mins.
Please bear with us 💪
DO NOT refresh or close the page
Contact the Devs
We're very sorry this happened
Your transaction record has been submitted to our team. We'll solve this situation ASAP
Purchase Confirmed!
Your Blox is being minted on-chain and will appear in your profile shortly.
Log in or sign up to claim your Blox.
How many credits do you want to buy?
$100 USD = 1 Metablox Credit = 1 Blox.
Use Metablox Credit to mint any Blox you want on the map.
expand_more