MICRO: Products

MEMS Deep-Oxide ICP Etch Tool

Alcatel

Annecy, France

Designed for deep-oxide etching in MEMS and MOEMS applications, the AMS 200 DE (dielectric etcher) meets the requirements of using SiO^₂ quartz and other glasslike materials, which are often better adapted than silicon or silicon on insulator for microoptical elements and microfluidic components. The system combines efficient control of pressure, bias power, and chamber temperature to break the strong silicon-oxygen bond, while maintaining high selectivity to resist and the underlying silicon layer. It uses a fluorocarbon etch gas chemistry to obtain high plasma stability, enabling high process reproducibility and low cleaning frequency. The tool has photoresist mask (PR) selectivity of up to 30:1 with an SiO^₂etch rate of >0.5 µm/min and PR selectivity of 1:1 with an SiO^₂ etch rate of up to 1 µm/min. It fabricates vertical profile angles of 90° and smooth sidewalls.

Gas Flowmeter Power Supply

Teledyne Hastings

Hampton, VA

The HPS 100 is a self-contained power supply and display for gas mass flowmeters, pressure transducers, or any device with a voltage output. With an automatically generated setpoint of 0–5 V or 0–10 V, the unit is suitable for use with flow and pressure controllers. The component features a transducer connector and interface connect. When supplied with a transducer, it comes fully configured displaying the required units or can be calibrated to display units of choice. All controls can be accessed via an RS-232 interface. The display and power supplies are housed in a metal case with a mains input and can be used on a benchtop or fitted to a panel.

X-Ray Sources

Hamamatsu

Bridgewater, NJ

High-definition x-ray sources have a focal-spot size as small as 0.5 µm to detect imperfections in semiconductors and other products. With a voltage range of 80–160 kV, the sources cover a wide array of material densities, making them suitable for many nondestructive inspection applications. The small focal-spot sizes enable the sources to deliver highly detailed and clear images. The air-cooled x-ray sources are packaged with a high-voltage power supply in a single housing, eliminating the need for high-voltage wiring. The compact units feature RS-232C interfaces for remote operation. They can be coupled with CMOS flat-panel x-ray detectors that have 12-bit dynamic range at 30 frames per second.

Polishing Tool

Logitech

Westlake, OH

The CDP is a versatile polishing tool designed for use in CMP and delayering applications where geometric precision and surface quality are critical. Using the system, operators can produce laser-quality surfaces (0/0 scratch dig), improve surface topography, and achieve Ra to subnanometer levels. It permits nanometer-level removal on individual die or on wafers up to 200 mm. The tool also can be used for nontraditional applications, such as hard-substrate polishing, epi-ready surface preparation, and wafer reclamation. It produces accurate and repeatable results within the required measurement parameters. Encased in a chemical-resistant, floor-based cabinet, the unit can be used with both acid and alkaline slurries. It has a 20-in.-diam processing plate, a wafer/die carrier, and an independent conditioner head.

Silicon Wafer Analyzer

GL Sciences

Tokyo, Japan

The SWA-256 analyzes the organic compounds on the silicon wafer surface using thermal desorption gas chromatography. Individual compounds can be identified even if multiple organic compounds are present on the wafer surface. The instrument can analyze contamination when the concentration of compound on the surface is less than a few picograms per square centimeter. It can heat a sample up to 700°C. The sample line will not be decomposed or adsorbed.

Copper CMP Control Profiler

Nanometrics

Milpitas, CA

The Nano CLP-9010 copper laser profiler nondestructively monitors the metal loss between an isolated copper feature and the surrounding dielectric region. The small-footprint, high-throughput system has a small spot size and can be integrated into metal CMP tools. The unit monitors all metal layers on every wafer. By monitoring metal loss, the tool allows engineers to minimize the degradation of the wafer's global planarity. Excessive metal loss from overpolishing can result in reduced depth of field of the lithography process, while underpolishing can increase the probability of shorts in the metal layers. In addition, the tool can predict the minimum copper thickness on the largest copper features and directly calculate copper thickness. Unlike reflectance-only systems, the profiler is immune to previous-level patterning noise that can cause unreliable endpoint detection.

Etch Tool APC System

Tokyo Electron

Austin, TX

An advanced process control (APC) product for real-time data collection and analysis, Ingenio TL ES provides the foundation for the company's etch applications. The APC system enables fault detection and classification, tool-level wafer-to-wafer control, and module-level run-to-run control. It also provides interfaces for fab-level run-to-run control and e-diagnostics applications. The system provides users with the ability to monitor process variations and improve overall etch-equipment efficiency by reducing the need for pilot and send-ahead wafers. It is available for the company's Unity 200-mm and Telius 300-mm etch systems.

Noncontact Measurement System

Micro-Metric

San Jose, CA

The MicroLine 600 noncontact measurement system provides depth and linewidth measurements for semiconductor wafers. The unit measures linewidths of 0.5–40 µm at 100X and 10–800 µm at 5X. A hand-lapped x-y stage with laser interferometer positional feedback provides better than 0.5-µm stage positional accuracy per 4 in. of travel. Line measurement repeatability is 2 nm (1 σ). The tool has a granite base and bridge with an air-bearing z-axis to provide accurate z-axis motion. It also has a video autofocus function, which scans through a small distance in the focal axis searching for the optimum image based on edge slopes. The unit has an automatic wafer handler with prealigner, motorized nosepiece, and pattern-recognition capability.

CMP Slurry Pinch Valves

Asahi/America

Malden, MA

With a flow-through design and long-lasting tube material, Dymatrix PV pinch valves for CMP slurry applications have a lifetime of more than 2 million cycles. They do not suffer a loss of functionality as a result of pressure resistance and slurry coagulations, problems typically associated with diaphragm valves in slurry applications. The pinch valves' compound tube is also resistant to vacuum operation. The valves are available in 1/4- through 1-in. sizes and come in both manual and pneumatic styles with a variety of tube and thread connections.

Rigid-Wall Cleanrooms

Clean Air Products

Minneapolis, MN

Series 591 rigid-wall cleanrooms are functional and flexible, providing high performance. Available in Class 100,000 to Class 10 models with open free spans from 6 to 24 ft and interior room heights from 8 to 14 ft, the modular, prefabricated systems are easy to assemble. Their rigid-wall design enables operation at higher internal pressures than other cleanrooms. Pressure is adjustable through variable wall dampers that regulate airflow. Clear anodized aluminum panels cover the filter and light area above the drop ceiling. The modular design permits system upgrades and expansions.

Macrodefect Inspection System

Rudolph Technologies

Flanders, NJ

The WaferView, an automated after-develop wafer inspection system for 200- and 300-mm wafers, performs fully automated macrodefect inspection by analyzing 100% of the wafer surface at throughputs >100 wafers/hr. The system's full-color images and proprietary image-processing capability combine to detect 95% of photolithography defects and correctly classify them 85% of the time. The system's automated defect inspection capability replaces manual visual inspections by capturing color images and comparing them with defect-free, "golden" wafer images. When a defect is detected, it is compared with a library of known classified defects. The system can also learn a large number of new defect classes, so that customers can define defects based on their existing classification systems.

EUVL Simulation Software

Sigma-C

Munich, Germany

Simulating extreme-ultraviolet lithography (EUVL), Solid-EUV facilitates EUV imaging R&D by allowing users to characterize specifications for masks, mask substrates, and lens quality. Many lithography tool suppliers are developing EUVL imaging tools to image feature sizes with critical dimensions of 45 nm onto silicon wafers. The simulation software enables researchers to become acquainted with EUVL before hardware is deployed. The software simulates each stage of EUVL, including multilayer mask generation, layer deposition, resist coating, pre-exposure bake, exposure, postexposure bake, and resist development. It allows users to analyze the results of exposure steps by providing an aerial image of the exposed, resist-coated wafer surface.

Scanning Thickness Mapper

Filmetrics

San Diego, CA

STMapper is a high-resolution instrument that gathers reflectance data from the entire surface of the wafer using noncontact spectroscopic reflectometry. Full-surface scans capture comprehensive data, enabling operators to monitor various process parameters. The system measures 300-Å- to 6-µm-thick dielectrics, photoresists, and other translucent thin films on patterned or blanket wafers with 0.5% accuracy and 0.25% repeatability. The tool also can identify gross residual metal from copper and tungsten CMP processes. Polishing defects, scratches, and deposition flaws can be detected at high speeds. High-resolution reflectance data allow for full-surface macroscopic defect mapping of features >200 µm.

Chemical Line Sampler

HIAC/Pacific Scientific Instruments

Grants Pass, OR

Used in conjunction with CountSpec software, the ChemQual on-line sampler system is a particle-counting tool used for commissioning bulk-chemical distribution systems and for performing prehookup qualification of chemical distribution lines. When used for continuous monitoring applications, the sampler also is compatible with Particle Vision on-line facility monitoring software. The instrument has a real-time electronic flow monitor that enables fabs to avoid changing flowmeters for different chemical viscosities. It also has a built-in pump that eliminates the need for external gas supplies to purge lines.

Particle Counter

Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions

Milpitas, CA

The Handheld 3016 particle counter provides 0.3-µm sensitivity at a sample flow rate of 0.1 cu ft/min. Ergonomically designed and lightweight, the instrument offers six channels of simultaneous particle counting and displays the data on an easy-to-read touch screen. A removable battery maximizes the unit's uptime. It has a large memory for storing data and has a built-in temperature and relative humidity sensor. Data are easily downloaded to a computer using the company's data-transfer software. The instrument can be used as a mobile particle counter or as part of a larger facility-monitoring or fab management system.