Three
new ion implanters are available in the single-wafer VIISta
platform. All three tools—the high-current 80HP, the medium-current
810EHP, and the high-energy 3000HP—have a throughput of
>300 wafers/hr. The 80HP ion implanter's dual-magnet, broad-beam
architecture provides a deceleration mode configuration and
high process control for ultrashallow-junction applications.
The 810EHP increases the capabilities of the previous-generation810
medium-current tool. The 3000HP's high-vacuum conductance end
station and beam filter provide effective productivity without
compromising dose accuracy and energy purity. All systems feature
the company's control and positioning systems and a common single-wafer
end station.
A
metrology system for advanced lithography tracks with two or
more robot arms, Accura°C optimizes equipment and system-to-system
performance by providing customers with precise thermal data
from real-time measurements of transient and steady-state temperature.
Designed with Bluetooth RF technology for wireless communications,
the tool transmits thermal data instantaneously to Thermal MAP
software, allowing users to better understand wafer processing
environments and characteristics.
Used
in silicon quality and process control applications to perform
noncontact wafer geometry measurements, the 300-mm Advanced
Flatness system measures and reports SEMI-standard wafer shape,
flatness, thickness, and resistivity results. The multifunctional
wafer-flatness measurement and sorting system can also be used
in ultrathin SOI, epitaxial, prepolish, and reclaim wafer operations
to perform process setup, in-line quality control, and product
certification.
A
complete series of automated material handling systems (AMHS)
products includes logistics studies, simulations, material control
software, 200- to 300-mm bridge technology, equipment, installation,
and support services. Among the company's offerings are transport
and stocker systems. The Cleanway CLW-07 is a fast, small, light
overhead transport system for use in interbay and intrabay applications.
An
overlay metrology tool that performs lithography process control
for the 65-nm node and beyond captures design-rule overlay errors
and improves stepper correction accuracy. The Archer AIM uses
a grating-style technology to reduce the measurement uncertainty
associated with traditional overlay metrology for sub-100-nm
design rules. By generating data that correlate to in-device
overlay performance, the tool enables lithographers to improve
process management and achieve tighter overlay control. In addition
to reducing costly wafer rework and scrap, the system will help
manufacturers to accelerate the transition to future technology
nodes.
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.
An
electrochemical plating system for use at the 65-nm node and
beyond, the 300-mm SlimCell relies on an individual-cell chemistry
that enables multistep electroplating. Rather than employing
a common chemical bath for multiple plating cells, the tool
provides individual chemical baths to each small-volume plating
cell, allowing chipmakers to use different chemicals in each
cell. Multistep capability optimizes the gap-fill and planarization
performance of the plating sequence. The system's chemical cost
per wafer is at least two times lower than that of other systems.
The tool also features postplating technologies for integrated
bevel cleaning and spin-rinse-dry and annealing components.
Yosemite
is an ultra-low-voltage system suitable for use with sensitive
materials, such as 193-nm resist, which can shrink as much as
5 nm under the 500-eV beam of a standard CD-SEM. The tool can
measure below 200 eV in full automation and offers best-of-breed
resolution of 3.0 nm at 100 eV. Designed for sub-100-nm processes,
it can run 200- and 300-mm wafers without undergoing hardware
modifications. Its computing architecture, advanced electron
optics, onboard performance diagnostics, and automation technologies
provide the user with a high level of process control. The unit's
software archives optical and SEM pattern-recognition images
and measurement images. The company offers Web browser access
to data and images. Intranet accessibility enables engineers
to review lot details from any site.
Enclosed
Square D adjustable-speed drives offer high voltage-sag immunity
and high communications capabilities. The Altivar CL8839 58M
family of drives is designed for semiconductor processing and
other industrial applications. The drives have built-in Ethernet
connectivity. They comply with SEMI F47 voltage-sag requirements
and are available in an extended rating up to 500 hp. Packaged
in Type 1, Type 12, integrated, or barriered enclosures for
wall or floor mounting, the drives have an optional door-mounted
display center with a three-color matrix screen for clear messaging.
Prepunched conduit knockouts assure easy installation, and job-specific
approval drawings speed project cycle times. A four-position
selector switch simplifies monitoring and control capabilities.
The
Alcatel Tool Pumping Solution (ATPS), a small-footprint, integrated
pump and abatement system for placement in crowded fab basements,
is for use in cluster-tool applications. The ATPS has 100–1800
m3/hr pumping lines. Optional gas-treatment systems
can be integrated with dry, burner/washer, or plasma processes
for PFC abatement. The system offers easy and fast hookup, high
user safety, low noise levels, and standardized inlet connections.
Short lengths of tubing are required to connect the pump and
the abatement system. Two versions are available: the ATPS 42
for up to four pumping lines has a footprint of 0.46 X 1.3 m
(excluding the abatement package), and the ATPS 82 for up to
six pumping lines has a footprint of 0.92 X 1.3 m (also excluding
the abatement package).
Supercritical
CO2 Chamber
Micell
Integrated Systems
Raleigh,
NC
BOC
Edwards
Wilmington,
MA
The
DFP 200 dense-fluid processor is a fully integrated, 200-mm
single-wafer chamber that enables the development and evaluation
of technologies for deposition, cleaning, conditioning, and
lithography applications using supercritical CO2.
The vacuum-compatible system can be integrated with vacuum-based
processes on a single cluster tool. Supercritical CO2
processing offers an enabling baseline technology to deal with
the variety of materials required to reach small interconnect
structures. The low viscosity and surface tension of the CO2
solvent promotes efficient cleaning of small features sizes.
It also has a lower environmental impact than other cleaning
methodologies. Also available are components to enable supercritical
CO2 processes, including specialized feed
systems, CO2 recovery systems, and proprietary
chemistries.
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.
Wafer
Transfer/Loadlock System
Transfer
Engineering and Manufacturing
Fremont,
CA
A
compact system, the high-vacuum-compatible TEAM-Mate Cassette
300 performs wafer transport motions similar to those of costly
cluster-tool robots. The unit loads wafers or other flat substrates
from a cassette into SEMI-standard or custom process modules.
Exterior motors power the magnetically coupled elevator system
and linear guide mechanism, allowing substrates to be loaded
and removed repeatedly without breaking vacuum. Because the
linear guide mechanism is incorporated into the chamber wall,
the overall unit has a small footprint. The system can handle
wafers, masks, or substrates up to 300 mm and can be operated
as a stand-alone system or in conjunction with other tools via
an RS-232 connection.
Pressure
Regulator
Saint-Gobain
Performance Plastics
Garden
Grove, CA
The
Furon 1/4-in.
UPRP pressure regulator is available in both manual- and pneumatic-actuated
versions. The regulator delivers aggressive pure chemicals and
DI water at precisely determined levels while maintaining constant
downstream pressure. Its body is constructed from 100% virgin
injection-molded high-purity PFA, while the diaphragms are made
of PTFE/Fluoroloy T, which helps to prolong regulator life.
The result is a regulator with a high-purity, all-fluoropolymer
wetted flow path that can operate in temperatures up to 194°F.
The unit features a PTFE isolation bellows designed to protect
system chemistry. The pneumatically actuated version features
a secondary diaphragm to protect the compressed-air system.
Standard on both versions is an integral leak-detection port
that simplifies monitoring in critical applications.
Wafer,
Reticle Carriers
Entegris
Chaska,
MN
A
product line of several silicon wafer and photomask reticle
carriers includes 300-mm front-opening unified pods, 200-mm
standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pods, 150-mm SMIF pods,
150-mm single- and multiple-reticle SMIF pods, and 200-mm single-reticle
SMIF pods. The products are engineered to provide secure wafer
and reticle protection and offer precise automation interface
capability, increasing yields and minimizing unscheduled downtime.
CMP
Polishing Pressure Mapping
SPI
Sensor Products
East
Hanover, NJ
Tactilus,
an electronic sensor indicating tactile force and pressure,
monitors how force is dispersed between two contacting surfaces
in real time. The sensor helps determine proper pressures in
wafer-polishing and wafer-bonding applications. Balancing contact
pressures between the polishing head and wafer interface or
bonding head and wafer interface during tool setup, the sensor
can maximize yields and tool utilization. In wafer-polishing
applications, it can reveal inconsistencies in polishing-head
contact pressure (as in the 3-D image above). The Windows-based
system consists of an electronic sensor element skin, an interface
controller, and software. The skin is a thin, flexible sheet
that is densely packed with sensing points, which can be spaced
as closely as 1 mm apart and can collect data up to 60,000 times
per second.
Atomic
Layer Deposition Tool
Genus
Sunnyvale,
CA
The
StrataGem200 and StrataGem300 atomic layer
deposition (ALD) systems provide high film-deposition flexibility
and process performance in leading-edge production environments.
The tool is used in semiconductor and data-storage device applications.
A new feature of the StrataGem200, an optional in
situ chamber clean, decreases the time and frequency of chamber
wet cleans, thus increasing chamber uptime. An integrated gas
box, available on the StrataGem300, reduces the size
and complexity of the gas-delivery system and improves maintainability.
Also available are an optional autorefill feature, which provides
convenient chemical delivery, and an optional smart equipment
front-end module.
Wafer-Edge
Inspection Tool
EV
Group
Schärding,
Austria
The
SmartEdge inspection system detects and classifies defects and
particles on the wafer edge. Point defects, scratches, and area
defects can be detected automatically, eliminating the necessity
of labor-intensive and costly manual visual inspection. Using
new and advanced vision and image-recognition components for
extended inspection capabilities, the tool can differentiate
between usable and scrap wafers. It has a robotic handling system
and full FOUP automation. The tool prevents wafer breakage caused
by edge defects, which can result in downtime and a low cost
of ownership. The system is available in both 200- and 300-mm
configurations.
Bright-Field,
Dark-Field Inspection
Negevtech
Santa
Clara, CA
Designed
for entry at the 90-nm node and optimized for 65-nm wafer inspection,
the 302 system combines both bright-field and dark-field inspection
technologies in one tool. For bright-field inspection, the system's
Step&Image 2-D imaging technology replaces traditional TDI
CCD technology, which is slow and jitter-prone. The system is
also effective for dark-field imaging at smaller technology
nodes. The tool uses short-pulsed UV illumination and a large
2-D focal plane assembly (FPA) to create die-sized images. The
FPA enables a large field of view, improving throughput and
reducing overhead. The UV illumination source also enables high
optical resolution. The tool's footprint is up to 50% smaller
than that of traditional bright-field tools.
Electronic
Optical Alarm
Futurestar
Bloomington,
MN
The
Electronic Sentinel performs remote monitoring of process flows
when used with the company's variable-area flowmeters. The inexpensive,
easy-to-install system alerts users to important system conditions,
such as low-flow, no-flow, or high-flow conditions. It is compatible
with different types of flowmeters, from ultra-low-flow Pathfinders,
with ranges starting at 10 ml/min, to 20-gal/min Odyssey models.
The unit uses self-contained sensors with a solid-state switch
and two sets of jacketed wires, eliminating bend radius problems
associated with fiber-optic cables. Using a 660-nm visible-red-light
sensing beam, the unit is powered by 10- to 30-V dc input at
<25 mA and provides maximum output of 50 mA.
Photoresist
Dry Strip Tool
Axcelis
Technologies
Beverly,
MA
A
300-mm resist-strip system designed to support the integration
of low-k dielectric materials, the ES3Lk provides a zero-damage
process for the low-k materials, capping layers, and etch stops
used in low-k integration schemes through the 45-nm technology
node. The stand-alone plasma stripping unit reduces chipmakers'
cost of ownership up to 25% more than in situ etch/strip tools,
in which etch and strip processes are performed in a single
chamber. Based on the FusionES3 platform, the isotropic dry
strip system maintains a very-low-k-effective value for integrated
BEOL dielectric stacks. Compatible with subsequent wet cleaning
steps, the ES3Lk process can be used with virtually all dense
and porous low-k materials.
Microstructure
Monitoring
HyperNex
State
College, PA
An
automated 300-mm inspection tool, the AutoTex uses an advanced
2-D detector and novel analysis protocols. The protocols enable
the high-speed monitoring of quantitative microstructure properties
such as crystallographic phase and grain orientation, allowing
the instrument to operate as a true production metrology tool.
The system performs rapid crystallographic analysis of device
crystalline materials, including copper, aluminum, tantalum,
tantalum nitride, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten, cobalt,
CoSi2, TiS2, and
other materials. It provides outputs of numerical maps, 2-D
and 3-D color contour maps, trend charts, scalable vector graphic
plots, and ASCE tables. User control of spatial resolution on
the wafer surface ranges from 1 mm to 35 µm X 26 µm
for smaller test structures. The tool has two operational modes:
an automated mode with pattern recognition for fab quality control
and trend charting, and an interactive mode for development
work.
Remote
Plasma Source
Advanced
Energy Industries
Fort
Collins, CO
A
remote plasma source platform mounted outside the process chamber
generates active, neutral chemical species from stable feed
gases for surface modification, chamber cleaning, thin-film
etch, and plasma-assisted deposition. The Xstream platform integrates
a remote plasma source, a 6- or 8-kW high-efficiency power supply,
and a solid-state active matching network, which accommodates
a wide impedance operating range. The platform offers users
high flexibility in their reactive gas processes, improving
system throughput and optimizing the use of expensive resources.
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.
Single-Wafer
Wet-Process Cleaning
SEZ
Villach,
Austria
Uniting
high throughput and a small footprint, Da Vinci–series
cleaning tools provide a high level of serviceability and reliability
in a single-wafer format. The DV-38F performs BEOL processing
of 300-mm wafers with 90-nm and smaller geometries. It can perform
polymer removal on the wafer frontside on eight 300-mm wafers
simultaneously. The tool's spin processors are equipped with
advanced process control, an enhanced software system, an onboard
chemistry-dispense system, wafer-handling capability, and an
operator interface. The system enables customers to select preferred
organic or inorganic process chemistries rather than specific
ones. It also allows users to continue production during maintenance
in the process section.
Three
new ion implanters are available in the single-wafer VIISta
platform. All three tools—the high-current 80HP, the medium-current
810EHP, and the high-energy 3000HP—have a throughput of
>300 wafers/hr. The 80HP ion implanter's dual-magnet, broad-beam
architecture provides a deceleration mode configuration and
high process control for ultrashallow-junction applications.
The 810EHP increases the capabilities of the previous-generation810
medium-current tool. The 3000HP's high-vacuum conductance end
station and beam filter provide effective productivity without
compromising dose accuracy and energy purity. All systems feature
the company's control and positioning systems and a common single-wafer
end station.
A
metrology system for advanced lithography tracks with two or
more robot arms, Accura°C optimizes equipment and system-to-system
performance by providing customers with precise thermal data
from real-time measurements of transient and steady-state temperature.
Designed with Bluetooth RF technology for wireless communications,
the tool transmits thermal data instantaneously to Thermal MAP
software, allowing users to better understand wafer processing
environments and characteristics.
Used
in silicon quality and process control applications to perform
noncontact wafer geometry measurements, the 300-mm Advanced
Flatness system measures and reports SEMI-standard wafer shape,
flatness, thickness, and resistivity results. The multifunctional
wafer-flatness measurement and sorting system can also be used
in ultrathin SOI, epitaxial, prepolish, and reclaim wafer operations
to perform process setup, in-line quality control, and product
certification.
A
complete series of automated material handling systems (AMHS)
products includes logistics studies, simulations, material control
software, 200- to 300-mm bridge technology, equipment, installation,
and support services. Among the company's offerings are transport
and stocker systems. The Cleanway CLW-07 is a fast, small, light
overhead transport system for use in interbay and intrabay applications.
An
overlay metrology tool that performs lithography process control
for the 65-nm node and beyond captures design-rule overlay errors
and improves stepper correction accuracy. The Archer AIM uses
a grating-style technology to reduce the measurement uncertainty
associated with traditional overlay metrology for sub-100-nm
design rules. By generating data that correlate to in-device
overlay performance, the tool enables lithographers to improve
process management and achieve tighter overlay control. In addition
to reducing costly wafer rework and scrap, the system will help
manufacturers to accelerate the transition to future technology
nodes. 
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.
An
electrochemical plating system for use at the 65-nm node and
beyond, the 300-mm SlimCell relies on an individual-cell chemistry
that enables multistep electroplating. Rather than employing
a common chemical bath for multiple plating cells, the tool
provides individual chemical baths to each small-volume plating
cell, allowing chipmakers to use different chemicals in each
cell. Multistep capability optimizes the gap-fill and planarization
performance of the plating sequence. The system's chemical cost
per wafer is at least two times lower than that of other systems.
The tool also features postplating technologies for integrated
bevel cleaning and spin-rinse-dry and annealing components.
Yosemite
is an ultra-low-voltage system suitable for use with sensitive
materials, such as 193-nm resist, which can shrink as much as
5 nm under the 500-eV beam of a standard CD-SEM. The tool can
measure below 200 eV in full automation and offers best-of-breed
resolution of 3.0 nm at 100 eV. Designed for sub-100-nm processes,
it can run 200- and 300-mm wafers without undergoing hardware
modifications. Its computing architecture, advanced electron
optics, onboard performance diagnostics, and automation technologies
provide the user with a high level of process control. The unit's
software archives optical and SEM pattern-recognition images
and measurement images. The company offers Web browser access
to data and images. Intranet accessibility enables engineers
to review lot details from any site.
Enclosed
Square D adjustable-speed drives offer high voltage-sag immunity
and high communications capabilities. The Altivar CL8839 58M
family of drives is designed for semiconductor processing and
other industrial applications. The drives have built-in Ethernet
connectivity. They comply with SEMI F47 voltage-sag requirements
and are available in an extended rating up to 500 hp. Packaged
in Type 1, Type 12, integrated, or barriered enclosures for
wall or floor mounting, the drives have an optional door-mounted
display center with a three-color matrix screen for clear messaging.
Prepunched conduit knockouts assure easy installation, and job-specific
approval drawings speed project cycle times. A four-position
selector switch simplifies monitoring and control capabilities.
The
Alcatel Tool Pumping Solution (ATPS), a small-footprint, integrated
pump and abatement system for placement in crowded fab basements,
is for use in cluster-tool applications. The ATPS has 100–1800
m3/hr pumping lines. Optional gas-treatment systems
can be integrated with dry, burner/washer, or plasma processes
for PFC abatement. The system offers easy and fast hookup, high
user safety, low noise levels, and standardized inlet connections.
Short lengths of tubing are required to connect the pump and
the abatement system. Two versions are available: the ATPS 42
for up to four pumping lines has a footprint of 0.46 X 1.3 m
(excluding the abatement package), and the ATPS 82 for up to
six pumping lines has a footprint of 0.92 X 1.3 m (also excluding
the abatement package).
The
DFP 200 dense-fluid processor is a fully integrated, 200-mm
single-wafer chamber that enables the development and evaluation
of technologies for deposition, cleaning, conditioning, and
lithography applications using supercritical CO2.
The vacuum-compatible system can be integrated with vacuum-based
processes on a single cluster tool. Supercritical CO2
processing offers an enabling baseline technology to deal with
the variety of materials required to reach small interconnect
structures. The low viscosity and surface tension of the CO2
solvent promotes efficient cleaning of small features sizes.
It also has a lower environmental impact than other cleaning
methodologies. Also available are components to enable supercritical
CO2 processes, including specialized feed
systems, CO2 recovery systems, and proprietary
chemistries.
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.
A
compact system, the high-vacuum-compatible TEAM-Mate Cassette
300 performs wafer transport motions similar to those of costly
cluster-tool robots. The unit loads wafers or other flat substrates
from a cassette into SEMI-standard or custom process modules.
Exterior motors power the magnetically coupled elevator system
and linear guide mechanism, allowing substrates to be loaded
and removed repeatedly without breaking vacuum. Because the
linear guide mechanism is incorporated into the chamber wall,
the overall unit has a small footprint. The system can handle
wafers, masks, or substrates up to 300 mm and can be operated
as a stand-alone system or in conjunction with other tools via
an RS-232 connection.
The
Furon 1/4-in.
UPRP pressure regulator is available in both manual- and pneumatic-actuated
versions. The regulator delivers aggressive pure chemicals and
DI water at precisely determined levels while maintaining constant
downstream pressure. Its body is constructed from 100% virgin
injection-molded high-purity PFA, while the diaphragms are made
of PTFE/Fluoroloy T, which helps to prolong regulator life.
The result is a regulator with a high-purity, all-fluoropolymer
wetted flow path that can operate in temperatures up to 194°F.
The unit features a PTFE isolation bellows designed to protect
system chemistry. The pneumatically actuated version features
a secondary diaphragm to protect the compressed-air system.
Standard on both versions is an integral leak-detection port
that simplifies monitoring in critical applications.
A
product line of several silicon wafer and photomask reticle
carriers includes 300-mm front-opening unified pods, 200-mm
standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pods, 150-mm SMIF pods,
150-mm single- and multiple-reticle SMIF pods, and 200-mm single-reticle
SMIF pods. The products are engineered to provide secure wafer
and reticle protection and offer precise automation interface
capability, increasing yields and minimizing unscheduled downtime.
Tactilus,
an electronic sensor indicating tactile force and pressure,
monitors how force is dispersed between two contacting surfaces
in real time. The sensor helps determine proper pressures in
wafer-polishing and wafer-bonding applications. Balancing contact
pressures between the polishing head and wafer interface or
bonding head and wafer interface during tool setup, the sensor
can maximize yields and tool utilization. In wafer-polishing
applications, it can reveal inconsistencies in polishing-head
contact pressure (as in the 3-D image above). The Windows-based
system consists of an electronic sensor element skin, an interface
controller, and software. The skin is a thin, flexible sheet
that is densely packed with sensing points, which can be spaced
as closely as 1 mm apart and can collect data up to 60,000 times
per second.
The
StrataGem200 and StrataGem300 atomic layer
deposition (ALD) systems provide high film-deposition flexibility
and process performance in leading-edge production environments.
The tool is used in semiconductor and data-storage device applications.
A new feature of the StrataGem200, an optional in
situ chamber clean, decreases the time and frequency of chamber
wet cleans, thus increasing chamber uptime. An integrated gas
box, available on the StrataGem300, reduces the size
and complexity of the gas-delivery system and improves maintainability.
Also available are an optional autorefill feature, which provides
convenient chemical delivery, and an optional smart equipment
front-end module.
The
SmartEdge inspection system detects and classifies defects and
particles on the wafer edge. Point defects, scratches, and area
defects can be detected automatically, eliminating the necessity
of labor-intensive and costly manual visual inspection. Using
new and advanced vision and image-recognition components for
extended inspection capabilities, the tool can differentiate
between usable and scrap wafers. It has a robotic handling system
and full FOUP automation. The tool prevents wafer breakage caused
by edge defects, which can result in downtime and a low cost
of ownership. The system is available in both 200- and 300-mm
configurations.
Designed
for entry at the 90-nm node and optimized for 65-nm wafer inspection,
the 302 system combines both bright-field and dark-field inspection
technologies in one tool. For bright-field inspection, the system's
Step&Image 2-D imaging technology replaces traditional TDI
CCD technology, which is slow and jitter-prone. The system is
also effective for dark-field imaging at smaller technology
nodes. The tool uses short-pulsed UV illumination and a large
2-D focal plane assembly (FPA) to create die-sized images. The
FPA enables a large field of view, improving throughput and
reducing overhead. The UV illumination source also enables high
optical resolution. The tool's footprint is up to 50% smaller
than that of traditional bright-field tools.
The
Electronic Sentinel performs remote monitoring of process flows
when used with the company's variable-area flowmeters. The inexpensive,
easy-to-install system alerts users to important system conditions,
such as low-flow, no-flow, or high-flow conditions. It is compatible
with different types of flowmeters, from ultra-low-flow Pathfinders,
with ranges starting at 10 ml/min, to 20-gal/min Odyssey models.
The unit uses self-contained sensors with a solid-state switch
and two sets of jacketed wires, eliminating bend radius problems
associated with fiber-optic cables. Using a 660-nm visible-red-light
sensing beam, the unit is powered by 10- to 30-V dc input at
<25 mA and provides maximum output of 50 mA.
A
300-mm resist-strip system designed to support the integration
of low-k dielectric materials, the ES3Lk provides a zero-damage
process for the low-k materials, capping layers, and etch stops
used in low-k integration schemes through the 45-nm technology
node. The stand-alone plasma stripping unit reduces chipmakers'
cost of ownership up to 25% more than in situ etch/strip tools,
in which etch and strip processes are performed in a single
chamber. Based on the FusionES3 platform, the isotropic dry
strip system maintains a very-low-k-effective value for integrated
BEOL dielectric stacks. Compatible with subsequent wet cleaning
steps, the ES3Lk process can be used with virtually all dense
and porous low-k materials.
An
automated 300-mm inspection tool, the AutoTex uses an advanced
2-D detector and novel analysis protocols. The protocols enable
the high-speed monitoring of quantitative microstructure properties
such as crystallographic phase and grain orientation, allowing
the instrument to operate as a true production metrology tool.
The system performs rapid crystallographic analysis of device
crystalline materials, including copper, aluminum, tantalum,
tantalum nitride, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten, cobalt,
CoSi2, TiS2, and
other materials. It provides outputs of numerical maps, 2-D
and 3-D color contour maps, trend charts, scalable vector graphic
plots, and ASCE tables. User control of spatial resolution on
the wafer surface ranges from 1 mm to 35 µm X 26 µm
for smaller test structures. The tool has two operational modes:
an automated mode with pattern recognition for fab quality control
and trend charting, and an interactive mode for development
work.
A
remote plasma source platform mounted outside the process chamber
generates active, neutral chemical species from stable feed
gases for surface modification, chamber cleaning, thin-film
etch, and plasma-assisted deposition. The Xstream platform integrates
a remote plasma source, a 6- or 8-kW high-efficiency power supply,
and a solid-state active matching network, which accommodates
a wide impedance operating range. The platform offers users
high flexibility in their reactive gas processes, improving
system throughput and optimizing the use of expensive resources.
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.
Uniting
high throughput and a small footprint, Da Vinci–series
cleaning tools provide a high level of serviceability and reliability
in a single-wafer format. The DV-38F performs BEOL processing
of 300-mm wafers with 90-nm and smaller geometries. It can perform
polymer removal on the wafer frontside on eight 300-mm wafers
simultaneously. The tool's spin processors are equipped with
advanced process control, an enhanced software system, an onboard
chemistry-dispense system, wafer-handling capability, and an
operator interface. The system enables customers to select preferred
organic or inorganic process chemistries rather than specific
ones. It also allows users to continue production during maintenance
in the process section.