Rodel has completed construction and facilitization of a new Materials
Integration Center built at its Phoenix headquarters near Sky Harbor Airport.
The 15,000-sq-ft CMP application lab has 5000 sq ft of Class 10 and Class
1000 cleanroom space and features six polishing bays as well as zones
for advanced metrology and cleaning equipment. The development and demonstration
facility's support capabilities include slurry preparation areas; a 10,000-gal-capacity,
18-M DI-water system; various waste treatment and handling units;
and an analytical lab for characterization work. "We want to adapt fab
practices here, to mimic fab CMP processes as much as possible," explains
Robert Rhoades, director of advanced process technology. "This is the
only facility to our knowledge with all four CMP tool types--rotary, orbital,
web, and linear--in one place."
Thanks to the center's broad capabilities, he believes "we can map out
the process space and speed up development and qualification times for
Rodel processes at customer sites." Current application work focuses on
oxide and shallow trench isolation processes as well as those using copper
and other metals, with a strong emphasis on defectivity issues. "Defects
are the area of strongest customer interest," says Rhoades. Copper electroplating
tools, low-k dielectric systems, and additional advanced metrology equipment
will be brought into the lab in the future, he added. The photos show
a Lam/OnTrak Synergy Integra scrubber system (above) and Peter Wolters
PM 200 Gemini rotational polisher (below) installed at the integration
center.
Materially
integrated 
DI-water system; various waste treatment and handling units;
and an analytical lab for characterization work. "We want to adapt fab
practices here, to mimic fab CMP processes as much as possible," explains
Robert Rhoades, director of advanced process technology. "This is the
only facility to our knowledge with all four CMP tool types--rotary, orbital,
web, and linear--in one place.".GIF)
Thanks to the center's broad capabilities, he believes "we can map out
the process space and speed up development and qualification times for
Rodel processes at customer sites." Current application work focuses on
oxide and shallow trench isolation processes as well as those using copper
and other metals, with a strong emphasis on defectivity issues. "Defects
are the area of strongest customer interest," says Rhoades. Copper electroplating
tools, low-k dielectric systems, and additional advanced metrology equipment
will be brought into the lab in the future, he added. The photos show
a Lam/OnTrak Synergy Integra scrubber system (above) and Peter Wolters
PM 200 Gemini rotational polisher (below) installed at the integration
center.
