Mattson Technology

Fremont, CA

Helios, a rapid thermal processing (RTP) system, allows chipmakers to address demanding 300-mm RTP applications down to the 65-nm node, including ultrashallow junction (USJ) and nickel silicide formation. As the industry moves to short anneal cycles in advanced devices, precision thermal control becomes critical. USJ formation requires accurately defined spike anneals that limit high-temperature exposure of the wafer to fractions of a second. The tool features a model-based temperature and control system that provides high uniformity, repeatability, and reliability. Its good spike anneal performance, with rapid ramp and cool-down rates, provides precise process control for USJ formation. Its low-temperature processing capabilities enable steady-state operation at temperatures down to 250°C.

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Electro CMP Tool

Applied Materials

Santa Clara, CA

Based on the Reflexion LK platform, the Reflexion LK Ecmp system performs electrochemical mechanical planarization in copper/low-k applications at the 65-nm node and beyond. The tool has three platens, enabling it to remove bulk copper at the rate of >6000 Å per minute by electric charge, independent of downforce. For use with fragile low-k films, the tool planarizes dual-damascene structures with minimal dishing, erosion, and defects (<0.1/cm²). It reduces the cost of consumables, replacing expensive copper slurry with a low-cost electrolyte chemistry. Thin, uniform copper film and barrier/liner materials are removed using very low downforce (<1.0 psi). The tool features key process control capabilities, including proprietary integrated iMap radial scan technology, which provides incoming film-thickness profile information to control the bulk copper removal profile and endpoint detection.

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Capacitance Vacuum Gauge

Setra Systems

Boxborough, MA

The Model 720 capacitance vacuum gauge, based on the variable capacitive sensor design, offers a 0–5 or 0–10 V dc output that is linear with pressure and independent of gas composition. The unit offers an accuracy rating of ±0.5% of reading and an optional accuracy rating of ±0.25% of reading. Its accuracy is assured with a wide compensated operating temperature of 0° to 50°C and high temperature coefficients of ±0.005% full scale/°C at 0 and ±0.027% of reading/°C at span. Offered in a variety of vacuum pressure ranges from 2 to 150 kPa, 10 to 1000 Torr, and 10 to 1000 mb, the gauge is configured with an industry-standard nine-pin D-sub electrical connection.

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Ultrathin Wafer Backgrinding

3M

St. Paul, MN

A wafer support system for ultrathin semiconductor wafer backgrinding is an alternative to the conventional tape process and can produce wafers as thin as 20 µm. The new approach enables IC manufacturers to use existing grinding equipment to produce thinner wafers at faster grinding speeds with increased yields. The system includes both equipment and consumables. The equipment includes a wafer mounter to attach the wafer to a glass plate with liquid adhesive, a wafer demounter to separate the glass and adhesive from the wafer after the backgrinding process, and a glass cleaner and coater. Consumables include ultraclean UV-curable spin-on adhesive and a light-to-heat conversion coating, which allows users to separate the adhesive from the glass after backgrinding. The system allows manufacturers to produce wafers faster by increasing backgrinding pressure and speed.

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Gas-Cluster Ion-Beam System

Epion

Billerica, MA

The nFusion GCIB300 performs nanoscale surface chemistry to solve wafer doping and deposition problems. It can use boron-containing clusters to fabricate ultrashallow junctions and boron-germanium clusters to enhance shallow junctions or deposit high-quality silicon germanium or germanium layers. The system can form the boxlike dopant profiles needed for the 65- and 45-nm nodes, exhibiting 2.5-nm/decade slopes without energy contamination. It is based on gas-cluster ion beam (GCIB) technology, a room-temperature processing technique that can change the top layers of atoms on a surface. In contrast to traditional ion implantation, gas clusters do not penetrate below the surface, leaving the underlying bulk material unaffected. The system processes 200- and 300-mm wafers at 20 wafers/hr and has an infusion rate of up to 1 X 10¹⁶ atoms/cm²/min.

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Single-Wafer Electroplater

Semitool

Kalispell, MT

The Raider-M enables 45-nm electroplating development and surface preparation work on the same processing platform. Using a proprietary computational fluid-dynamics electroplating reactor, seed-layer enhancement, and a backside/bevel copper chemical cleaning chamber, the 300-mm tool is a two- or four-chamber version of the full-size 14-chamber Raider. In addition to performing electroplating R&D, the system can be used for surface preparation, including advanced 32-nm front-end cleans, in low-volume production runs, making it suitable for qualifications.

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3-D Surface Analysis Instrument

Taylor Hobson

Leicester, UK

The Talysurf CCI 3000A coherence correlation interferometer performs surface analysis with 0.1-Å resolution. The instrument combines the surface-imaging quality of a microscope with the high-accuracy measuring capability of a surface profiler, resulting in precise 3-D surface texture, step height, and microdimensional measurements. Used for semiconductor and MEMS applications, the tool uses a patented correlation algorithm to find the coherence peak position of an interference pattern produced by selectable-bandwidth light sources. This method provides high resolution and sensitivity to returning light. The instrument provides excellent data resolution in the x and y axes and a low missing-data rate.

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Lithography Filter System

Extraction

Franklin, MA

The ex2600 filter system is designed for the latest generation of 193-nm step-and-scan lithography tools, including conventional and immersion-based ones. The system has the same optics and resist protection of the E3000, but with a smaller footprint. At the heart of the system is a proprietary hybrid chemical filter medium, which protects deep-ultraviolet exposure tool optics and resists from molecular acids, bases, and condensable organics. The filters are arranged in a serial/parallel configuration to provide protection against unexpected contamination events, such as accidental solvent or developer spills. The housing incorporates the Interstack sample port design, which characterizes filtration performance precisely across four locations in the filter system.

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CMP Platform

Novellus Systems

San Jose, CA

A 300-mm chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP) platform exceeds the technical and economic requirements of CMP at the 65-nm node and beyond. Capable of meeting the challenges associated with planarizing next-generation multilevel copper/low-k structures, Xceda reduces the cost of ownership by lowering slurry use by up to 40%. The tool produces quality planarization results on porous materials with k-values of <2.0. It features four independent polishing modules, and its through-the-pad slurry management, coupled with a patented pad design, delivers uniform slurry flow to the wafer surface, resulting in improved uniformity, low dishing, and reduced erosion.

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Sputtering System

Unaxis

St. Petersburg, FL

The LLS EVO II is a batch sputtering system for use in the manufacture of monolithic microwave integrated circuits, metallization layers, resistors, optical components, and sensors. The flexible tool offers up to five planar magnetrons, each of which is configurable for dc, radio frequency (RF), RF/dc, pulsed dc, and cosputtering. The cosputter capability enables phases of two materials. The tool provides a constant and uniform deposition rate and can be configured as a fully automated turnkey system with an easy-to-use Windows NT–based control system. An optional automatic wafer-handling system is available.

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Optical Digital Profilometry System

Timbre Technologies

Santa Clara, CA

The TeraGen 2.0 optical digital profilometry metrology product supports smart spectra technology, which increases modeling accuracy and productivity. Incorporating expanded feature-analysis programs, the new version of the system provides 3-D modeling capability for the integrated metrology applications of TEL Clean Track coaters/developers. It offers improved usability, improved data-integrity verification, and increased speed for both run-time regression and library generation. The system provides better process window characterizations, process designs, and system qualifications. Customers can use it in development cycles and full production.

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Moisture Analyzers

Meeco

Warrington, PA

AquaVolt and AquaVolt+ moisture analyzers provide on-line moisture monitoring for industrial process gases in production and gases at various stages of product purification. A keypad interface, bright vacuum fluorescent display, and menu-driven prompts make it simple to specify, configure, and start up applications. The units use a reliable and accurate electrolytic sensor, which absorbs and electrolyzes moisture at fractional parts-per-million or parts-per-billion levels. When water is electrolyzed, a finite current is generated, which is precise and proportional to the amount of absorbed water. That current is an exact, direct measurement of the water vapor in the sample gas.

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Rotary Actuator

Rigaku

Tokyo, Japan

A rotary actuator for contamination-sensitive applications, the Omni-Lev is supported entirely by magnetic fields, eliminating contact between moving parts that can generate particles. The actuator's noncontact mechanism eliminates particles and friction, resulting in accurate positioning, ultralow shaft runout, long life, and decreased maintenance requirements. An all-metal construction enables the unit to be used in ultra-high-vacuum environments and in the corrosive gas or liquid applications encountered in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

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Excimer Laser

Lambda Physik

Göttingen, Germany

An excimer laser for next-generation lithography scanners has a novel opto-mechanical architecture. The LithoTex is a high-power 193-nm laser that offers high spectral purity, high power (including scalability), and long pulse length. The laser delivers output power of 50 W at a pulse repetition rate of 4 kHz. The high average power enables fast processing, and the high pulse repetition rate permits close control of dosing. The laser's pulse length has a time integral square of more than 32 nanoseconds, compared with 18 nanoseconds offered by other dual-chamber excimer lasers. The long pulse width reduces the requirement for additional stretching optics in the laser head and between the laser and the scanner. The laser also produces a narrow bandwidth of <0.2 pm full-width half-maximum and high spectral purity of <0.5 pm at 95%, enabling the scanner to project a better image with higher contrast.

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TOC Analyzers

Ionics

Boulder, CO

The Sievers 900-series TOC analyzers are based on the earlier-generation Sievers 800 series. The new analyzers offer improved precision and accuracy across an extended 0.03 to 50,000-ppb dynamic range; 4-minute analysis time; automated calibration, verification, and reagent adjustment routines; a smaller instrument casing; a touch screen display for quick access to real-time or trend data; and a USB port for data transfer. The analyzers enable operators to obtain samples in less than an hour and are easy to set up, operate, and maintain. They require no external gases or reagents, offer 12-month calibration stability, and require only about two hours of maintenance annually.

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Thin-Film Measurement Tool

Ocean Optics

Dunedin, FL

The NanoCalc reflectometry system analyzes a wide range of optical-layer thicknesses. It measures the thickness of up to three optical layers from 10 nm to 250 µm in less than 1 second. Users can analyze the thickness and removal rates of single-layer or multilayer semiconductor process films and antiscratch, antireflection, and hard coatings. Several options measure thin films with spectral response in UV-VIS, VIS-NIR, and NIR wavelength ranges. The system performs in situ, on-line thickness measurements of oxides, silicon nitride, and photoresist films. The operating software allows for simple curve fitting and accuracy measurements, and includes a large library of refractive index and extinction coefficient values.

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Silicon Wafers

Topsil

Frederikssund, Denmark

Premium float-zone (PFZ) silicon, neutron transmutation doped (NTD) silicon, HiRes silicon, and high-purity silicon (HPS) wafers are distributed by Silicon Quest International. PFZ and NTD silicon wafers are used primarily for power and detector applications. PFZ silicon is available in 100–150-mm diameters with up to 5000-Ω/cm bulk resistivity. NTD wafers are available in 50–150-mm diameters with up to 5000-Ω/cm bulk resistivity. HiRes silicon is used in emerging gigahertz applications, including low-loss-microwave and millimeter-wave components. It is available in 100–150-mm diameters with bulk resistivity starting at 8000 Ω/cm. HPS is used to manufacture low-noise radiation and photonic detectors. It is available in 100–150-mm diameters starting at 2000 Ω/cm.

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Photomask CD Measurement Tool

Micro-Metric

San Jose, CA

A system for automated critical dimension (CD) measurement of subresolution features on photomasks, the Innova-800AV uses proprietary software to measure features on photomasks down to 0.2 µm using white light. With measurement accuracy of 0.002 µm or less with 3σ repeatability under 1.5 nm, the tool measures the amount of light blocked by opaque areas or transmitted by clear areas of the photomask. It can be used for manual single measurements and fully automated sequences of measurements, including stage positioning, measurement setup, data processing, and output. The instrument measures a wide range of CDs on photomasks, such as defects, contacts, pitch, corner rounding, OPC patterns, intrusions, and extrusions.

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Copper Electroplate Filter Cartridges

Pall

East Hills, NY

Varafine Varaclean filter cartridges reduce defects and improve productivity in high-volume copper plating processes. The cartridges are based on patented asymmetric membrane material, which filters impurities down to 50 nm while maintaining high flow rates. For use in 200- and 300-mm copper electrochemical deposition tools, the cartridges are available in a range of sizes and grades, all of which offer >99.9% removal efficiency.

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Front-Opening Unified Pod

Shin-Etsu

Saitama, Japan

The 300EX front-opening unified pod (FOUP) has a single-molded structure to minimize cleaning and drying cycle times, prevent particle generation, and maintain dimensional accuracy. With a shell constructed from conductive PC, PBT, and PC, the FOUP conducts electrical charges through the top, from the shell and teeth to the bottom, and from the side rails. A roller clamping latch mechanism assures that the FOUP door will close. The unit offers excellent sealing capacity to prevent particles and contamination from the environment. It is capable of both side- and front-travel conveyor movements. The FOUP conforms to SEMI standards E47.1, E1.9, E15.1, E57, E62, and S8.