Laser Cutting Tool

Schott

Yonkers, NY

A laser cutting tool for flat-panel display glass makes high-quality cuts without creating particles. While glass has traditionally been cut using a mechanical scribe-and-break process that causes fragmentation, edge chips, and microcracks that may generate particles, the laser technique uses a beam to apply heat to the glass. The glass is then immediately cooled, generating a stress-induced cut that results in complete separation. The tool cuts flat glass in thicknesses of 0.03 to 10 mm, display glass, and glass tubing.

Wafer Inspection Station

Nikon

Melville, NY

Offering excellent optical performance, wafer handling, and enhanced ergonomics, the Optistation-V accommodates wafers from 100 to 200 mm. It provides optical inspection performance using bright-field and dark-field techniques. Autofocus is fast and accurate, cutting throughput time. Equipped with tilt and rotation functions, the station enables the macro inspection of both the front and back of each wafer. The workstation can be configured with dual-cassette capability, and an optional cassette-loading unit simplifies wafer boat loading. Relying on few moving parts and dc servo and stepper motors, the station surpasses Class 1 cleanroom compatability specifications.

Membrane Filtration

Dynatec Systems

Burlington, NJ

Wide-channel tubular ultrafiltration and microfiltration water-treatment systems remove contaminants prior to reverse osmosis, reuse, or sewer discharge, and remove metals in PCB manufacturing operations before reuse or discharge. Membrane filtration concentrates contaminants in the waste stream to a fraction of their original volume, reducing disposal costs. Systems are manufactured in standard capacities from 200 to 150,000 gal/day, and custom-made systems are available.

Pneumatic Valves

Key High Vacuum Products

Nesconset, NY

Designed to control pumpdown cycles, the SPV valve series consists of three-position, high-vacuum pneumatic slow pump valves that reduce turbulence within vacuum systems. Because a bypass valve opens first, a slow pumping action is achieved. Once the system reaches a determined vacuum level, the parent valve is opened, allowing full pumping speed. SPV valves feature removable orifices to enhance flexibility.

Vacuum Oven

Despatch Industries

Minneapolis

A magnetic annealing vacuum oven heats up at a rate of 15°C/min and cools down at a rate of 5° to 10°C/min. Operating temperature is 600°C. The oven is designed to ensure both uniform temperature across the wafer and chamber cleanliness for high yields. It is capable of forming gas, nitrogen, or vacuum levels 0.01 mtorr. The choice of atmospheres accommodates a range of processes, including low oxygen concentration. The atmospheres can also shorten both heating and cooling cycles. Magnet field strength is in the range of 1 to 2 tesla with variations of ±2% and divergence angles <2°. The unit handles up to 20 wafers per load.

Solenoid Valves

Valcor Scientific

Springfield, NJ

Direct-acting, two-way, normally closed poppet solenoid valves, the rugged SV61 and SV62 are designed for long life and reliable service and require no minimum pressure for operation. Suitable for use in wafer polishers, the valves offer bubble-tight shutoff and are specifically engineered for service with noncorrosive liquids, gases, and vapors. The SV61 features a polypropylene body, either Buna N or Viton elastomers, and stainless-steel trim. The SV62 features a forged brass body and stainless-steel trim. Both are available with orifice diameters of 1/16, 1/8 and 1/4 in. They can be obtained individually or set up in subassemblies, system tested, and delivered complete for system integration.

Dummy Wafers

Asahi Glass Electronic Materials

Hillsboro, OR

Ultra-high-purity, 100% CVD silicon carbide (SiC-CVD) Aegis dummy wafers are a reusable, cost-effective alternative to silicon wafers. Made in an advanced CVD process, they resist etching by hydrofluoric and nitric acids during cleaning. Their chemical stability provides an etch rate more than 1000 times slower than that of silicon wafers. The material's surface condition remains essentially unchanged after numerous acid cleaning processes, preventing contamination and outgassing. Since the wafers' coefficient of thermal expansion is similar to that of polysilicon and nitride films, particle generation is lower than that for other dummy wafers. The wafers are available with or without a flat notch, and with various thicknesses and surface finishes.

Fogger

PWC Technologies

Beaverton, OR

An addition to the company's line of cleanroom products, a small handheld, battery-powered, ultrasonic fogger gun is portable and cleanroom compatible. It can deliver more than an hour of continuous fog on a single battery charge. The fog is produced from DI water by two liquid level—sensitive ultrasonic transducers and is controlled by a trigger switch, all of which are located on the fog gun. In addition to the gun and battery pack, the unit comes with a remote power supply, battery charger, and case.

Ceramic End Effectors

NetMotion

Fremont, CA

Ceramic end effectors made from fine ceramic alumina by Asuzac are ultrathin and durable, offering electrical insulation and heat, corrosion, and abrasion resistance. Manufactured for wafer sizes up to 300 mm, they are suitable for process equipment using vacuum or nonvacuum end effectors with paddle or fork designs. Alumina purity ranges from 99.5 to 99.9%. Silicon carbide is available for high-temperature and thermal-shock applications. An optional Teflon coating surface treatment can be ordered for the end effectors when antistatic properties and smoothness are required.

Vapor Delivery System

Aera

Austin, TX

Supplying a precise flow of chemical vapor to processes without using a carrier gas, the GS-437 vapor delivery system performs CVD and diffusion processes. The system's refill system is located in the same cabinet as the vaporizer, allowing safe chemical delivery and creating a smaller footprint than other vapor delivery systems. The cabinet and vaporizer are heated to prevent recondensation between the vaporizer tank and the process chamber, substantially reducing the risk of accidents and enabling the safe vaporization of a wide range of liquids and flows. The system's accuracy has been demonstrated at ±1% of full-scale flow with a repeatability of ±0.2% of full-scale flow.

Tank Cavitation Meter

ppb

Palo Alto, CA

An ultrasonic/megasonic tank energy meter detects energy in watts per gallon and frequencies from 0 to 2 MHz, enabling technicians to monitor tank performance, set tank energy level, establish tank-to-tank uniformity, and map tank energy variations. The meter is available as a portable unit with 100 memory locations and RS-232 downloading capabilities or as a panel-mount-ready unit with two 4—20-mA outputs of energy and frequency for PLC communication. It is compatible with DI water, IPA, acetone, SC-1 and SC-2 cleaning solutions, and many solvents. Readings are processed 1.5 times per minute for display on the LCD.

Chemical Filter

domnick hunter

Durham, England

The latest addition to a series of cartridge filters, Tetpor Plus filters submicron-sized amounts of acids, alkali, organic solvents, and other aggressive chemicals. The all-fluoropolymer cartridge has an absolute-rated PTFE membrane supported by PFA hardware and PTFE-encapsulated O-ring seals. Available in four ratings from 1.0 to 0.05 µm, the filter offers optimum flow rates, high temperature resistance, excellent chemical compatibility, and low extractables. The 0.2- and 0.1-µm filters are integrity testable.

Pressure-Reducing Regulator

Sensiflo

Colton, CA

Designed for gases and liquids, the SPR pressure-reducing regulator is suitable for corrosive applications and environments. It has inlet pressures up to 3600 psig; outlet pressures from 0 to 10, 25, 50, 100, 250, 500, or 750 psig; and a flow coefficient of 0.02, 0.06, or 0.20. With low operating torque and internal volume, the instrument can regulate high flows with only a small pressure drop. The regulator can be made from materials according to users' specifications, such as stainless steel, chromed brass, Monel, Hastelloy, and titanium. It contains stainless-steel diaphragms and a Kel-F seat.

Aqueous Residue Remover

J. T. Baker

Phillipsburg, NJ

An aqueous ash-residue remover, the REZI-28 can remove difficult organometallic/inorganic residues from metals and vias. It is more than 80% aqueous and more effective than removers with a high organic content. Compatible with sensitive metals and low-K dielectrics, it removes ash residues with typical processing times of 5—10 minutes at room temperature (23°C), reducing processing time and the time required to heat the bath.

Aerosol Particle Counter

Particle Measuring Systems

Boulder, CO

Made for spot monitoring of cleanrooms, the Abacus aerosol particle counter has four size channels with sensitivities from 0.3 to 0.5 µm. The small, handheld counter stores up to 500 data sets, and it operates in English, French, German, and Spanish. The battery-operated instrument can be used for point-of-use particle checks at critical locations. The counter has a built-in RS-232C communications interface for connection to a personal computer or printer. Used with a Windows-based software program called CountWin, the counter retrieves information from memory and sends it to a spreadsheet program on a PC.

Product Extra!

An optical lithography technique from Canon's semiconductor equipment division extends resolution to one-half the wavelength of the illumination light for various patterns. The Ideal multilevel imaging system reduces the k1 factor to 0.3, allowing a 0.6-NA KrF exposure tool to resolve 120-nm device features. Likewise, a 0.7-NA 193-nm stepper will be able to print features close to 80 nm, Canon says. Used with 157-nm tools, the technique has the potential to extend the next-generation lithography node to the 50-nm regime. The supplier says the technology would enable resolution below the 90-nm node prescribed by the SIA NTRS. Information: 972/409-7800.

The Cleanroom Resource from Cintas Cleanroom Resources addresses cleanroom operations of interest to managers and contamination control technologists. The technical publication covers "crossover" technologies. The first issue contains articles on topics such as the comparative benefits of owning versus leasing garments and the pros and cons of personalization. Upcoming issues of the free publication will cover topics such as ISO certification of laundries and how to set up an on-site laundry. Information: 877/424-6827; http://www.cintas-corp.com/clean.

A new design of elastomeric seal from Greene, Tweed improves the performance of ISO flange vacuum fittings, the supplier says. The design extends the operation of the fittings above 230°C to as high as 324°C. The new sealing geometry uses the Chemraz perfluoroelastomer compound to compensate for the thermal expansion that can threaten elastomers in high-temperature processes. Information: +44115 9866555; http://www. gtweed.com.

Gas Tech's FX-IR transmitter series has received UL approval. The dual infrared system monitors hydrocarbon gases and is suitable for installation in Class I, Division 1, Groups B, C, and D hazardous locations. It can be connected to either a Gas Tech controller or directly to a programmable logic controller or distributive control system. Information: 510/745-1275; http://www.gastech-inc.com.

The MAX8000EQ fan filter unit (FFU) from Liberty Industries offers the lowest noise level of any FFU module in the industry, according to the supplier. The ceiling module operates at 48 dBA and uses 50% of the power of similar-sized models. The module has a slim profile to fit into tight areas and weighs 55 lb. It removes 99.99% of all particles >=0.3 µm. A 1-in. pleated prefilter is a standard feature. Information: 800/828-5656.

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