April 30, 2002 – Phoenix, AZ – The SEZ Group is opening its first 300mm applications lab in the US. Located in Phoenix, AZ, the 3,000 square foot lab will be a resource for SEZ and its customers and partners worldwide to test 300mm wafer cleaning processes.

“In this extremely fierce and competitive market, it is critical for our customers to reach high yield and volume manufacturing to meet market windows for the next-generation of chips,” commented Kurt Lackenbucker, chief marketing officer for the SEZ Group. “This facility will enable SEZ to be a value-add partner, working closely together with customers to combat cleaning challenges and find effective solutions for their processes.”

Currently running three to four demos per week, SEZ is primarily testing customer wafers for stress relief, polymer removal, and wafer thinning. Additional capabilities include backside film removal for pre-litho yield enhancement, backside and bevel clean for Cu decontamination and frontside polymer clean for metal line, via holes and Cu dual damascene technologies.

The lab has complete 300mm capability, featuring 1,253 square feet of class 10 cleanroom space and currently houses 20 pieces of process equipment. The facility incorporates SEZ’s Spin-Processors 101, 203, 303, 1050, and the 1300 will be installed in May.

SEZ’s investment in the new facility also includes the Axcelis 200ES Asher tool and metrology equipment from Tencor, FEI, Philips, ADE, Nikon, Luxtron, Rigaku, Veeco, and CDE RESMAP.