March 24, 2006 – Furnaceware provider Integrated Materials Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, has unveiled a new suite of tools for vertical furnace processes that it says offer performance than quartz and silicon carbide consumables.

The suite of SiFusion tools, including boats, towers, injectors, and pedestals, fit furnaces manufactured by ASM, Aviza, Hitachi-Kokusai, and TEL, for 200mm-300mm environments including thin-film (LPCVD – silicon nitride and polysilicon), high-temperature (anneal/drive), and high-temperature oxidation. The technology uses a patented process to enable manufacture of polysilicon furnaceware that reduces particle generation and trace metal contamination, prevents slip (thereby reducing wafer damage), and eliminates regular cleaning.

“The industry has waited more than 20 years for a company to manufacture furnaceware with properties identical to those of the wafer,” stated Tom Cadwell, president and CEO of Integrated Materials. “We are confident this new technology will provide the wafer fab with solutions to the problems that have challenged furnace processes.”