January 19, 2012 — Expertech’s Compact Thermal Reactor, a complementary product to its line of vertical and horizontal furnaces, was ordered by a US semiconductor foundry to bolster 200mm wafer capacity. Orders also have been received for university R&D labs and solar development work.
The Compact Thermal Reactor (CTR) offers processes for atmospheric and low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD), including hydrogen and high-temperature wafer processing, for semiconductor manufacturing. The CTR has a small footprint and an integrated automated loader and gas panel. The CTR model also is stackable. The Windows-based host management system allows for data collection and upstream management. It is adaptable for solar, micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) and other nanotechnologies.
The CTR 125 processes substrates up to 125mm diameter and the CTR 200 extends the process range to 200mm substrates (and processes 125mm and 156mm square substrates, too).
The CTR furnace was originally designed for pilot line production, R&D, and government and university lab environments but has also found a niche in production lines to relieve work-in-progress (WIP) roadblocks. This order will be delivered to a domestic semiconductor foundry to add 200mm capacity to the production floor with a value-priced system instead of an additional full-size 200mm furnace.
Recently, multiple stacked units have been delivered, including multiple two-high and four-high configurations. The most recent orders were booked in Q4 2011 and will ship in Q1 2012. Expertech will assist in the installation and provide training at the customer sites.
Expertech manufactures thermal processing systems and supplies remanufactured and refurbished systems to semiconductor, MEMS, photovoltaics, sensor, and optical coating manufacturers. See www.exper-tech.com.