September 10, 2012 – EV Group (EVG), St. Florian, Austria, has updated its modular EVG 150 automated resist processing system to address specific needs for backend lithography, conformal coating, and planarization. The new system was announced at last week’s SEMICON Taiwan.

The newest version of the EVG150 high-volume coater/developer performs spin coating, developing, spray coating and lift off on 50-200mm wafers, enabling up to four wet process modules combined with two stacks of hot plates, chill plates, and vapor prime modules. Two key additions include EVG’s OmniSpray technology (with proprietary ultrasonic nozzle), which allows the conformal coating of high topography surfaces (e.g. ultra-thin, fragile, or perforated wafers) and can result in up to 80% reduced material consumption vs. traditional spin coating, according to the company. The other key addition is the NanoSpray coating technique to coat surfaces with vertical sidewall angles — for example, processing through-silicon vias (TSV) with polymer liners and photoresist.

EVG reps summarized the additions for SST:

• A modular design allowing roll-in/-out of process modules, for enhanced uptime and serviceability
• A new spray coating module (the company’s OmniSpray technology) with x,y (raster) spray coating
• A new module for the company’s proprietary "NanoSpray" process for coating blind vias
• A new structural frame with most chemicals stored within the main frame, to shorten point-of-use and optimize process control
• CIM Framework software, to help meet rigorous requirements for uptime, process control, and fab automation

"Close collaboration with our customers made it clear that the next logical step for our coater/developer technology was to create a universal approach for high-volume processing of devices with more complicated structures and topographies," stated Markus Wimplinger, EV Group’s corporate technology development and IP director.