A leading South Korean research university has successfully integrated two Advanced Vacuum plasma processing systems from Plasma-Therm into its nanotechnology fabrication lab, which supports multiple users engaged in wide-ranging nanotechnology research.

Seoul National University lab researchers recently installed two Apex SLR systems with the well-proven inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source technology from Plasma-Therm. One system is configured for dry etching, and the second system is configured for high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD).

Jong-Seung Park, Team Manager/Fab. Operations of Seoul National University, said the university’s cleanroom facility serves many users who are employing the Apex SLR® systems’ etch and deposition capabilities.

“We are pleased to provide a good reference for these systems and their support,” Park said. “Both systems operate as we expected and deliver reproducible results over the last more than 16 months. The systems are reliable and we are pleased to be a customer of Plasma-Therm.”

Park said the Apex SLR ICP system utilizes chlorine-based chemistries for etching various materials, with an emphasis on aluminum interconnects. The Apex SLR® HDPCVD system has been employed for a wide range of silicon oxide and silicon nitride deposition processes, such as trench or gap filling for device fabrication.

Dr. David Lishan, Director, Technical Marketing for Plasma-Therm, said that Apex SLR systems are ideally suited for corporate R&D and academic research settings. “The Apex SLR, with its very strong and successful processing history, excellent uniformity and reproducibility, has proven highly productive in research environments.” Dr. Lishan continued, “The ability for facilities like SNU’s to task Apex SLR systems and quickly achieve process specs for multiple users are big reasons for selection of Apex SLR over products that are less capable and more expensive.”

Advanced Vacuum Apex SLR systems are highly versatile, small-footprint, field-proven tools for all plasma processing applications. Apex SLR ICP is capable of etching a wide range of materials for semiconductor devices and other types of nanotechnology. Apex SLR HDPCVD performs deposition of high-quality thin films at relatively low temperatures for applications such as optical coatings, semiconductor device passivation layers, and other nano-electronic fabrication processes with limited thermal budgets.