Ultratech, Inc. (Nasdaq: UTEK), a supplier of lithography, laser-processing and inspection systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs), as well as atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems, today announced that the Laboratory for Emerging and Exploratory Devices (LEED), led by Professor Sayeef Salahuddin, Ph.D. of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department at UC Berkeley (EECS UC Berkeley), has chosen the Ultratech-CNT Fiji G2 PEALD system as its instrument of choice for its research activities. Professor Salahuddin was recently honored at the White House by President Barack Obama for his work in developing nano-scale electronic and spintronic devices for low power logic and memory applications.
“ALD provides an exciting way of accessing ferroelectric materials, which play a key role in these types of devices, by providing a means of controlling the film properties through the precise engineering of the composition,” noted Professor Salahuddin. “This has led the way for us to explore the ferroelectric properties of rare earth oxides, such as Hafnium oxide, by adding a variety of dopants, such as silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), and yttrium (Y). Our decision in choosing the Fiji system was motivated not only by the system’s performance, and flexibility but also because of the strong reputation that the Ultratech ALD team has for R&D expertise, coupled with its excellent support.”
Adam Bertuch, senior thin film scientist at Ultratech-CNT, who has played a key role in the development of PEALD oxides at the company, said, “The Fiji is an extremely versatile instrument, which has been at the leading edge of the development of complex materials. Professor Salahuddin’s work in the field of ferroelectric materials speaks for itself, and we are looking forward to having a strong collaborative relationship with him, as well as his scientific group at UC Berkeley.”
Ultratech Fiji G2 ALD System
For advanced thin films, the Fiji series is a modular, high-vacuum ALD system that accommodates a wide range of deposition modes using a flexible architecture and multiple configurations of precursors and plasma gases. The result is a next-generation ALD system capable of performing thermal and plasma-enhanced deposition. Ultratech CNT has applied advanced computational fluid dynamics analyses to optimize the Fiji reactor, heaters, and vapor trap geometries. The system’s intuitive interface makes it easy to monitor and change recipes and processes as required. The Fiji is available in several different configurations, with up to six heated precursor ports that can accommodate solid, liquid or gas precursors, and up to six plasma gas lines. Options include a built-in ozone generator, Load Lock as well as several in-situ analysis tools, which offer significant experimental flexibility in a compact and affordable footprint.