Product News
10/01/2003
Plasma treatment system offers flexible gas dynamics
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The FlexTRAK automated plasma system is capable of both direct and downstream ion-free plasma processing for treating a broad range of semiconductor devices. The FlexTRAK is a high-throughput plasma system with flexible gas dynamics, and is well suited for high-speed, in-line manufacturing operations and for stand-alone configuration, where one plasma station supports an island or group of equipment. March Plasma Systems, Concord, CA; ph 800/326-1151, [email protected], www.marchplasma.com.
Diaphragm valves meet ultrahigh-purity standard
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DRP series ultrahigh-purity fluoropolymer diaphragm valves meet or exceed Semi Standard F57-0301 for ultrahigh-purity polymer system components. DRP series valves are now available with a multi-turn, manually adjustable actuator for precise flow control, and they can be used in many applications, including aggressive CMP slurry, acid, chemical, and ultrahigh-purity DI water delivery systems. Swagelok, Solon, OH; ph 440/349-5934, www.swagelok.com.
Ion implanters can process 300 wafers/hr
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Three additions to the VIISta single wafer platform of ion implanters can process more than 300 wafers/hr. VIISta 80HP high-current, VIISta 810EHP medium-current, and VIISta 3000HP high-energy tools drive down cost of ownership due to their high-throughput capabilities. All three feature a common single-wafer endstation. Varian Semiconductor Equipment, Gloucester, MA; ph 978/282-2000, www.vsea.com.
Metrology system measures both linewidth and overlay dimensions
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The INNOVA 200 metrology system measures alignment between layers on shrinking wafer geometries. INNOVA 200 measures both linewidth and overlay dimensions, making it especially effective in determining overlay alignment. This system also offers an automatic wafer handler, user-definable operating software, and statistical data analysis. Micro-Metric Inc., San Jose, CA; ph 408/452-8505, [email protected]. www.micro-metric.com.
Scanner for 80nm devices
The NSR-S307E ArF scanner is targeted for mass production of advanced 80nm devices and development of 65nm devices. This system combines a 0.85 NA projection lens with a newly developed, high-production platform, which improves resolution and increases throughput. The NSR-S307E can process more than 160 wafers/hr for 200mm applications, and 112 wafers/hr for 300mm applications. The scanner includes detailed environmental control systems to ensure lens quality is maintained over the product lifetime. Nikon Precision Inc., Belmont, CA; ph 650/413-8533, [email protected], www.nikonprecision.com.
Helium leak detector
The UL5000 helium leak detector provides testing flexibility, high sensitivity, and fast response leak testing results in the low minimum sensitivity ranges. Designed for high efficiency in the fab for testing components, subassemblies, large chambers, or semiconductor tools, it pumps down quickly and gives repeatable results down to the 10-12 atm cm3/sec leak range. Inficon Holding AG, Syracuse, NY; ph 315/434-1100, [email protected], www.inficon.com.
Lithography source
This Collimated Plasma Lithography (CPL) source is provided by a laser-produced plasma x-ray. The x-ray point source uses patented Britelight high-power, picosecond-class, diode pumped solid-state lasers to bombard a copper tape and generate the x-rays needed to print circuits with features finer than 100nm. The source wavelength is 1nm. JMAR Technologies, Carlsbad, CA; ph 760/602-3292, www.jmar.com.
Wafer probe station upgrade
The Summit B series of 200mm semiautomatic and manual summit probe stations are an upgrade to existing Summit 11000 and 12000 series, and provide new probing capability and improved usability. All Summit B stations can be upgraded in the field; existing customers can purchase a base model unit and easily upgrade to full-feature systems when needed. Cascade Microtech, Beaverton, OR; ph 503/601-1181, www.cascademicrotech.com.
Nanomanipulation and scanning stages
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PicoCubes are small, multi-axis, closed-loop, piezo nanomanipulation and scanning stages for applications including nanotechnology, semiconductor, and data storage test equipment. P-363 PicoCube xy and xyz piezo stages ..are ultra-high performance, closed-loop piezoelectric scanning systems designed for atomic force microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and nanomanipulation applications. They combine a low-inertia, high-speed piezo scanner with non-contact, direct-measuring, parallel-metrology capacitive feedback capable of 50- picometer resolution. Polytec PI Inc., Auburn, MA; ph 508/832-3456, [email protected], www.polytecpi.com.
Soft wall cleanrooms
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Series 575 softwall cleanrooms provide a free-standing cleanroom environment for Class 100,000 to Class 10, and can provide ..open spans up to 32 ft. with no center supports. Units come complete with motorized ceiling HEPA filters, lights, a ceiling panel, tee bars, and prefab wiring. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit specific requirements. The NEST TIGHT ceiling grid system eliminates a major source of potential problems by providing a zero-leak cleanroom ceiling, essential for optimum performance. Clean Air Products, Minneapolis, MN; ph 800/423-9728, [email protected], www.cleanairproducts.com.
30mm motors
RE30 motors use powerful rare earth magnets to maximize torque available in a 30mm diameter package. A patented rhombic moving coil design provides for long life, low electrical noise, fast acceleration, and high efficiency. Maximum efficiency is 86%, depending on the winding, and ambient temperature range is -20 to 100°C. Several windings are available to match desired speed with available voltage. Maxon Precision Motors Inc., Burlingame, CA; ph 800/865-7540, [email protected], www.maxonmotorusa.com.
Air-bearing wafer-positioning system
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The DynamYX GT 300mm air-bearing wafer positioning system offers high throughput and flexibility through six axis of precision motion ..control, including an integrated three axis tip/tilt stage. The stage is constructed of silicon carbide, with a density close to aluminum and strength similar to that of steel, high stiffness, and a close thermal match to granite and silicon. The DynamYX GT uses a large monolithic single-plane system architecture, which provides highly damped, rigid, and stable construction. Newport Corp., Irvine, CA; ph 800/222-6440, www.newport.com.
Ellipsometry system
The ultra-II fifth-generation focused beam ellipsometry system delivers measurement accuracy, long-term reproducibility, and tool-to-tool matching needed for process control measurements in manufacturing at 90nm and 65nm processing nodes. For 193nm lithography, the enhanced DUV reflectometer with photomultiplier detector enables accurate and reproducible results down to 190nm. The ultra-II also offers an optional wafer-bow/film stress module that enables high-throughput, fully automated, single-pass measurements of film thickness and stress. Rudolph Technologies, Flanders, NJ; ph 973/691-1300, [email protected], www.rudolphtech.com.
High-speed laser twin sensor
The LTS is a long-range laser twin sensor that tracks object displacements or running profiles at high speeds up to 200kHz. Applications include measuring of surface roughness and thickness of thin coatings. Thickness variations as fine as 0.007µm can be resolved with averaged at 100Hz, with accuracy at the µm level. Other features include a laser spot size of 70µm dia., observation angle of 25°, and stand-off of 30mm. LMI Technologies Inc., Southfield, MI; ph 248/359-2409; [email protected], www.lmint.com.
Cross roller translation stages
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These lines of 1.75- and 2.62-in. cross roller translation stages are rated for over 100 million in. of travel at the specified load, which is ..claimed to be 10¥ that of comparable ball bearings. Applications include microscopy, machine vision inspection, alignment, wafer inspection, and interferometry. These stages are constructed from aluminum and stainless steel, with precision ground-mounting surfaces. Edmund Optics, Barrington, NJ; ph 856/573-6250, [email protected], www. edmundoptics.com.
Particle detection system for reticles
Pollux is a particle detection system for reticles that can be positioned in each critical area of the fab to requalify reticles. Risk of contamination can be minimized because reticles do not have to be transported to a central area for inspection. In less than one minute, Pollux inspects the glass side and the pellicle side of the reticle for imperfections down to 10µm ESD (equivalent square diameter). Particles, defects, and holes can be detected. Dr. Schenk GmbH, Martinsried, Germany; ph 49/89-85695-0; [email protected], www.drschenk.com.
Micro test equipment
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The model 5848 MicroTester is for testing microelectronic devices, MEMS, photonic, and other small components. The 5848 provides load and displacement measurement capability combined with good cyclic performance. Applications include semiconductor die shear and pull tests, tensile testing of fine wires and fibers, flex testing of substrates, and peel tests of thin films and substrates. Instron, Canton, MA; ph 800/564-8378, [email protected], www..instron.com.
Retrofit kit for wafer ID
The In-Sight 1700 series prober retrofit kit features In-Sight 1700 series wafer readers, which read alphanumeric and 2-D matrix codes for the purpose of tracking wafers through production processes. The kit comes with all hardware, software, and installation instructions. In-Sight 1700 wafers readers provide a single-unit design that integrates processor, optics, and lighting in a compact package designed for the limited space on wafer probers. Cognex Corp., Natick, MA; ph 508/650-3140, [email protected], www.cognex.com.
Ink jet nozzle, high precision laser drilling services
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These ink jet nozzles and other high-precision laser drilling services in polymers, glass, ceramics, sapphire and metals are achieved using UV DPSS lasers with one hole at a time drilling at a high repetition rate, or parallel processing of multiple nozzles per step-and-repeat using high energy excimer lasers with special telecentric lenses and beam shaping homogenizers, depending on the needs of the application. Drilling accuracy is high; better than ±0.5µm hole-to-hole tolerances, with telecentric holes to better than 10 arc secs. Controlled taper angle processing generation of hydrodynamic shaped nozzles or low taper ..angle nozzles is available. Three different hole-drilling techniques for high precision and high-speed nozzle plate fabrication have been developed. Formation of ink fluid channels and integrated rock trap filters are also achievable with the company's 3-D micromachining process. JPSA Laser, Hollis, NH; ph 603/595-7048, fax 603/598-3835, e-mail [email protected], www.jpsalaser.com.
High throughput, high precision tool addresses 90nm technology
The NRM-3100 high throughput, high precision metrology tool is designed to accommodate the 90nm lithography node and beyond. It is designed to measure lithographic exposure overlay precision with respect to the previous exposure layer. The instrument's advanced technology delivers sub-nanometer precision on overlay metrology with enough bandwidth to meet the demands of the upcoming 70nm technology node. The NRM-3100's improved camera and image processing capabilities increase the move-and-measure time to better than 1.3 sec, providing a throughput performance of >150 wafers/hr. Additional options available for the NRM-3100 include the NSR Focus Mark measurement and a stepper management system that provides analysis for registration, distortion, stepping, and reticle rotation for optical focus and focus inclination. Nikon Instruments Inc., Melville, NY; 800-52-NIKON, www.nikonusa.com.
High sensitivity liquid optical particle counter
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The HSLIS series of in situ liquid optical particle counters, used for measuring filter efficiency and particulate contamination in ultrapure water and process chemicals, now comes with Ethernet capability, which can lower overall costs by using existing Ethernet networks to control and monitor multiple particle counters. Also new is a Hitachi laser diode, which increases the laser life and provides improved mechanical stability and a lower operating temperature for the laser. Sizing thresholds for the HSLIS family start at 0.05µm for DI water and 0.06µm for process chemicals. The in situ monitors are available in with 4 sizing channels and can be easily integrated into a facility monitoring system for continuous monitoring. The HSLIS responds immediately to particle events with continuous real-time particle monitoring and provides improved yield with the detection of ..particles with the highest sensitivity particle counters. This is an industry-standard particle counter, which makes site-to-site comparisons simple. Particle Measuring Systems, Boulder, CO; 303/443-7100; fax 303/449-6870; www.pmeasuring.com.
Single-wafer cold-wall UHV-CVD equipment
This water-cooled, full metal-sealed, stainless steel chamber, with ultrahigh vacuum and gas systems, offers an ultraclean environment for a large range of RTP and RTCVD processes. UHV robot handling unit and loadlock are available upon request and the Jipelec PIMS PC control allows for full process monitoring and data acquisitions. The low temperature deposition allows high critical thicknesses. The low working pressure (few Pa) leads to a high selectivity for the growth behavior and no loading effects. The cold walls reduce the memory effect and give very abrupt and high doping barriers. Jipelec, a division of Qualiflow, Montpellier, France; www.jipelec.com.
Sensor determines proper pressures in wafer polishing
The Tactilus electronic tactile force and pressure indicating sensor has a range of between 0.007–141kg/cm2 (0.1–2000 psi), allowing the precise monitoring and mapping of how force is disbursed between any two contacting surfaces in real-time. The system can be used for either single-spindle or multispindle heads. Tactilus is a Windows-based system that consists of an electronic sensor element 'skin,' an interface controller, and software. The sensor skin is essentially a thin flexible sheet that is densely packed with sensing points or pixels. The sensing points can collect data as rapidly as 60,000 times/sec. Sensor Products Inc., East Hanover, NJ; ph 973/884-1755, fax 973/884-1699, [email protected], www.sensorprod.com.
Substrate bonders ensure functionality of MEMS
The SB6e and SB8e substrate bonders are designed for the development of MEMS applications, compound semiconductors, and advanced packaging. SB6e processes 6-in. substrates, while SB8e handles 8-in. ones. Suited for laboratories and small-series production, the bonders can maintain 1.5% uniformity of temperature setpoint across the wafer. Working in concert with SUSS bond aligners BA6 and BA8, SB6e and SB8e demonstrate post-bond alignment of <1µm for anodically bonded multiple-wafer stacks. The bonders are semi-automatic, computer-controlled, and stand-alone. Semiconductor materials with wafer and substrate diameters ranging from 20mm¥20mm to 200mm can be accommodated. SUSS MicroTec, Munich, Germany, www.suss.com.
Cordless vacuum wand can run for three hours
The FWCR2/3 Freedom Wand is a battery-operated, self-contained vacuum wand for 200mm and 300mm wafers that runs continuously for 3 hrs after a 90 min. charge. Direct connect to power supply allows use even when batteries are discharged. Ergonomic finger contours enhance comfort and ease of use. Tabletop/wall mount stand keeps unit clean and secure when not in use. It weighs less than 8 oz and is Class 1 cleanroom compatible. H-Square Corp., Sunnyvale, CA; ph 408/734-2543, fax 408/734-1132; www.h-square.com.