News Products
06/03/2013
Industrial picosecond laser
Spectra-Physics introduced Spirit ps 1040-10, an industrial-grade picosecond laser for precision micromachining applications. The new laser delivers high finesse with exceptional beam quality (M2< 1.2), high stability (<1% rms over 100 hours), and short pulse widths (13 ps). The laser is also highly flexible with user-adjustable repetition rates from single shot to 1 MHz and an integrated pulse picker for fast pulse selection and power control. With >10 W average power, the laser is ideal for precision picosecond micromachining applications such as semiconductor and LED manufacturing, flat panel display processing, thin film ablation, and nano structuring.
Spectra-Physics' Spirit ps 1040-10 laser is based on the field-proven Spirit industrial ultrafast laser platform. With high quantities of deployed systems in demanding 24/7 applications, this rugged product platform has consistently demonstrated high reliability.
Spectra-Physics, Stahnsdorf, Germany, www.newport.com/cms/brands/spectra-physics
Automated measuring for semiconductor device images
It can be very time-consuming for engineers to measure the various features of an X-SEM image of a semiconductor device. These manual measurements of trenches, pillars, lines and spaces can also be inaccurate and there is frequently inconsistency between how engineers do the manual measurements. The collection of data is often very time-consuming as well.
With the new PCI-AM (Automated Measurement) module, engineers simply click inside the feature and the measurement is done automatically with increased accuracy and consistency among all engineers. The measurement results are displayed on the image and in a spreadsheet grid. The data in the grid can be easily exported into a CSV file suitable for importation into other software such as Microsoft Excel. The images and data can also be easily included in standard Quartz PCI reports with just a few clicks.
Quartz Imaging, Vancouver, BC Canada, www.quartzimaging.com
Latest version of automated resist processing system
EV Group (EVG) introduced the latest version of its EVG120 automated resist processing system. The EVG120 automated resist processing system features a new robot with dual arms for fast wafer swapping and additional processing chambers, which result in enhanced throughput and overall productivity. To further optimize throughput and overall productivity, the new EVG120 runs the same EVG CIM Framework software as EVG's high-end XT Frame systems and offers full software integration with SECS/GEM standards. Two customizable wet processing bowls are complemented by 10 stacked modules for vapor prime, soft and hard bake, and chill processes. Like its predecessor, the EVG120 system can accommodate wafers up to 200mm in diameter.
Other new features of the EVG120 system include EVG's innovative CoverSpin rotating bowl cover that allows improved coating uniformity across the substrate regardless of substrate shape. A new, temperature-controlled chuck further enhances EVG's proprietary OmniSpray coating technology, which specifically allows conformal coating of high-topography surfaces via its proprietary ultrasonic nozzle. OmniSpray coating is ideally suited for ultra-thin, fragile or perforated wafers and can result in an 80-percent or greater reduction in material consumption compared to traditional spin coating.
EV Group, St.Florian am Inn, Austria, www.evgroup.com
A new way to discover and monitor defects
In the world of optical defect inspection, finding on defect on a 300mm wafer can be like trying to find a single coin on the island of Taiwan. Now imagine being able to find that coin in just an hour, along with any other coins that look exactly like it. That's what NanoPoint will allow manufacturers to do. KLA-Tencor's NanoPoint is a new family of patented technologies for its 2900 series defect inspection system.
"[NanoPoint is] a new algorithm," said Satya Kurada, product marketing manager at KLA-Tencor. "We now have the ability to generate care areas significantly smaller to inspect smaller areas, and remove noise from the pattern of interest. This will focus inspection resources on critical patterns."
KLA-Tencor believes that NanoPoint represents an entirely new way to discover and monitor defects, at optical speed and on existing optical defect inspection equipment. By automatically generating millions of very tiny care areas based on user-defined patterns of interest, NanoPoint focuses the resources of the optical inspection system on critical patterns, as identified either by circuit designers or by known defect sites. During chip development, NanoPoint can reveal the need for mask re-design within hours, potentially accelerating the identification and resolution of design issues from months to days. During volume production, NanoPoint can selectively track defectivity within critical patterns???allowing process monitoring with sensitivity and speed far beyond the industry's experience to date.
KLA-Tencor, Milpitas, California, www.kla-tencor.com
Next generation single wafer high energy implanter
Axcelis Technologies, Inc. announced the introduction of the Purion XE next generation single wafer high energy implanter, the second tool in its expanding family of Purion ion implanters. The Purion XE is an evolution of the Optima XEx, combining the process and productivity advantages of the Optima XEx linear accelerator and beamline technology with the reliability, precision, process flexibility, and performance options that define the Purion platform. The Purion Platform enables high yield manufacture of sub 16nm planar and 3-D devices. All Purion implanters incorporate advanced filtration systems, for beam purity, so even the most sensitive devices are implanted for optimized device performance. The platform's angle control system and constant focal length scanning deliver the most precise and repeatable dopant placement available today. The scanned spot beam architecture designed into the platform enables control of damage engineering as well as other advanced process enabling implants using materials modification techniques required in leading edge device processes.
Axcelis Technologies, Beverly, Massachusetts, www.axcelis.com
High power contractor, ecoAmp, approved for automotive applications
Multitest's ecoAmp is a high power contactor that allows for testing at the full temperature range from -60??up to 175??C, which is a standard requirement for automotive applications. The ecoAmp is able to stand the high thermal stress and support temperature stability during test. Thermal energy dissipation requires thermal management within the contactor.
The ecoAmp specifically responds to the challenging requirements of high voltage/high current test. All typical packages and modules for power applications are covered by the ecoAmp, including MOSFETs, drivers, IGBTs, power modules, and power packages such as TO, SO and DIP. The ecoAmp is designed for an electrical performance of 500+ amperes with an inductance of 1.0 nH and below for 0.5mm pitch.
Multitest, Rosenheim, Germany, www.multitest.com