p52-56 EAS IC Awards 2008 wafer processing 1/7/08 15:55 Page 54
54 IC INDUSTRY AWARDS PREVIEW
efficiency increase, to thinning the solar
cell substrate. The systems simplify the
manufacturer’s toolset, lower chemical
usage and its associated purchase and
disposal costs, as well as often easing
environmental regulatory compliance,
a flexible single tool, capable of multiple resulting in overall production and costs
processes and high throughput, up 1200 of ownership (CoO) reduction.
to 2400 substrates per hour. Substrates of
virtually any size and shape can be easily
processed by the WaveEtch systems.
The system’s LinearScan technology
effectively eliminates virtually all
transport related and centrosymmetrical
non uniformities, which plague spin/spray
MICROCONTROL ELECTRONIC
in MEMS application to create multilevel
or immersion processes. At present, no www.microcontrol.org structures on silicon or any other
commercial system provides these substrates including glass and containing
advanced capabilities in a single, cost Leonardo 300 series heavy topography or pre-etched features.
efficient platform. The WaveEtch All process parameters are fully
LinearScan technology has also important Leonardo 300 series, fully automatic controlled and created or uploaded via
applications in photovoltaic or solar cell bridge tool 200 – 300 mm system. SECS-GEM in recipes.
manufacturing; from saw damage Used to laminate permanent and not
removal, to surface texturing for permanent photopolymer films in wafer
level packaging and TSV processes. Used
WAFER PROCESSING BEST PROCESS AWARD
TSV etch profiles, and at aggressive TSV growth of the film in a conformal and
aspect ratios. Reliable metallisation of uniform manner. Through controlling just
TSVs with aspect ratios of 13:1 is now the current, Alchimer is able to
possible. Electrografting is a wet electro demonstrate the deposition of ultra thin
ALCHIMER
chemical process based on specific films of less than 10nm, with high
www.alchimer.com
organic precursors. Because the size of uniformity across surfaces over a broad
the precursors being introduced is in the range of substrate resistivities.
Electrografting processs for TSV
order of 0.5nm, it provides a method of This process can easily be implemented
metallisation
depositing material at the scale required using industry standard copper
for leading edge process nodes, both today electroplating equipment, removing any
Electrografting is Alchimer’s and in the future. The substrate is placed requirement for additional capital
breakthrough proprietary process for the in contact with a wet solution and the expenditure; the process has been
initiation and growth of thin films on process operates by applying a small demonstrated on existing high end 12
conducting and semiconducting surfaces. electric current: due to the very nature of inch tools all the way down to legacy 6 or
It works by ‘grafting’ molecular the molecular precursors and of the 8 inch equipment. The process is also
precursors to a variety of materials, reaction mechanisms they can undergo, compatible with CMP and other post
through creating covalent bonds between unusually small amounts of current, of the processing steps required for chip
the materials. order of 1 to 10 µmA/cm
2
,
are enough to packaging.
Electrografting technology can be used trigger the process uniformly at any point Electrografting is compatible with
to deposit copper seed layers in through of the surface of the substrate. This is standard barrier materials, including, but
silicon vias (TSVs), using a material called the electro initiation step, which not limited to, PVD, CVD and ALD
called eG ViaCoat. Electrografting can involves electronic transfer from the deposited Ta, TaN, Ti, TiN, WN, Ru and
produce conformal, ultra thin, uniform surface to the adsorbed precursors at bi-layers. Alchimer has 25 patents and
and adherent copper seed layers in the 50 chemical bond distance. patent applications pertaining to this
to 500nm range, even on resistive Once the surface is “seeded” with technology.
barriers. The production of such copper adsorbed activated moieties, the same PVD (physical vapour deposition)
seed layers for high aspect ratio TSV precursors can undergo alternative processes have already reached their
metallisation has been a major roadblock chemical reaction paths which lead to the limitations in terms of producing
to 3D packaging adoption. PVD (physical formation of the desired layers: while the continuous layers for through silicon vias
vapor deposition) processes have already process is controlled by the electro with aspect ratios of 3:1 and above. In
reached their limitations in terms of initiation step, subsequent steps practice, this is a major roadblock to the
producing continuous layers for TSVs immediately following the electro adoption of advanced 3D packaging.
with aspect ratios of 3:1 and above. initiation may involve purely chemical Electrografting demonstrates
Electrografting technology reactions depending on the nature of the conformal sidewall and bottom coverage
demonstrates continuous sidewall and molecular precursor. In any case, the even on highly scalloped TSV etch
bottom coverage even on highly scalloped electro initiated nucleation secures the profiles, and at aggressive TSV aspect
www.euroasiasemiconductor.com July 2008
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