AMEC Enters Etch, HPCVD Tool Markets

Peter Singer, Editor-in-Chief -- Semiconductor International, 12/5/2007 6:49:00 PM

Shanghai-based Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) launched its official entry into the global semiconductor capital equipment market with a portfolio of leading-edge process tools for the 65-45 nm nodes and beyond. The company unveiled the Primo D-RIE (decoupled reactive ion etch) system for critical and other dielectric etch applications and the Primo HPCVD (high-pressure chemical vapor deposition) system for shallow trench isolation (STI) and pre-metal dielectric (PMD) deposition at Goldman Sachs offices in Tokyo, preceding SEMICON Japan.

AMEC is one of the first suppliers of leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing equipment suppliers based in China, with its main operations in the Pudong district of Shanghai. Company executives emphasize that the company is “Asia-based” with a global infrastructure that includes R&D, manufacturing, business and support operations in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. The company was established in 2004 in the Cayman Islands, has its “sales holding” headquarters in Singapore and subsidiaries in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In Shanghai, AMEC owns a 6500 m² building on 28,000 m² of land. A second phase building is under design for large-volume manufacturing capacity. A 50,000 m² adjacent lot is reserved for future expansion.

AMEC's manufacturing facility in Shanghai.

AMEC is well funded, having obtained funding from Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm and Samsung, among others. Total funding is $111M, with an additional $90M available, according to company chairman and CEO, Gerald Yin.

Yin said the company reflects a growing trend of new Asia-based capital equipment companies poised to serve a semiconductor manufacturing industry that has increasingly shifted to Asia. This provides advantages in terms of closer geographic and cultural proximity to customers, access to skilled technical talent and experienced semiconductor executives, and it places these critical vendors in the hub of a thriving local supply chain, he said.

According to Dean Freeman, research vice president with market research firm Gartner Dataquest Inc. (Stamford, Conn.), “66% of all semiconductor device revenue is consumed in Asia, making the Asia-Pacific region [including Japan] the epicenter of semiconductor manufacturing. Our data also shows that 75% of all capital expenditures for semiconductor manufacturing take place in Asia, thus making it the hotbed for semiconductor equipment manufacturers as well.”

The Primo systems feature advanced technology innovations and a unique chamber design that Yin said delivers high on-wafer performance, very low defects and high throughput. At the heart of each tool is a mini-batch cluster architecture that improves productivity by more than 35% over comparative systems, while offering a 35% lower cost-of-ownership (CoO) benefit. Two systems have already been shipped. They were installed and fully operational in only seven days; several more systems are ready to ship to leading-edge semiconductor fabs in Asia.

The 300 mm Primo D-RIE system leverages a twin-station mini-batch cluster system with a single-wafer environment and patented VHF D-RIE plasma source designed to provide fine CD control, high selectivity to mask, wide process window, and robust and repeatable performance for critical and other dielectric etch applications at nodes of 65-45 nm and beyond, according to the company. The applications include: VHAR, hard mask open, spacer, dual damascene via and trench etches, among others.

The system features decoupled, dual-frequency RIE with independent ion density and energy control; symmetrically distributed and direct RF feed for precise process control and within-wafer etch rate uniformity; proprietary, dual plasma confinement for process stability with high flow conductance for wide process window; independent RF generator, on-board uniformity control unit and end-point control per station; a bottom-powered, high-frequency source that enables stable, low-pressure, high-plasma-density strip to preserve low-k integrity; a proprietary, self-isolated RF match for quick and repeatable frequency tuning capability; high purity, plasma-resistant chamber materials for near zero defectivity and low cost of consumables, and a direct resistive top electrode heating with close-loop control.  

The 300 mm Primo HPCVD system combines a mini-batch cluster system with a single-wafer processing environment and other technology features to tackle STI and PMD applications at 65-45 nm nodes and beyond. The system features a patented multi-channel distribution technology that enables high deposition rate, wide void-free gap-fill window and low particle performance. A dynamic wafer heater stage enhances within-wafer and wafer-to-wafer uniformity control for dopants and film thickness, and a unique injector design that reduces particle generation and provides higher liquid flow rate, according to the company.