Novellus Debuts Deposition Tools During West
Novellus Systems (San Jose) unveiled two tools at the Yerba Buena Center of Arts during SEMICON West. The Vector Extreme AHM is aimed at the growing use of ashable hard masks (AHMs) by the large memory chip vendors. A high-density plasma CVD tool, Speed Max, targets the gap-fill sector.
David Lammers, News Editor -- Semiconductor International, 7/15/2008 8:00:00 AM
Novellus Systems (San Jose) unveiled two tools during SEMICON West: The Vector Extreme AHM, aimed at the growing use of ashable hard masks (AHMs) by the large memory chip vendors where high wafer throughputs are required, and a newly designed high-density plasma (HDP) CVD tool, Speed Max, that targets the gap fill sector, also for high-volume fabs.
 The Vector Extreme AHM system features an integrated post-deposition edge bevel film removal (EBR) module. |
Tim Archer, general manager of the PECVD business unit, said photoresists are losing their edge in patterning smaller features. “The 193 nm resists are thin, and when our customers etch deep features, the resists cannot withstand the long etch times,” he said.
Enter the AHMs, which are a relatively dense film composed of amorphous carbon layers. As double patterning lithography becomes more widely used, the market opportunity for the Vector Extreme AHM will grow to >$300M/year by 2012. “This is a big opportunity for us,” Archer said, with Novellus touting its ability to achieve throughputs of >150 wph with its multi-chamber Vector Extreme systems.
“At the end of 2006, we had less than 1% of the ashable hard mask opportunity, with maybe one system out there. By the end of this year, we expect to have 25%,” Archer said. The company expects more than 30 systems to be installed worldwide by the end of 2008.
The system features an integrated post-deposition edge bevel film removal (EBR) module, which prevents loosely adherent films from reducing yields and reduces the time that might be wasted moving wafers to a separate EBR system. The Vector Extreme AHM can be configured with two processing chambers having eight deposition stations, plus two EBR modules, he said.
HDP CVD gap fill opportunity
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| The Speed Max gap fill deposition tool is based on a multi-port gas injection design. |
“We had a slight setback in the HDP CVD area, and so we looked at what we needed to do,” he said. More than 100 systems are expected to be installed by the end of this year, with 50 already installed thus far, according to Novellus.
As memory makers switch from aluminum to copper interconnects, the demands on the pre-metal dielectric become more rigorous, Ashtiani said. The Speed Max capabilities, including the plasma source, multi-port injection and gas selection, can be brought to existing Speed systems through an upgrade process, he added.
