Plasma source suits larger wafers

Deep reactive ion etch plasma source is compatible with 300mm silicon wafers commonly used in the large scale manufacturing of silicon-based integrated circuits.

Surface Technology Systems has developed a new deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) plasma source that is compatible with 300mm silicon wafers commonly used in the large scale manufacturing of silicon-based integrated circuits (ICs).

The DRIE process is a key silicon micromachining technique invented by Robert Bosch, developed by STS and used in the manufacturing of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for the past 10 years.

As circuit complexity and device speed increases it is becoming increasingly necessary to stack thinned wafers or chips rather than integrate all the required functional elements into a single, two-dimensional system-on-a-chip (SoC).

As the number of stacked die and their I/O count increases wire bonding technologies become increasingly complex and costly.

Through-wafer interconnects offer other advantages over wire bonding, including reduced die footprint, shorter interconnect distances and vias that can be positioned within the die rather than only at the edges.

With the launch of its Pegasus DRIE source in 2005, STS demonstrated significantly higher silicon etch rates than other conventional DRIE systems, which made the fabrication of the through-wafer via solution even more attractive to IC manufacturers, creating a demand for the same process capabilities on a 300mm platform.

Leslie Lea, Chief Technical Officer of STS, explained: "While our customers in the MEMS industry are still primarily focused on processing 150 or 200mm wafers, the majority of mainstream semiconductor manufacturers have already moved up to using 300mm wafers to reduce their cost per die".

"The decision to develop an etch tool to meet the requirements of these customers will see STS providing a leading-edge solution for customers operating at 300mm".

"We are committed to expanding our business, utilising our in-depth knowledge of deep silicon etching and applying it to new high volume applications such as advanced IC manufacturing", added STS CEO John Saunders.

"The new 300mm plasma source is an essential capability to offer if we are to fully exploit the potential of our technological lead in silicon etching within the mainstream arena".

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