Enhanced Sulfuric Acid(TM) (ESA) Strip Process Optimized for Implementation
With SEZ's New FEOL Single-Wafer Platform to Be Launched Later This Year
SEMICON WEST, SAN FRANCISCO, July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The SEZ
Group (SWX: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer,
wet-processing solutions for the semiconductor industry, today announced it
has developed a novel chemical process that will streamline
front-end-of-line (FEOL) photoresist-strip processes. SEZ's proprietary
Enhanced Sulfuric Acid(TM) (ESA) strip process can employ a range of
sulfuric acid-based chemistries to greatly reduce the number of steps in
photoresist-removal processes typically performed, until now, in an asher
or in a batch environment: photoresist rework, post-etch and implant-resist
removal, and residue removal following plasma ashing. While evaluations are
ongoing at several key customer sites on a single-chamber R&D tool, this
all-wet- chemistry approach is producing impressive results that are
expected to increase when implemented on SEZ's multi-chamber FEOL
production tools for high-volume manufacturing, to be introduced later this
year.
Photoresist-removal processes are time and cost-intensive, with up to
20 or more steps required in FEOL. Stripping of implanted resist can occur
12 to 15 times, and performing the sequence repeatedly can lead to
significant cumulative silicon loss that degrades transistor performance
due to the oxidation of silicon under plasma ash conditions and subsequent
removal of the oxide via wet clean. Chipmakers need cleaning processes that
overcome these challenges-removing as little silicon as possible while
reducing the number of overall steps required, and at the same time
enabling faster process times and substantial cost savings. Working closely
with key customers, SEZ leveraged its single-wafer expertise to develop a
flexible, all-wet-chemistry approach that eliminates the need for plasma
and removes defects at high temperatures. Single-wafer tools offer a number
of advantages over batch tools in this regard: better defectivity control
(less transfer of particles from wafer to wafer or from one side of a wafer
to the other); better process control (improved uniformity and minimized
substrate loss); and optimal usage of consumables (single-wafer tools can
recirculate chemical media).
Kurt Lackenbucher, executive vice president and chief operating officer
for the SEZ Group, noted, "As with all our technology, our solution for
FEOL photoresist-removal applications is designed to meet customers'
immediate, pressing needs, as well as creates a prime opportunity to
implement a single-wafer approach in the FEOL space. The combination of the
ESA strip process and our forthcoming FEOL platform will create a
fast-throughput, high-performance solution that enables photoresist removal
and residue clean- up in one flexible, single-wafer tool. This represents
the next strategic step along our technology roadmap focused on
anticipating customer needs to facilitate the deployment of single-wafer
technology throughout the entire fab."
SEZ's ESA strip process employs the use of an enhanced sulfuric acid
clean at temperatures up to 140 degrees Celsius. To date, the process has
successfully removed both i-line and deep-ultraviolet (DUV) resists, as
well as those containing a wide range of implant ions. Typical process
times are extremely quick and produce low defectivity on both the front and
backside of the wafer. Coupled with its ability to recirculate chemistry
and low consumables consumption, these capabilities enable the ESA strip
process to potentially deliver significant cost-of-ownership improvements.
SEZ has led the industry in driving the BEOL shift from batch to
single-wafer processing and is now moving to effect a similar transition in
the FEOL space, with emerging 65- and 45-nm geometries serving as the
inflection point for this shift. The new FEOL approach delivers all of the
key benefits associated with single-wafer wet technology: shorter cycle
times, reduced defectivity, more economic use of process chemicals, minimal
substrate damage, and expected improvements in overall cost of ownership.
Building on its current foothold in the FEOL market in the area of backside
clean applications, which represented almost 30 percent of SEZ's sales in
2005, the company sees significant growth opportunities with this new FEOL
photoresist removal solution.
Further information regarding SEZ's new ESA strip process for
photoresist removal, as well as its full portfolio of leading-edge
single-wafer technology, will be available during SEMICON West 2006, July
11-13, at San Francisco's Moscone Center. Editors and analysts interested
in learning more about the company and its products are invited to visit
SEZ's booth #5368 located in the North Hall, or contact Karen Do by phone:
+1-650-968-8900, x108, or email: kdo@mcapr.com.
About SEZ Group
The SEZ Group (Villach, Austria) is the leading provider of
single-wafer, wet-processing solutions for the global semiconductor
industry, with an installed base of over 1,000 tools. The company maintains
operations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Japan, and North America. SEZ Holding
AG is traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. Additional
information about the company is available on the Internet at http://www.sez.com
NOTE: Enhanced Sulfuric Acid and ESA are a trademarks of SEZ Group.
SOURCE SEZ Group
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Related links:
http://www.sez.com/
CONTACT:
Heinz Oyrer of SEZ Group, +43-4242-204-455,
or fax, +43-4242-204-469, or h.oyrer@at.sez.com; or Brandy Lee of
MCA, +1-650-968-8900, or fax, +1-650-968-8990, or blee@mcapr.com,
for SEZ Group
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