Move Bolsters Company's Offerings of Plasma Process Control Solutions for
Chipmakers' Stringent Manufacturing Requirements
PLEASANTON, Calif., July 10 /PRNewswire/ -- To further extend its
leadership in the process control and diagnostics wireless metrology space,
OnWafer(R) Technologies announced today it has acquired the Plasma
Management Division from Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. To this end,
OnWafer reports that it has obtained the intellectual property and
technology-related assets associated with the division to further
strengthen the company's offerings of plasma process control solutions used
in the production of advanced semiconductor devices.
The proliferation of digital devices and mobile information demands
sophisticated and highly complex semiconductors that feature finer design
rules and offer faster processing speeds. The unstable environment of
plasma processing, which is critical to the production of these advanced
ICs, remains one of the key hurdles for chipmakers and equipment
manufacturers alike. To address this challenge, Advanced Energy developed a
revolutionary plasma sensor system that can be built onto the surface of a
standard silicon wafer in order to measure critical plasma characteristics
(ion saturation current, DC Bias and surface voltage) as the wafer is
etched. This enables unprecedented plasma characterization, diagnostics and
control as customers move beyond the 45-nm processing node.
According to Rod Browning, OnWafer's CEO, the acquisition of Advanced
Energy's Plasma Management Division enhances the company's effort in
delivering the most advanced plasma measurement capabilities on its
proprietary SensorWafers. "OnWafer is committed to continuously developing
better ways to help our customers address their critical processing
problems. By integrating Advanced Energy's novel sensor technology with our
broad line of SensorWafer technology, software analytical tools and
automated sensor wafer delivery systems, we believe we can offer a more
comprehensive process control solution to our customers-enabling them to
meet the continued demands associated with plasma semiconductor
processing."
Terms and additional details surrounding the acquisition were not
disclosed.
During SEMICON West, OnWafer will host a product launch briefing at the
Marriott Hotel, suite# 2848, on Tuesday, July 11 from 2:30 to 3:30
p.m.-media are invited to attend. The company will also be showcasing its
state-of-the- art SensorWafer products during the exhibition, which will be
held from July 11 to July 13 at the Moscone Convention Center. Editors
interested in learning more about this technology and other products within
OnWafer's process control platform are encouraged to stop by the company's
booth, # 3301, Gateway Hall.
About SensorWafers:
OnWafer's SensorWafers are the flagship products within the company's
breakthrough mobile metrology portfolio, which includes software tools for
both analysis and corrective methodologies needed to optimize process
performance, lower maintenance costs, and drive up manufacturing yields. By
extending beyond traditional wired sensor wafer temperature-based process
control, this comprehensive metrology solution set enables chipmakers to
dynamically control the critical wafer process zone. Engineers are able to
look inside the process and see what is happening at the wafer surface in
real time during the actual process conditions with real process gases, not
before or after. As a result, chipmakers are able to meet their
application-specific performance requirements and extend the useable
lifetime of their process tool sets.
About OnWafer Technologies
OnWafer(R) Technologies is the pioneer and global leader of the
emerging Process Zone Control segment within the larger Process Diagnostics
Metrology market. Applications for this technology currently target
photolithography and plasma etch processes and will ultimately extend to a
broad range of mission-critical process technologies. OnWafer's "mobile
metrology" solutions feature wireless, wafer-based sensors, sophisticated
software, and optimization programs to monitor, measure and dynamically
tune process results. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Pleasanton,
Calif., OnWafer Technologies is a privately held company. For more
information about the company and its products, visit OnWafer's website at
http://www.onwafer.com .
SOURCE OnWafer
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Related links:
http://www.onwafer.com
CONTACT:
Paul MacDonald, Director, Plasma and Mask
Products of OnWafer, +1-925-416-3128, or pmacdonald@onwafer.com;
or Marie Labrie, Group Director of MCA, +1-650-968-8900, or
mlabrie@mcapr.com, for OnWafer
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