Leaders Investigate Single-Wafer-Compatible Chemistries That Offer Optimal
Performance and Cost of Ownership for Deep-Sub-Micron Applications
VILLACH, Austria and PARIS, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The SEZ Group
(SWX: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer cleaning
solutions for the semiconductor industry, and Air Liquide (Euronext Paris),
the world leader in industrial and medical gases and related services, today
announced they are joining forces to solve the chemistry challenges associated
with front-end-of-line (FEOL) advanced metal-gate etch. High-k gate
dielectrics and advance metal gate electrodes at the 45-nm technology node are
expected to present a number of processing challenges, including the removal
of unwanted backside and bevel deposited films containing the metal electrode
materials. Driven by separate but complementary joint-development programs
with leading atomic layer deposition (ALD) company Aviza Technology, SEZ and
Air Liquide will seek to co-develop a total, synergistic solution for advanced
etch materials that offers chipmakers the best possible performance with the
lowest cost of ownership (CoO).
According to Christophe Fontaine, vice president of electronics at Air
Liquide, "We look forward to collaborating with SEZ to solve this emerging
process challenge, developing new chemistries germane to immediate, as well as
future, technology needs. Both companies bring unique and complementary
capabilities to this project -- Air Liquide, with the expertise necessary to
develop a selective etchant and to market it within our ALOHA(TM) product
line, and SEZ, with unmatched wafer-backside processing technology."
One side effect of both ALD and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques
is that film material is deposited on the wafer backside. Contamination from
these films can be transferred to other wafers through shared handling, and
the films themselves have the potential to delaminate and flake, becoming a
serious particle concern. Thus, any film material must be removed from both
the backside and bevel edge. The problem is that many of these materials are
very difficult to wet etch, particularly with any degree of selectivity to the
underlying material layer.
Since dry etching the backside and bevel is not an option, an appropriate
wet-etch solution must be developed. Because there needs to be isolation
between the wafer front- and backside to protect the devices, the best
wet-etch solution is one employing a single-wafer spin processor using an
effective process chemistry. For example, although there is strong interest
in using ruthenium (Ru) as an advanced metal-gate material, one of its
inherent properties is its strong resistance to chemical attack, making Ru
metal removal a challenging proposition.
Leveraging SEZ's expertise in single-wafer wet surface-preparation and
film removal for advanced technologies together with Air Liquide's in-depth
knowledge of processing chemistry, the two companies' initial focus will be on
finding a viable solution for Ru removal, enabling its use for advanced metal
gates. Air Liquide will develop chemical formulations in their application
labs, and SEZ will then test the novel chemical solutions on its established
semiconductor single-wafer tools at its Phoenix, Ariz. facility.
"This alliance will offer SEZ an opportunity to work with the industry's
leading electronics materials company to develop an effective chemistry
compatible with our spin processor platform," stated Dr. Leo Archer, SEZ's
director of emerging technologies worldwide. "The ability to offer customers
an effective clean for complex materials such as Ru utilizing SEZ's core
technology could open new market opportunities for us. Moreover, a chemistry
that would be capable of effectively etching Ru is highly likely to be able to
efficiently etch other critical advanced metal-gate materials as well,
delivering improved cost of ownership to our customers and creating a host of
new opportunities for additional applications."
Air Liquide and the SEZ Group will be exhibiting at SEMICON West 2005,
July 12-14, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Calif. Readers
interested in obtaining more information about their alliance or learning more
about each company and its products are invited to visit Air Liquide in the
North Hall at Booth #5302, or SEZ Group in the North Hall at Booth #5568.
About Air Liquide
Founded in 1902, Air Liquide is the world leader in industrial and medical
gases, and a major chemical supplier and service company with a presence in
multiple industries, from electronics to medical to aerospace. The company's
annual sales in 2004 exceeded US$10 billion, 10 percent of which was derived
from the electronics market. In the semiconductor market, Air Liquide
supplies general and specialty gases, chemical, and accessories to many of the
world's largest integrated device manufacturers (IDMs). Air Liquide is
presently represented in over 70 countries. More information can be found at
http://www.airliquide.com.
About SEZ Group
The SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-processing
solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of
over 900 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.
SOURCE The SEZ Group
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Related links:
http://www.airliquide.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 L. Lee
of MCA, +1-650-968-8900, or fax, +1-650-968-8990, or
blee@mcapr.com, for SEZ; or Olivier Letessier of Air Liquide
Electronics, +33-1-40-62-5234, or fax, +33-1-40-62-1823, or
olivier.letessier@airliquide.com, for SEZ Group
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