Semicon West, SAN FRANCISCO, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Developer and
producer of equipment for manufacturing micro electromechanical systems
(MEMS), XACTIX, Inc., and Surface Technology Systems PLC (LSE: SRTS), a
leader in plasma process technologies required in the manufacturing and
packaging of MEMS and advanced electronic devices, today announced that
they plan to unveil a comprehensive line of production-oriented release
etching tools for MEMS.
The tools produced under this collaboration use Xenon Difluoride gas to
perform a highly selective isotropic etch into bulk silicon or to remove
sacrificial layers. Isotropic etching using Xenon Difluoride gas is rapidly
becoming a key MEMS process technology and is being adopted by both large
and small companies looking to increase yield, lower costs or increase
device performance. The partnership between STS and XACTIX is the only
commercially available source for the diverse Xenon Difluoride etching
tools required to meet the needs of this rapidly growing market.
Over the last three years the two companies have been collaborating in
manufacturing and marketing equipment which uses xenon difluoride gas to
isotropically etch bulk silicon or remove sacrificial layers made from
silicon, molybdenum or germanium. The collaboration sprang from a
realization that there is a wide diversity of requirements for release
etching and the two companies have unique and complimentary capabilities to
address these requirements effectively. XACTIX has seven years of
experience specific to releasing MEMS using Xenon Difluoride and STS is the
market leader in deep silicon etch and the provider of a wide variety of
integrated etch and deposition products to the MEMS market.
"The release step is different from any other etch step," says David
Springer, XACTIX's President. "When you release a MEMS device it can move,
and if it can move it can break. So our customers are always looking to
perform the release etch as late as possible. Often they are etching after
dicing or in the package just before sealing. So you need a diversity of
etchers which can handle a diversity of substrates to service this market."
"In addition to the different types of substrates there are an unusual
variety of process requirements," added Michelle Bourke, Business
Development Manager at STS. "Some customers require high uniformity because
they are doing a timed etch into silicon, while other are removing all of
the exposed silicon and are relatively insensitive to uniformity. Then
there are customers who need to move from a DRIE or deposition module
straight to release while maintaining vacuum."
To meet these varied requirements, STS and XACTIX have collaborated to
manufacture and market a wide range of xenon difluoride etching systems for
commercial customers manufacturing MEMS products, including:
1. A xenon difluoride etching module for the STS platform. This module
can be combined with any of the STS wafer handling options and combined
with any other STS module in a cluster format.
2. The Xetch X3M etcher for simultaneously etching batches of wafers or
other wafer size flat substrates in the wafer boat.
3. The Xetch XT etcher for etching larger substrates or large batches
of non wafer substrates.
All of the above systems have been shipped to customers. An updated
version of the CVE module will be available for shipment at the end of 2006
and is ready for customer samples at this time.
About XACTIX, Inc.
XACTIX designs and manufactures the Xetch line of etchers, which use
xenon difluoride gas to isotropically etch silicon, molybdenum and
germanium. XACTIX customers are using the technology to release a wide
variety of MEMS devices in a variety of markets, including displays,
telecommunications, data storage, military aerospace, and a wide variety of
sensors. Founded in 1991, XACTIX is the overwhelming market leader for
xenon difluoride etchers world wide. For more information about XACTIX
please see http://www.xactix.com
About Surface Technology Systems plc
STS designs and manufactures a range of highly specialized systems
incorporating innovative technology used in the production of
semiconductors and related devices and is a leader in plasma based etch and
deposition technologies for processing non 'mainstream' semiconductor
devices. STS serves a range of applications in several emerging sectors
within the telecommunications, data storage, advanced packaging, MEMS and
Nanotechnology.
STS is the market leader in deep silicon etching for the growing MEMS
market, offering patent-protected technology. In addition, STS has a strong
presence in each of its other served markets and distributes its process
solutions worldwide through an experienced sales and service operation. The
Group currently markets in over 30 countries and has an installed base of
over 850 systems. For more information about STS please see
http://www.stsystems.com
SOURCE Surface Technology Systems PLC
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Related links:
http://www.stsystems.com
CONTACT:
David Springer of XACTIX, Inc.,
+1-412-381-3195, or davids@xactix.com; or Mark Button of Positio
Public Relations, +1-408-453-2400, or mark@positio.com, for
Surface Technology Systems; or Michelle Bourke of Surface
Technology Systems, +44-1633-652400, or
michelle.bourke@stsystems.co.uk
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