Microelectronics of the future

New data processing methods

  • Improved performance for IT infrastructure  
  • New concepts for data processing and storage   
  • Reduced energy consumption

Highly flexible sputtering coating system for electronic functional layers

Application

More than two decades ago, microelectronics became part of everyday life with personal computers and the Internet. Ever since then we have been witnessing rapid technological advancements in computer technology, with a corresponding change in our overall living conditions. But that's not all: Technologies such as self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, quantum computers and the Internet of Things are expected to take centre stage in the near future. In addition to developing software for these future technologies, the hardware will also need to be developed, and of course, the systems to produce it.

Requirements for the system

The system is used for microelectronics research and development so it needs to be prepared to meet all present and future requirements. Accordingly, the system needs to be able to handle practically any combination possible in sputtering systems:
Suitable for wafers up to 200 mm in diameter, the time from substrate insertion to the start of the process is short, the surface is activated or etched by ion bombardment, the substrate can be heated up to 600 °C, DC and RF bias of the substrate, up to 5 sputtering targets allowing different target materials to be sputtered individually or simultaneously by co-sputtering in both DC and RF modes whether direct or reactive. The angle of the target and the target-to-substrate distance also need to be adjustable and, of course, the system should take up only minimal space for installation in the clean room. Finally, the system needs to be able to complete complex recipes automatically, continuously record all process data and allow for different user levels. 

Solutions to requirements

The FHR.Star.100-PentaCo consists of a small single-substrate load lock with a built-in robot arm for loading the adjacent process chamber under vacuum. The substrate is mounted on a rotating stage in the process chamber, which has a built-in radiant heater and option to switch on RF and DC bias. There are 5 positions arranged in the chamber cover for sputter sources, so the same number of target materials is available in the system without the need to perform maintenance work. The process chamber cover is opened pneumatically for maintenance purposes. As is usually the case with FHR systems, this system also has comprehensive automation with access to all components and a convenient recipe management system.

The special features of this system are:

  • Substrate heating up to 600 °C   
  • Substrate bias (RF and DC)  
  • Up to 5 different target materials available simultaneously   
  • Minimal footprint    
  • Recipe-controlled coating with control over all system components and process data logging 

FHR.Star.100-PentaCo

Functional layers for microelectronics

Cluster system for research and development 

Key features

Features

Data

Machine dimension

4.1 m x 2.8 m x 2.7 m, weight: < 2.5 t

Substrate size

Diameter: max. 150 mm

Layer thickness uniformity error

+/-3 %

Final vacuum

5 x 10-7 mbar

Contact Sales Star Systems

Marcus Schüler
Product Manager

+49 35205 520-252 sales[at]fhr.de