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SEZ Secures Multimillion Dollar Order from Major Taiwanese DRAM Manufacturer
Demonstrates industry's continued confidence in single wafer wet-clean solutions for new manufacturing requirements associated with shrinking device geometries down to 90 nm
TAIPEI, Taiwan, September 15, 2003?The SEZ Group (SWX Swiss Exchange: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer cleaning technology for the semiconductor industry, today announced it has secured a multimillion dollar order (totaling approximately 7.5 million Euro) from a major Taiwanese DRAM manufacturer for several of its 323 flexible multi-task, single-wafer Spin-Processors. The tools, which will be installed at the manufacturer's Taiwan fab in December, will be used for backside cleaning and the removal of polymer residue of back-end-of-line (BEOL) structures on 300-mm wafers with geometries down to 90 nm.
Traditionally, chipmakers have leveraged organic chemicals in the cleaning process?but these chemicals come at a high premium to a cost-conscious industry where capital spending resources are severely limited. As such, the industry is evaluating inorganic cleaning agents, such as dilute acid/hydrogen peroxide (DSP), as an effective replacement due to its significant cost advantages?both from a supply and a waste-disposal standpoint. However, leveraging inorganic agents such as DSP on wet benches is not as effective or reliable as that of a single-wafer tool in removing the residue from metal lines and contact/via structures, which becomes increasingly challenging as design nodes continue to shrink. SEZ's single-wafer Spin-Processing technology for polymer removal with DSP tackles this issue head on?delivering superior performance at a low cost of ownership (CoO).
"While SEZ has dominated the single-wafer wet processing market in the foundry market, we are now witnessing growing interest among memory makers to convert their current installed base of wet benches to single-wafer tools for polymer removal and backside cleaning, as evidenced by this order," said Kurt Lackenbucher, chief marketing officer. "The stringent processing requirements associated with shrinking design rules and new materials is fueling demand for single-wafer technology due to the benefits it affords, including higher productivity and uniformity, lower CoO and reduced risk of cross contamination during critical cleans. This benchmark performance, coupled with the system's ability to support DSP as an effective, lower-cost alternative to organic agents without jeopardizing performance, were critical factors behind this win."
323 Features and Benefits
SEZ's flexible 323 Spin-Processing system is designed to meet next-generation requirements for high throughput cleaning and film removal applications for 300-mm wafer processing. A robot on a linear tracking system transports 300-mm wafers from four cassettes to two identical process chambers that can apply up to three chemicals each. The chemical cabinet for each chemical supplies both chambers, while all other support systems are integrated in the main unit. Object-oriented software architecture (Windows? NT platform) with a SEMATECH-compliant graphical user interface and touch screen simplify equipment operation.
For more information about SEZ's Spin-Processing technology and product portfolio, please visit booth #426 at the Taipei World Trade Center during SEMICON Taiwan 2003 from September 15-17.
About SEZ Group
The SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-clean processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of over 750 tools. The company maintains operations in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and North America. Since 1996, registered shares of SEZ Holding Ltd. are traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at www.sez.com
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