SEZ Completes Da Vinci™ Series with Launch of Three New Wafer-Cleaning Tools
Increased Customer Demand Prompts Early Completion of Advanced High-Volume Single-Wafer Wet-Processing Solutions
VILLACH, Austria, and ZURICH, Switzerland—February 9, 2004—Accelerating its technology roadmap by four months to meet customer demand, the SEZ Group (SWX Swiss Exchange: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer wet-processing technology for the semiconductor industry, today announced three new additions to its Da Vinci™ back-end-of-line (BEOL) wafer-cleaning tool series. Joining the first tool in the Da Vinci series, the DV-38F, the new DV-28F, DV-34BF and DV-24BF products complete the series with a full range of high-volume manufacturing solutions. The company can now address both front- and backside single-wafer wet processing needs for 200- and 300-mm wafers, based on SEZ's proven process-application portfolio. Moreover, these new tools mark a key step forward in the company's strategy to offer wet-processing solutions that address the entire semiconductor-manufacturing flow—from wafer manufacturing to fabrication to packaging.
New processing challenges resulting from continued device shrinks, where high-aspect-ratio structures and new materials are being deployed, have increased demand for new wafer-cleaning methods. According to SEZ, single-wafer tools accounted for about 20 percent of the worldwide wet clean equipment market in 2003. It is estimated that single-wafer tools will significantly grow over the next year, and continue to gain market share from obsolete batch technologies. Today, advanced chip manufacturers are seeking full single-wafer fab solutions, and wet processing is the fastest-growing single-wafer technology.
This announcement follows on the heels of SEZ's recent financial update for Q4 2003, in which the company reported an 80-percent boost in orders for its single-wafer wet processing tools; of these, 60 percent were 300-mm tool orders. "It's clear that as the semiconductor industry continues to progress toward end-of-roadmap geometries, single-wafer wet cleaning will play an increasingly vital role in meeting future processing needs," said Kurt Lackenbucher, chief marketing officer for SEZ. "To meet this new demand, we are constantly adapting to meet our customers' needs, and the combination of SEZ's proven R&D leadership and ability to speed time-to-market has made this accelerated introduction possible. We believe Da Vinci is the industry's most flexible, extendible platform for a wide range of BEOL applications, and look forward to its continued broad adoption over the next several quarters. Moreover, we anticipate that these new tools will serve to further validate Da Vinci's ease of integration into the production line and its superior performance compared to conventional batch-processing methods."
Da Vinci Series
The Da Vinci Series is the industry's premier single-wafer wet-processing solution for high-volume BEOL polymer removal and backside etch and clean at the 90-nm and below technology nodes. Developed through close collaboration with key customers, Da Vinci tools are designed to help chipmakers meet their cost-of-ownership and time-to-market goals in the ultra-deep-submicron era. The single-wafer platform features onboard chemistry, a progressive user interface and an advanced system for handling 200- and 300-mm wafers. Designed to be easily integrated into fab production lines, the Da Vinci Series systems are equipped with flow optimized process units to minimize media consumption and optimize defect density.
Specifically, with BEOL polymer-removal applications, once a metal has been deposited onto a wafer, a cleaning step is required to remove particles and metallic contamination. Effective cleaning and removal of polymer residue is critical to maximizing device yields and performance. Traditional batch cleaning methods are no longer sufficient for processing wafers at the 90-nm and below technology nodes. New materials and greater surface area add to ultra-thin wafers' fragility, demanding more sensitive handling and processing methods. With its innovative chemical dispensing system, SEZ's Da Vinci Series enables chipmakers to maximize control of fluid dynamics, optimizing device cleaning and delivering a significant increase in performance compared to batch methods.
DV-38F & DV-28F
The DV-38F and DV-28F are multi-chamber systems that perform BEOL etch residue polymer removal on 300-mm and 200-mm wafers, respectively. Capable of processing up to eight wafers simultaneously, the two systems are designed to achieve maximum throughput for applications at 90-nm and below technology nodes.
DV-34BF & DV-24BF
The four-chamber DV-34BF and DV-24BF perform etch and clean, polymer removal, and a wide range of other back- and front-side BEOL processes on 300- and 200-mm wafers, respectively. The tools are optimized for a range of emerging technologies, including high-k dielectrics, new metal gates, and non-volatile memory devices such as ferroelectric and magneto-resistive random-access memories (FRAMs and MRAMs).
About SEZ Group
SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of over 750 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 www.sez.com.
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