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Three New 300 mm Products Reinforce SEZ's Leadership in Wafer Surface Preparation
VILLACH, Austria-March 28, 2001-Reinforcing its leadership in semiconductor wafer preparation for IC manufacturing, the SEZ Group (SWX: SEZN) announced the addition of three new 300 mm products to its existing 300 mm Spin-Processor product line in an effort to meet the transition to producing chips on large diameter wafers. The announcement coincides with the company's recently announced expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Europe designed to meet the growing demand for its 200 mm and 300 mm product lines.
The move to 300 mm volume production is seen as a necessity for chipmakers in order to realize greater cost and productivity benefits than existing fab lines. Many of these older fabs and tool sets are expected to become obsolete as companies move to more advanced technologies below 0.18 micron and as the cost of production on older equipment sets becomes cost prohibitive. The move to large wafer chip production is anticipated to offer 25-35 percent cost savings as chipmakers increase substantially the number of die produced on these large wafers.
The addition of the spin processor 323, 4300 and 8300 follows the successful launch of SEZ's 304 300 mm product, which was successfully implemented last year and has become widely accepted by several 300 mm fabs. With these new tool sets, SEZ can offer its customers the broadest spectrum of wafer surface preparation equipment for next-generation 300 mm production.
"Customer demands are rising quickly for equipment manufacturers to meet the advanced requirements of next-generation 300 mm technology. In particular, single wafer equipment that offers tight process control is proving necessary for critical applications," explained Michael Kucher, senior vice president and member of the corporate board of the SEZ Group. "With this new set of tools, SEZ continues to build on its 300 mm experience and expanding into arenas like polymer removal and cleaning applications where no other single wafer solution currently exists for 300 mm."
About the Spin-Processor 323
The 323 consists of two four-level chambers using three chemistries for single-sided processing. The 323 platform works with SEZ's current applications including high-volume semiconductor production operations. This includes backside, bevel, edge and frontside exclusion zone copper decontamination, pre-clean for advanced lithography applications and frontside film removal applications.
About the Spin-Processor 4300
The Spin-Processor 4300 has four three-level chambers and uses two chemistries for frontside processing. The tool offers a cost-effective throughput to footprint and investment to throughput ratio for a variety of process applications including polymer removal, diluted HF etching, highly selective oxide removal and non-selective oxide nitride removal.
About the Spin-Processor 8300
The Spin-Processor 8300 offers critical front end of line pre-cleaning applications for 300 mm. The tool has four three-level process chambers and processes both the wafer front and back side simultaneously. The 8300 uses less chemistry than competing systems and is capable of immediate uniform coverage of the wafer and better end uniformity. The tool also eliminates redeposition and cross-contamination because chemicals are spun off the wafer surface and handled only in the wafer exclusion area.
All of SEZ's tools feature quick installation and low chemical and deionised water consumption and disposal costs, resulting in a lower cost of ownership. Additionally, SEZ's patented Bernoulli handler, a contactless wafer transport system, is available on the 323 system. SEZ also offers customers access to an extensive global network of service and support capabilities, including extensive training programs for its customers. The 8300, one of the new 300 mm tools, will be on display at SEMICON Europa in April, booth #A2.312.
About SEZ
The SEZ Group is a leading supplier of wet wafer surface preparation equipment to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company's breakthrough proprietary Spin-Processor technology forms the basis of a broad portfolio of single wafer backside and frontside wafer surface conditioning products for semiconductor chipmakers worldwide. Additionally, the company offers a complete range of wet bench equipment for batch processing. SEZ maintains development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and service operations in Europe, Asia and North America. Registered in Zurich, Switzerland, SEZ Holding AG is listed on the Swiss Exchange under the symbol (SWX: SEZN).
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