Temescal of Livermore, CA, USA (a division of Ferrotec Corp) says it has made a major process breakthrough in electron-beam metallization for lift-off compound semiconductor applications. The Auratus deposition process enhancement Methodology improves wafer-coating processes dramatically, says the firm, producing near-perfect uniformity while delivering up to 40% reduction in material consumption, resulting in cost savings on process materials like gold and platinum compared to traditional box coaters.
Traditionally, electron-beam evaporation takes place inside box-shaped stainless-steel vacuum chambers, using a high-voltage electron beam to vaporize materials such as gold or platinum. When the material has been vaporized, it forms a flux cloud above the electron-beam gun, resulting in a thin-film coating condensing on the wafers held in an assembly in the upper part of the chamber. However, traditional deposition methods have not fully optimized the vapor cloud in terms of maximizing efficiency in lift-off process collection, says the firm. With the new Auratus methodology, vapor cloud utilization is optimized.
"With the Auratus process enhancement methodology, we have re-envisioned electron-beam deposition with an emphasis on multiple metal uniformity and collection efficiency. The results are incredible, with near-perfect uniformity, increased precision across a wide range of metals, and up to 40% cost savings on process materials, dramatically reducing cost of ownership," said Gregg Wallace, managing director of Ferrotec's Temescal division.
Auratus is a proprietary optimization methodology for lift-off electron-beam evaporative coating that incorporates patent-pending technology. It enables Temescal customers to coat wafers with near-perfect uniformity, resulting in more consistent, better quality products and fewer defects. It also has the capability to increase the effective deposition rate, enabling customers to increase throughput, adds the firm.
Temescal's Auratus process enhancement methodology is only available on select Temescal systems. Contact Temescal for qualification.