News Article
Oxford Instruments installs beta ALD system at Eindhoven University
Oxford Instruments has completed the successful installation of a beta test system for its new atomic layer deposition (ALD) tools at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
The system is run by Dr WMM (Erwin) Kessels in the Department of Applied Physics at TU/e in a programme funded by the Dutch Technology Foundation STW, and will validate ALD process results obtained by Oxford Instruments' development team and be used to collaboratively develop new processes.
ALD offers the opportunity to create precisely controlled structures for advanced semiconductor and other nanotechnology applications, by creating ultra-thin films on nanometre and sub-nanometre scales. A unique property of ALD is its ability to deposit material conformally into high aspect ratio features. Oxford Instruments' system will provide powerful new capabilities by offering thermal and plasma ALD processing in a single tool for research and development.
"The combination of a proven 200 mm platform with load-lock and remote plasma source, and the functionality and flexibility offered by the system allowing several precursors to be set up simultaneously, makes it a very powerful tool." comments Dr Kessels. "The tool is therefore extremely well suited for our research in which we explore new applications of ALD in addition to the more traditional semiconductor applications. The possibility of plasma ALD processing enables a much larger parameter space including low temperature processing at higher throughput and with improved material properties. This is important for emerging applications of ultra-thin and highly-conformal films in the field of 3D integration in microelectronics and microsystems, organic electronics, photovoltaics and photonics."
ALD offers the opportunity to create precisely controlled structures for advanced semiconductor and other nanotechnology applications, by creating ultra-thin films on nanometre and sub-nanometre scales. A unique property of ALD is its ability to deposit material conformally into high aspect ratio features. Oxford Instruments' system will provide powerful new capabilities by offering thermal and plasma ALD processing in a single tool for research and development.
"The combination of a proven 200 mm platform with load-lock and remote plasma source, and the functionality and flexibility offered by the system allowing several precursors to be set up simultaneously, makes it a very powerful tool." comments Dr Kessels. "The tool is therefore extremely well suited for our research in which we explore new applications of ALD in addition to the more traditional semiconductor applications. The possibility of plasma ALD processing enables a much larger parameter space including low temperature processing at higher throughput and with improved material properties. This is important for emerging applications of ultra-thin and highly-conformal films in the field of 3D integration in microelectronics and microsystems, organic electronics, photovoltaics and photonics."
