Replisaurus was the recipient of the 2005 EuroAsia Start Up Award. Since then the company has changed from the little Swedish company with a good idea. David Ridsdale discovered how the company is setting itself up as a player of the future with the exclusive announcement of unexpected growth for a start up player.

Patrik Möller and Mikael Fredenberg were students about to graduate at Sweden’s Lund Technical University in 2001 when they hit upon an idea to accurately pattern metal at an extremely small scale. With the assistance of local and regional support networks, the idea became a viable manufacturing process that required further support to enter an unforgiving market place. The technology was soon attracting attention and along with the plaudits came the financial interest from those seeking self opportunity. This was not the plan of the young entrepreneurs who had no interest in starting a company to sell. Both Möller and Fredenberg had a dream to build a company of value within the semiconductor industry. The initial interest proved they had an exciting technological idea but they were soon to discover there was more to developing a serious company than a good, even great idea. The basis of their innovative idea is nanoscale electrodeposition of metal patterns. The development of the concept was initiated at the Lund Institute of Technology but the company has utilised a progression of support networks to help them achieve their aims. The new process would enable metallisation with perfect replication, reducing the current industry problems of overlay and poor yield. Imagine a photomask that worked perfectly every time but without the photomask. Design enabling The new process would also open up device design as there would be no need for dummy designs that are required to enable sparse designs near dense sectors. Removing the need for extraneous design will improve flow, design and performance at the functional aspect of the chip. Initial cost improvements suggested by the company’s models were laughed at by manufacturers who said their guesstimation was too conservative and these performance improvements would be a key factor for changing from conventional lithography and electroplating processes. The first successful ElectroChemical Pattern Replication (ECPR) processing was demonstrated in 2001. In 2002 the first proof-of-concept was achieved which further enhanced the development of processes and equipment. Replisaurus was founded and in 2003 Replisaurus moved to Kista, Stockholm and started collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), supported by the KK-foundation. This network has been vital for the company in developing. Through this collaboration the R&D efforts related to ECPR continued in the Electrum laboratory, jointly owned by KTH and Acreo. R&D activities still occur in the Electrum cleanroom, where Replisaurus has its ECPR equipment and master fabrication tools installed. An exciting aspect of the ECPR is the lack of abrasive and caustic materials. Removing these chemicals and their waste products not only provides enormous cost savings but improves the impact of manufacturing on the environment. Even better for fabs is to achieve this with minimal change to the existing manufacturing process. At this stage of development the founders began to seek further investors to develop a process that could be licensed to manufacturers for copper metallisation. The group they turned to for support was Swedish based Stockholm Innovation & Growth (STING). Through the connections there they met the investors required as well as an unexpected addition to the company. James Quinn was not looking to join a fledging company and was actively pursuing projects of his own. Replisaurus came to his attention when he was asked to do due diligence for one of the investors interested in the company. After the required meetings and discussions, there was an synergy for all concerned and the young engineers made the decision to bring Quinn and his industry experience on board as the new CEO. Before joining Replisaurus, Quinn was group VP of SUSS MicroTec, where he held a variety of roles, including Group VP of Global Sales and Service, Managing Director of North America and Managing Director of the company’s advanced packaging business unit. Quinn became part of the SUSS Group in 2001, when SUSS acquired his precision photomask company Image Technology where he was president and CEO. In addition, Quinn was a Co-founder of SECAP (Semiconductor Equiment Consortium Advanced Packaging) One of the first things Quinn did was to point out that the technology they had was either a copper process for 22nm or an above passivation packaging process. Understanding the dynamics of the industry, Quinn felt it would be too difficult to present both solutions and they needed to put a ‘post in the sand to mark their place.’ Quinn wanted to develop a business model that would meet the growth needs. With little control over application, IP and production, the company had little control over its own destiny. The new management team reviewed the process technology they had and they came to realise that they did not have a technology that worked in two areas but rather a bridge between the front end of line (FEOL) and back end of line (BEOL) that had the potential to revolutionise the way metal layers where done with the added benefit of reducing the cost by a major factor. Despite its potential to displace lithography, ECPR is not a disruptive tool but an enabling technology that complements existing processes, reduces costs but more importantly, improves the overall process. The team realised the need to develop a tool of their own to maintain control of the IP and to ensure the company developed a foundation of its own rather than just give away the licence for nano metallisation at a time where this type of technology would be vital. Thus the first ECPR tool was born. The patented ECPR technology redefines the basis for cost and time effective fabrication of micro and nanoscale metal layers, offering manufacturers of advanced packaging, substrates, optical components, MEMS and semiconductor devices an alternative to photolithography. The new process is ideal for manufacturing requirements for integrated passives with redistribution, ultrafine pitch copper filler, via filling for through silicon vias (TSV) and 3D integration. Replisaurus developed the chamber for the new tool but relied on the expertise of another company to develop the extreme alignment capabilities. The alignment segments were developed in partnership with Smart Equipment Technology (SET), the former device bonder segment of SUSS MicroTec located in France on the Switzerland border. The specialist work they provided meant the expertise for the overall ECPR system was now split. Growing for the future With a goal to become a valuable company of the future a business plan was implemented that provided strong guidelines of what was required. A key factor was to control the whole expertise of the product to enable strong growth. There was also a need for a cash flow source as the ECPR tool will not be in use until 2010. Well beyond the aspirations of most start up companies, Replisaurus has initiated plans to develop into a strong company. Developing their own tool and strengthening the portfolio was only the first step. The investor interest was so strong that the company has achieved the tool goals by acquiring their technology partner, SET. This acquisition changes the dynamics and capacity of the company; no longer an initiator of new technology but now a experienced tool manufacturer with double digit growth specialising in nano imprint patterning, device bonding, chip to wafer and ECPR. The company is now in control of their destiny for the first time. With a complete new focus and business to deal with, Replisaurus is currently deciding how they will brand themselves and their future opportunities. The SET equipment will continue under that valued brand but there is a possibility of an imminent change in name, branding and presentation for the Replisaurus team. The goal is smart decisions and patience with trust in the core technologies. This new model now creates a revenue stream for the new company whilst continuing to develop the ECPR tool. The company is already working with key industry players in developing the process but is keeping the work under the radar as much as possible. They are not prototyping or providing samples for companies but maintaining a careful strategy of development and expect to be releasing tools to the industry for general consumption in 2010. There is no limit to the size of the patterning the company can achieve so the options for growth are enormous and cut across a great many vertical industries. Since the A-round Replisaurus has continued to expand its engineering team and has been able to attract some leading industry figures to the company. Replisaurus believe that its diverse international team of experts is now one of its strongest assets. The calibre of the people who have joined the team speaks volumes on how industry experts in the field are responding to this exciting technology. Three years ago I happily gave the Replisaurus company the EuroAsia Start Up Award. In this short space of time they have developed beyond what most would have anticipated and now combine the energy of a start up with the maturity of their acquisition and appointments as well as enabling technology that appears both simple and extraordinary at the same time. Process Features - Single step direct metallisation with accurate electrochemical process control - Room temperature process - Low contact force eliminates substrate defects - Uniform current density distribution enabling superior thickness uniformity - Accurate CD-control - Metallisation on substrates such as silicon wafers, ceramic substrates and flexible or organic substrates - Single/multi layer capabilities - No pratical limitations on line/space - High purity low resistivity metal enabled by unique chemistry - Excellent control of material properties enabled by electrochemical microcell deposition principles and unique chemistry. - Lower investments - One single ECPR tool replaces 6 conventional tools - Less clean room area required - Lower operational cost - Less direct material (No photopolymers or developers) - Less personnel - Less inspection (optional) - Improved process control and high throughput - Short cycle times - Feedback enables higher yield - Less environmental impact - Lower total chemical consumption - No toxic photopolymers and developer