Ultratech ships first ambient control laser spike anneal system

USA: Ultratech Inc., a leading supplier of lithography and laser-processing systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs), announced the first shipment of its LSA201 system to a leading IDM.

The LSA201 is built on a new platform that enables precise control over the gases that surround the wafer during processing (i.e., ambient control). At the customer's facility, the system will be used to develop leading-edge logic technology, mainly focusing on FinFETs.  This first shipment of the LSA201 is an example of Ultratech's continuing efforts to develop solutions that enable the leading-edge technology roadmaps of its global customers. Ultratech plans to begin volume shipments of the LSA201 in the second half of 2013.

Ultratech's LSA201 LSA system built on the highly customizable Unity Platform includes a patented micro chamber design, which enables full-wafer ambient control in a scanning laser system. The micro chamber is a system which does not require the use of vacuum hardware. The current system is capable of running mixtures of any inert gases, but the micro-chamber architecture is extendible to more reactive gases for future processes.

The LSA201 targets middle-of-line (MOL) applications, such as silicide formation, and advanced front-end-of-line (FEOL) applications, such as defect annealing. The LSA201 is well suited for processes such as interface engineering and film property modification where ambient control is critical at sub-20nm.