An agreement has been signed between one of the largest semiconductor companies in Europe and Oxford Instruments for the supply of multiple Failure Analysis (FA) systems, to be installed in its manufacturing sites globally over a period of two years.
The first system orders have already been placed for two PlasmaPro® 80 ICP65 systems, for sites in Europe and Asia. These systems, for single dies or chips up to 200mm wafers, offer industry leading high density plasma sources and ultra low plasma damage.
The company needed high specification equipment for FA to replace their existing long-running installed base, consisting mainly of Oxford Instruments’ systems. After a stringent selection process they decided once again to choose Oxford Instruments. The requirements are for systems offering front and back end removal processes. These applications for isotropic/anisotropic back-etching include processes for polyimide and passivation, IMD/ILD materials and low-k Oxide. Also Poly-Si etching, removal of thin active Si layers, selectivity control for the removal of SiO2/SiNx spacers, and Si-backside removal / thinning process are part of the supplied processes. Oxford Instruments will provide all this in one compact tool, in addition to the comprehensive global service and support required.
“This agreement with such a significant Semiconductor company for multiple FA tools is significant for Oxford Instruments, as it demonstrates this important customer’s continued confidence in our leading edge processes and systems” said Dr David Haynes, Sales and Marketing Director at Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, “Our flexible FA tools enable a wide range of processes, from passivation removal to anisotropic oxide removal, from small die or packaged device through to 300 mm wafer. Both before and on installation, our team of highly experienced FA application engineers will work with our customer to ensure the processes they require are running on their Oxford Instruments machines, to allow maximum usage.”
About Oxford Instruments plc
Oxford Instruments designs, supplies and supports high-technology tools and systems with a focus on research and industrial applications. Innovation has been the driving force behind Oxford Instruments' growth and success for over 50 years, and its strategy is to effect the successful commercialisation of these ideas by bringing them to market in a timely and customer-focused fashion.
The first technology business to be spun out from Oxford University, Oxford Instruments is now a global company with over 2300 staff worldwide and is listed on the FTSE250 index of the London Stock Exchange (OXIG). Its objective is to be the leading provider of new generation tools and systems for the research and industrial sectors with a focus on nanotechnology. Its key market sectors include nano-fabrication and nano-materials. The company’s strategy is to expand the business into the life sciences arena, where nanotechnology and biotechnology intersect
This involves the combination of core technologies in areas such as low temperature, high magnetic field and ultra high vacuum environments; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; x-ray, electron, laser and optical based metrology; atomic force microscopy; optical imaging; advanced growth, deposition and etching.
Oxford Instruments aims to pursue responsible development and deeper understanding of our world through science and technology. Its products, expertise, and ideas address global issues such as energy, environment, security and health.
About Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology
Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology offers flexible, configurable process tools and leading-edge processes for the precise, controllable and repeatable engineering of micro- and nano-structures. Our systems provide process solutions for the etching of nanometre sized features, nanolayer deposition and the controlled growth of nanostructures.
These solutions are based on core technologies in plasma-enhanced deposition and etch, ion-beam deposition and etch, atomic layer deposition, deep silicon etch and physical vapour deposition. Products range from compact stand-alone systems for R&D, through batch tools and up to clustered cassette-to-cassette platforms for high-throughput production processing.
About Infineon Technologies
Infineon Technologies focuses on the three central challenges facing modern society: Energy Efficiency,Mobility and Security and offers semiconductors and system solutions for automotive and industrial electronics and chip card and security applications. Infineon’s products stand out for their reliability, their quality excellence and their innovative and leading-edge technology in analog and mixed signal, RF and power as well as embedded control.
With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the USA from Milpitas, California, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. In the 2013 fiscal year the company reported sales of 3.843 billion Euro.