Jul 19 2007
At SEMICON West, Entegris, Inc. introduced an advanced bulk gas purification system that allows manufacturers to purify large volumes of purge gases used in dry and immersion-based lithography tools, an area of increasing importance as wafer lens sizes continue to grow. The Entegris Aeronex® Gas Purification System (AGPS) Z2 series brings advanced contamination control technology to bulk gas purification. As part of the Entegris Clarilite solution, the AGPS will also help increase protection against reticle haze.
The AGPS is designed to meet the capacity requirements of current as well as next-generation tools, which are expected to require more than four times the current volume of gas. Using multiple purifier beds working in parallel to maintain a continuous flow of pure gas, the beds automatically regenerate in sequence to help ensure optimal removal of targeted molecular contaminants.
"For wafer manufacturers, the transition to bulk purification systems has not been easy. Many current systems demand more energy, are difficult to expand and consume valuable space on the factory floor," said Dave Ruede, vice president and general manager of Entegris' Gas Microcontamination business. "The innovative new purification process used in the Aeronex system allows for a smaller footprint that consumes less power than comparable high-flow systems, lowering the cost of ownership for our customers."
The new Z2 purification technology from Entegris provides outlet purity in sub part-per-trillion levels and reduces environmental impact because it is longer lasting than other media. The system delivers XCDA (eXtreme Clean Dry Air) purge gas to today's scanner platforms including immersion lithography tools. XCDA is proven to be an effective and safer alternative to other purge gases for lithography applications.
The modular design of the Aeronex system enables easy expansion from 5,000 slm up to 20,000 slm total capacity per system and may be configured to suit a variety of fab layout requirements. This can save significant costs in facility utilization and energy. Ethernet support facilitates seamless integration with existing processes, and Entegris plans to expand the platform to include bulk purification for Nitrogen, Oxygen, Hydrogen and Noble gases.
In addition, the Aeronex system has been certified as part of the Clarilite solution, introduced by Entegris earlier this year as the first comprehensive solution to help semiconductor manufacturers address the quality and cost issues associated with reticle haze in 193nm lithography. The system is comprised of Entegris products that have been tested and certified based on their ability to help reduce reticle haze and extend reticle life in fabs by reducing the need for frequent cleaning.