Integrate nano-enabled components using up to 100-mm wafer processing technology in five generic processing areas: Lithography, Plasma Systems, Wet Processes, Physical Vapor Deposition, and Thermal Processes. CINT staff and users can work with samples as large as 100 mm and as small as 3 mm.
General Lab
Cleanroom/Parts Clean (Operating hours: 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., seven days a week)
9000 square foot class 1000/10,000.
Temperature maintained at 70°F (+/– 1°F).
Relative humidity 40% (+/– 10%).
Lithography
Ebeam Lithography System (JEOL JBX-6300fs — Room 1501)
Maximum 100 kV accelerating voltage.
Capable of producing nominal 20–30 nm features on a variety of both positive and negative ebeam resists.
Sample holders available to support substrate dimensions of 1 x 1 cm through 2.5 x 2.5 cm, and diameters of 2”, 3”, 4”, and 6”.
Contact Aligner 1 (Suss MJB3 — Room 1523)
Front/Backside (IR), 4” mask plate, well suited for sample processing below 3”.
Single wavelength 400 nm (NUV), 20 mw/cm2.
Contact modes include proximity, soft, hard and vacuum.
Contact Aligner 3 (Suss MJB3 — Room 1523)
Front/Backside (IR), 4” mask plate, well suited for sample processing below 3”.
Single wavelength 400 nm (NUV), 20 mw/cm2.
Contact modes include proximity, soft, hard and vacuum.
IR backside alignment capability.
Contact Aligner 4 (Suss MA6 — Room 1523)
Front side only, 5” mask plate, well suited for processing of 2”, 3”, and 100 mm diameter substrates.
Single wavelength 400 nm (NUV), 20 mw/cm2.
Contact modes include proximity, soft, hard and vacuum.
Accommodates standard g-line photoresists including SU8, sample sizes from 4 mm to 200 mm, and up to 5 mm thick.
Front and backside processing of non-planar surfaces and materials (BSA >3” only).
Realtime correction and adjustment of write pattern to compensate for subsequent layer pattern shift, 40 minutes to complete a 100 mm write at 0.6 um resolution.
Set up to write including alignment in under 10 minutes, subsequent layers following set up in less than a minute to align.
Field alignment capabilities minimize registration errors.
Spinner 1 and 2 (Headway Research PWM32/CB15 — Room 1523)
Accommodates 1 cm–150 mm substrates, 100–10,000 rpm spin speeds with acceleration rates ranging from 100–10,000 rpm/sec.
Nine preprogrammed recipes with one user definable recipe for process development, multistep programming possible.
Resists available – AZ5214E, AZ4330, AZ9260, AZ nLOF 5510, AZ nLOF 2035, AZ nLOF 2070, LOR3A, NEB31, ZEP, HSQ, varieties of PMMA. Many resists can be thinned to meet specific requirements.
Spinner 3 (Headway Research PWM32/R790 — Room 1523)
Accommodates 1 cm–100 mm, dedicated bowls for polymer processing. 100–10,000 rpm spin speeds with acceleration rates ranging from 100–10,000 rpm/sec.
Nine preprogrammed recipes with one user definable recipe for process development, multistep programming possible.
Hotplate 1 (Brewer Science CEE 1000 — Room 1523)
Microprocessor controlled RT: 400°C with 0.1°C resolution with inert chamber and ramping temperature control. Multi-substrate supports small sample, 3”, 100 mm, 125 mm, and 150 mm.
Semi-automatic three station, 18 Mohm DI dual cascade rinse with bath resistivity monitors, process timers, GFCI protected convenience outlets, nitrogen guns, and a DI water sprayer.
Baths accommodate up to 150 mm sample size.
Available chemistries include 6:1 BOE, 49% HF, 35% HCl, 96% H2SO4, 70% HNO3, 30% HAc, 85% H3PO4, ES-1 Cr Etch (37% CAN), KI, I2, C6H8O7 (Citric Acid).
Base Bench 1 (Custom Fabricators 8’ — Room 1523)
Lithography processing only.
Semi-automatic three station, 18 Mohm DI dual cascade rinse with bath resistivity monitors, process timers, GFCI protected convenience outlets, nitrogen guns, and DI water sprayer.
Baths accommodate up to a 150 mm sample size. KOH/TMAH (AZ300 MIF, MF319, MF321, AZ400K, AZ421) developer.
Base Bench 2 (Leatherwood 6’ — Room 1525)
General base operations wet bench with two cascade rinse baths, sink, DI dispense, and dual N2 guns. Typical chemistries supported include NH4OH, (NH4)2S, H2O2, KOH, NaOH, 25% TMAH.
Base Bench 3 (Leatherwood 6’ — Room 1511)
Dual use, general acid/base operations wet bench with two cascade rinse baths, sink, DI dispense, and dual N2 guns.
Supports BEOL parts and equipment cleaning activities. 25% TMAH Etch Bath w/Wollam Condenser for Si etch available on request.
Integrated spinner (Spinner 3) with explosion-proof stirring hotplate, centralized waste collection point, nitrogen guns, process timers, and GFCI protected convenience outlets.
Available chemistries include acetone, methyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, NMP (N-Methylpyrrolidone), and EBR-10A (PGMEA).
Solvent Bench 2 (Leatherwood 6’ — Room 1525)
Metal lift-off bench with explosion-proof stirring hotplate, centralized waste collection point, nitrogen guns, process timers, and GFCI protected convenience outlets.
This bench allows removal of metal lift-off operations from the photolithography area.
Solvent Bench 3 (Leatherwood 6’ — Room 1511)
Dirty processing bench with explosion-proof stirring hotplate, centralized waste collection point, nitrogen guns, process timers, and GFCI protected convenience outlets.
This bench supports back end of line (BEOL) processing needs in the parts clean area.
Solvent Bench 4 (Leatherwood 4’ — Room 1504)
Processing bench primarily for EBL operations with cold develop bath, centralized waste collection point, nitrogen guns, acetone air brush, process timers, and GFCI protected convenience outlets.
This bench supports EBL operations in room 1501.
Dry Etch Equipment
Low Temperature ICP CVD (Updated and Improved Trion Orion III w/load lock — Room 1527)
Samples processing temperature range is RT– 400°C, low stress (0–200 MPA, substrate surface temperature rise is approximately 40°C above setpoint. System accommodates sample sizes ranging from pieces through 200 mm diameter. Silane-based dielectric thin film processes include low stress ammonia free silicon nitride and silicon dioxide at standardized processing temperatures of 100°C, 250°C, and 350°C. Other system features include pre-deposition fluorine based reactive ion etching and/or argon ion milling (cap removal/surface cleaning) and processes refinements to better control dielectric to substrate interface conditions.
Fluorine ICP/RIE (Updated and Improved Trion Minilock III with load lock — Room 1527)
Hybrid reactive ion etch system accommodates up to 200 mm sample size. Typical materials processed include silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, silicon, titanium, tungsten, photoresists, and other organic materials. Process chemistry will also etch LiNbO3, Mo, MoSi2, Nb, Nb2O5, WSi and SiC. Process gasses include CF4, CHF3, SF6, high and low flow O2, Ar and He. Operates ICP only, RIE only or a combination ICP/RIE. Integrated 670 nm laser interferometer with modeling software for precise etch depth monitoring and endpoint detection. 0–100°C processing temperature range.
Chlorine ICP/RIE 1 (Trion Minilock III with load lock — Room 1527)
Hybrid reactive ion etch system accommodates up to a 200 mm sample size. Typical materials processed include Al and a variety of III-V compound semiconductors. Process gasses include Cl2, BCl3, O2, Ar, and He. Operates ICP only, RIE only or a combination ICP/RIE mode. 0–200°C processing temperature range. Integrated 670 nm laser interferometer with modeling software for precise etch depth monitoring and endpoint detection.
RIBE 1 (TBD — Room 1530)
Reactive ion etch system accommodates up to a 200-mm sample size. Typical materials processed include a variety of III-V compound semiconductors in two operating modes, high aspect ratio (30:1), through wafer. Planned process gasses to include Cl2, BCl3, HBr, SiCl4, CH4, H2, O2, and Ar. Operates ICP only, RIE only or a combination ICP/RIE mode. Integrated OES (Optical Emissions Spectrometer), process temperature range –150°C to 400°C.
High aspect ratio silicon deep reactive ion etch configured for 100 mm processing. Smaller sample processing possible when bonded with photoresist to a 100 mm carrier substrate. Maximum etch rate of 3-4 µm/minute, etch depth limited to approximately 300 µm depending on exposed area. System also supports high aspect ratio (30:1) silicon nanowire formation. Replacement coming in FY22–23, current process support plus high speed, +20–25µm/minute Si etch rate up to 200 mm.
DC Argon Ion Mill/Ion Beam Sputter (Intlvac — Room 1527)
4 cm DC argon ion source with ion optics for anisotropic physical etching of a variety of materials/compounds that lack volatility in standard chlorine or fluorine etch processes or pose a contamination risk to typical lab RIE processing chambers. Median beam current density of 1.0–1.5 mA/cm2 (Focused) /0.6–0.8 mA/cm2 (Defocused), 100 mm maximum substrate diameter defocused mode, <2” diameter in focused mode, small sample processing possible with carrier mounting. System also provides a means for HV annealing up to 900°C. Single target Ion Beam Sputtering, 1 cm2 sample, with substrate heating to 900°C. Universal 3” target, 30+ materials library.
Down Stream Plasma Ash (PT Batchtop with Low Frequency Plasma Source — Room 1530)
Organic, BCB strip and device cleaning with minimal plasma damage. Isotropic dielectric and fluorine reactive ion etch. System can accommodate up to a 150 mm sample size, 100 mm with better than 20% WTW uniformity. PR ash rate approximately 2500–3000 Å/minute. Nominal processing temperature is 150°C, electrode temperature can be adjusted from room temperature up to approximately 250°C to control the reaction rate. Process gasses include CO2, O2, N2O, and CF4. New control system pending.
Fluorine RIE (Oxford Plasmalab 80 Plus — Room 1530)
Reactive ion etch system accommodates up to a 150 mm sample size. Typical materials processed include silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, silicon, titanium, tungsten, photoresists, and other organic materials. System accommodates Au physical etching requirements. Process gasses include CHF3, CF4, SF6, O2, and Ar.
Barrel Ash (Anatech — Room 1523)
Weak organic surface cleaning, post develop surface descum. Process gas O2. System can accommodate up to a 150 mm sample size. Maximum PR ash rate of approximately 250–300 Å/minute at 300 watts. Higher ash rates (x10) are supported by LOLA.
XeF2 Etch Reactor (SPTS Xact E2 — Room 1530)
High SiN selectivity, Si isotropic etch reactor in support of MEMS/NEMS fabrication. Onsite, in lab, installation/startup planned for 2023.
Deposition/Anneal Equipment
SPUT2 Sputter Coater (Anatech — Room 1504)
Sputtering tool for Au or Au/Pd SEM sample preparation up to 100 mm.
RTA 1 (Qualiflow-Jiplec Jetfirst 100 – Room 1525)
Rapid thermal processing tool, maximum substrate diameter 100 mm (stand alone), SiC coated graphite susceptor with TC temperature control and low temperature pyrometer process monitoring. Upper operating limit is 1000°C , atmospheric or reduced pressure processing in an Ar or 5% H2/N2 forming gas environment.
EG1X Ebeam PVD Evap (10kV — Room 1525)
Six-pocket ebeam hearth, glass bell jar. Precision horizontal theta angle positioning, single stage for up to 100 mm diameter or multiple smaller samples. Automated oxidation processing sequences (Josephson Junction Formation), samples are typically secured to a carrier with metal clips or Kapton tape. Semiautomated deposition, turret, and pressure control. Psuedo loadlock configuration provides accelerated pump down into mid 1E-8 Torr base pressure region (sources must be preloaded at least 12 hours prior to loading material to run). Ebeam materials: Ag, Al, AlSi, Al2O3, Au, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe (limited), Ge, HfO2, Ta2O5, Ni, Pd, Pt, Si, SiO2, SiN, Ti.
Six-pocket ebeam hearth plus 2 thermal sources with co-deposition capabilities. Water cooled metal bell jar with 3 rotating stages. Each stage can hold one 5” diameter sample or multiple smaller samples. Stages face down; samples are typically secured with metal clips or Kapton tape to a carrier. Ebeam materials: Ag, Al, Au, Co, Cr, Ge, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Ti, W. Thermal boat materials: Al, Cr, Au. Thermal boats are limited to 500–1000 Å (without stage rotation), depending on material. Machine undergoing a control system renovation, available on request for thermal evaporation. Updates/upgrades in FY22–23 New solid-state power supply, sweep and process controller. Automated process control, improved cross contamination prevention and control.
Fully automatic processing system, six-pocket ebeam hearth with pop-top mechanism and load lock to protect source material integrity and to minimize pump down time. Configurable for lift off processing (13 x 100 mm) or conformal deposition processing (12 x 100 mm). Small samples can be accommodated with the use of a special mounting fixture or 100 mm Si substrate carriers. Standard source materials include: Au, Pt, Au, plus three empty pockets for other material combinations on request. Source material configuration is not operator definable and must be scheduled with tool owner. System has an integrated DC ion mill for sample pre-cleaning and Kaufman-assist ebeam evaporation.
Sputter 1 (KJL PVD-75 — Room 1525)
Three-gun RF/DC physical vapor deposition. Machine configured to allow O2 or N2 reactive sputtering, dielectric thin films and co-deposition possible. PVD Materials: Al, Al2O3, Ag, Au, Bi, Bi2O3, Cu, In, Ir, ITO (90%/10%), Nb, Ni, Ni/Cr (80%/20%), Mo, Pd, Pt, PTFE, Si, SiO2, SiN, Ta, Ti, TiN, TiO2 W, Sb, ZnO, ZnO/AL2O3 (98%/2%) and ZTO. Other materials possible with user supplied target.
Thermal, plasma-assist, and thermal soak modes, three-dimensional, highly conformal metal, low and high K dielectric thin film deposition system. System deposits thin films one atomic layer at a time through sequential self-limiting chemical reactions. Maximum film thickness of 100 nm, typical 1–10 nm, sample size from small pieces to 150 mm. Temperature range 60–500°C, nominal thermal ALD operating window 200–300°C. Available thin films include Al2O3, HfO2, SiO2, TiO2 (amorphous, Anatase, Rutile), Ta2O5, Nb2O5, TiN and Pt. Other nitrides are under development.
Dedicated Al2O3 and HfO2 thermal only to support the most contamination sensitive thin film deposition needs. System deposits thin films one atomic layer at a time through sequential self-limiting chemical reactions. Maximum film thickness of 100 nm, typical 1–10 nm, sample size from small pieces to 100 mm. Target operating temperature range 200–300°C.
Thermal Processing System (MTI-1200 Automated Vacuum/ATM Oven — Room 1525)
Up to 1000°C, thermal oxidation (wet/dry), forming gas anneal, nitrogen/argon anneal, 80/20 atmosphere, Si doping, vacuum or atmospheric processing of a variety of materials and compounds including powdered materials. Small sample up to 150 mm, up to 25–100 mm substrates, a very flexible thermal processing system. Use normal thermal processing needs or to test the thermal effects on a material or device to assess risk of contamination before committing the device to more sensitive processing system. Gasses include Argon, Nitrogen, Forming (3.8% H2/N2), Oxygen and steam.
Thermal Evaporator (Room 1525)
Supports lab’s thermal PVD needs (allowing conversion of EG2 to EBeam only with new hardware).
Metrology
Scanning Electron Microscope #1 (FEI NNL650 — Room 1504)
High resolution (20 nm) SEM, FIB, EDAX with integrated Omniprobe micromanipulator. System also equipped with a Nano Pattern Generating System (NPGS) to support small field electron beam lithography.
Scanning Electron Microscope #2 (FEI NNS450 — Room 1504)
High resolution (20 nm) SEM with integrated Nano Pattern Generating System (NPGS) to support small field electron beam lithography.
Profilometer 1 (Ambios XP-2 — Room 1530)
High resolution stylus-type surface profilometer with integrated 40–160x magnification and 1–4mm field of view. Maximum vertical range 400 microns, resolution 1 angstrom at 10-microns, 15 angstroms at 100-microns, and 62 angstrom at 400-microns. Repeatability 10-angstroms or 0.1% of nominal step. User definable downward force 0.8 mg–10 mg, 2-micron stylus.
Profilometer 2(KLA-Tencore AS-500 — Room 1523)
High resolution stylus-type surface profilometer, 5-micron stylus.
Flex 1 (KLA-Tencore F2320 — Room 1532)
Dual wavelength thin film stress measurement from room temperature to 500°C hotplate. Accommodates up to a 150 mm sample size. Samples analyzed in an Argon or Nitrogen environment. Evaluate the effects of temperature or time on a thin film’s stress characteristics.
Nano 1 (Nanometrics NanoSpec/AFT 210 — Room 1532)
Spectroscopic reflectometer film thickness monitor for precision measurement of single layer films such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, photoresist and a variety of polymers. Thickness range 100–50,000 Å. Stage can accommodate a variety of sample sizes up to at least 150 mm.
Nano 2 (Filmetrics F50-UV — Room 1523)
Spectroscopic reflectometer film thickness monitor for precision measurement of thin films such as silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, photoresist and a variety of polymers. Thickness range 5 nm–40 um (λ = 200–1100 nm). Stage accommodates sample sizes to 100 mm diameter and up to 115 points, 3D modeling, limited multilayer measurement capabilities.
Microscope 1 (Leica DM4000M — Room 1523)
Dark field, bright field, fluorescence and DIC modes, x5 to x150 power objectives. X and Y axis distance measurement to approximately 1-micron resolution.
Combines the capabilities of an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope and roughness gauge into a single system. Provides non-contact profile, roughness and thickness measurements on nearly any material. 658 nm laser, up to 19,200x mag, highly versatile.
Semi-automated sheet resistance measurement system utilizing Jandel 4pt probes, with temperature compensation. Probe types available:
Probe Type B — Conductive films greater than 125 nm thick and highly doped semiconductors.
Probe Type C — Medium dose implant @1000 Ω/sq.
Probe Type D/70 — Low dose or shallow implant. Thin metals <125 nm.
SFS1 (KLA/Tencore SS4500 — Room 1530)
Surface defect analysis and mapping tool. 0.5 um lower limit up to 100 mm diameter substrate, key instrument for troubleshooting micro contamination issues in other lab processing equipment.
BEOL/Assembly
BOND1 (EVG501 — Room 1530)
Highly versatile wafer bonding system handles substrate sizes from small chips to 150 mm. Supports common wafer bonding processes such as anodic, glass frit, eutectic, transient liquid phase and direct. Thermal, compression, anodic up to 100 kN, 550°C, vacuum 1E-6 Torr. In start-up 03/2022.
DICE 1/ DICE 2 (Microautomation — Room 1511)
Programmable automatic dicing saw with split video optics. Accommodates substrates to 150 mm in diameter. Air bearing spindle with an adjustable speed from 10,000 to 30,000 rpm. Precision better than 5-micron maximum deviation.
TAPE1 (Room 1511)
Ultron Systems UH114 tape mounter for dicing applications.
LAP 2 (Allied Multi Prep — Room 1511)
Precision polishing system with 12” platen and parallel polishing fixture. Dual axis, micrometer controlled angular positioning of the sample, (pitch and roll)+10/-2.5° range, 0.02° increments. Adjustable sample load from 0–600 g, in 100 g increments.
LAP 3 (Allied TechPrep — Room 1511)
Basic polishing system with 8” platen. Will eventually replace LAP 1.
Support Equipment
Blast 1 (Clemco Industries Pulsar Zero — Room 1511)
Pulsating blast cabinet, 150 mesh alumina media with reclaimer and HEPA filtration. Useful for surface roughening or general equipment parts clean.
Dish Washer 1 (Labconco Stainless — Chase 1524)
Laboratory glassware washer, hot and cold DI wash cycles.
Portable Equipment
Stirring hotplates with an assortment of PTFE stirring magnets.
Benchtop utrasonic cleaner.
Vacuum bell jar.
Leybold UL200 Plus Dry, Helium Leak Detector with TL7 Calibrated He Leak and outboard sniffer.
ACCESS REQUESTS
Once your user project has been accepted, follow these steps to request access to the CINT Integration Laboratory (IL).
User provides accepted user project number and list of desired tools to be accessed to the IL manager, John Nogan.
The IL manager will send a list of the required corporate mandated classes to the user and notify the training coordinator of the student's needs. These classes must be completed prior to getting unescorted access to the IL.
The user completes all of the assigned corporate mandated training classes.
User provides proof of training, i.e. date of completion, to the IL manager.
User reads/signs facility users guides (FUG’s) for the required IL functional groups.
User receives lab specific training from IL Personnel.
The lead process engineer submits a badge request to IL manager for the user. The training coordinator is notified by IL manager to program the card reader to allow badge swipe access.
User receives equipment specific training from an authorized user. This training does not have to include all of the equipment in the IL, only what's needed by the user to complete the desired task. Subsequent training to follow as needed.
User demonstrates proficient operation of the tool to the tool owner. This occurs on an as-needed basis.
User is free to work unsupervised, however the buddy system may still apply depending on the operation and task.
