FSI International, Inc., a leading manufacturer of wafer cleaning systems used in the fabrication of integrated circuits, announced today that it has received orders for its ZETA® spray cleaning systems with ViPR™ technology from customers in Korea, Japan and Europe. These purchases are from new users of FSI’s ViPR process and demonstrate the growing adoption of this innovative solution, driven by its ability to address critical advanced IC manufacturing cost and integration concerns during photoresist stripping and salicide formation. The systems are scheduled to ship in the third quarter of fiscal 2008.
“Over the last two years we have successfully implemented our ViPR technology in manufacturing with our development partners and are now experiencing broader customer interest and orders,” commented Don Mitchell, FSI’s chairman and CEO. “Our ZETA ViPR technology is in 300mm production at the world’s largest memory manufacturers and leading integrated circuit foundries. We are also seeing growing interest from 200mm fabs seeking to upgrade their technology while lowering their manufacturing costs.”
The acceptance of the ZETA ViPR technology results from its ability to eliminate the ashing process from most photoresist stripping sequences and to effectively remove residual metals following advanced salicide processes. For photoresist stripping, the unique chemical reactivity achieved by the ZETA ViPR process allows it to remove the photoresist by wet chemical action alone for all but the most extreme implant conditions. Not only does this eliminate the time and cost associated with ashing, ViPR also eliminates asher-induced damage and dopant/material losses. For metal stripping following salicide processes, the ZETA ViPR process effectively removes unreacted metal without attacking the salicide. In particular, it integrates successfully with the most advanced NiPt salicide processes that use lower annealing temperatures to reduce junction leakage, resulting in improved process yields.
The ZETA spray cleaning system uses centrifugal spray combined with versatile chemical delivery technology to prepare chemicals at a controlled composition and temperature for dispensing directly onto wafers. ZETA systems are proven for a wide range of applications, including Co, Ni and NiPt etch for salicide formation, photoresist strip and post-ash clean, non-megasonic particle removal and wafer reclaim. ZETA ViPR batch spray processing is faster and has lower chemical consumption than single wafer spray systems and offers greater control of chemical and temperature conditions and lower risk of contamination than batch immersion systems.
