Exelan dielectric etch systems include the Exelan HPT and the 2300 Exelan.
The Exelan HPT is Lam's latest offering in the highly successful 200mm
Alliance® wafer processing line, while the 2300 Exelan is a member
of Lam's award winning 2300 Etch Series, designed to process both 200mm
and 300mm wafers. The 2300 Exelan is the industry's low—risk path to the
benefits of 300mm production, providing the ability to develop processes
on 200mm wafers then simply scaling the process for 300mm substrates in
the same dielectric etch chamber. For all substrate sizes, Exelan systems
feature the industry's largest dielectric etch portfolio, including in
situ dual damascene etch for both oxide and low k, critical front—end
contact etch applications, and large open—area applications such as gate
mask open, spacer, and passivation etch.
Exelan meets the challenges of new materials and reduced geometries at
the 130nm technology node and below with versatile, Dual Frequency Confined
(DFC) plasma technology, Waferless Auto Cleans (WAC),
and an innovative narrow gap chamber design. The versatile DFC technology
extends Exelan's dielectric etch capability into a wide range of process
regimes. After a wafer is processed, WAC removes all process residue,
returning the chamber to its original, clean condition. By removing residues
that produce "process memory," a complete etch sequence from
mask open to etch and photoresist strip can be performed in an Exelan
chamber. This eliminates the need for multiple dedicated chambers as well
as the need to move wafers among them. This in situ capability
delivers pace—setting reductions in both cycle time and cost of ownership
across all process regimes. When compared to traditional etch methods, in situ savings of 20 percent in process time are realized with
a corresponding increase in throughput and productivity. |
Due to the versatile DFC technology, Exelan has the production—proven
process for every dielectric etch application. It provides the CD and
profile control needed to etch high aspect ratio contacts (HARC) that
are required in dense memory chips. It is capable of the high selectivity
required to preserve the ultrathin photoresist used on 193nm geometries
in the industry's fastest logic chips. By processing multiple steps in
a single chamber, Exelan delivers production—proven capability for in
situ low k dual damascene, and provides the capability of completing
complex integration schemes such as dual and triple hardmask in one chamber.
In all applications, Exelan produces results that are repeated wafer to
wafer across all systems in fabs and foundries.
Since their introduction, versatile Exelan systems have been production
proven across a wide range of process regimes and have been used to
develop the industry's largest process portfolio for the increasingly
complex requirements of dielectric etch. The Exelan HPT for 200mm wafers
and the 2300 Exelan for both 200mm and 300mm wafers offer trend setting
performance for all dielectric applications. Processes developed on
the Exelan HPT transfer easily and directly to the 2300 Exelan for 200mm
wafers and can simply be scaled for 300 mm processing. Scaling a known
process provides fabs and foundries with the lowest—risk path to 300mm.
From integrating multistep processes in new materials, to offering the
lowest risk transition to larger substrates and diminishing geometries,
Exelan has the innovative solution for every dielectric etch application.
|