|
New Product: Novellus targets SABRE Extreme Electrofill tool at 45nm & below |
|
|
|
Sep 15, 2006 at 02:28 PM |
 Product Briefing Outline: Novellus Systems has introduced the next generation ‘SABRE Extreme' Electrofill system, which is designed to tackle the complex transition to the 32nm technology node. The system has enhanced chemistry, process refinements and new hardware that are being used in development for 45nm by a leading U.S. logic customer as well as a leading U.S. DRAM manufacturer, according to the company.
Problem: Electrochemical deposition is used to build
the copper primary conduction wires in advanced integrated circuits via
a wafer being immersed in a copper electrolytic solution in order to
fill a structure that has been etched into the wafer's insulating
layer. The resulting copper conductive line "grows" upon the copper
seed layer previously created by the PVD deposition step. However, as
features continue to scaled and deep aspect ratio trenches created,
correct full filling of trenches and via's becomes more challenging.
Solution:
An Extreme-generation plating cell incorporates the latest membrane
technology to improve on-wafer performance and reduce the cost of
consumables by 50%. This latest plating cell incorporates features that
have been developed and proven on earlier-generation designs, and
enables new recipe- driven edge profie control for optimum chemical
mechanical planarization (CMP) compatibility. A sealed contact design
with 1mm physical edge exclusion that increases the usable area on a
wafer by more than 1%, resulting in additional yielding die per wafer
is used, according to the company. A fast edge bevel removal (EBR)
process with recipe-driven edge Exclusion is also included. The
faster process eliminates the EBR step from the critical path for an
increase in throughput. Novellus' foundry customers in particular will
benefit from the flexibility provided by the recipe-driven edge
exclusion.
Applications: 45nm processes onwards.
Platform:
SABRE Extreme features a revised plating cell that incorporates the
latest membrane technology to improve on-wafer performance and reduce
cost-of-consumables. The new system is designed to operate with Viaform
Extreme electrofill chemistry, for advanced filling of narrow, high
aspect ratios found at 45 and 32 nm nodes. Viaform Extreme has been
developed through an exclusive arrangement with ATMI/Enthone to create
copper films of high reliability, and is only available to SABRE
customers. The SABRE platform is the process tool of record for nine of
the top 10 copper IC producers, according to the company. The installed
base of more than 250 systems worldwide processes more than 55 million
wafer passes annually
Availability: July 2006 onwards.
|
Product Briefings 
