DAVE GALLEY, WILLIE FUNK & MARY JANE EVANS, ATMEL Corporation, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
KEVIN SANNES, Applied Materials, Colarado Springs, CO, USA
JOHN O'SULLIVAN & DEREK BRODIE, Applied Materials, Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Utilising concepts of advanced reactor design, a team from ATMEL and Applied Materials has adapted the MxP metal etch reactor to successfully meet the demands of a high-volume manufacturing environment. Liner technology, an electrostatic chuck and a self-cleaning focus ring have been employed to bring the system availability from a highly variable ~58% to a very consistent mean of ~87%. Particle performance has dramatically improved without sacrificing process performance.

 Application of Advances in Reactor Design to Metal Etch Chambers for Availability, Cost, Process