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New Product: â??Marathon 2 Nanoâ?? platform from Brooks offers OEM tool size reductions
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Product Briefing Outline: Brooks Automation has introduced the
vacuum process tool automation platform ‘Marathon 2 Nano,’ which is
designed to enable smaller footprints for 300mm semiconductor
processing equipment. Brooks has included many new features developed
from interrelated components that are designed to offer improved
process module architecture. Brooks Automation’s Marathon 2 Nano vacuum
transfer platform with MagnaTran 9 vacuum robotics and Fusion controls
enables a combination of layout flexibility, process module density and
overall productivity improvement.
Problem: Today’s semiconductor fabs are under enormous pressure to continuously squeeze more productivity from each square meter of clean room production space. Improved throughput and cycle time reduction strategies require higher overall performance and reduced downtime.
Solution: The Marathon 2 Nano platform offers enhanced flexibility for process module architecture. No longer are cluster tools constrained to conventional radial geometry. With its ultra compact size (500mm x 500mm for a Marathon 2 Nano vacuum transfer module), the Nano platform can be deployed as a single transfer module, in series, parallel, or series/parallel configurations. This flexibility allows high process chamber density and extremely high throughput in a very small footprint. With just two Marathon 2 Nano modules (transfer chamber plus dual-wafer stacked load lock) operating in parallel, throughput is claimed to exceed 400 wafers per hour (WPH). With its width-reducing design, the process module facet adapter plate (FAP), including a slot valve, adds only 50 mm to each facet. Thus, a Marathon 2 Nano platform consisting of vacuum transfer module, process module isolation valves and integrated load lock measures no more than 600mm x 1150mm. This optimized automation footprint provides the highest vacuum process tool throughput per m2 of fab cleanroom space in the industry.
Applications: Wide range of process tools.
Platform: The latest generation of vacuum robotics – MagnaTran 9 – leverages the industry-standard MagnaTran vacuum robot from Brooks Automation. Patent-pending technology offers fast-swap motion
control with fewer physical axes of motion. Furthermore, advanced Fusion controls from Brooks Automation enable the Marathon 2 Nano platform to be the first in the industry where a single controller serves both vacuum and atmospheric automation. This reduces complexity, software control latency while inherently enhancing reliability and overall cost of ownership. All Marathon 2 Nano configurations are supplied with Brooks Automation’s ‘Jet’ Atmospheric systems.
Availability: Currently available.
