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Product Briefing Outline: ULVAC Technologies has launched the Enviro ‘Optima' Resist Strip System that the company claims has the smallest 300mm resist strip system footprint and thus provides the highest throughput per square meter of cleanroom space at the lowest cost.

Problem: Surface preparation is needed between every, etch (or implant) and deposition step. Conventional surface preparation sequence uses plasma to ash resist and wet chemicals to clean residues. The strip/clean sequence can be very extensive and costly.  With less cleanroom space required, and claimed to have a lower price point than competitor's models, the Optima resist strip system is claimed to have the lowest CoO, which is achieved by providing high throughput at lower total system cost. The Enviro Optima is ideal for all resist strip work including high dose implant, residue removal, and surface preparation applications.

Solution: Enviro Optima features a new remote plasma source achieving extremely quick resist removal rates of >10um/min.  Comparable in size to a typical 200mm system, Enviro Optima is the smallest 300mm resist strip system offering 3 loadports on the market.  Resist strip & residue clean is accomplished in one plasma tool, eliminating or reducing wet clean steps. Combined with fast new wafer handling robotics, Enviro Optima's straightforward design results in the highest throughput with the smallest footprint (67wph/m2) for systems under $1 million, according to the company.

Applications: Resist strip work including high dose implant, residue removal, and surface preparation applications.

Platform: Smallest 300mm resist strip system offering 3 loadports on the market
Throughput with the smallest footprint (67wph/m2) for systems under $1 million.
ULVAC has adopted Asyst's Spartan EFEM (equipment front-end module), featuring fully integrated ConX300 and EIB connectivity software.

Availability: July 2006 onwards.