Process Capabilities

To assist you in determining how we can best facilitate your micro/nano-technology research needs.

Lithography

E-Beam: Raith 150 electron beam system which provides minimum feature sizes of 50nm on substrates up to 150mm in diameter. Equipped with In-lens and SE2 detection modes and provides <50 nm stitching error between write fields.

Photomasks and Direct Write: Heidelberg UV laser patterning system for the generation of photomasks and for direct write onto substrates, including die level. Provides critical dimensions down to 600 nm, substrates up to 9” square substrate direct write to the edge of substrate, and 128 level grayscale.

Contact Lithography: Suss MA6 and AB-M mask aligners provide back-to-front alignment capabilities. For individual dies to whole 6-in. wafers.

Image Reversal: Ammonia based photoresist image reversal systems by YES.

Thin Film Deposition

Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition system: Oxford and STS PECVD systems capable of depositing silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, oxynitride, amorphous silicon (undoped/doped), polycrystalline silicon (undoped/doped), silicon carbide, silicon nanowires, and carbon nanotubes. Oxford tool includes a 700 C high temperature chuck and a TEOS delivery system.

Sputtering: KJL and Technics three and two source systems for deposition of both metals and dielectrics. KJL tool features RF, RF/DC stacking, DC and ion beam assisted sputtering. Includes throttled pressure control and reactive gas mixing.

Evaporation: KJL thermal and e-beam assisted evaporation system for depositing a variety of thin films on substrates up to 6”.

Parylene Coating: SCS vapor deposition tool for Parylene C and Parylene N.

Molecular Vapor Deposition: Applied MST MVD system for the deposition of organic surface coatings used as lubricants, anti-stiction layers, molecular glues, reactive adhesion layers, or to change the surface contact angle.

Electroplating: Pulse DC electroplating systems for Cr, Au, Cu and Ni MEMS processing using high aspect resists.

Atomic Layer Deposition: Beneq ALD system for the deposition of Al2O3, SiO2, and ZnO films.

Thermal Processing

Oxidation and Diffusion: Multiple tube furnaces for thermal processes include wet/dry oxidation, high temperature annealing and boron/phosphorous diffusion.

Rapid Thermal Processes: RTP system for silicon based gate oxide growth and rapid thermal annealing of implanted layers.

Vacuum Cure Oven: Programmable vacuum ovens capable of heating to 550C in an inert or forming gas environment. Primarily used for controlled curing of polymer films.

Etching, Machining and Bonding

Deep Reactive Ion Etch (Silicon): STS DRIE tool for silicon deep trench etching using the Bosch process. Has pulsed plate bias to minimize “footing” at oxide etch stops.

Anisotropic Silicon Wet Etching: Extensive experience with KOH, TMAH and EDP wet etchants.

Micro Milling: Dover Instruments ultra-high precision micro-milling CNC tool with nanometer spatial resolution for machining virtually any solid material (e.g., metals, polymers, ceramics, etc.).

Plasma Etching: Multiple RIE systems capable of providing selective silicon, SiO2 and Si3N4 etching, as well as ashing.

Xenon Di-Fluoride Etching: Xactix XeF2 system for efficient anisotropic dry etching of silicon microstructures prone to stiction.

Miscellaneous: Nano-imprinting, micro molding, chemical mechanical polishing, ultrasonic drilling, etc.

Wafer Level Bonding: Suss tool for Si/glass anodic bonding, glass/glass thermal compression bonding and Si/Si fusion bonding. All processes capable of 5um alignment.

Ion Milling: Two source ion beam based etching system capable of nanometer scale etching.

Critical Point Dryer: Critical point CO2 dryer for drying substrates in situations where stiction needs to be avoided.

Packaging

Dicing: Disco programmable saw for dicing silicon, glass and alternative substrates up to 6” diameter.

Wire Bonding: Multiple K&S wedge, ball and deep

access bonders for aluminum and gold 1-mil wire bonding.

Flip Chip Packaging: Finetech Fineplacer “pico” system for die placement accuracy up to 5μm. Can handle SMCs up to 17-mm side length.

Printed Circuit Boards: LPKF automated milling system for custom PCBs with a resolution to 100um and hole diameters to 150um. A vacuum table and fiducial recognition camera system ensures precise front-to-back registration. Applications include

through-hole and surface mount PCBs, stencils, templates, and engraved panels.

Metrology & Testing

Thin Film Stress Measurement: Toho system using noncontact multi-wavelength surface flatness techniques for evaluating thin film stresses from room temperature to 500C.

3-D Contact Profiling: Veeco system to provide down to 7.5 angstrom step height measurements with a vertical range up to 1 mm and a maximum scan length of 200mm. Low stylus forces allow scratch-free measurement of soft materials.

Noncontact 3D Optical Profiler: Zygo system capable of measuring surface topology of micro scale systems. Includes field stitching and dynamic module for measuring MEMS devices during actuation.

Midwavelength Thermal Imaging System: QFI system for capturing thermal images and videos of devices featuring 0.1C temperature resolution and 5 um spatial resolution.

Ellipsometry: Nondestructive measurement technique for determining the thickness and optical constants of single and multilayer films.

SEM, AFM, STM Capabilities: Dedicated SEM and AFM laboratory. Preferred access to multiple Zeiss and Leo SEMs including field emission, EDAX, variable chamber pressure, active specimen measurements and manipulation.

Testing: Suite of probe stations and electronic test instruments for measuring sheet resistance, TCR, I-V curves, C-V curves, and device performance.