Applied Materials Announces New EpiClean Technology to Enable High Speed Communications Chips
New Pre-Clean Chamber for Epi Centura® Allows High-Throughput Low Temperature SiGe(1), SiGeC(1) and Selective Epi Growth Processing for Advanced Devices
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 5, 2001-- Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT - news), the leading supplier of epitaxial deposition systems to the semiconductor industry, introduces new EpiClean(TM) technology for its Epi Centura systems. This fully integrated preclean chamber enables a high throughput, low temperature epitaxial deposition process to manufacture high speed transistors for chips used in advanced telecommunications and mobile computing devices.
``With its focus on technical and economic performance in production environments, the EpiClean chamber continues Applied Materials' leadership in SiGe, SiGeC and SEG(1) low temperature epitaxy solutions for advanced IC manufacturing,'' said Grant Imper, general manager of Applied Materials' Epi Substrate Division. ``We anticipate the market for SiGe-based ICs(1) to grow more than 20 percent per year for the next several years as these devices move from development into production. We expect this growth to be mainly driven by telecommunication applications such as wireless, broadband and fiber channel wideband.''
Many of the new communications chips are highly sensitive to elevated temperatures during fabrication, and require reductions from the traditional 1000-1200(Degree)C range down to 600-800(Degree)C. The EpiClean chamber performs a pre-deposition clean process, removing native oxide layers and other contaminants at temperatures below 780(Degree)C. By using a low-temperature, low-pressure hydrogen bake process outside the deposition chamber, the EpiClean process eliminates the need for a high-temperature bake or stabilization step in the deposition chamber, greatly reducing deposition chamber process time, increasing throughput and lowering operating cost.
Compared to HF(1)-type preclean chambers, the EpiClean chamber provides significantly lower oxygen and carbon levels at the wafer surface. The EpiClean chamber is fully integrated on Applied Materials' industry-leading Epi Centura systems and supports up to three epi deposition chambers. The integrated system provides an excellent environment for the volume manufacturing of high quality, defect-free epi layers.
(1) Acronyms spelled out at end of text.
Applied Materials has shipped multiple EpiClean chambers to customers, and expects to ship additional systems with the EpiClean chamber throughout the second calendar quarter of 2001. Applied Materials has the world's largest installed base of SiGe and SEG epi deposition chambers, as well as the world's largest installed base of epi deposition systems.
Applied Materials (Nasdaq:AMAT - news), the largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry, is one of the world's leading information infrastructure providers. Applied Materials' Web site is appliedmaterials.com.
Acronyms: SiGe: silicon germanium SiGeC: silicon germanium carbon SEG: selective epitaxial growth IC: integrated circuit HF: hydrofluoric acid |
