Ibis increases throughput in SOI implanter by up to 100%
DANVERS, Mass.-- Ibis Technology Corp. today officially rolled out its new i2000 oxygen ion implanter system, which is designed to significantly increase the throughput of substrate production lines making silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.
Ibis, a supplier of SOI wafer substrates for chip production, said its new i2000 implanter incorporates several advancements specifically aimed at increased throughput, including faster load and unload cycles, rapid heating of wafers in the process chamber, and the use of active cooling to remove heat from wafers quickly after processing at an operating temperature of 500 degrees C. Additional features include a patented MagScan magnetic scanning beam technology and a simplified beamline, said Ibis.
The i2000 tool is used to produce SOI wafer substrates with separation-by-implantation-of-oxygen (SIMOX) processes. The buried insulating layer in SOI wafers can greatly reduce the electrical leakage of devices into the substrate, resulting in circuits that are up to 35% faster or use up to 85% less power, said Ibis.
"This new i2000 implanter is a step function advance over any other oxygen implanter available today," said Martin J. Reid, president and chief executive officer of Ibis.
The third-generation oxygen implanter is capable of handling both 200- and 300-mm wafers. The throughput of the i2000 is as high as 50,000 eight-inch (200-mm) wafers per year--up to a 100% increase over the previous generation, according to Reid.
The system is smaller than its predecessor--the Ibis 1000--but its process chamber is large enough to handle 20 eight-inch wafers or 13 twelve-inch wafers in each batch, said the company. The i2000 incorporates end-station load ports for 200- and 300-mm wafers in FOUP, SMIF pods or open cassettes, said Ibis. The implanter's software supports multiple GUI's, remote diagnostics, recipe operation, data logging, and SECS/GEM factory communications.
The first i2000 implanter is now being demonstrated for several potential customers, Reid said. The system is also being used to produce 300-mm Advantox MLD (modified low-dose) wafers for customer evaluations, he added. |
