Novellus debuts CMP tool for 65-nm and below ICs
By Mark LaPedus
Silicon Strategies
06/21/2004, 8:30 AM ET
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Novellus Systems Inc. moved to lower the cost of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) Monday (June 21) by rolling out a 300-mm tool that it claimed could be used down to the 32-nanometer manufacturing process node.
Intended for next-generation, multi-level copper/low-k designs, Novellus' Xceda CMP tool is based on a four-polish module and a "through-the-pad" direct slurry distribution architecture for high throughput applications in wafer fabs.
The tool is said to have 18 percent fewer handling steps than competitive machines and reduces slurry usage by up to 40 percent. It also enables a 70 percent pad size reduction and a 50 percent lower pad cost per wafer, according to Novellus, a chip-equipment supplier based in San Jose.
"Today, CMP is one of the more expensive front-end processes in the fab," said Richard Hill, chairman and chief executive of Novellus. "With this platform, we think we have the ability to lower the cost of ownership in CMP," he said at a recent press event at the company's headquarters.
The product represents Novellus' latest attempt to expand its share in the CMP equipment market. Industry revenues for CMP equipment hit $707 million in 2003, a 9 percent drop from 2002, according to VLSI Research Inc., a market research company in Santa Clara, Calif.
Applied Materials Inc. reported CMP equipment sales of just under $500 million in 2003, making it the number one supplier for the sixth consecutive year. Applied's CMP share jumped from 60 percent in 2002, to 65 percent in 2003, according to VLSI Research.
Number two-ranked supplier Ebara Corp. of Japan held onto its 20 percent market share from 2002, while performing only slightly better than the market in 2003. With 5 percent share in 2003, Novellus ranked third among CMP suppliers for the first time after closing its acquisition of Speedfam IPEC Inc. for $220 million in late 2002, according to VLSI Research (see August 12, 2002 story).
At present, Novellus sells the Momentum line of CMP tools, which are based on the technology from Speedfam IPEC.
Meanwhile, with a design geared for chips made with 65-nm manufacturing processes and below, the company's new Xceda features four independent polishing modules for high throughput. The tool's "through-the-pad" slurry management system, coupled with a new pad design, delivers uniform slurry flow to the wafer surface.
This results in improved uniformity, as well as low dishing and erosion across the features of a device, said Damo Srinivas, vice president and general manager of Novellus' CMP business unit. "Fundamentally, Xceda represents a new breed of CMP technology -- one that is designed to transform a cumbersome process into a simpler and more efficient step," he said.
The tool consists of a new polishing technology, which maintains the integrity of low-k and ultra low-k materials. An efficient platen design features an embedded micro-channel dispense, which provides uniform and highly targeted distribution of slurry across the wafer. It also consists of in-situ and in-line metrology control for real-time copper profile management across 100 percent of the wafer.
Novellus said it has already received several customer commitments for its first Xceda production units. |
