Batch is dead (Eaton)IMHO - imagine to "control" process results for a batch of wafers compared to control single wafer including particles that cause defects .
It's just like etch - single wafer etch
Varian and Axcelis battle to be the ion king.
INDEPENDENT ANALYSTS As chips get smaller process is that much more important.
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by Kenneth Nagy
Ken is a Research Analyst with Salem Schooner in Boston and focuses on electronics companies worldwide. more...
Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.( Varian Semiconductor ) is a supplier of ion implantation equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips. Varian Semiconductor designs, manufactures, markets and services semiconductor processing equipment for virtually all of the major semiconductor manufacturers in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. The VIISta ion implanter products are designed to leverage single wafer processing technology for the full range of semiconductor implant applications. Varian Semiconductor offers a full range of ion implanters, categorized within the industry as medium current, high current or high energy, based upon the energy characteristics of the tool. Ion implanters are further categorized as 200milimeters (mm) compatible and 200mm or 300mm compatible.
The semi tools industry can be divided into high energy/low current products, medium energy/medium current products and low energy/high current products. The fastest growing category, high current, accounts for 50% of total industry revenue, medium current accounts for about one-third of the total and high energy is about 17%. Varian sells in all spaces, and their tools cross the segments, use common parts and software tools, affording valuable cost saving opportunities.
Ion implementation equipment essentially injects charged Ions (also called dopants) into the wafer during production. There are 2 major companies that do Ion implementation along with several Japanese firms: Varian Semiconductor (VSEA) and Axcelis (ACLS).
As technology nodes get smaller. (Fall below 90nm) Axcelis batch technology breaks down and destroys some chips, hurts yields. Varian on the other hand uses a double magnet ribbon system which is a single wafer producer. The Varian product (patent protected and pictured below) does not damage the chips and since Axcelis uses batch there is the possibility that all the chips in the batch are destroyed.
I vistited Varian met with the CFO and toured the clean rooms.
This is a relatively new problem at smaller technology nodes, but once it was introduced many have gone back and checked old problems only to find out that it may have been a problem at larger nodes as well.
I believe VSEA will grow its market share dramatically in the next 6-12 months, while ACLS will be hurt in the high current area.
What`s your opinion? |
