Novellus Unveils SEQUEL Express Deposition System for Low-K and Other Advanced Dielectric Films
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 11, 1999--Novellus Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:NVLS - news), the productivity and innovation leader in thin film deposition technologies for the global semiconductor industry, today introduced the SEQUEL Express(TM) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) tool.
This next-generation SEQUEL system is designed to deposit Novellus' new CORAL(TM) family of low dielectric constant (low-k ) films, as well as all other advanced dielectric films required for 0.18-micron and smaller devices.
With a maximum throughput in excess of 110 wafers per hour (wph), the SEQUEL Express system delivers unprecedented levels of manufacturing performance. At the same time, it delivers up to 40 percent higher capital productivity, up to 100 percent higher footprint productivity (throughput per square foot of fab space) and up to 40 percent lower cost of ownership (CoO) than competing CVD systems. A 300 mm version of the tool is also available.
Novellus' new CVD system is designed to deposit the advanced dielectric films required for today's most powerful integrated circuits (ICs) with increased speed, reduced size and greater functionality. The key to building ICs with these characteristics is to reduce interconnect resistivity and capacitance.
Just as the introduction of copper interconnects provided the reduced-resistivity solution, low-k dielectric films provide the reduced-capacitance solution. The combination of copper interconnects with advanced low-k films are expected to enable production of ICs below the 0.1-micron node.
''Our new SEQUEL Express system is an integral part of our dual damascene solution for advanced interconnect structures,'' said Wilbert van den Hoek, vice president of Novellus' Dielectric Business Group.
''It delivers a low-k solution with unparalleled productivity, reproducibility and cost of ownership. At the same time, it provides an optimal platform for depositing other dielectric films, such as copper diffusion barriers and etch stops, which are also required to build dual damascene structures. This new tool is a prime example of the innovative approach Novellus takes in delivering enabling technology on production-worthy tools, while minimizing the manufacturing risk.''
The SEQUEL Express deposition system leverages Novellus' production-proven SEQUEL(TM) platform with its multi-station sequential deposition architecture to offer high productivity, wide process windows and superior reproducibility. With the SEQUEL Express tool, each wafer is processed through the same path as every other wafer in the lot.
As a result, Novellus' new offering delivers the highest possible control over critical device parameters. This high level of performance and process control is essential for damascene films, including thick low-k films requiring chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), ultra-thin anti-reflective layer (ARL) films, copper diffusion barriers and etch stops.
The unique SEQUEL Express architecture deposits each film in six sequential deposition layers, thereby preventing the propagation of pinholes and providing enhanced copper-diffusion blocking even with ultra-thin films. Effective copper blocking has been demonstrated on films with a thickness of less than 100 angstroms.
With ultra-thin gate oxides, advanced damascene structures can be susceptible to damage from processes utilizing high-power densities. The multi-station sequential deposition architecture offers high throughput, while maintaining power densities that are approximately one-third the level used in single-wafer and mini-batch reactors. This enables volume production with high device yields and damage-free processing.
''Novellus' new offering is the only CVD tool that can handle the full spectrum of PECVD dielectric films for both damascene and aluminum substractive technology using a common chamber configuration. This unique ability reduces the number of CVD tools required in the fab by providing an unmatched level of process redundancy for all film types. In addition, customers with existing SEQUEL systems can easily upgrade these tools to SEQUEL Express systems, providing them with a cost-effective means to extend their existing tool set for damascene processes,'' said Dr. Ken MacWilliams, Novellus' product general manager, PECVD Systems.
Novellus is accepting orders for SEQUEL Express. The company has already shipped approximately 20 systems to customers worldwide and has bookings for an additional 25 systems.
Novellus will feature the SEQUEL Express and CORAL family of films, along with its Damascus® Complete Copper(TM) line of products and services at the Yerba Buena Center, adjacent to the Moscone Center, San Francisco, during SEMICON West '99, to be held July 12-14.
About Novellus Systems
Novellus Systems Inc. manufactures, markets and services advanced automated wafer fabrication systems for the deposition of thin films. Novellus deposition systems are designed for high-volume production of advanced, leading-edge semiconductors at the lowest overall cost.
Headquartered in San Jose, with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, Novellus is a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange (Nasdaq:NVLS - news). Additional information about the company is available on Novellus' home page on the World Wide Web, located at novellus.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact:
Novellus Systems Inc.
Bob Climo, 408/943-9700
bob.climo@novellus.com
or
MCA Inc.
Chris Castillo, 650/968-8900
ccastillo@mcapr.com
|
