Single-wafer cleaning tool supports DRAM and 3D NAND
ACM Research’s 18 chamber, 300mm Ultra C VI single-wafer cleaning tool is now in mass production following qualification by a mainstream memory chip manufacturer in China.
It was introduced in response to market demand. “As technology nodes shrink, the complexity of chips is increasing, as are the number of wet cleaning process steps,” explains Dr. David Wang, ACM’s president and CEO. “With the current unprecedented demand for semiconductor chips, the requirements for production capacity have become higher . . . and our 18 chamber system directly addresses this need,” he says.
The 18 chamber, 300mm Ultra C VI tool is compatible with nearly all wet clean and wet etch processes. It can be used in several front-end and back-end applications, including polymer removal, tungsten (W) loop or back-end copper process, pre-deposition clean, post-etch and post-chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) clean, deep trench clean and RCA standard clean.
The 300mm Ultra C VI tool is equipped with one efficient wafer transfer system that consists of multiple robots, which allows the tool to reach a maximum throughput of more than 800 wafers per hour. Throughput cleaning increases by 50 per cent, compared to the Ultra C V 12-chamber system, due to the higher chamber count, and offers the same tool width with only a slight increase in length to allow for integration into existing production lines.
ACM Research develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor process equipment for single-wafer or batch wet cleaning, electroplating, stress-free polishing and vertical furnace processes, which are critical to advanced semiconductor device manufacturing and wafer-level packaging. The company is committed to delivering customised, high-performance, cost-effective process solutions that semiconductor manufacturers can use in numerous manufacturing steps to improve productivity and product yield.
