A400™ DUO vertical furnace
A400 DUO is a batch vertical furnace for 200mm and smaller wafers, and focuses on applications in the markets for power, analog, RF, and MEMS devices. The A400 DUO furnace tool is capable of running low pressure CVD (LPCVD), as well as diffusion and oxidation applications.
Major features
A400 DUO is a batch vertical furnace for 200mm and smaller wafers, and focuses on applications in the markets for power, analog, RF, and MEMS devices. Vertical batch processing increases productivity because a large stack of wafers can be loaded into the furnace chamber for simultaneous thermal processing.
The new A400 DUO is compatible with the original A400, so existing process recipes can be easily transferred, accelerating system acceptance for production. Atmospheric thermal applications include diffusion and activation of dopants, annealing to affect material properties by heating to a specific temperature, and oxidation to form silicon oxide. LPCVD applications include polysilicon, silicon nitride, and silicon oxide.
A400 DUO benefits
- Dual reactor configuration means that manufacturers can maximize throughput while minimizing costly semiconductor fabrication plant (fab) floor space;
- Sequential batch processes available whereby an initial application is run in the first reactor and the wafers are then transferred to the second reactor under controlled oxygen-free environmental conditions to run another process application;
- Dual boat operation means the reactor can be fully utilized for maximum throughput as a second boat of wafers is always staged and ready to run once the previous boat has finished;
- Large integrated stocker which stores wafers awaiting processing to assure continuous production;
- A400 DUO can be configured to process two different wafer sizes simultaneously, allowing flexibility especially for fabs transitioning to a larger wafer size.
Major applications
- Oxidation, both high and low temperature;
- Anneal and cure;
- Undoped and in-situ (P, As, B) doped polysilicon;
- Silicon nitride;
- Amorphous silicon;
- TEOS;
- Atomic Layer Deposition.