Ultratech Inc., San Jose, Calif., has shipped its first LSA201 laser spike anneal system to a leading integrated device manufacturer. The LSA201 is built on a new platform that enables precise control over the gases that surround the wafer during processing. At the customer’s facility, the system will be used to develop leading-edge logic technology, mainly focusing on FinFETs. This first shipment is an example of Ultratech’s continuing efforts to develop solutions that enable the leading-edge technology roadmaps of its global customers. The company plans to begin volume shipments of the LSA201 in the second half of 2013.
Ultratech’s LSA201 LSA system built on the highly customizable Unity Platform includes a patented micro chamber design which enables full-wafer ambient control in a scanning laser system. The micro chamber is a system which does not require the use of vacuum hardware. The current system is capable of running mixtures of any inert gases, but the micro-chamber architecture is extendible to more reactive gases for future processes. The LSA201 targets middle-of-line (MOL) applications, such as silicide formation, and advanced front-end-of-line (FEOL) applications, such as defect annealing. The LSA201 is well suited for processes such as interface engineering and film property modification where ambient control is critical at sub-20nm.
“As devices scale below 20nm, there are an increasing number of applications beyond dopant activation which involve interface engineering or film modification, such as advanced silicide formation and high K anneal,” says Jeff Hebb, Ph.D., Vice President of Laser Product Marketing. “Precise control of the wafer ambient is required for these kinds of processes, and the LSA201 delivers this capability.”
