Deposition, Growth & Anneal Systems

During semiconductor device fabrication, thin film growth and deposition steps typically occur more number of times than any other process. These are often critical processes that require careful thickness and quality control. For example, during silicon (Si) transistor fabrication, growth of a thin film of silicon dioxide (SiO2) is generally required immediately after the RCA clean process. This oxide can be grown on the Si wafer surface using different processes that define its growth rate and quality. Whatever the chosen process, maintaining tight control of process conditions and minimizing contamination on the Si wafer surface during the growth process is critical for final device performance. Hence, separate process-based oxide growth furnaces are needed for the same.

Thin film depositions of other materials are also needed at various stages of device fabrication – from the initial active semiconducting layers to the final metal contact layers. With new materials being explored for various applications today, dedicated systems and novel deposition techniques are required to integrate them into devices. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) are two examples of such enabling capabilities available at IITBNF, along with conventional silicon processing equipment. Conventional metal and insulator deposition tools, along with dedicated anneal systems, complete the expansive gamut of deposition capabilities at IITBNF for introducing new materials onto the silicon platform and fabricating new device structures.

The following list includes dedicated growth, deposition and anneal systems for 2”, 4” and 8” silicon wafers at IITBNF; along with separate tools for other substrate materials and sizes. Implantation tools are also included in the list since they are used in conjunction with anneal systems.