XACTIX and STS Unveil Comprehensive Line of Production-Oriented Xenon Difluoride Silicon Etch Systems
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Semicon West, SAN FRANCISCO, July 11 // -- Developer and producer of equipment for manufacturing micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), XACTIX, Inc., and Surface Technology Systems PLC , a leader in plasma process technologies required in the manufacturing and packaging of MEMS and advanced electronic devices, today announced that they plan to unveil a comprehensive line of production-oriented release etching tools for MEMS.
The tools produced under this collaboration use Xenon Difluoride gas to perform a highly selective isotropic etch into bulk silicon or to remove sacrificial layers. Isotropic etching using Xenon Difluoride gas is rapidly becoming a key MEMS process technology and is being adopted by both large and small companies looking to increase yield, lower costs or increase device performance. The partnership between STS and XACTIX is the only commercially available source for the diverse Xenon Difluoride etching tools required to meet the needs of this rapidly growing market.
Over the last three years the two companies have been collaborating in manufacturing and marketing equipment which uses xenon difluoride gas to isotropically etch bulk silicon or remove sacrificial layers made from silicon, molybdenum or germanium. The collaboration sprang from a realization that there is a wide diversity of requirements for release etching and the two companies have unique and complimentary capabilities to address these requirements effectively. XACTIX has seven years of experience specific to releasing MEMS using Xenon Difluoride and STS is the market leader in deep silicon etch and the provider of a wide variety of integrated etch and deposition products to the MEMS market.
"The release step is different from any other etch step," says David Springer, XACTIX's President. "When you release a MEMS device it can move, and if it can move it can break. So our customers are always looking to perform the release etch as late as possible. Often they are etching after dicing or in the package just before sealing. So you need a diversity of etchers which can handle a diversity of substrates to service this market."
"In addition to the different types of substrates there are an unusual variety of process requirements," added Michelle Bourke, Business Development Manager at STS. "Some customers require high uniformity because they are doing a timed etch into silicon, while other are removing all of the exposed silicon and are relatively insensitive to uniformity. Then there are customers who need to move from a DRIE or deposition module straight to release while maintaining vacuum."
To meet these varied requirements, STS and XACTIX have collaborated to manufacture and market a wide range of xenon difluoride etching systems for commercial customers manufacturing MEMS products, including:
1. A xenon difluoride etching module for the STS platform. This module can be combined with any of the STS wafer handling options and combined with any other STS module in a cluster format.
2. The Xetch X3M etcher for simultaneously etching batches of wafers or other wafer size flat substrates in the wafer boat.
3. The Xetch XT etcher for etching larger substrates or large batches of non wafer substrates.
All of the above systems have been shipped to customers. An updated version of the CVE module will be available for shipment at the end of 2006 and is ready for customer samples at this time.
About XACTIX, Inc.
XACTIX designs and manufactures the Xetch line of etchers, which use xenon difluoride gas to isotropically etch silicon, molybdenum and germanium. XACTIX customers are using the technology to release a wide variety of MEMS devices in a variety of markets, including displays, telecommunications, data storage, military aerospace, and a wide variety of sensors. Founded in 1991, XACTIX is the overwhelming market leader for xenon difluoride etchers world wide. For more information about XACTIX please see http://www.xactix.com/
About Surface Technology Systems plc
STS designs and manufactures a range of highly specialized systems incorporating innovative technology used in the production of semiconductors and related devices and is a leader in plasma based etch and deposition technologies for processing non 'mainstream' semiconductor devices. STS serves a range of applications in several emerging sectors within the telecommunications, data storage, advanced packaging, MEMS and Nanotechnology.
STS is the market leader in deep silicon etching for the growing MEMS market, offering patent-protected technology. In addition, STS has a strong presence in each of its other served markets and distributes its process solutions worldwide through an experienced sales and service operation. The Group currently markets in over 30 countries and has an installed base of over 850 systems. For more information about STS please see http://www.stsystems.com/
Source: Surface Technology Systems PLC
CONTACT: David Springer of XACTIX, Inc., +1-412-381-3195, or davids@xactix.com; or Mark Button of Positio Public Relations, +1-408-453-2400, or mark@positio.com, for Surface Technology Systems; or Michelle Bourke of Surface Technology Systems, +44-1633-652400, or michelle.bourke@stsystems.co.uk
Web site: http://www.stsystems.com/
