The Applied Material Centura AP etcher is a cluster etch system with two process chambers. Chamber A is an Axiom plasma ash chamber which focuses on oxygen plasma treatments and photoresist removal. Chamber C is a reactive ion etcher with electrostatic chuck designed specifically to etch 300 mm wafers coated with metals that etch in chlorine (aluminum, titanium, tantalum, etc.). However, the chamber is also outfitted with fluorine-based gases and can be setup to etch dielectrics and metals that etch in fluorine based chemistries.
Processing wafers smaller than 300 mm wafers is possible via fixturing (quartz microscope slides taped with Kapton tape on a 300 mm silicon wafer) without the benefits of the electrostatic chuck. AEP Core has qualified the Centura for several etch processes on 150 mm wafers. The chamber is currently restricted to silicon safe processes (no copper, silver, or gold) only.
Specifications:
Wafer size: 300 mm (electrostatic chuck), any (with fixturing to a 300 mm wafer)
Available process gases: Cl2, BCl3, CH4, HCl, O2, CHF3, CF4, SF6, Ar, He
- Reactive ion etching
| Service | ASU rate | Nonprofit/other academic rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment use | $52/hour | $68/hour |