EV Group boosts high-volume manufacturing performance across product lines with new XT frame equipment platform

ST. FLORIAN, AUSTRIA: EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, has introduced a new equipment platform, dubbed the XT Frame, that extends process throughput and tool functionality for virtually all of its current volume-manufacturing product offerings.

Specifically designed to address new requirements from its high-volume manufacturing (HVM) customers, the XT Frame can accommodate up to nine process modules—doubling EVG's previous maximum processing capability for significantly increased throughput. In addition, customers have greater flexibility in combining different process modules on a single tool platform. Products built on the new XT Frame platform are available immediately.

An increasing number of device types, including components for high-volume consumer products such as smart phones and handsets, are being produced at the wafer level—driving the need for new solutions to increase production throughput in the fab.

EVG's new XT Frame platform provides an equipment front-end module with an ultra-fast handling system, enough module spaces for the parallel processing of several wafers, as well as up to four FOUP (front opening unified pod) load ports. This, combined with a material buffer in the form of a local FOUP storage system (LFSS), enables highly efficient continuous mode operation.

Moreover, the new design addresses additional customer requirements such as high process flexibility through the combination of different types of process modules on the same piece of equipment, easy upgradeability, further improved serviceability and a small overall footprint in the fab.

"The XT Frame equipment platform is a significant step forward for EV Group's product offerings for high-volume manufacturing environments," stated Paul Lindner, executive technology director for EV Group. "We are committed to developing innovative solutions that push the performance envelope in order to solve our customers' most pressing technology challenges while lowering their manufacturing costs. We see an immediate need for greater volume manufacturing capability in the advanced packaging and 3D interconnect space, which is why we've chosen our EVG®850TB/DB system as the first tool to be built on the XT Frame platform."

The new XT Frame architecture is an extension of EVG's field-proven standard equipment platform, which provides up to five process modules. The standard equipment platform has also just recently been upgraded to provide enhanced automation capabilities and increased system throughput. As an example, EVG's new flagship model in the GEMINI FB fusion wafer bonder family, launched at SEMICON Taiwan 2011, is now also available with an optional equipment front end module, a faster handling system and a local material buffer.

EVG's XT Frame platform supports solutions across all of the company's addressable markets, but is especially beneficial for advanced packaging/3D interconnect applications with TSVs (through-silicon vias). In this area, the new platform can, for example, further enhance the performance of EVG's benchmark temporary bonding/debonding and thin wafer processing systems. Demo capabilities for the XT Frame are now available on the EVG®850TB/DB, which can also accommodate EVG's new EZR (Edge Zone Release) and EZD (Edge Zone Debond) modules to support ZoneBOND technology.