Tegal receives repeat order for Tegal 3200 SE silicon DRIE process module from leading commercial MEMS image sensor maker

PETALUMA, USA: Tegal Corp., an innovator of specialized production solutions for the fabrication of advanced MEMS, power ICs and optoelectronic devices, has received an order for an additional Tegal 3200 SE DRIE cluster tool process module from a leading supplier of MEMS image sensors.

The Tegal 3200 SE DRIE process module will be shipped and installed at the customer’s site in early CY2011, and will support the customer’s plans for quickly ramping production capacity for High Volume Manufacturing of MEMS image sensors.

The Tegal 3200 SE cluster tool silicon DRIE process module order from this repeat Tegal DRIE customer follows the successful installation, process qualification, and sustained use of silicon Deep Reactive Ion Etch processes on the customer’s first Tegal 3200 SE cluster tool PM.

“Our customer is known for their technological leadership in the MEMS image sensor market, and we see this repeat order as confirmation of the Tegal silicon DRIE tool’s superior performance in high volume manufacturing for this technically challenging application,” said Jim Apffel, DRIE product manager at Tegal.

“We believe that our DRIE process modules are the most reliable and most advanced on the market and, as this repeat order shows, we have been able to meet our customer’s demanding technical requirements for silicon DRIE cluster tools, while providing excellent value along the way.”

The Tegal 3200 SE is an advanced, world-class cluster tool system dedicated to Deep Reactive Ion Etch applications. Featuring an inductively coupled plasma etch reactor and magnetic plasma confinement, the tool can run Tegal’s patented SHARP – Super High Aspect Ratio Process, achieving etched feature aspect ratios of >100:1 in production environments.

The Tegal 3200 cluster tool can be configured with up to four process modules, supporting High Volume Manufacturing applications for the most frequently used materials in MEMS, 3D-IC, and semiconductor device fabrication: Silicon (Si), Silicon On Insulator (SOI), and Silicon Dioxide (SiO2)

Tegal silicon DRIE tools are presently employed in numerous research and development laboratories throughout the world, engaging in both commercial and academic research programs, and are also found in MEMS foundries and other dedicated commercial High Volume Manufacturing lines worldwide.