Novellus intros VECTOR Extreme TEOS xT -- fastest PECVD tool in semicon industry

SAN JOSE, USA: Novellus Systems has made multiple shipments of its new VECTOR® Extreme TEOS xT system to leading memory manufacturers around the world. The VECTOR Extreme TEOS xT is based on the highly successful VECTOR Extreme platform.

It is capable of production throughputs in excess of 300 wafers per hour, making it the fastest plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system in the industry. In addition to its high throughput, the new VECTOR Extreme TEOS xT achieves best-in-class nanoscale defectivity levels, with fewer than 10 particle adders per wafer for defect sizes greater than 70nm.

This level of particle performance exceeds the requirements for 24nm memory devices and contributes to improving device yields. Today, over 50 percent of the total PECVD dielectric film thickness used to manufacture DRAM and NAND Flash memory chips is based on TEOS oxide applications.

The VECTOR Extreme TEOS xT system achieves its benchmark performance through a combination of several new and innovative features. Industry leading throughput is achieved using Dynamic Plasma Control (DPC) hardware for higher deposition rates, RapidClean for faster chamber cleans, and a new xT wafer handler with enhanced control system architecture for precise wafer placement and reduced non-value-added time. The breakthrough in defectivity performance is achieved using High Conversion Efficiency (HCE) vaporizer technology.

In order to reduce the qualification time for TEOS applications, the new OHD profile package was developed to tune film thickness profiles to match chemical mechanical planarization requirements.

Compared to the competition, the advanced features on the VECTOR Extreme TEOS xT enable a 29 percent reduction in chemical costs and a 25 percent reduction in energy consumption.