SRII's two new ALD products meet the versatility and flexibility requirements of pan-semiconductor applications

SRII launches two new ALD products to meet the needs of versatility and flexibility in pan-semiconductor applications

The atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is considered to be an important driving force for the miniaturization of logic and storage semiconductor devices. Over the past 20 years, ALD processes and equipment have been widely used in mass production of logic and storage devices, continuously promoting improvements and innovations in the performance of devices such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), advanced fin field effect transistors (FinFETs), and gate-around transistors. As Moore's Law slows down, the ALD process has gradually penetrated into more application areas, such as the production of More-than-Moore (MtM) devices, and is driving improvements in new architectures, materials, and performance.

According to a report by Yole Développement, a research organization, the global wafer fab capacity expansion initiative is driving a surge in ALD equipment sales. It is expected that the market size of ALD equipment in More Than Moore applications will continue to grow in the next few years, with a compound annual growth rate of 12% from 2020 to 2026, and is expected to reach US$680 million in 2026.

Yole Développement's market forecast for ALD equipment

Keeping up with the market demand in 2022, SRII launches two new blockbuster products to expand its application layout

Committed to meeting the growing technological demands in the semiconductor manufacturing sector, the industry-leading ALD equipment manufacturer and service provider, Qingdao Sifang SRI Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as SRII), under the Beneq brand, has newly designed and launched two new products for semiconductor device manufacturing: Prodigy and Transform300.

Patrick Rabinzohn, head of semiconductor business for the Beneq brand under SRII, said: "As we enter 2022, more diverse and complex emerging semiconductor applications are emerging. Prodigy is designed for compound semiconductor manufacturing. MEMS manufacturers and foundries in related fields, including RF integrated circuits (GaAs/GaN/InP), LEDs, VCSELs, photodetectors, etc., will benefit from the new Prodigy series to achieve market-competitive ALD batch processing capabilities with high cost performance and effectively improve device performance and reliability. Transform300 continues to expand on the original advantages of the Transform series, further adapting to the ALD coating needs of 300mm wafer products, with excellent versatility and versatility. It is also FAB-READY and can be easily integrated into customers' production lines."

Prodigy provides competitive ALD solutions for compound semiconductors and MEMS devices

New Transform300 products further match emerging semiconductor applications

Prodigy sets a new benchmark for ALD mass production technology for compound semiconductor and MEMS devices, and can meet many market segments supported by high-end ALD technology. It is an ideal mass production solution for optimal passivation and thin film deposition for 8” and below wafers and multiple materials. Prodigy not only integrates SRII’s latest ALD technology, but also has high cost-effectiveness and easy batch processing to improve the performance of target products. It is suitable for 75-200mm wafer products.

It is worth mentioning that Transform300 is the only 300mm ALD cluster tool on the market that combines plasma-enhanced and thermal ALD ordered processes. So far, the Transform series can provide IDMs and foundries with a process platform that integrates single-chip, batch, plasma-enhanced and thermal processes, aiming to meet the application scenarios of logic and storage VLSI manufacturing, CMOS image sensors, power devices, Micro-OLED/LED, advanced packaging and more Beyond Moore's Law.

Strengthen in-depth industry cooperation and empower vertical industry innovation with advanced technologies

With the advent of the Internet of Everything, the importance of a wide range of sensor products has become increasingly prominent. Taking the CMOS sensor (CIS), a typical Beyond Moore's Law application, as an example, with the improvement of chip integration, the structure of CIS chips is also constantly innovating, such as packaging image sensors, memory and more logic elements in a stacked manner. In order to achieve better photosensitivity, a surface passivation layer is often required to reduce the loss of photons, or an anti-reflective coating is used to allow more photons to reach the receiver. In such a deep groove coating scenario, ALD can achieve 100% coverage, or use different coating materials, different coating layers, etc. to form different refractive indices and different stacked film ratios, so as to better meet the differentiated needs of customers.

Patrick Rabinzohn said: "High-quality, highly conformal and uniform thin films are areas where ALD excels and has become the mainstream of CIS applications. At the same time, in order to target more More Than Moore applications, ALD processes are also being developed and improved worldwide. SRII is an active participant in this global collaboration and is continuing to work closely with academia, research institutions, material suppliers, equipment subcomponents and tool suppliers, and metrology system suppliers. Upstream and downstream institutions/manufacturers work closely together to achieve mutual benefit and innovative development, thereby ensuring the leading position of its own ALD process."

At present, in the Chinese market, SRII has established a strategic partnership with the National Intelligent Sensor Innovation Center and major scientific research institutions and universities, focusing on joint research and development in important fields such as CIS and MEMS, and is committed to accelerating the implementation of industries in the More Than Moore field.