12 July 2011

ASM ships 500th ALD reactor

Equipment and materials maker ASM International N.V. of Almere, The Netherlands says that it has shipped more than 500 atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactors for use in semiconductor manufacturing to date. The firm now has ALD reactors in high-volume manufacturing at a majority of advanced logic and memory fabs worldwide. This includes plasma-enhanced ALD which provides advantages for certain applications, such as very low temperature processing.

ASM claims to deliver the industry’s broadest portfolio of ALD configurations and applications and to be the only supplier in the market shipping both single-wafer and batch ALD tools. The firm’s plasma and thermal ALD systems are used in high-volume manufacturing for a wide range of applications, including high-k and metals for advanced transistor gates, capacitor dielectrics and electrodes, and spacers for double patterning. 

Recognizing the value and importance of ALD to the future of semiconductor manufacturing, ASM has established ALD centers of excellence in Europe, USA and Asia for material and precursor research, product development and process integration. The firm reckons that these in-house R&D program investments have uniquely positioned it to bring ALD (thermal and plasma) to high-volume manufacturing and to enable customers to achieve the performance required for the most advanced semiconductor devices. 

Tags: ASM ALD

Visit: www.asm.com