18 February 2016

CORIAL unveils ICP etch platform for 6" patterned sapphire substrates

Plasma etch and deposition equipment maker CORIAL of Bernin, France has announced the general availability of an ICP (inductively coupled plasma) process for sapphire patterning on 6" wafers, to be used in high-volume LED production with the fully automated Corial PS200 single-module platform.

The patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) is the standard in the LED industry for fabricating brighter LEDs, says the firm. CORIAL says that, going back to 2009, it has been among the first companies to supply a stand-alone ICP system with etching processes dedicated to PSS applications. Since then, the firm has innovated to offer cost-effective solutions for LED production.

Based on a production-proven plasma technology, the CORIAL PS200 is a fully automated single-module platform combining high productivity on sapphire substrates with etching performance for PSS application.
Key features of the Corial PS200 platform are listed as follows:

• a high-density plasma source providing uniformity and process repeatability;
• single-wafer processing with Brooks elevator for front-end cassette in vacuum load-lock and Brooks robot in vacuum transfer chamber for fully automated wafer handling;
• production flexibility with extendable platform configuration (up to three process modules);
• soft mechanical clamping with helium backside cooling, maximizing etching uniformity; and
• in-situ plasma cleaning process for the highest process repeatability.

CORIAL says that its patterning process on 6" wafers has been tested and qualified by a major LED maker in Asia.

Typical results for PSS on 6" wafers are cited as follows: average STD (standard deviation) within wafer of less than 0.5; PSS height of 1800nm ± 40nm and PSS width of 2800nm ± 40nm; ≤ ±1.5% etching uniformity (conical shape); and throughput of ≥ 2.5 wafers per hour.

In close cooperation with customers, CORIAL's application engineers are developing recipes that best match the required specifications (PR types, PSS shapes etc), providing optimal edge-of-wafer results and maximizing the process uniformity and repeatability.

Tags: Plasma etch

Visit: www.corial.net