Semiconductor Market - BOC Edwards Integrated Solutions

Overview

One of the effects of the protracted downturn in semiconductor markets has been an increasing focus by manufacturers on added value and greater efficiencies. To meet and anticipate these needs, BOC Edwards has developed a range of integrated solutions for end users and OEMs. All have one factor in common: leveraging our expertise to improve our customers' productivity and competitive edge.

There are subsystems - and there are subsystems. At one end of the spectrum is the low value-added product, generally a subcontract assembly of disparate parts packaged as a unit. At the other end is the complex integrated solution where the supplier provides not only the engineering and assembly but - much more importantly - the know-how, the intellectual property and the R&D. This is the end of the market where BOC Edwards is positioned.

Our definition of a subsystem is a turnkey product that has been designed for a particular tool or process, combines two or more distinct technologies and actively affects the processing and handling of substrates.

A good example is the Zenith range, which adds value by integrating and building on our expertise in vacuum and abatement. Our field-proven silicon process models have been well received by European and Japanese customers, and we have now extended our thinking to compound semiconductors with the Zenith III-V.

In chemical management we already produce subsystems for wet processes, and the acquisitions last year of Hydromatix and Semco marked a step change in our capability, opening up the opportunity to develop on-tool and basement subsystems and provide a comprehensive offering for all wet processes including etch, polishing, plating and cleaning.

Another key acquisition, the Seiko Seiki turbomolecular pump business, allows us to develop additional technologies in the high vacuum on-tool area. One promising line of development is the new Chamber Pressure Control (CPC) system for metal etch applications, which combines high vacuum and innovative valve control technology .

Into the future

All these examples of subsystems are here today. However, next-generation technologies are very much part of the BOC Edwards business, and we are investing in a number of key initiatives which anticipate market needs several years down the line.

Lithography is one area where our expertise can produce significant benefits for customers. The progression towards next generation tools - moving from ambient processing environments to ultra pure gas purges for 193nm and 157nm wavelengths, and ultimately to vacuum environments for EPL & EUV - has provided an opportunity for BOC Edwards to develop fully integrated subsystems.

Among the initiatives our Lithography Subsystems Group is working on are ultra high purity (UHP) purge gas delivery subsystems for 157nm, and the process enabling subsystems for xenon-based extreme ultraviolet light sources which require high vacuum, cryogenics and UHP gas technologies.

Wafer cleaning will also prove to be a critical area for manufacturers as feature sizes shrink further and geometries go below 65nm.

Supercritical CO₂ is seen by many industry experts as the answer to the limitations of aqueous chemistries. Its high density provides good mass transfer, its low viscosity allows penetration of small features, its low surface tension is ideal for wetting materials and it is an environmentally-friendly, dry process. Applications include drying, deposition, MEMS and cleaning.

BOC Edwards has unrivalled expertise in CO₂ processing embodied in the introduction of the SpectraSkid^TM on-site bulk CO₂ purification unit and the DFP (Dense Fluid Processor). Proven through our technology partnership with Micell Integrated Systems, these products are the basis for integrated and cost-effective subsystems to enable robust process technology.

As manufacturers increasingly rely on outsourcing partnerships to lower the cost of doing business, BOC Edwards is ideally positioned to provide subsystems that encapsulate the best in technology, know-how and global capability.