IMPROVING SEMICONDUCTOR PERFORMANCE

Transcription

1 Voltaix Newsl etter Voltaix Newsletter IMPROVING SEMICONDUCTOR PERFORMANCE Voltaix, Inc. Announces Trademarks; redefines its Business Strategy Voltaix - This trademark has a long history of extensive and widespread use in identifying the unique products of Voltaix, Inc.; - The corporate logo trademark has been used on correspondence, products, trade show graphics and various busi- Inside this issue: Page Two Customer Focus Page Three IMPROVING SEMICONDUCTOR PERFORMANCE - This trademark is an encapsulation of the company s mission. Voltaix, Inc. Appointed as a Certified Manufacturer of Silcore by ASM International, N.V. Silcore is a key component of the ASM New Technology that provides superior deposition techniques for numerous semiconductor manufacturing processes. Silcore enables higher wafer throughput, a broad deposition temperature range, control of layer composition, greater uniformity of layers and the deposition of very thin, smooth films. Details on page four Voltaix Inc. is committed to solutions for the next generation of semiconductor devices through the development and manufacture of advanced deposition materials. Production of the Silcore molecule for the ASM New Technology along with other advanced materials provides end users immediate solutions for leading edge technologies. Matthew D. Stephens, Ph.D. Appointed Chief Operating Officer Details on page five Voltaix Top Management Page Four Voltaix Announces Trademarks Page Five Silcore Technical Information Page Six CVD Solutions Page Seven Challenges and Solutions for GeH 4 Packaging In his new position, Dr. Stephens will be responsible for the planning and implementation of Voltaix strategic objectives. His combination of industry experience, management competence, and technical insight will enhance Voltaix s ability to continue improving our world-class manufacturing, product development, and technical support capabilities. Details on page three 197 Meister Ave. N. Branch, NJ 08876, USA Tel: (908) Fax: (908) info@voltaix.com

2 Voltaix Newsletter Customer Focus Initiative and Innovation Initiative and innovation provide the foundation for the success of Voltaix. The effectiveness of the Voltaix Quality Policy, which requires teamwork and personal responsibility, is derived from the initiative of our dedicated and experienced sales, manufacturing, research and administrative personnel. Voltaix, Inc. Quality Policy: Understand our customers requirements; Safely make and deliver products that meet them; And improve. By manufacturing a set of unique gases for use as CVD precursors and continuously upgrading these gases by developing and applying novel gas purification technologies, Voltaix distinguishes itself from other gas suppliers. This base in chemical manufacturing and gas purification technology is the result of a management philosophy geared to innovation. Equally critical is a commitment to customer service as exemplified by our ability and willingness to customize gas packaging to provide each customer with the desired product quantity, mix concentration, cylinder pressure and cylinder hardware. Voltaix, Inc. received ISO certification in The scope of certification is the development and manufacturing of electronic chemicals and gases for the photovoltaics, photonics, and semiconductor industries. Jeff Marshall Inside Sales Manager Jeff received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Years of experience in the gas industry, combined with his technical knowledge, make him a valued asset to the Voltaix sales and customer communication team and to the Voltaix customer community. Page two

3 Voltaix, Inc. Top Management Voltaix Newsletter John P. de Neufville, Ph.D. President John received a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Yale in 1961 and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard in He was a predoctoral fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington s Geophysical Laboratory in In 1986, he founded Voltaix, Inc., and has served as the President and Chief Scientist. John is the author or co-author of more than 35 papers and the coinventor of eight U.S. patents. Voltaix provides: World-Class manufacturing, product development, and technical support capabilities. Matthew D. Stephens, Ph.D. Chief Operating Officer Matt holds a Ph.D. In Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wabash College. He joined Voltaix, Inc. after completing MBA studies at INSEAD, one of the leading international business programs. In his new position at Voltaix, Matt will be responsible for the planning and implementation of strategic objectives, including business development, and operations improvement. Michael A. Pikulin, P.E. Sr. Vice President, Sales & Operations Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New Jersey. He is the recipient of several awards including the American Chemical Society s Hero of Chemistry 1997 and the Thomas A. Edison Patent Award 1993, and has been awarded eighteen U.S. patents. Page three

4 Voltaix Newsletter Voltaix, Inc. New Trademarks Voltaix, Inc. has submitted federal filings for three trademarks Voltaix - This trademark has a long history of extensive and widespread use in identifying the unique products of Voltaix, Inc.; Voltaix mission: IMPROVING SEMICONDUCTOR PERFORMANCE - The corporate logo trademark has been used on correspondence, products, trade show graphics and various business forms since the founding of the company in 1986; and IMPROVING SEMICONDUCTOR PERFORMANCE - This trademark is an encapsulation of the company s mission. Looking to the future, we see a need to go beyond our present business model Market to end-users; sell through distributors and become more directly involved with the end-user community, commented John P. de Neufville, Ph.D., President and founder of Voltaix, Inc. Improving Semiconductor Performance encapsulates the mission of Voltaix. As far as the company logo is concerned, we are sentimental about its history. It was created by Lou Orcini, a little-known retired illustrator from Life magazine who knocked on our door during the summer of 1986 when the company was in its infancy. He was a true graphic artist and created our first ads, business cards, stationery and the company logo. We have used them ever since and want to acknowledge Lou s contributions to the company. Voltaix is recognized worldwide for manufacturing high purity specialty gases and chemicals for emerging applications primarily related to electronic and photonic devices. Voltaix gas products, chemicals and gas mixtures are used in ion implantation and chemical vapor deposition for depositing and/or doping various crystalline, polycrystalline, microcrystalline and amorphous semiconducting and dielectric films in advanced semiconductor and photonics devices. Its products include, germane, diborane, silane, disilane, silicon tetrafluoride, boron trifluoride and trimethylboron. Liquid nitrogen tank outside the Voltaix, Inc. plant, located in North Branch, New Jersey Page four

5 SILCORE (is a registered trademark of ASM International, N. V.) Voltaix Newsletter Silcore, a flammable, toxic, colorless, non-corrosive, pyrophoric liquid, is used for deposition of polysilicon and silicon-based alloys. It is normally shipped as a liquid, with an inert pad of about 5 psig. Silcore offers an unprecedented ease in control of SiGe or SiGe:C layer composition, greater uniformity of Si, SiGe and SiN layers and deposition of very thin, smooth films on all surfaces of importance in device manufacturing. These properties make it a genuine breakthrough in our industry. Key Features: Deposition rates of up to 10x present levels, which means dramatically higher throughputs vol. % min. (excluding other silanes) Paradigm shift in uniformity, which means higher yields Gas Phase Impurity Maximum Concentration Gas Phase Impurity Maximum Concentration Ar + O 2 + N 2 3 ppmv Siloxanes 5 ppmv CO 2 2 ppmv Si 2 H 6 Report Analysis CH 4 2 ppmv Higher Silanes Report Analysis SiH ppmv Technical Information Major Hazard Pyrophoric Boiling Point at 1 atm 52.9 C Reduction in surface roughness by a factor of 3 Low temperature deposition down to 450 C, which means extendibility to future device generations with low thermal budgets Molecular Weight Vapor Pressure Specific Volume at 24 C 1.38 cc/g Critical Temperature 224 torr at 20 C 231 C (est.) Some Silcore processes are viable down to the 35 nm range Silcore can be provided in high integrity, high purity Epichem bubblers, which meet the most stringent demands of the semiconductor industry. Epichem bubblers also meet all appropriate international safety and industry standards. SiN and all amorphous, poly and epitaxial Si (and Ge) based processes Other types and sizes of cylinders are available. Please inquire. Page five

6 Voltaix Newsletter CVD Solutions CVD Solutions are Elemental at Si Ge B C F Voltaix is recognized as a leader in the manufacture of CVD precursors for advanced Silicon-based semiconductors Low k SiF 4 Photonics SiH 4 SiH(CH 3 ) 3 SiF 4 BF 3 SiH 3 CH 3 SiH(CH 3 ) 3 SiF 4 GeF 4 GeH 4 BF 3 SiF 4 GeF 4 TFT/PV Si 2 H 6 GeH 4 B(CH 3 ) 3 B 2 H 6 B(CH 3 ) 3 SiH 3 CH 3 SiF 4 GeF 4 Si-Ge-C Si 2 H 6 GeH 4 Ge 2 H 6 B 2 H 6 SiH 3 CH 3 Voltaix, Inc. is recognized as a leader in the manufacture of CVD precursors for advanced Silicon-based semiconductors. Voltaix capacity for 5.0 grade Silicon Tetrafluoride is 60 MT/Y, supporting the growth of FSG requirements for photonics and high-speed chips. Germane, primarily used in the production of thin-film photovoltaic devices, also enables the use of silicon chips for high frequency applications. Growth in both applications has prompted Voltaix to build a second germane production facility that will double its existing capacity. Monomethylsilane and Trimethylsilane are increasingly used as CVD precursors for alloys and oxides such as Si-Ge-C and carbon-doped silica, and Voltaix capacity for these liquefied gases has kept pace with this growth. Trimethylboron is used in combination with silane for the simultaneous deposition of carbon, to alloy, and boron, to dope, amorphous and microcrystalline silicon. Manufactured Products Grade Grade GeH 4 Germane 5.0 B(CH 3 ) 3 Trimethylboron 2.5 Ge 2 H 6 Digermane 5.0 SiF 4 Silicon Tetrafluoride 4.0, 5.0 BF 3 Boron Trifluoride 4.5 SiH 3 CH 3 Monomethylsilane 4.0 Page six B 2 H 6 Diborane 4.0 SiH(CH 3 ) 3 Trimethylsilane 4.0

7 Challenges and solutions for germane (GeH4) packaging Voltaix Newsletter The following is an abstract from an article published in the June 2003 edition of Solid State Technology, written by Josep Arnó, Steve Griffing, Edward Sturm, AI, and Michael A. Pikulin, Voltaix, Inc. The full article can be found on our website at under Applications/Si- Ge-C. If you have any questions, please send your to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The experimental studies reported in the article were conducted by Dr. Leisl Dukhedin- Lalla and Mr. German Shekk, and the article is based on a report of those studies written by Dr. Dukhedin-Lalla. Dr. John de Neufville provided useful editorial suggestions. This work was jointly supported by AI and Voltaix, Inc. OVERVIEW Germane gas is increasingly called for as a deposition reactant in wafer processing applications needing silicon germanium layers. Because this gas is a flammable, toxic, colorless gas reactive with oxidizers and halogens, its use in wafer fabs demands packaging that can ensure safe and environmentally friendly handling. Specific tests have analyzed these issues, particularly any potential for deflagration, when germane is packaged in a subatmospheric delivery system. Significant improvement in storage of germane ABSTRACT The next generation of semiconductors for high-speed optical networking and low-cost lightweight personal communication devices relies on the use of alloys of silicon and germanium. Germane gas (GeH 4 ) is the precursor material used to generate SiGe thin films via chemical vapor deposition or epitaxial growth. Germane, while not pyrophoric, is a flammable, toxic, colorless gas reactive with oxidizers and halogens. While the Deflagration results of pure germane at 650 torr introduction of small amounts of air will form explosive mixtures, air or oxygen is not necessary for the deflagration of germane. Germane is typically packaged neat or diluted in high-pressure cylinders. Sub-atmospheric delivery gases for CVD applications (such as SAGE PH 3 ) have demonstrated significant safety and handling advantages. These cylinders are filled with a porous media that reduces the SAGE is a patented technology and registered trademark of AI Continued on page eight Page seven

8 Voltaix Newsletter Challenges and solutions for germane packaging (continued) (Continued from page seven) Using SAGE increases cylinder loading up to 4 times compared to conventional packages kinetic energy of gases through an adsorption process. As a result, the pressure inside the cylinder remains below one atmosphere minimizing the risks associated with accidental release. In this paper, a study designed to validate additional safety advantages of packaging germane in a SAGE package is described. In particular, deflagration was induced via an internal ignition source in vessels filled with gaseous and adsorbed germane. Pressure, temperature, and gas analysis data validated the expected deflagration of the vapor phase germane while germane molecules adsorbed onto Deflagration results of pure germane on a 90% adsorbent fill-in insert the porous media were unaffected. The resultant pressure rise was negligible due to the very small fraction of unadsorbed germane molecules in the vessel headspace. Special Note to our Customers For comments, suggestions, information, or just to let us know how we re doing, please contact: Justine Falk at ext. 11, j falk@voltaix.com, or Jeff Marshall at ext. 23, jmarshall@voltaix.com. Please remember to visit our website at Our website includes ordering information, purity specifications, material safety data sheets, company news and industry events and links to information on product applications. IMPROVING SEMICONDUCTOR Three wafers prepared for expitaxy. Contact us to learn how Voltaix products, such as Silcore, improve device performance and process efficiency in chemical vapor deposition processes. (Silcore a registered trademark of ASM Page eight