Dec 1 2008
Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) today announced that the company has begun accepting orders for the NS300+, TEL's new 300mm scrubber cleaning tool. Following the success of the NS300, the new system delivers higher productivity and improved process performance with bevel cleaning capability demonstrating TEL's ongoing commitment to the continuous development of surface preparation technology.
With the capability of both frontside and backside cleaning, the NS300+ doubles the throughput with an 8-chamber tool, while maintaining a footprint that is comparable to the previous 4-chamber model. Employing TEL’s market-leading coater/developer “LITHIUS Pro™” technology, the NS300+ offers a highly reliable wafer processing platform. TEL’s competitive offering provides low cost of ownership with high throughput, 42% less water consumption and a 51% reduction in electricity usage.
The NS300+ enables higher process yields with new technology designed to remove defects from the front side, back side and bevel of the wafer. With continued scaling of device geometries, bevel defects are increasingly identified as yield limiters when they are displaced from the bevel to the active area of the wafer. To address this issue, the proven atomized spray and brush technology from the previous system has been enhanced with a mechanical brush and chemical-assisted bevel cleaning.
"The introduction of the NS300+ addresses our customers' needs for yield improvement through defectivity control and cost of ownership. The high productivity platform is doubling throughput and introducing TEL cleaning technology to the bevel area of the wafer,” said Masaaki Hata, vice president and general manager, TEL SPS BU.