Applied Materials,
Inc., the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology™ solutions
with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products
for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel displays, solar photovoltaic
cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass, today introduced its
Applied Charger™ UBM PVD system that defines a new standard in metal deposition
productivity and reliability for chip packaging. Specifically designed for under-bump
metallization (UBM), redistribution layer and CMOS image sensor applications,
the Charger system’s new linear architecture more than doubles the wafer
output of competing systems to deliver the highest productivity available. In
addition, proprietary Isani™ wafer treatment technology allows the Charger
UBM system to process ten times more wafers between servicing to enable best-of-breed
uptime performance and the lowest available per-wafer cost.
The Applied Charger system's new linear architecture more than doubles the wafer output of competing systems to deliver the highest productivity available. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Packaging facilities need a fast, dependable metallization workhorse
to maximize wafer output and minimize the system redundancy burden imposed by
slower, less reliable alternatives,” said Steve Ghanayem, vice president
and general manager of Applied Materials’ Metal Deposition and Front End
Products Business Unit. “By blending our proven PVD* process technology
with packaging-specific innovations, we’ve created a highly productive,
cost-efficient solution that is already churning out wafers in high volume production
at multiple customers around the world.”
Key to the Charger platform’s high productivity is its streamlined modular
architecture that easily expands from three to five processing stations to sequentially
deposit multiple thin films while keeping the wafer in an ultra-clean, ultra-high
vacuum environment. Incoming wafers are conditioned using novel Isani wafer
treatment technology that ensures a low-resistance, low-contaminant interface
between the incoming device and the metal films to be deposited while also delivering
excellent defect performance and greatly extended maintenance intervals. Applied’s
superior PVD reactor technology can tailor the properties of each film layer
for optimum device performance while the flexible architecture enables extendibility
to emerging three-dimensional interconnect and packaging technologies.
The Charger UBM system builds on Applied’s two decades of leadership
in PVD metallization technology. Applied’s PVD systems are used by virtually
all advanced manufacturers around the globe for fabricating chips. For more
information, visit www.appliedmaterials.com/products/charger_4.html.
* PVD = physical vapor deposition