EV Group (EVG), a leading
supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology
and semiconductor markets, today announced that it has completed the installation
of two automated fusion bonding systems for 300-mm wafers at a leading semiconductor
foundry and at a major consumer electronics manufacturer. The GEMINI® FB
automated production fusion bonding systems will be employed for the production
of backside illuminated CMOS image sensors ranging from ultra-compact wafer-level
cameras for mobile phones to larger form factor high-end image sensors. These
fusion bonding systems were selected based on their ability to meet key customer
requirements for low cost of ownership (CoO), high throughput and high alignment
accuracy.
Paul Lindner, EVG's executive technology director, noted, "We are thrilled
to have received follow-up orders for our GEMINI FB fusion bonding system from
two very important customers, who are leading the charge in advanced, backside
illuminated CMOS image sensor development and manufacturing. EVG is the company
that pioneered optically aligned low-temperature fusion bonding, and these system
installations further cement our leadership position in the wafer-level camera
production equipment field."
EVG's GEMINI FB is a field-proven production fusion bonding system for automated
and integrated wafer loading, alignment, bonding and unloading of bonded wafers
up to 300 mm. The flexible cluster design of the GEMINI FB allows the integration
of pre-bonding process modules specific to fusion bonding such as cleaning,
low-temperature plasma activation modules, as well as an infrared inspection
module for post-bond inspection. At the heart of the GEMINI FB platform is EVG's
SmartView® technology--a proprietary, universal bond alignment system for
face-to-face, backside, infrared and transparent alignment of wafers up to 300
mm with different thicknesses and materials including non-IR-transparent substrates.
Offering unmatched, sub-micron alignment accuracy, SmartView is a key element
of the GEMINI FB for achieving the extreme accuracy requirements for multiple
wafer stacking for leading-edge 3D-integration applications.
Wafer Bonding Solutions for 3D Integration
With more than 100 automated wafer bonding systems installed worldwide, EVG's
GEMINI automated production bonding systems are designed for the lowest total
CoO and quickest return on investment. In addition to leading-edge products,
the company delivers superior process expertise through its state-of-the-art
application labs in Austria, the U.S. and Japan. EVG collaborates with its growing
global customer base in the wafer-level camera field from initial development
to final integration at the customers' manufacturing facility. In addition to
its dominant position in CMOS image sensor wafer processing equipment, EVG is
a leading solutions provider for complementary process steps for the fabrication
of micro lenses, thin-wafer handling and highly uniform coating of deep-etched
trenches.