Mar 26 2009
Surface Technology Systems plc (STS), a leader in plasma process technologies for manufacturing MEMS and advanced semiconductor devices, today announced that they have installed a CPX cluster tool at MiPlaza in Eindhoven. The CPX tool has multiple process chambers capable of etching a wide range of materials including silicon, dielectrics, metals and polymers. STS and MiPlaza have also agreed to cooperate together on further process development on the equipment installed.
MiPlaza (Microsystems Plaza) is part of Philips Research and offers world-class expertise, service and infrastructure to external companies and research institutes, enabling these organizations to accelerate their own innovation programs. The MiPlaza facilities are located at the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in one of the most innovative regions in Europe. The site offers world-class research facilities, services and expertise to facilitate innovation and create a value network for high tech organizations in the domains of microsystems, nanotechnology, life sciences and electronic systems.
"Because MiPlaza is a shared facility, our processing equipment has to be versatile enough to support a wide range of applications," said Frank Dirne, Head of MiPlaza's Thin Film Facilities. "At the same time, it has to satisfy highly demanding specifications. We need flexibility in the field of standard etching of oxides and nitrides, deep Si etching and etching of a whole variety of metals, all with feature dimensions of excellent quality. We believe that our new STS CPX system can fulfill these roles, as well as provide the predictive capabilities needed to accelerate technology innovation."
Eizo Yasui, CEO of STS replied, "Winning this order at a leading European
facility, with exposure to a large number of users, was important for us. We are confident our CPX provides the ideal combination of flexibility and market-leading process capabilities on a production-proven system, to enable MiPlaza and their clients to transfer their own innovations into new business successes."