EV Group (EVG), a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, today announced that Austrian technology-research company NanoTecCenter Weiz Forschungsgesellschaft mbH (NTC Weiz) has purchased an EVG620 precision alignment system for installation in its new R&D facility focused on organic/plastic electronics. NTC Weiz will use the EVG620 system to align and expose coated organic substrates for advanced applications. This purchase, NTC Weiz's first from EV Group, gives EVG further access to the latest developments in the semiconductor and broader electronics markets while strengthening the company's ties with the European research community.
According to Professor Emil List, scientific managing director at NTC Weiz, "Our new R&D cleanroom will be focused on next-generation organic semiconductor technology-one of the fastest-growing areas of the electronics industry, and one with the greatest potential for yielding paradigm-shifting products. To ensure the highest-quality results, we need state-of-the-art equipment for this new line. Our competitive evaluation, together with EVG's reputation for innovative yet reliable systems and solutions, convinced us that they are the ideal partner for our latest research venture."
Its high throughput, tool flexibility and modular design have made the EVG620 one of EV Group's most popular mask aligners, with a significant number of installations at customer sites around the world. The precision alignment system also allows for imprint processes with stamps and substrates from small chip-size pieces to 6-inch (150 mm) wafers. EVG's proprietary chuck design, which supports both soft and hard stamps, provides uniform contact force for high-yield, large-area printing. Configurations for nanotechnology applications can include release mechanisms for stamps in addition to programmable high and low contact force as well as in-situ fine alignment.
"As a leading R&D organization chartered with driving research efforts in the nanotechnology arena, NTC Weiz is well positioned to utilize our EVG620 mask aligner to maximum benefit," said Alois Malzer, product manager for mask aligners at EVG. "The system's flexibility and extendibility enable its use for a variety of applications, and we look forward to playing an enabling role in NTC Weiz's organic semiconductor technology research and development efforts."