Noel Technologies

Provider of Advanced Lithography and Semiconductor Thin Film Services

Noel Technologies

Keith Best – Biography

Over the last 27 years, Keith Best has held a variety of semiconductor processing and applications positions for both device manufacturing and capital equipment companies, of which 11 years were with ASML Special Applications. Keith specializes in Photolithography and Process integration for the “more than Moore” application markets. He is currently the Director of Photolithography at Noel Technologies. Keith holds a B.Sc. Honors Degree in Materials Science from the University of Greenwich, UK. He has numerous publications and holds 16 US patents in the areas of Photolithography and Process integration.

Abstract

Over the past few years there has been a paradigm shift in the nature of manufacturing in Silicon Valley. What was once a manufacturing hub, is now a center for research and development. In this new era, many of the local Semiconductor manufacturing companies have adapted their approach to focus on the “More than Moore” Application markets and providing wafer processing services to generate additional revenue. These new “specialty” foundries are agile and capable of supplying high quality devices and wafer processing services. This, coupled with the wealth of engineering experience, can readily supply solutions to enable new technologies. This talk provides an insight into how these specialty foundries operate and examples of unique problems they can solve to help R&D centers progress to volume manufacturing and bridge the so called “valley of death”.

Noel Technologies

Specialty foundries Enabling the transition from lab to fab

Outline

• Brief History • Markets • Applications • Processing Challenges • The “Valley of Death” • Specialty Foundries • Enabling Technologies • Conclusions

History

Pioneering ------------------------> Fairchild 8 ---------> “Fair Children” & Moore’s Law

Shockley Labs 1956 Mountain View, CA

“Traitorous 8” 1957 - Fairchild

Intel

Noel Technologies

Silicon Valley – From Fruit to Gold

New Era – Silicon Valley

Fruit again?

The original Shockley building at 391 San Antonio Road, Mountain View, California, was a produce market in 2006

Life beyond Fruit

• The Silicon Valley landscape has changed dramatically, we are now returning to our R &D roots • Valley jobs are not in high volume manufacturing, they are in High technology innovation, application focused • The Valley’s engineering talent is adapting to this new environment, where market forces are shaping the future beyond Silicon ICs

Markets

“More than Moore” Applications

Solar

Lab on a Chip

Micro mirror arrays

Thin Film Heads HDD

Flexible electronics Optoacoustic Microphones

MEMS - Gyroscopes

LEDs

Material Handling Challenges

Small Pieces Perforated wafers Flexible thin substrates

Small substrates e.g. InP Transparent substrates Curved Surfaces

Processing Challenges

Cantilevers “T” Gates Waveguides

Photonic Crystals Lithography in 3D Nanotubes

Valley of Death

Power Solar Analog

RF LEDs

Photonics

Bio Chips

Passives

MEMS

Collaborative Zone

Collaborative Zone

What are Specialty Foundries?

Facilities that provide wafer processing services; from single steps, to complete product build, basically 3 types:

• Integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) who open up part of their fab for “more than Moore” activity • Researchers who work within the University network – R&D • Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) utilize in house processes and “ad hoc” networks: Universities and other SMEs to produce new products e.g. Noel Technologies

What are Specialty Foundries?

Provide customized processing services to researchers and industry:

• Significantly less material restrictions than CMOS facilities • Thin and Thick substrates • Transparent and perforated substrates • Double side processing • Substrate dimension requirements – pieces to 300mm, later 450mm

Model Cost Time to Market

IP Ownership Collaboration

IDMs Low Intermediate Negotiated Yes

University Labs Low Proof of concept

Typically shared

Research driven

SMEs (Noel Technologies)

Low Fast “Your IP is your IP”

Yes

Captive Foundry

High Fast, restricted to mainstream

Company Selective

Specialty Foundry Models

• California Universities have been increasing their capabilities • R & D efforts are utilizing equipment built for manufacturing • UCSB, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford (SNF) have opened their doors to industry to provide access to researchers • Industrial researchers can develop next technology node prototype devices prior to ramping up • In some cases, Universities have more equipment capabilities than industry, however, collaboration is key to success

University Labs

• From Lab tools to Fab tools - UCSB

ASML 5500/300 DUV Resolution 0.15um

University Labs

• From Lab tools to Fab tools - UCLA

SVG 88 Series wafer track UCLA

Headway Spinner - UCLA

University Labs

• From Lab tools to Fab tools - UCLA

University Labs

ASML 5500/200 i-line Resolution 0.35um

Automated CD SEM

Enabling Technologies

To address material handling challenges, Noel Technologies co-developed a unique Mobile Electrostatic Carrier (MESC) with Beam Services Inc.

Lithography Carriers

Existing Temporary Bonding Solutions

Existing Temporary Bonding Lithography Solutions

2” wafer mounted on 4” Silicon carrier with H20 droplets

Dump rinse removal Method – Capillary action

Hot Plate removal – Steam method

Enabling Technologies Beam Services MESC

• Low voltage, High Performance: 200+ hrs 400V charge • Electrostatic force holds substrate in position on carrier

Design requirement - ASML

• Handling – Must be able to cycle through system without hang ups • Functionality - Must bond to target substrate firmly and cycle through system without sliding on carrier • Flatness: <2um TTV • Mechanical reproducibility: Substrate placement must be repeatable, within the capture range of the alignment system

Lithography Carriers

Testing Results

• 4” and 8” quartz mobile carriers were successfully used on ASML systems at Stanford University & SVTC • Completed multiple cycles validating handling compliance with scanners and steppers • 6” and 8” mobile carriers successfully used on ASML, Canon, Nikon and GCA systems

Conclusions

• A new era, beyond fruit, requires the same pioneering attitude as the “Fairchild 8” – go where no one has gone before • Crossing the “Valley of Death” - Collaboration between SMEs and the University network provides a cost effective bridge from “lab to fab” • New enabling technologies are providing pioneers with the tools they need to develop new products

• UC Berkeley, Marvell, Nanolab - http://nanolab.berkeley.edu • UC Santa Barbara - http://www.nanotech.ucsb.edu • Stanford Nanofab (SNF) - http://snf.stanford.edu • UC Los Angeles - http://www.isnc.cnsi.ucla.edu • Beam Services Inc. http://www.beamservices.com • Steve Kent – Noel Technologies

Acknowledgements

Noel Technologies, Inc. is a Silicon Valley based specialty foundry focused on process development, optimization, quality and delivery. An ISO 9001 registered facility, Noel Technologies offers process development and fabrication from 50mm up to 300mm

Specialty Foundry