Nano-Layer Deposition Tool and Processes Will Support Advanced Development for HB-LEDs at one of the world's foremost manufacturers.
Tegal Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of plasma etch and deposition systems used in the production of LEDs, integrated circuits, MEMS, and nanotechnology devices, today announced that it has signed a beta site agreement to place a Tegal Compact 360 NLD system in the central process development laboratory of one of the world's foremost LED manufacturers. The Tegal Compact 360 NLD tool will ship in summer 2008, and will be used for developing and qualifying conformal NLD passivation processes for HB-LED manufacturing.
The beta site agreement provides for Tegal and its NLD customer to continue their cooperation to develop and refine deposition processes for NLD thin films, to further optimize the electrical and physical properties of NLD thin films, and to confirm the applicability of NLD thin film deposition to HB-LED manufacturing. Additionally, Tegal and its customer will collect tool performance and reliability data from the Tegal Compact 360 NLD system as the Tegal NLD tool is exercised in production mode by the customer.
"We are proud to have been selected for this important development effort with the leading company in HB-LEDs," said Thomas Mika, President and CEO of Tegal. "We believe that our NLD technology has wide application in the fast-growing area of HB-LED manufacturing and are pleased to have this opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities in our first beta site for both NLD and the new Compact platform."
About The Tegal Compact 360 NLD (TM)
The Tegal Compact 360 NLD cluster tool is a 200mm/300mm-capable bridge tool supporting Tegal's patented Nano-Layer Deposition processes. NLD is a unique, cyclic, MOCVD process for highly conformal coatings that incorporates plasma film treatment with each deposition cycle.
Tegal's patented NLD processes offers all the benefits of atomic layer deposition, with the potential for a much higher deposition rate, and system throughput, than ALD. NLD also offers the benefit of utilizing common MOCVD precursor materials that are readily available for a wide variety of metal, metal oxide and metal nitride films. The Tegal Compact platform can accommodate all wafer sizes from 100 to 300mm in one, two or three process module configurations, with a wide variety of front-end\ loadlock options including FOUP and EFEM.
