2000 Editors' Choice Best Product Awards

	At a Glance
The Editors' Choice Best Product Awards program, established in 1989, recognizes 20 products used in semiconductor and related manufacturing every year. All of this year's winners were nominated by users, and comments from users were used in the evaluations. This year's Grand Award winner is the Momentum chemical mechanical planarization system from SpeedFam-IPEC.

For the 12th year, Semiconductor International has chosen 20 products used in the semiconductor and related manufacturing industries to honor for their excellence. The 2000 Grand Award winner, chosen from among the 20, is the Momentum chemical mechanical planarization system from SpeedFam-IPEC (Chandler, Ariz.). The Editors' Choice Best Product Awards program was established in 1989 to recognize superior performance of equipment, materials, software and other products that advance wafer processing, chip assembly or packaging, or process testing capabilities; enhance semiconductor or related manufacturing; improve employee productivity or working conditions; or help a manufacturer to provide a safer workplace or to be more environmentally responsible.

The Editors' Choice program differs from other product awards in that products must be nominated by their users, not by the companies that make or sell them. All 20 products presented on the following pages were nominated by one or more knowledgeable users, and Semiconductor International's editors used extensive comments from users in choosing the winners. Eligible products must have been proven in a semiconductor or related manufacturing environment before July 2000.

The editorial staff of Semiconductor International congratulates all the winners of the 2000 Best Product Awards, presented here in alphabetical order by company. We also urge readers to have their products nominated in next year's competition, or to nominate a deserving product they may be using. Finding a group of deserving candidates for the Editors' Choice awards is a year-round effort. If you use equipment, materials, software or related products in manufacturing semiconductors, MEMS devices, flat-panel displays or related goods, and believe any of these products merits consideration for the 2001 Editors' Choice Best Products Awards, contact the magazine's editors for further information about the program and the deadline for nominations.

Applied Materials Applied Materials' Quantum LEAP Ion Implanter The Quantum LEAP Ion Implanter from Applied Materials (Santa Clara, Calif.) is designed for ultra shallow source/ drain, contact and extension implants, as well as gate doping and pre-amorphization implants. It has a broad energy range (200 eV to 80 keV), and depth control of ±1 Å for sub-keV implants. A wafer reorienter is an option for its tilt control capability, to allow implants at four different angles on the same wafer while maintaining a throughput of more than 120 wafers per hour for 200 mm wafers and more than 90 per hour for 300 mm wafers.

ASM   ASM's Epsilon E-2000 Epitaxial Reactor ASM (Bilthoven, Netherlands) has two winning products in this year's competition. The Epsilon E-2000 Epitaxial Reactor is used to grow doped and undoped silicon and polysilicon films in blanket layer applications as well as selective and second layer films on patterned wafers. The system has a high degree of control for film thickness, resistivity, slip and particulate generation. It is capable of both reduced pressure and atmospheric processing, and has been instrumental in the development of silicon germanium and poly-germanium processes. ASM's Pulsar 2000 Atomic Layer CVD Reactor The Pulsar 2000 Atomic Layer CVD Reactor is used in the development of deposition processes where films are grown one atomic layer at a time. Using steps that self-limit at one layer each, the system can deposit highly conformal and uniform films at low temperatures, with a very low occurrence of pinholes. It can be used for depositing insulating metal oxides, barrier layers or any other layer requiring atomic-layer thickness control.

BOC Edwards BOC Edwards' TCU 40/80 High Performance Temperature Control Unit The TCU 40/80 High Performance Temperature Control Unit from BOC Edwards (Wilmington, Mass.) provides temperature control of wafers during processes such as plasma etching. It can provide control to ±1°C in the -40 to +80°C range. Because it uses a perfluorinated coolant, it works in high magnetic and electric fields without any difficulties

Boxer Cross Boxer Cross' BX-10 Source/Drain and Ultra Shallow Junction Measurement System The BX-10 Source/ Drain and Ultra Shallow Junction Measurement System from Boxer Cross (Menlo Park, Calif.) uses a two-laser-beam technique called carrier illumination to characterize ultra shallow junctions. The system provides non-contact monitoring of junction depths and amorphous layer thickness in pre-amorphizing implant applications to angstrom-level accuracy, and dose level for low-dose applications to an accuracy of 1010 cm-2.

Cymer Cymer's ELS-6000 248 nm KrF Excimer Laser The ELS-6000 248 nm KrF Excimer Laser from Cymer (San Diego) is used in the world's most advanced production deep ultraviolet scanners and steppers. In addition to having well controlled bandwidth and dose stability, the laser can produce 2000 pulses per second, which reduces exposure time compared with 1000 Hz systems by 50%, and increases throughput by 35%.

The Dow Chemical Company The Dow Chemical Co.'s SiLK Semiconductor Dielectric Resin The SiLK Semiconductor Dielectric Resin from The Dow Chemical Company (Midland, Mich.) is a spin-on aromatic hydrocarbon polymer material for applications requiring a low-k dielectric. With a k value of 2.65, the material reduces capacitive coupling between on-chip interconnects. Different formulations of the material can be made for specific applications, including one for copper dual damascene structures that does not require an adhesion layer

Electro Scientific Industries Electro Scientific Industries' Model 9800 Laser Semiconductor Processing System The Model 9800 Laser Semiconductor Processing System from Electro Scientific Industries (Portland, Ore.) uses a 1.34 µm laser to open fuses in memory devices on 200 and 300 mm wafers. The system provides programmable pulse energy, pulse width and spot size capability, with accuracy better than 0.25 µm to optimize throughput while providing the optimum pulse characteristics for different memory devices.

ESEC   ESEC's 2008 Die Bonder The 2008 Die Bonder from ESEC (Cham, Switzerland) features a high-performance pick-and-place module, a force-controlled bond head and programmable dispenser. The bond head allows for low stress picking and handling of the die, making it suitable for demanding smart card applications using very thin die. The dispenser can provide any pattern required, and the entire system is easily configurable for any die bonding application.

FSI International FSI International's DIO3 Generation Module The DIO3 Generation Module from FSI International (Chaska, Minn.) provides ozonated water for the company's Zeta wafer cleaning tool. Since the ozonation is done at the point of use, and under pressure, ozone concentrations up to 120 ppm can be achieved. Ozonated water has been used for photoresist stripping, and is currently being evaluated for providing a more environmentally friendly method of cleaning wafers.

Kulicke & Soffa Kulicke & Soffa Industries' Model 7700twin Wafer Dicing System The Model 7700twin Wafer Dicing System from Kulicke & Soffa Industries (Willow Grove, Pa.) has a face-to-face twin spindle design that minimizes overtravel, providing higher throughput than conventional single and dual spindle dicing saws. Its blade load monitoring system provides real-time insight into the blade-wafer interaction, allowing the detection of cut quality deviations. Combined with its high degree of coolant flow control, the monitoring system can provide an early warning of potential reject in addition to making the process stable.

March Instruments March Instruments' ITRAK In-Line Plasma System The ITRAK In-Line Plasma System from March Instruments (Concord, Calif.) cleans organic package substrates to improve die bonding, wire bonding and molding processes. Its in-line capability provides improved work in process flow and it allows the next step to be performed shortly after the cleaning step. Its design allows a throughput of over one strip per minute, allowing one machine to provide cleaning for several machines at the next step.

Pacific Scientific Instruments Pacific Scientific Instruments-Met One's R8801 Remote Airborne Particle Counter The R8801 Remote Airborne Particle Counter from Pacific Scientific Instruments-Met One (Grants Pass, Ore.) uses a diode-pumped solid-state laser to detect particles down to 0.10 µm at flow rates of 0.10 cfm. The low power it uses - 2 to 5 V compared with 1.5 kV for HeNe lasers - minimizes any potential interference with production tools. Its remote sensor design allows air quality to be monitored in real time where it is needed, without interfering with the production process.

Sagitta Sagitta's NEXT-1 Automatic Cross-Sectioning Polisher The NEXT-1 Automatic Cross-Sectioning Polisher from Sagitta (Ramat Gan, Israel) provides submicron polishing capability for the preparation of SEM, TEM and other samples for failure analysis. It provides 0.1 µm accuracy in a preparation process that takes only 30 minutes, even in applications such as cross-sectioning plugs and other interconnect structures.

SemiTest SemiTest's Epimet Model 2 Non-Contact Epi Resistivity Monitor The Epimet Model 2 Non-Contact Epi Resistivity Monitor from SemiTest (Billerica, Mass.) performs non-destructive monitoring of epitaxial layer resistivity and dopant profiles. It can measure both n- and p-type silicon with the same simple process that provides 1% repeatability.

Speedline Technologies Speedline Technologies' Camalot 5700 Dispensing System The Camalot 5700 Dispensing System from Speedline Technologies (Franklin, Mass.) provides continuous dispensing capability for underfill and encapsulation applications. It has automated weight and volumetric control capability and non-contact z-axis sensing for highly accurate and fully automated dispensing.

Grand Award Winner SpeedFam-IPEC SpeedFam-IPEC's Momentum Chemical Mechanical Planarization System The Momentum chemical mechanical planarization system, this year's Grand Award winner from SpeedFam-IPEC (Chandler, Ariz.), provides flexible dry-in, dry-out capability. In addition to cleaning capability, advanced metrology and automation, it has four independent platens, allowing it to simultaneously perform process development and production operation. It supports seamless migration from one process to another.