Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, CA) introduced its 300mm SlimCell electrochemical plating (ECP) system, likening its technology over that of standard ECP to that of single-wafer processing versus batch processing. Rather than employing a common chemical bath for multiple copper plating cells, SlimCell uses individual chemical baths for each small-volume plating cell.
The multi-step capability optimizes the gap-fill and planarization performance of the plating sequence, improving yield. The 300mm SlimCell tool will be extendable beyond the 65nm technology node. The new tool also features new post-plating technologies for integrated bevel clean, spin-rinse-dry and annealing steps that reduce defect levels, including backside contamination.
Commitments for the SlimCell system have been received from customers in the US, Europe, Japan and Taiwan. The SlimCell technology has been qualified for pilot 300mm production and is already being used for 90nm and 65nm process development.
