RASIRC Steamer Enables Production of Highly Uniform Thin Oxides
Standard deviation of 1.5% achieved with 87% faster growth rate than dry oxidation
San Diego, Calif. – March 13, 2012 – RASIRC®, the steam purification company, announced that uniform thin oxides can be grown using a new wet thermal oxidation process. The study, conducted by customer WRS Materials, compared growth rate and uniformity of 1000 angstrom oxide film produced by dry versus wet oxidation using a RASIRC Steamer. WRS Materials was able to obtain an 87% improvement in throughput while maintaining uniformity comparable with dry oxidation. RASIRC products deliver ultrapure water vapor for semiconductor, photovoltaics, nanotechnology and other manufacturing applications.
“Process throughput is critical to the profitability of commodity products,” said Jeffrey Spiegelman, RASIRC founder and president. “While 3,000 and 5,000 angstrom films are typically grown with steam, 1,000 angstrom processes typically use dry oxidation to achieve the desired uniformity. Cutting the process time for uniform 1,000 angstrom films by more than 87% will have an immediate effect on the bottom line.”
The tests involved a 400 mm furnace growing 1000 angstrom oxide films on 300 mm wafers. The RASIRC Steamer, which has closed loop flow control, was used to purify and deliver 50 liters of steam per minute. WRS found that the oxidation process step can be reduced from 100 minutes to 13 minutes while still meeting uniformity requirements.
“300 mm oxide wafers are needed by both OEMs for test and end users for products,” said Richard Mee, President and Chief Operating Officer. “Being able to provide quality product at higher annual volumes makes WRS a better and more valuable supplier to our customers.”
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