MINNEAPOLIS (May 16, 2007) -- FSI International, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSII) announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the company a patent for a method which produces ultra-uniform etch results in combination with a rinse/dry step in a single immersion tank for front-end-of-line (FEOL) critical cleans. This advancement is part of FSI’s SymFlow™ technology and is integrated with FSI’s exclusive surface tension gradient (STG®) rinse/dry process for use in the MAGELLAN® Immersion Cleaning System.
As devices shrink and IC manufacturers’ requirements become more stringent, this unrivaled method of etching and rinsing in a single immersion tank increases yield and lowers costs by eliminating wafer defects generated by air exposure between traditional etch and rinse tanks. This new technology allows customers to achieve industry-leading oxide etch uniformity in solutions such as dilute hydrofluoric (HF) acid and is currently being used in 65nm production and 45nm development.
“For years the IC industry has used different variations to merge thin etches with rinse steps into a single tank, but have had to sacrifice etch uniformity. FSI’s technology is a novel way to combine etch and rinse and still achieve excellent uniformity in a single immersion tank,” said Jeffery W. Butterbaugh, FSI’s chief technologist. “Development of the innovative SymFlow process highlights our commitment to ensuring that our customers have access to the most advanced cleaning and etching methods available today.”
The full name of FSI’s latest U.S. patent No. 7,156,927 is “Transition Flow Treatment Process and Apparatus.” FSI currently has more than 90 active U.S. patents in place with over 25 U.S. patents pending.
The MAGELLAN system is a 200/300mm bridge tool, designed to meet the challenges of advanced IC development and manufacturing through its unparalleled process performance and configurability. Contributing to its industry-leading capabilities are FSI’s proprietary STG rinse/dry, SymFlow etch and MegaLens™ megasonic particle removal technologies. The MAGELLAN system process is watermark-free on all surface types, and it delivers precise, ultra-uniform film etching, high-particle removal efficiencies and exceptional defect control. The MAGELLAN system selling price ranges from $2.0 to $4.0 million, depending on the number of modules and final configuration.
FSI International, Inc. is a global supplier of surface conditioning equipment technology and support services for microelectronics manufacturing. Using the Company’s broad portfolio of cleaning products, which include batch and single-wafer platforms for immersion, spray and CryoKinetic technologies, customers are able to achieve their process performance, flexibility and productivity goals. The Company’s support services programs provide product and process enhancements to extend the life of installed FSI equipment, enabling worldwide customers to realize a higher return on their capital investment. FSI maintains a web site at http://www.fsi-intl.com.