YIELD Engineering Systems Inc.

Whether you need a moisture resistant barrier or a reactive surface for your application, the YES-LabKote is especially suited for achieving uniform results. This compact, tabletop unit is ideal for Research & Development laboratories and pilot line production.
There is a growing need for precise control over nanoscale surface areas. The YES-LabKote is designed to accommodate a variety of functionally diverse silanes for a variety of processes on a multitude of surfaces. The system can accommodate the use of silanes ranging from non-reactive adhesion promoting coatings such as HMDS to alkyl silanes such as OTS to more reactive chemistries such as amines, acrylates or epoxies. For anti-stiction applications, fluorinated silanes can be used.
The efficient use of chemical allows coatings using as little as 100µL of chemical. At the same time, the 8"x8"x6" chamber can accommodate several hundred glass slides or oddly shaped substrates in a pre-production mode. For higher volume production, a developed process can be directly transferred to the YES-1224P system.
The linked recipes allow the user to easily go from hydration to deposition without breaking vacuum. The linking also allows for sequential deposition, reacting one silane with another or passivating the chemistry at the end of the deposition with a reducing plasma to ensure a known surface.

  YES LabKote chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system

Dehydration followed by silane vapor deposition coating provides a superior silane/substrate bond that is stable after exposure to atmospheric moisture, extending the time available between process steps. The silane vapor deposition process begins with vacuum chamber cycle purges to prepare the substrates. The chamber is evacuated to low pressure and refilled with pure nitrogen several times to completely remove water vapor and oxygen. Nitrogen is preheated which helps heat slides and chips. Once cycle purges are finished the YES-LabKote system pumps the chemical directly from the source bottle to the heated vaporization chamber – without exposing the chemical to moisture or oxygen.

Successful surface modification requires stringent control of the interaction between the silane and substrates they contact. Using the YES-LabKote system you will achieve your specific results – with less chemical usage.

YES vapor deposition systems provide total environmental control over the deposition process and accommodate a variety of functionally diverse silanes, for a variety of processes, on a variety of surfaces.

    YES 1224P chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system

Dehydration followed by silane vapor deposition coating provides a superior silane/substrate bond that is stable after exposure to atmospheric moisture, extending the time available between process steps. Chemical usage for a vapor deposition process is typically less than 1% of the amount needed for wet application processes, significantly reducing waste and chemical costs.
The vapor deposition process begins with vacuum chamber cycle purges to dehydrate the product. The chamber is evacuated to low pressure and refilled with pure nitrogen several times to completely remove water vapor. Nitrogen is preheated, which helps heat the product.
Once cycle purges are finished, the YES-1224P system pumps the chemical directly from the source bottle to the heated vaporization chamber without exposing the chemical to moisture.
YES-1224P accommodates two chemical source bottles (option for 3) as well as wide variations of vapor pressures among different silanes. Processes are easily programmed using a touch screen operator interface.

Plasma cleaning prior to silane deposition improves repeatability. Plasma cleaning the process chamber before each run ensures all runs start from the same point. Additionally, plasma prepares the substrate for deposition. interface.

WAFER DEHYDRATION 

The moisture on the surface of wafers will cause unintended reactions with various deposition steps. These reactions result in unstable surface which degrade over time. Vacuum dehydration provides a clean stable starting surface resulting in superior films.

SURFACE TENSION MODIFICATION 

As devices are made smaller and smaller, static friction (stiction) becomes more and more significant. By modifying the surface tension with a class of fluorinated silanes, the operating life of moving parts in MEMS devices can be significantly lengthened. Conversely, if surfaces need to be bonded together, other silanes can be coated which enhance bonding strengths between unlike materials.

YES-1224P can also be used as a silylation oven. This process enables the use of short wavelength radiation with its attendant shallow depth of field to define high-resolution photoresist topographies.
The process requires exposure of the photoresist layer using a standard process with a reverse mask of the circuit. The wavelength is used to irradiate the top level of exposed photoresist. Now, the substrate is moved to the silylation oven to be exposed to HMDS vapor. Indene-carboxylic acid generated where the photoresist was exposed then combines with HMDS vapor, impregnating the shallow surface layer with pure silicon.
In the subsequent oxygen plasma process, this silicon layer forms an effective mask and is converted to silicon dioxide. The plasma removed only the unexposed photoresist, leaving a high resolution profile of the defined circuit.

Cleanliness

Class 10 clean room

Chamber Material

316L stainless steel

Chamber Size

16" (40.6 cm) W x 18" (46 cm) D x 16" (40.6 cm) H

Loading

4 removable internal stainless steel shelves with 16 available positions

Capacity

8 cassettes of 100mm - 150mm wafers
2 cassettes of 200mm - 300mm wafers

Operation Temperature

Ambient to 205°C

Chamber uniformity

±5°C during dwell after stabilization period

Throughput

Typical process 1-2 loads/hour. Varies by process.

Safety

Audible and visual alarms. Redundant over-temp monitoring.

Chemical Usage

Typical process 3-5 ml

Chemical Volume Control

Control down to 0.1 ml

Power Domestic (USA)

208V, 60 Hz, 1 phase, 30 A

European (EU)

230V, 50 Hz, 1 phase, 30 A

Overall System Dimensions

40-23/32" (1043mm) H x 38-3/4" (984mm) W x 36" (914mm) D
(not including light tower)

Shipping Weight (Crated)

Approx. 1110 lbs (499 Kg)

Number of Recipes

6 CVD, 4 Plasma

Range of Exposure Time

0- 999999

Resolution of Timer Setting

1 second

RF Plasma Frequency

40 KHz

RF Plasma Power

100- 1000 Watts

Process Gas Inputs

1

Plasma Gas Inputs

3

Wafer Throughput

Typically 1- 2 loads/hr; varies by process

Slide Throughput

600 slides/hr for CVD