News and Announcements

Microwave Plasma Asher Now Available!

The microwave plasma asher is now on-line in bay B105. It is very effective for the following processes: photoresist stripping, surface cleaning (after storage, photolithography, wet etching or dry etching), removal of organic passivating layers and masks and resist descum.

The plasma asher is available under the Coral electronic sign-up system. Interested users should contact Lei Chen (301-975-2908, lei.chen@nist.gov) for access and training.

An instruction manual for this tool is also available, see Manuals and Forms page.

• Process chamber: Inner diameter 245 mm ID; Depth 380 mm
• Batch process up to 25 wafers
• Wafer size up to 150mm diameter
• Gases: O2, CF4, N2, Ar
• Process pressure: approx. 0.2 - 2 mbar
• Frequency: 2.45 GHz
• Power Output: 0-1000 Watt

Focused Ion Beam Now Available!

The NVision40 focused ion beam (FIB) is the latest generation of ion-beam nanofabrication system, and is an incredibly versatile addition to the Nanofab toolset. It can be used for direct patterning of materials, and the ion milling process can be observed real-time with the system7rsquo;s high-resolution SEM column. The tool features a gas-injection module for ion-beam or electron-beam induced deposition of W, Pt, SiO2 and C and also has XeF2 for beam-induced etching of materials. While the machine currently has basic lithography, including the ability to pattern from bitmaps, in the next few weeks a full-featured Raith pattern generator will be added. A nanomanipulator for TEM sample liftout will be added next month.

The FIB is available under the Coral electronic tool sign-up system. Interested users should contact Rich Kasica (x2693, Richard.Kasica@nist.gov) for information on access and training. A schedule of classes serving as an introduction to ion-beam lithography will be available in the Fall, and will include a description of currently available baseline processes as well as a discussion of pattern and process design strategies. If you wish to become a user, you can find details on the Nanofab homepage

Technical Details: The ion-beam column operates from 3 kV to 30 kV and produces a focused spot of Ga ions as small as 4 nm FWHM (at low beam currents). The electron-beam column operates from 100 V to 30 kV with a resolution of approximately 2 nm — 5nm (depending on operating conditions), and can be used to observe milling operations in real time. A range of detectors is available on the system, including an energy filtered backscatter detector that can be used to distinguish between ion-beam and electron-beam generated signals. The user interface is very similar to the one on the Nanofab SEM, so there is a minimal barrier for users wishing to transition from the SEM to the FIB.

E-beam Writer Now Operational!

The state-of-the-art Vistec VB300 high-voltage electron beam nanolithography system, delivered earlier this year, has now completed its final acceptance tests and is open to users. This machine is capable of high-speed, high-accuracy nanoscale patterning and adds world-class capability to the CNST Nanofab.

The VB300 is available under the Coral electronic tool sign-up system. Interested users should contact Rich Kasica (x2693, Richard.Kasica@nist.gov ) for information on access and training. A schedule of classes serving as an introduction to electron-beam lithography will be available in the Fall, and will include a description of currently available baseline processes as well as a discussion of pattern and process design strategies. If you wish to become a user, you can find details on the Nanofab homepage.

Technical Details: The tool operates at 100 kV, producing a focused beam of about 4 nm FWHM. The beam step is controlled by a 50 MHz, 20 bit DAC, giving a 1.25 nm step size over a 1.31 mm field. The stage is controlled by l/1024 laser interferometers. The minimum achievable feature size is resist and process dependent, but can be as small as 5 nm — 10 nm. The pattern placement accuracy is 25 nm across the full field. The system can accept substrates from piece parts to 300 mm wafers.

Parylene Deposition System has arrived

This SCS model 2010 coater, compact and easy to use, is designed for the deposition of parylene conformal coatings. These polymer coatings are biocompatible and biostable, pinhole-free and provide moisture, chemical and dielectric barriers, as well as low coefficient of friction. They are widely used in medical devices and for electronics and automotive applications. The tool is to be installed in the clean room in the next few weeks.

Parylene is applied at room temperature. The deposition equipment controls the coating rate and ultimate thickness. Polymer deposition takes place at the molecular level: the raw material dimer is vaporized under vacuum and heated to a dimeric gas. The gas is then pyrolized to cleave the dimer to its monomeric form. In the room temperature deposition chamber, the monomer gas deposits as a transparent polymer film. The thickness of coatings can vary based on the application, but thickness can range from the hundreds of angstroms to several tens of micrometers.

New Nanofab Tools Coming Soon!

We will be vastly expanding our capabilities in 2008 by the addition of the following tools purchased in Fiscal Year 2007. We will announce anticipated delivery and availability dates, as well as tool description and capabilities.

• Denton Vacuum 4-gun sputter system with one magnetically enhanced gun
• Suss Microtec wafer bonder
• Laser pattern generator
• Parylene deposition system
• End point detection on our 790 etcher
• Photoresist spinners
• Silicon wet etch station (KOH, TMAH)
• Acid wet etch station
• E-beam resist processing stations
• Fluorine-based multipurpose plasma etcher (such as deep SiO2)
• Chlorine-based multipurpose plasma etcher (such as III-V compounds)
• Atomic Layer Deposition (oxides, nitrides, metals)
• Stress measurement system
• Tabletop SEM

AFM and MFM Capabilities Available

Atomic Force Microscopy and Magnetic Force Microscopy are now available. See the equipment description under Equipment Listing. Interested users should contact Lei Chen (x2908, Lei.Chen@nist.gov) for information on access and training.