Product Enhancements to SABRE xT Electrofill System

Novellus Systems Inc.stems Inc. has announced two product enhancements to the company's SABRE xT electrofill system. The system now features an in-situ bevel clean capability, as well as an integrated process control system, called SmartDose +, that couples a new closed-loop chemical monitoring system (CMS) with the company's SmartDose predictive chemical dosing algorithm.

The SABRE xT's new bevel clean is designed to remove the exposed copper seed from the outer 2 mm of the wafer edge/bevel that is defined by the plated copper. This prevents copper contamination from occurring in subsequent process steps. The bevel clean is integrated into the 3 spin-rinse-dry stations of the system, and requires no dedicated process modules. The bevel clean hardware is also capable of front-side and backside cleaning, and is available in both 200 mm and 300 mm versions of the system. There is no impact to the SABRE xT's 75 wafer per hour throughput.

The new SmartDose + features SmartDose predictive chemical dosing algorithm, coupled with a new closed loop chemical monitoring system that analyses 5 different chemical species in the plating bath with a high degree of precision. One SmartDose+ unit can monitor up to 4 separate SABRE xT systems, saving equipment costs and fab space.

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