This option will allow you to record pictures of the sample under etch through the microscope. It also records metadata to tie the photos back to the etch. By taking a picture at either a timed interval or synchronized with the etch pulse you can record the history of your etch for later analysis. It is also a convenient way to watch the etch in progress without looking through the microscope eyepieces.

Main Advantages:

• Record experimental results for later review
• Process monitoring

Specification:

• Color camera
• Synchronize taking pictures to etch pulses or take pictures at a defined interval
• Manage pictures and cross reference to lot number and date/time
• Full camera exposure control

For the Xetch e1 this upgrade requires the microscope option.

Available on all Xetch models.

Silicon being selectively removed
from a die

This option allows you to watch your etch in progress. It is very useful for deciding when to stop etching or to better understand the dynamics of your design during release. Since the Xetch lid allows you to see the whole chamber you can monitor the status of the etch anywhere on your sample.

• Binocular zoom microscope
• Minimum magnification: 10X
• Maximum magnification: 67.5X
• Ring illuminator
• Stand for mounting the microscope next to the Xetch e1

Available for upgrade on the e1. Standard on the X4.

This chamber lid will give you a much clearer view than the standard chamber lid. Instead of looking through multiple layers of acrylic or quartz, you are now looking only through a single 6 mm thick quartz disc. This lid is particularly well suited for customers etching smaller samples who require the clearest view of the sample.

Main Advantages:

• Much better optical clarity of window
• Decreased minimum working distance
• Lower replacement cost if the window becomes cloudy
• Replacement discs available in a wide variety of materials including acrylic, quartz and glass
• Better vacuum seal and lower moisture retention as compared to the acrylic lid
• Easy to install

Specification:

• Window: 6 mm or 1/4" thick, 4" diameter discs available from a wide variety of sources
• Lid materials: aluminum and stainless steel
• O-ring material: Viton

The standard shower head pattern is replaced by a ring of holes around the window. For chips and some wafer patterns the uniformity should be similar to the standard lid and etch rates may improve since the gas is more concentrated near the center of the chamber. Very densely populated wafers or wafers with large open areas may see a decline in uniformity.

Available for all 6" Xetch models.

This lid replaces the standard acrylic lid. It is composed of an aluminum body with a quartz showerhead and cover. Like the standard lid it provides an unobstructed view of the whole wafer. This showerhead has a dense pattern of fine showerhead holes which create a more uniform flow of gas. Also the quartz and aluminum absorb less moisture and gases compared with the standard acrylic lid providing better process control and repeatability.

Available as an upgrade on the e1, X2 and X3. Standard on the X4.

Allows touch screen control of your system.  This option includes a 15 inch surface acoustic wave touch screen monitor for crystal clear display and a glass touch surface.

Available for upgrade on the e1. Standard on the X4.

In addition to the standard pulsed flow etching, the Xetch e1 and X3 can be upgraded to add a second type of etching process, a continuous flow of XeF₂. The continuous flow process recipe includes the flow rate of XeF₂, the pressure of the process chamber and the time to etch.

Main Advantages

• Easier to achieve high uniformity
• More obvious etch depth control

Includes:

• Hardware including MFC and automatic pressure controller
• Recipe creation and process control for continuous flow recipes
• Graphing of key process variables, including flow and pressure

Available for upgrade on the e1 and X3. Standard on the X4.

With the Advanced Recipe Package you can create additional types of recipes which help improve selectivity and throughput. It provides additional recipe creation screens as outlined below.

The Advanced Experimentation and Manufacturing Package provides support for running wafer lots and advanced process monitoring and control. It includes the following features:

Multi Lot Mode
Multi Lot Mode is designed to make it easier to run large numbers of wafers or samples. This may be for running large experiments or for low to medium volume manufacturing.

It provides two main features:

1. Lots of wafers can be defined and the recipe for each wafer defined in advance. The operator need only enter or confirm the wafer number to load the correct recipe for the next wafer.
2. The pumping and purging of the chamber is started immediately after the etch recipe is completed and the chamber is held at vacuum waiting for the operator to unload the chamber. This means the operator does not need to wait for the pumping and purging of the chamber.

Integrated Temperature Measurement
This module plots and logs temperatures recorded by two thermocouples in the process chamber. These thermocouples can be attached to the sample or to the sample holder for experimentation purposes and for process monitoring. During each etch cycle the temperature recorded on the thermocouples is displayed on a pop-up graph, along with an exponentially weighted moving average of the previous cycles' temperatures. In addition each temperature point is logged for later analysis.

Note this feature requires additional hardware beyond those supplied with the standard etchers. Hardware upgrade packages are available from XACTIX which provide the thermocouples, modifications to the vacuum stack and other necessary hardware to insert the thermocouples into the process chamber and hook them up to the Xetch.

Available as an upgrade on the e1, X3 and X4.