rus
The German company SENTECH Instruments GmbH manufacture the equipment for plasma etching, plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) as well as thin film measurement instruments. Dr. Bernd Gruska, marketing/international sales manager told about the unique developments of SENTECH and current trends.
How do you assess the position of SENTECH in major market segments?
We are a technology leader in development of equipment for inductively coupled plasma reactive-ion etching (ICP RIE) and ICP CVD. It should be mentioned that our equipment is focused on the research sector, small- and medium series production on wafers with diameters from 76 to 200 mm. Sentech is also one of the three world leaders in the development and production of ellipsometers, and our instruments have no competitors in terms of the size of the spectral range.
What are the most significant innovations of SENTECH?
Among our new products I would like to note a cluster system for the low-temperature thin films deposition. The cluster allows to combine the ICP etching, RIE, PECVD, ICPECVD and ALD equipment. The coatings are deposited at temperatures below 200°C. It is possible to use vacuum load locks and/or cassette systems. The cluster is designed for R&D in the field of semiconductor devices, to form on the wafers passivating, transfer and protective layers, masks etc. In particular, the system is of great interest for research in the field of organic electronics and photonics, where high temperatures are unacceptable. Combining process modules in a cluster provides increased speed and usability at a lower investment compared to purchasing individual pieces of equipment. The system has a flexible configuration, which is designed to solve customer problems and can be changed if necessary, for example, by adding new modules.
Another very interesting development is the atomic layer deposition control system, ALD Real Time Monitor. Due to detection in real time of features of the deposited film, the optimum quality with minimum duration of the process and savings in precursors and process gases is achieved. Measurements are made with a timing resolution of 40 ms.
In the field of analytical equipment our newly developed technology is a spectroscopic ellipsometry to measure thin films implemented in SENresearch family of devices. The combination of the principles of a Fourier transform infrared spectroscope and a diode array spectrometer provides a unique combination of spectral resolution, the signal/noise ratio and measurement rate. In particular, the measurement rate of SENresearch devices with this option is approximately 10 times higher than that of rival products in the market. The spectral range of ellipsometers is extended up to 2,500 nm at the lower limit of 190 nm to 380 nm depending on the applied type of radiation source and type of optics.
How are the instrumentation and process equipment requirements changed?
Speaking about the measuring devices, it is obvious that there is an increase in the complexity of the investigated objects, in particular, increasing the number of layers in the structures analyzed with a decreasing in film thickness. The objects topography also become more complex, if in the past their surface was flat, now the three-dimensional functional structures are increasingly used.
In the field of process technologies temperatures tend to reduce. 15 years ago, we pioneered in the field of low-temperature deposition but the demand for the technology was low at that time. About five years ago, the market situation started to change, and now a significant number of tasks require film deposition at low temperatures, from OLED’s development and production to applications where a strong heating can lead to undesirable changes in the characteristics of the substrate surface. In addition, I can note the growing requirements to the versatility of devices; for customers, who are engaged in research and small-scale production, it is important to operate with various materials and flexibly to adjust the process parameters.
Are SENTECH’s solutions demanded in the Russian market?
For many years we have successfully operated in Russia in close cooperation with our exclusive distributor ENERGOAVANGARD, LLC. Russian enterprises and research institutions need our solutions, which are versatility, easily configurable for specific project requirements and with the best technical features. Despite the economic downturn and the international political crisis, I believe in the high potential of the Russian market!
How do you assess the position of SENTECH in major market segments?
We are a technology leader in development of equipment for inductively coupled plasma reactive-ion etching (ICP RIE) and ICP CVD. It should be mentioned that our equipment is focused on the research sector, small- and medium series production on wafers with diameters from 76 to 200 mm. Sentech is also one of the three world leaders in the development and production of ellipsometers, and our instruments have no competitors in terms of the size of the spectral range.
What are the most significant innovations of SENTECH?
Among our new products I would like to note a cluster system for the low-temperature thin films deposition. The cluster allows to combine the ICP etching, RIE, PECVD, ICPECVD and ALD equipment. The coatings are deposited at temperatures below 200°C. It is possible to use vacuum load locks and/or cassette systems. The cluster is designed for R&D in the field of semiconductor devices, to form on the wafers passivating, transfer and protective layers, masks etc. In particular, the system is of great interest for research in the field of organic electronics and photonics, where high temperatures are unacceptable. Combining process modules in a cluster provides increased speed and usability at a lower investment compared to purchasing individual pieces of equipment. The system has a flexible configuration, which is designed to solve customer problems and can be changed if necessary, for example, by adding new modules.
Another very interesting development is the atomic layer deposition control system, ALD Real Time Monitor. Due to detection in real time of features of the deposited film, the optimum quality with minimum duration of the process and savings in precursors and process gases is achieved. Measurements are made with a timing resolution of 40 ms.
In the field of analytical equipment our newly developed technology is a spectroscopic ellipsometry to measure thin films implemented in SENresearch family of devices. The combination of the principles of a Fourier transform infrared spectroscope and a diode array spectrometer provides a unique combination of spectral resolution, the signal/noise ratio and measurement rate. In particular, the measurement rate of SENresearch devices with this option is approximately 10 times higher than that of rival products in the market. The spectral range of ellipsometers is extended up to 2,500 nm at the lower limit of 190 nm to 380 nm depending on the applied type of radiation source and type of optics.
How are the instrumentation and process equipment requirements changed?
Speaking about the measuring devices, it is obvious that there is an increase in the complexity of the investigated objects, in particular, increasing the number of layers in the structures analyzed with a decreasing in film thickness. The objects topography also become more complex, if in the past their surface was flat, now the three-dimensional functional structures are increasingly used.
In the field of process technologies temperatures tend to reduce. 15 years ago, we pioneered in the field of low-temperature deposition but the demand for the technology was low at that time. About five years ago, the market situation started to change, and now a significant number of tasks require film deposition at low temperatures, from OLED’s development and production to applications where a strong heating can lead to undesirable changes in the characteristics of the substrate surface. In addition, I can note the growing requirements to the versatility of devices; for customers, who are engaged in research and small-scale production, it is important to operate with various materials and flexibly to adjust the process parameters.
Are SENTECH’s solutions demanded in the Russian market?
For many years we have successfully operated in Russia in close cooperation with our exclusive distributor ENERGOAVANGARD, LLC. Russian enterprises and research institutions need our solutions, which are versatility, easily configurable for specific project requirements and with the best technical features. Despite the economic downturn and the international political crisis, I believe in the high potential of the Russian market!
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