EW - Production Edition - Nordson Plasma System, SCREEN OLED Production & More

Advantest Automated IC Handler

(Image courtesy of Advantest.)

Advantest has developed the M4171 handler to meet the mobile electronics market's needs for cost-efficient thermal control testing and production of ICs with high power dissipation during device characterization and pre-production bring up. This portable, single-site handler automates device loading and unloading, thermal conditioning and binning in engineering labs, where most testing today involves manual device handling. It also features an active thermal control (ATC) capability typically available only on larger footprint, more costly production-volume handlers.

The M4171 can be used to remotely conduct device handling and thermal control from anywhere around the world through a network connection. In addition to requiring fewer operators and lowering labor costs, this handler maximizes system utilization among working groups in different locations.

Additional technical specifications are available on Advantest’s website.

EMS Dry Film Negative Photoresist for MEMS and Wafer-Level Packaging

(Image courtesy of Engineered Materials Systems.)

Engineered Materials Systems (EMS) has announced the availability of 5 µm thick dry-film negative photoresists for use in micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS), wafer level packaging and CMOS applications (metallization). This material formulation has been optimized for hot roll or vacuum lamination and processing on MEMS and IC wafers.

These dry films are capable of fine line and space definition in complex patterns with resolutions down to 3 µm. The cured chemistry can withstand harsh environments including resistance to extreme moisture conditions and corrosive chemicals. The 5 µm dry film negative photoresist is the most recent addition to EMS’ line of film and liquid negative photoresists formulated for making microfluidic channels on MEMS devices and integrated circuits.

For more information, visit EMS’ website.

EVG Wafer-to-Wafer Direct Hybrid Bonding

(Image courtesy of EVG.)

EVG and Leti have announced the world's first successful 300-mm wafer-to-wafer direct hybrid bonding with pitch dimension connections as small as 1µm. This breakthrough also achieved copper pads as small as 500nm.

The copper/oxide hybrid bonding process, a key enabler for 3D high-density IC applications, was demonstrated in Leti's cleanrooms using EVG's automated GEMINIFB XT fusion wafer bonding system. This result was obtained in the framework of the program IRT Nanoelec headed by Leti. EVG joined the institute's 3D Integration Consortium in February 2016.

Vertical stacking of semiconductor devices has become an increasingly viable approach to enabling continuous improvements in device density and performance, and wafer-to-wafer bonding is an essential process step to enable 3D stacked devices.

For more information, visit EVG’s website.

Nordson Plasma System for Roll-to-Roll Production

(Image courtesy of Nordson.)

Nordson has launched the latest iteration of its RollVIA plasma system, a completely self-contained vacuum plasma system with production-proven, roll-to-roll material handling for flexible printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing. RollVIA incorporates vacuum and gas flow technology, process control technology, updated electrode designs and temperature management with precise control of roll speed, tension and edge guidance for uniform plasma treatment of substrates as thin as 25 microns.

The RollVIA system is used for plasma applications such as surface activation for improved adhesion, carbon removal and descum/desmear for cleaner surfaces and etchback, which removes a slight amount of dielectric contamination between internal copper planes during production of PCBs.

Information concerning pricing and availability can be found on Nordson’s website.

SCREEN OLED Panel Production

(Image courtesy of SCREEN.)

SCREEN has finalized development of its E series equipment for the production of OLED panels. The SK-E1500G and SK-E1500H, the first two specialized coater/developer systems specifically developed for 6th generation substrates, will be released as part of its E series lineup. The SK-E1500G is designed for use in OLED backplane manufacturing while the SK-E1500H is intended for touch sensor panel (TSP) production processes.

Both the SK-E1500G and SK-E1500H feature SCREEN’s Levicoater slit type coating unit. The Levicoater uses a levitated transfer system equipped with twin nozzles to handle the two kinds of photoresist that are essential for OLED manufacturing. The unit allows the systems to keep pace with the reducing thickness of glass support substrates and miniaturization of TFT arrays, ensuring compatibility with a rapidly diversifying range of device production processes.

The SK-E1500H also incorporates transport technologies that enable it to perform simultaneous processing of two 6th generation half-substrates. This ability delivers improvements in production efficiency.

For more information, visit SCREEN’s website.

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