NAVIGATOR™ 6 / NAVIGATOR™ 8

The Navigator™ 6 and Navigator™ 8 are plasma-based, photoresist removal and wafer surface treatment systems for use in microelectronics manufacturing. Relative to conventional photoresist strip systems on the market, the Navigator series is unique in that it employs the company’s proprietary High Density Radical Flus (HDRF™) technology which produces high concentrations of reactive radicals, at reduced temperatures, with no charged particles or unwanted photons. The result is a process enabling, non-physical (i.e. chemical), non-damaging, downstream plasma technology ideal for a wide range of conventional and low temperature applications. The Navigator series is designed primarily for batch mode processing, but can be easily reconfigured for single wafer processing with minimal time and effort.

 

Primary applications

  • Low temperature (50 to 150˚C) photoresist removal
  • High rate (150 to 250˚C) photoresist removal
  • Surface organic cleaning
  • Sacrificial polymer release for MEMS devices

Benefits

  • Non-physical, non-damaging, HDRF™ plasma technology capable of low temperature processing
  • High strip rates achievable with conventional process parameters
  • Single or dual-sided substrate processing
  • Small system footprint
  • Economical

Key features

  • HDRF™ ICP plasma source that delivers a high-density, damage-free, plasma treatment
  • 13.56MHz RF package with automatic impedance matching network
  • Heated, barrel-style process chamber
  • High-conductance vacuum train with VAT-brand throttle valve
  • Gas panel with up to four channels (2 included) and digital MFCs
  • Substrate support fixture easily configurable for single or multi-wafer processing

Substrate loading

  • Manual load operation
  • Single or multi-wafer processing
Wafer Mode Navigator™ 6 Navigator™ 8
Single-Wafer Mode

50mm (2”) to 200mm (8”)

 50mm (2”) to 200mm (8”)
Multi-Wafer Mode

50mm (2”) to 150mm (6”)

 50mm (2”) to 200mm (8”)

Control system

  • Plasma-Therm proprietary, Cortex® controls with industrial PC-based architecture
  • Graphical, touchscreen compatible, SEMI-standard (E-95) interface
  • Comprehensive process parameter charting (real-time and post-processing)
  • Real-time process data display
  • Factory automation host interface (with optional SECS/GEM license)
  • Integrated recipe editor with step and tabular views
  • Per-user access control for menus, screens, commands and recipes
  • Auto logging of alarms, jobs, calibration, and resource usage

Standard options

    • Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) endpoint detection
    • Water vapor delivery system