The UK’s Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology, a supplier of plasma etch and deposition high-volume manufacturing (HVM) solutions, has had its remote-plasma atomic layer deposition (ALD) nitride passivation solution qualified for full production by a US-based power electronics manufacturer of gallium nitride (GaN) devices, supporting the first phase of its ramp.

GaN-based devices are now well established in the consumer market, with a wide range of rapid chargers available commercially to support mobile devices. Fast charging and a smaller footprint are among the key benefits of GaN technology and are accelerating the rapid adoption with consumers. The Atomfab ALD system delivers the wafer demand required to meet the cost of ownership of HVM GaN device makers.

Picture: Oxford Instruments’ Atomfab ALD system.

“Atomfab is able to significantly reduce the cost per wafer through unique technical innovations including a patent-pending low-damage revolutionary fast remote-plasma source which delivers higher-quality Al2O3 films compared to thermal ALD,” says Dr Aileen O’Mahony, ALD product manager, Oxford Instruments. “Combining the plasma pre-treatment and film quality benefits of plasma ALD without compromising on throughput or quality is a step change to achieve the wafer ramp and yield our customers demanded,” she adds.

The firm says that Atomfab fulfils customer needs on a single-wafer platform with SEMI-standard cluster configurations and improved process controls for the latest compound semiconductor solutions. For this customer, the system was fully and seamlessly integrated into its manufacturing line and fab automation software.

“Factory automation and monitoring is of high importance in fab manufacturing lines,” says Oxford Instruments’ service director Dean Furlong. “Integration to these systems is equally important as the wafers themselves. These systems are built into all of Oxford Instruments production equipment,” he adds. “Following industry standards allowed this customer to quickly interface its factory automation software into our system.”