Description:

ALD equipment is designed for deposition solid functional films of submicron thicknesses. In Micronova there are three ALD tools installed in cleanroom finger F9: two Beneq tools: ALD-2 for thermal ALD and ALD-4 for plasma-enhanced ALD / thermal ALD, and one Picosun tool: ALD-3 for both thermal and plasma-enhanced ALD. ALD-2 and ALD-4 are built on same frame but configuration and options are different. Micronova ALDs are mainly used to grow:

• ICP-RIE etch stop layers (Al₂O₃)
• Insulating layers (Al₂O₃, HfO₂)
• Passsivation layers (Al₂O₃)
• Protective layers (Al₂O₃, TiO₂)
• High-k dielectrics (HfO₂, ZrO₂)
• Optical thin film applications as filter structures (TiO₂, Al₂O_3,ZnO, SiO2, Ta₂O₅)
• Conductive transparent oxides: (ZnO, SnO2)
• Conductive metal-like films (TiN, NbN)
• Metallic films (Pt)
• Rare-earth oxides (Er₂O₃, Yb₂O₃, Tm₂O₃, La₂O₃)
• Transition metals oxides (WO₃, TiO₂)

Please check the specification and process details for each tool separately.

ALD-4

Key Features and Accessories:

• Single wafer, one side ALD deposition.
• Plasma enhanced mode (default); thermal mode (optional)
• Remote plasma mode (default); direct plasma mode (optional)
• Four liquid sources; the connected ones at this moment are: H₂O, TMA
• Four heated sources; none connected yet
• Two thermal gas sources: NH₃, O₂
• Four plasma gas sources: N₂, O₂, H₂, Ar
• Carrier gas: N₂ (default); Ar (optional)
• Operating temperature:
  • Thermal mode: 60 to 500 °C
  • Plasma-enhanced mode: 60 to 300 °C
• Plasma RF power: 20 - 300W.
• Substrate loading: with load lock.
• Maximum wafer size: 300 mm (12")
• Interchangeable substrate adapters:
  • 100 mm (4")
  • 150 mm (6")
  • 200 mm (8")
• Maximum total wafer thickness: 2,5 mm

Allowed Materials:

• Semiconductors Si; GaN, InP
• Polymers (such as SU-8, AZ-resists, PMMA); consider the melting point and decomposition temperature
• Some metals such as (Al, Cr, Ge, Ti)
• Quartz
• Sapphire
• Glasses (such as soda lime glass)

Forbidden Materials:

• Noble metals (such as Au, Ag, Pt, Cu, Pd) 
• Heavy metals (such as Cd, Pb, Hg, As) or their compounds
• Zn, Fe, Co, Ni
• Clean room incompatible materials (such as silicones, wood, paper etc.)

If the material is not mentioned above, additional approval from Aalto Nanofab is required.

Maximum allowed thickness of deposited layer per run: 200 nm. Everything exceeding this value requires an additional approval from the main users.