Centura HTF

Deposition tools form thin films on wafers. CVD systems introduce reactive gases into a process chamber so a solid film forms on the wafer surface. Cluster deposition platforms commonly combine transfer hardware with multiple process chambers so different films or chamber configurations can be housed on one mainframe.

CVD equipment deposits films by exposing wafer surfaces to process gases under controlled thermal and pressure conditions. Epitaxy equipment deposits crystalline layers whose structure follows the underlying wafer crystal. Cluster platforms typically move wafers between isolated chambers for processing steps while maintaining a controlled vacuum or process environment around the wafer path.

Deposition tools sit in the wafer fabrication flow where a conductive, dielectric, or semiconductor film must be added before later patterning or thermal treatment. CVD modules are commonly used after surface preparation and before lithography and etch define the deposited layer. Epitaxial deposition is used when a wafer needs a grown crystalline layer that becomes part of the active device structure or a tailored starting surface for later fabrication steps.

CVD tools are used to create functional films that later serve as structural layers, conductive layers, or precursor layers for further processing. Epitaxy tools are used when the required film must preserve crystal registry with the wafer, which is important for device layers whose electrical behavior depends on controlled semiconductor growth.