Gasonics Vector Extreme

PECVD equipment is a deposition tool used in semiconductor manufacturing to form thin films from reactive gases in a plasma. PECVD tools are used when a process needs conformal dielectric or related films at temperatures lower than many purely thermal deposition methods. Deposition tools of this class are part of the thin film module set in a fab and are used to build layers that support later patterning, etch, implant, and integration steps.

PECVD systems create a plasma in a process chamber so gaseous precursors react and deposit a solid film on the wafer surface. PECVD systems generally combine gas delivery, pressure control, RF power, wafer support hardware, and temperature management to control film formation. PECVD systems commonly use chamber hardware such as a showerhead and a heated upper assembly while a pedestal supports the wafer during deposition.

Deposition tools of this class are used after surfaces have been prepared for film growth and before later steps that depend on the deposited layer. PECVD tools commonly sit between clean, patterning, etch, implant, planarization, and metallization sequences depending on whether the film serves as an insulator, cap, barrier, antireflective layer, or gapfill layer. PECVD layers are often followed by metrology and electrical or physical characterization to verify thickness, uniformity, refractive behavior, stress, and related film properties.

PECVD tools are used to deposit dielectric and optical stack films that support insulation, passivation, pattern transfer, reflectivity control, and surface protection in semiconductor devices. PECVD tools are also used where film properties must be tuned through plasma conditions and gas chemistry for integration into multistep device flows.