Sirus T 2 DRIE

This class of equipment is used to remove material from patterned substrates with high directionality and tightly controlled sidewalls. In a fab flow, it is a front-end process tool used after pattern definition and before later fabrication steps.

Deep reactive ion etching uses a plasma to alternately remove material and protect sidewalls so that deep, narrow features can be formed with good anisotropy. The process combines chemical reaction and ion-assisted sputtering to shape the etched profile.

In this equipment class, the wafer is placed in a processing chamber where process gases are energized to create a reactive plasma. Controlled plasma conditions and repeated etch-passivation behavior allow the tool to form vertical features in selected areas of the wafer.

A DRIE system sits in the pattern-transfer stage of semiconductor fabrication. It follows lithographic patterning and resist development, and it precedes resist removal, cleaning, and subsequent device or interconnect processing.

Tools of this type are used when etched depth and profile control matter more than simple blanket material removal. They are common in flows that need deep trenches, holes, or other high aspect ratio structures.

DRIE tools are used for high aspect ratio pattern transfer in silicon and other microfabrication materials. Typical uses include trench formation, via structures, micromachined cavities, and other features that require steep sidewalls.

The class is also used in microelectromechanical systems fabrication and other precision device processes where vertical etch control is important.