Veeco filament-free source

ment Foundation) as a j o i n t developing program between Applied Materials and CI Systems. CI believes that this system will become a part of process control not only for temperature but other parameters as well. CI will be developing a series of software upgrades for the system for m e a s u r e m e n t o f film thickness and end point process detection as per customer requirements. The system is available either as a development tool or for online use.

mContact.. Emanuel Ben-David, CI Systems, tel/Jax: [972] 6545201/ 6543570.

Hitech Furnaces Heating Element

MKS Compact RGAs The NGS Division of MKS Instruments Inc. offers the PPT Series Residual Gas Analyzers for semiconductor manufacturing. Used at pressures below 1 x 10-4 Torr, stand-alone PPTs are designed for process monitoring, leak detection, contamination detection, and background analysis. For higher pressure applications, standard and customized sampling systems are available. The compact/cost effective PPT Series features mass ranges to 200 ainu, Faraday and electron multiplier detectors, easy-to-use software, and 16-channel multiplexing capability. The PPT Series is controlled by PCbased software and consists of a single electronics control unit (ECU) that mounts directly on the quadruple sensor flange. The ECU can be interfaced directly with any IBM compatible PC.

.Contact. tel/fax: [1] (508) 975 2350/0093

Cl Systems Spectrometer CI Systems Inc., Agoura Hills, CA, USA, has announced a new in situ spectrometer designed for noncontact measurement in real-time of semiconductor wafer temperature from low temperature to 600°C during deposition, etching and MBE processes. CI believes this m o n i t o r will be an indispensable tool for process development and control etc. The system is a near-IR pyrometer/ reflectance spectrometer specifically designed for placement within the process c h a m b e r . Only a small quartz rod enters the chamber and reflects light off the back side of wafers. CI has spent the last 2 years developing and testing the system and algorithms with Applied Materials Corp. (Santa Clara). The system has successfully undergone extensive test with wafers and production equipment at IBM ASTC. The work was 50% sponsored by BIRD-F (Binational Israel Research and Develop-

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Vol 6 No 4

Hitech Furnaces, Sutton Coldfield, UK, has introduced a new range of heating elements manufactured with a new high temperature resistance wire known as Kanthal APM. This material is the same alloy as Kanthal A I but is manufactured using the latest p o w d e r metallurgical technology. Tests have shown that the hot strength of this new material is superior to any other resistance alloy operating from 1200- 1325°C. Kanthal A-1 (an alloy of Fe, Cr and A1) has served the semiconductor industry very well giving long life and uniform t e m p e r a t u r e up to 1300°C. As the diameter of wafers has increased together with the introduction of cantilever loading systems it has been necessary to increase the diameter of the diffusion furnace heating element to cater for these trends. Although the existing resistance wire has coped with the ever increasing size at low temperature, problems have evolved where at high temperature (1200 - 1325°C) the wire and/or the top of the heating element has sagged on to the process tube. This problem has not only caused failure of the element but in some instances the destruction of the process tube. H I T E C H Furnaces can offer replacement heating elements for all makes and types of furnaces either with Kanthal A1 or APM resistance wire requiring no electrical modification to your existing furnace.

IContact: Dave Cole, HITECH FURNACES. tel/./~x: [44] (0)21 378 1668/2339.