Maximizing tool uptime and process stability through an RF system upgrade

摘要

Like most fabs, the 150-mm wafer facility run by Agilent Technologies in Fort Collins, CO, has limited toolset capacity to manufacture its high-mix product line of CMOS and gallium arsenide products. Therefore, each tool must be reliable and function at its rated capacity to avoid bottlenecks that can ultimately limit the output of the entire fab. This article describes a successful effort by Agilent personnel to improve the performance of the fab's plasma etchers, which had been experiencing excessive downtime as a result of faulty radio-frequency (RF) subsystems.