Speed without compromise: enabling the next generation of atomic layer processing - a customer story
Case study at a glance:
Challenge - Increase PEALD and ALE process speed while maintaining the pressure control and gas removal required for repeatable atomic layer processing.
Solution - plasway-Technologies' FALP platform combines fast gas switching and uniform gas distribution with an Edwards STP-iXA3306CV turbomolecular pump for low operating pressure and rapid chamber gas removal.
Result - Approximately 100 ms pressure transition from the gas shoot-in peak to plasma operating pressure, with the Edwards turbomolecular pump still fully operational after four years of continuous experimentation in a PEALD environment.
As semiconductor devices become increasingly complex, manufacturers face a difficult challenge: how do you increase process speed without compromising the atomic-scale precision that advanced devices demand?
Processes such as Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) and Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) are critical to creating the complex structures found in today's most advanced chips.
The challenge is simple to describe, but difficult to solve: increase productivity while maintaining process control.
Why faster processing starts with the process environment
In atomic layer processing, gases must enter the chamber quickly, distribute uniformly across the wafer and then be removed efficiently before the next process step begins. Slow transitions can limit throughput, while incomplete gas removal can affect repeatability and process quality.
As processes become faster, the performance of the wider process environment becomes increasingly important. Three factors are critical:
- Deliver gases rapidly.
- Distribute them uniformly.
- Remove them quickly and cleanly before the next cycle begins.
This changes how we think about vacuum. Rather than simply creating the required pressure, vacuum technology can become an active enabler of process performance.
Creating the conditions for high-speed atomic layer processing
This was the challenge facing plasway-Technologies as it developed its FAST Atomic Layering Process (FALP) platform. Designed to combine high-speed PEALD and ALE within a single chamber, FALP brings together fast gas switching, precise pressure control and highly uniform gas distribution.
"With the FALP chamber, we've created the world's first integrated high-speed ALE/PEALD system, combining ultra-fast gas exchange, symmetric gas flow and an Edwards turbo pump to set new benchmarks in ALE/PEALD processing."
To make this possible, the platform needed more than advanced process design. It required a vacuum solution capable of rapidly clearing process gases from the chamber while maintaining the stable low-pressure conditions required for repeatable plasma processing.
This is where Edwards' expertise in semiconductor vacuum environments became critical. Working alongside plasway-Technologies, Edwards helped create the conditions needed to support the platform's performance objectives, applying decades of semiconductor process knowledge alongside its vacuum technology expertise.
At the heart of the solution was the Edwards STP-iXA3306CV turbomolecular pump, selected to help achieve low operating pressure and fast chamber gas removal, particularly during the purge phases.
In PEALD and ALE, every cycle must be cleanly separated from the next. Residual gases left in the chamber can reduce process selectivity, increase contamination risk and compromise repeatability. High pumping speed therefore becomes a process enabler, not just a vacuum specification.
Proof that speed and precision can coexist
The results demonstrate what can be achieved when process expertise and vacuum technology are brought together to solve a manufacturing challenge.
Within the FALP platform, chamber pressure transitions from the gas shoot-in peak to plasma operating pressure in approximately 100 milliseconds, supporting the rapid gas exchange required for high-speed PEALD and ALE.
Equally important, plasway-Technologies reports that after four years of continuous experimentation in a PEALD environment, the Edwards turbomolecular pump remains fully operational.
For manufacturers, these results translate into tangible benefits:
- Faster process transitions
- Higher throughput potential
- Stable and repeatable process conditions
- Proven reliability in demanding applications
- Greater confidence in scaling advanced processes
Looking ahead
As semiconductor line widths become smaller and device structures more complex, manufacturers require increasingly precise control of material deposition and etching at the atomic scale.
The work between plasway-Technologies and Edwards reflects a broader shift taking place across semiconductor manufacturing. As advanced atomic layer processes move from development environments towards wider manufacturing adoption, attention is increasingly turning to the process environment itself.
The next advances in PEALD and ALE will not be driven by a single breakthrough technology. They will come from bringing together the right combination of process expertise, system design and enabling technologies to unlock faster, more efficient and more reliable manufacturing.
In that environment, vacuum is no longer just a supporting utility. It is becoming an increasingly important contributor to process capability, helping manufacturers bridge the gap between atomic-scale precision and industrial-scale productivity.
The future of atomic layer processing will depend not only on achieving atomic-scale precision, but on delivering that precision at the speed modern semiconductor manufacturing demands
Frequently asked questions
What is the role of vacuum in PEALD and ALE?
Vacuum technology helps maintain the low-pressure conditions required for plasma processing and rapidly remove process gases between process steps. Efficient gas removal also helps maintain process repeatability and reduces the risk of residual gases affecting the next cycle.
Why is fast gas removal important in atomic layer processing?
PEALD and ALE require process gases to be introduced, distributed and removed efficiently before the next process step begins. Faster transitions can support higher throughput, while incomplete gas removal can affect repeatability and process quality.
Which vacuum pump is used in the FALP platform?
The FALP platform uses an Edwards STP-iXA3306CV turbomolecular pump, selected to help achieve low operating pressure and fast chamber gas removal, particularly during purge phases.
How fast is the pressure transition in the FALP platform?
Chamber pressure transitions from the gas shoot-in peak to plasma operating pressure in approximately 100 milliseconds, supporting the rapid gas exchange required for high-speed PEALD and ALE.
