Products & solutions
Products & solutions
QS Large Substrates
SEMI-AUTOMATIC QUICKSTEP (QS) TOOL FOR COATING & DEVELOPING
Obducat’s highly successful QS Large Substrate platform provides the perfect semi-automatic solution for current and future R&D as well as pilot manufacturing requirements.
The platform flexibility enables the QS Large Substrate to cover a variety of applications such as Displays, Optics and Advanced Packaging.
Highlights
Suitable for R&D and Pilot Manufacturing
High reliability
Highly configurable with a wide variety of options available
Process modules are the same as in HVM tools – enables easy migration to volume production
Customization possible for specific customer needs
Substrate size
| System | Substrate ⌀ | Square substrates |
|---|---|---|
| QS 600 | 600 mm | 450 mm * 450 mm |
| QS 775 | 760 mm | 540 mm * 540 mm |
| QS 1200 | 1000 mm | 850 mm * 850 mm |
| QS 1500 | 1400 mm | 1000 mm * 1000 mm |
Tool Configurations
The QS Large Substrate platform is highly configurable enabling a fit to almost any customer requirements while offering a superior cost efficiency. The various modules for Coating, Developing and Thermal processing can be combined as needed and each module have a wide variety of options to enable a perfect fit to your processing needs.
The tools are available as stand-alone tools which can be placed next to each other to create a line of processing units.
Coating is performed using the standard open bowl and standard vacuum chuck. This ensures a uniform and repeatable coating process. As an option the open bowl module can be replaced with our Rotating Covered Chuck Technology (RCCT™) module (See tool options).
The developer can perform both puddle and spray-based processes. The Thermal processing units can be equipped with hot plate, cool plate or HMDS vapor prime hot plate. The hot plate has a programmable temperature range up to 300°C and is equipped with programmable lift pins.
The HMDS vapor prime hot plate has a programmable temperature range up to 200°C. The process is fully automated and adheres to all recognized safety standards.
Operation control unit with 7” color touch display and windows user interface
Unlimited process recipe / flow storage capacity plus USB port
Process parameter tracking
Ethernet port
Tool Options
Coater Module – Rotating Covered Chuck Technology (RCCT™)
Obducat’s revolutionary Rotating Covered Chuck Technology (RCCT™) process environment design provides for:
Completely sealed solvent saturated atmosphere
Minimal turbulence around the substrate eliminating rotational corner effects on squared substrates, enabling industry leading resist uniformity across the entire substrate at lower spin speeds.
Superior coating uniformity on submicron layers as well as for thick resist layers compared to open bowl.
Reduced process cost and improved environmental profile by lowering material consumption.
Eliminating the need for Backside Rinse (BSR).
Edge Bead Removal (EBR)
Obducat’s high performing EBR technology is used to remove the build-up of material at the substrate edges after spin coating. Removal of the edge bead prevents Stepper focusing problems and any photoresist on the backside of the wafer. It also prevents ‘chipping’ of the photoresist that could cause contamination issues.
Obducat offers solvent based EBR processes for the Quickstep tools.
The standard solvent based EBR process uses a programmable nozzle directing the solvent fluid towards the substrate edge thereby removing the edge bead during spinning.
For SmartEBR solvent based process the exact shape of a substrate – wafer piece or square substrate – is first determined by a sensor. Knowing the geometry of the substrate, the system can remove the edge bead by moving the substrate while applying solvent from a programmable nozzle.
For SmartEBR UV exposed based process, the exact substrate shape is similarly determined but in the following step the edge bead is exposed to UV light. This UV exposure allows for the edge bead to be removed in a later process step.
Temperature controlled resist and chemical lines
Photoresist
A key process parameter for coating uniformity is temperature control. To enable a high level of coating uniformity, the tool can be equipped with temperature-controlled photoresist lines that will enable a repeatable temperature level of the photoresist substrate-to-substrate at point of dispense.
Developer
When developer chemicals are supplied from the wafer fab or stored outside the cleanroom the temperatures are different to the cleanroom environment causing chemicals to react and perform differently with changes in temperature. This can result in processing variations. This option can ensure a repeatable temperature level of the developer or chemicals substrate-to-substrate at point of dispense.
Multiple Chuck solutions – Vacuum, Low contact
Chuck solutions for coating:
Standard vacuum chuck with centering pins.
Glass substrates are very sensitive to temperature gradients. Since vacuum substrate handling may cause such temperature gradients, Obducat offers glass substrate handling by corner suction cups with alignment pins.
Chuck solutions for developing:
Standard round substrates that are wet treated use low contact chucks, where the wafer is held in place by supporting pins.
- Squared substrates are held at the corners by alignment pins using low contact chucks. The advantage of this chuck is the entire backside can be rinsed.
Motorized Syringe Dispense System
The motorized syringe dispense system is designed for rapid change-over of photoresists. It is recipe programmable for dispense & suck-back and is suitable for photoresists up to 60,000 cps. Syringes come in various sizes up to 250ml.
Connection to wafer fab Management Systems
The tool can be configured to enable connection to various Manufacturing Execution System (MES) interfaces such as:
SECS/GEM
OPC/UA
Customer specific interfaces