Modular gas delivery systems replaced conventional gas panels in the semiconductor capital equipment industry for “dry” manufacturing processes such as plasma etch, chemical vapor deposition, and physical vapor deposition. Modular gas delivery systems were adopted as a result of numerous benefits the modular architecture offers over conventional system designs, including smaller size / smaller footprint, easily customizable configurability, ease of maintenance, and increased equipment productivity. The same advantages of modularity apply in liquid chemical delivery applications, and we present in this white paper details about the industry’s conversion from conventional to modular gas delivery systems, extracting the lessons learned, and applying those best practices to modular architecture chemical delivery systems used in the major wet tool applications, including wet cleaning, Electrochemical Deposition (ECD), and Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP).
About Ichor IMS
Ichor’s IMS (Integrated Manifold System) is an advanced fluid delivery system currently employed in high volume manufacturing wet semiconductor processes including Clean, Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP), Electroplating (ECD), etc. IMS is based on Ichor’s pioneering surface mount gas delivery architecture, one that is field-proven in decades of service for the management of gases to Semiconductor Etch and Deposition processes. While based on proven gas delivery architecture, IMS is optimized for the unique challenges of liquid process fluids, with patented sealing and interface features, chemical blending technology, and ultra-high purity wetted path materials.
Ichor Systems
Fremont, California