Centris AdvantEdge Mesa Etch

The Applied Centris AdvantEdge Mesa is Applied’s most advanced silicon etch system, delivering the precision, intelligence, and productivity needed for the successful fabrication of advanced logic and memory chips at 22nm and below. Featuring Applied's industry-leading AdvantEdge Mesa etch chamber technology, the Centris system can create nano-scale circuit features with angstrom-level uniformity on every wafer. This capability is essential to achieving high yields in volume chip manufacturing.

The groundbreaking Applied Centris platform clusters up to eight process chambers – six etch and two plasma clean chambers. A high-speed transfer robot enables the processing of up to 180 wafers per hour – making the system nearly twice as fast as competing alternatives.

The two plasma clean chambers, which remove post-etch halogen residues, are incorporated into the vacuum loadlocks. This unique innovation enables an unprecedented number of etch processing chamber locations and doubles the capacity of traditional silicon etch systems.

Precisely matched performance from all six etch chambers is made possible by proprietary “smart” system monitoring software and NIST-traceable reference standards, assuring industry-leading, sub-nanometer CD uniformity (3σ) on every wafer processed. In addition to unmatched wafer-to-wafer repeatability, the Mesa technology delivers truly flat, uniform etch profiles from edge-to-edge within the wafer, enabling precise transfer of lithography patterns to significantly increase die yield. Optional Pulsync technology adds innovative synchronized plasma pulsing capability for refined plasma control that substantially reduces microloading to optimize patterning and etch precision.

Designed to help chipmakers support their sustainable manufacturing initiatives, the Centris platform consumes substantially less water and energy than other mainframes, enabling typical annual savings in power, water and gas consumption equivalent to 600,000 pounds of CO2 emissions* and contributing to a cost of ownership 30% less than other available systems.

The Centris AdvantEdge Mesa system is targeted for etching critical shallow trench isolation, buried bit and word lines, and double patterned chip structures. The system’s best-in-class performance delivers 1% etch depth non-uniformity and sub-nanometer CD uniformity, helping customers shrink circuit features, control leakage current and achieve the high production yields necessary to build tomorrow’s highly complex chip designs.

Applied Centris – Performance Worth Repeating.

*Calculated using SEMI S23 methodology