Recently, the British semiconductor equipment manufacturer Oxford Instruments (Oxford Instruments) announced the development of a new SiC substrate processing new process, and verified that the HVM-compatible SiC substrate plasma polishing process can well replace the chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. Important technical, environmental, and supply chain issues associated with CMP processes can also be mitigated.

According to reports, equipment manufacturers have been using the CMP process to prepare SiC substrates for many years, but they have encountered poor operation problems, and the entire industry is working hard to find solutions to meet the growing demand for SiC substrates.

Oxford Instruments pointed out that operating CMP equipment in a SiC substrate factory will have a greater impact on the environment, because some toxic mud products will be produced in the process, and a large amount of water will be used, resulting in waste of water resources. Additionally, polishing pads and specialty chemicals impose significant consumable costs, a problem that is exacerbated by supply chain challenges.

In addition, the CMP process itself is inherently unstable due to drift in the process line due to depletion of slurry chemicals and polishing pads. In contrast, plasma dry etch (PPDE) is a stable, contactless process that reduces processing losses, can handle thinner wafers, and can produce more wafers per ingot. At the same time, the process can be easily integrated into the existing process and can directly replace the CMP process.

Oxford Instruments believes that from a technical point of view, the PPDE process is a greener solution, in addition to being compatible and integrated with existing fabs, it also helps to achieve thinner wafers with low warpage, while at the same time With excellent out-of-the-box (Epi-ready) levels, this is a potential commercialization solution for reducing supply chain cost and complexity.

According to reports, Oxford Instruments will officially release the PPDE process at the International Conference on SiC and Related Materials to be held from September 11 to 16 this year. At that time, Oxford Instruments will also showcase the latest full-wafer epitaxy and devices developed based on the PPDE patented process. Results (these wafers are manufactured by its commercial foundry partners).