Introduction
Within the Central Fabrication Facility there are a number of different laboratories which offer a wide range of
processing capabilities. In addition, the laboratories work together to
utilise their different processing capabilities to deliver novel devices. Certain restrictions apply to prevent cross-contamination of the labs, but careful design of the process-flow will enable the maximum use to be made of all the processing-techniques available within Tyndall.
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Silicon
Fabrication Laboratory |
IR
bolometers |
The Silicon Fabrication Laboratory is a class 1000 cleanroom configured as a CMOS facility. A full suite of wafer-processing equipment is available such as oxidation/diffusion furnaces, wet-benches, lithography, dry-etch, metal & dielectric deposition and ion-implantation. Lithography capability is down to 1μm linewidths (deep sub-micron linewidths are possible using the e-beam facility). The Silicon Fab has particular expertise in the production of sensor devices, such as RADFET’s and APD’s. A full listing of the process-equipment available can be found on the Tyndall National Institute webpage
http://www.tyndall.ie/centralfab/siliconfab.htm
The Microsystems Fabrication Laboratory
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Microsystems
wet benches |
Microneedles |
The microsystems laboratory operates in close conjunction with the Silicon Fabrication Laboratory. The equipment in the microsystems laboratory is geared towards the fabrication of structures rather than devices. Key elements in this fabrication is deep etch of silicon substrates using DRIE dry-etch and KOH wet-etch techniques. The laboratory occupies a class 10,000 cleanroom and also has its own deposition, wet-processing and furnace capability. There is also significant polymer processing expertise. A full listing of the process-equipment available can be found on the Tyndall National Institute
webpage http://www.tyndall.ie/centralfab/microfab.htm
The Nanosystems / Compound Semiconductor Laboratory
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Nanosystems/Compound Semiconductor Laboratory |
Vertical
Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) |
The Nanosystems/Compound Semiconductor Laboratory offers a wide range of processing techniques for the fabrication of optoelectronic and FET devices on compound semiconductor substrates. It has a full suite of processing equipment such as wet-benches, lithography, dry-etch, metal & dielectric deposition. Additional III-V processing capabilities such as epitaxial growth (MOVPE) are also available in conjunction with the Photonics Research Group. Much more flexibility in terms of the materials allowed is possible than in the Silicon Fab or Microsystems laboratories. A full listing of the process-equipment available can be found on the Tyndall National Institute
webpage http://www.tyndall.ie/centralfab/cmpsemi.htm
E-Beam Lithography
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| Electron
beam lithograhy system |
Sub-micro
lithography using e-beam |
The e-beam lithography laboratory provides small geometry lithography facilities to all of the other areas. It is the only area that has 2-way wafer exchange between all of the other laboratories. The system has substrate/wafer holders dedicated to samples from the other main processing facilities, silicon and compound semiconductors, this ensures no cross-contamination between the laboratories. The e-beam system (JEOL 6000 FS) can handle substrate sizes from small pieces to full 200mm wafers. Minimum linewidths of 20nm have been demonstrated. More information is available on the Tyndall National Institute
webpage http://www.tyndall.ie/centralfab/ebeam
Plating Technology
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| High
aspect ratio SU8 pillars on silicon wafer |
Electroless nickel chip bumps on 40 x 40 μm aluminium bond pads |
The Plating Lab offers the use of electrolytic and electroless deposition of materials for ICT applications. The team also develops lithographic processes to achieve the desired patterning for selective deposition. The laboratory houses dedicated lithography, deposition and characterisation equipment for advanced materials processing. A wide variety of substrate materials has been investigated, including: metals, ceramics, polymers, semiconductors, compound semiconductors and processes established for their activation and subsequent plating. More information is available on the Tyndall National Institute
webpage http://www.tyndall.ie/centralfab/plating.htm
