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- - - Plasma Process Technology
- - - Plasma Process Technology
      Low-damage plasma etch and deposition systems from SENTECH
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- - - Thin Film Metrology
      SENTECH thin film metrology tools for repeatable and accurate results
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Cluster Configuration for Plasma Etching and Deposition

SENTECH Cluster Tools comprise plasma etching and / or deposition modules, transfer chamber and vacuum load lock or cassette station for flexibiliy in wafer handling.

Key features & benefits

High yield and high throughput

Plasma etch and deposition modules can be combined with up to two cassette stations for increased repeatability, high yield, and high throughput processing of up to 200 mm wafers.

Flexible process configuration

Three to six port transfer chambers are available for clustering ICP plasma etch systems, RIE etch systems, atomic layer deposition systems, and ICPECVD deposition tools to meet the requirements of research & development and production. Samples can be loaded via a vacuum load lock and/or a vacuum cassette station.

Flexible carrier handling

SENTECH Cluster Configurations are suitable for processing different wafer sizes without hardware changes using carriers allowing for He-backside cooling. Wafer cassettes of different pitch are also interchangeable.

SENTECH Cluster Systems comprise plasma etch and/or deposition modules, a transfer chamber, and a vacuum load lock or cassette station. Transfer chambers including handling robot are available with three to six ports. Up to two cassette stations can be used to increase the throughput.

Flexibility and modularity

SENTECH Cluster Configurations can be used to process a large variety of substrates from 100 mm wafers up to 200 mm in diameter.

The systems offer different levels of automation ranging from vacuum cassette loading to a one-process chamber for up to a six-port cluster configuration, with different etch and deposition modules offering high flexibility and high throughput.

All SENTECH Cluster Systems are controlled by advanced hardware and SIA operating software, with a client-server architecture. A well-proven, reliable programmable logic controller (PLC) is used for the real-time control of all components.

Cluster for industry

High-throughput cluster for production

This example is configured with two cassette stations, 3 inductively coupled plasma (ICP) process modules and one port for later upgrading to add a further process module.

Research and development cluster

Flexibility using carrier handling
(pieces, 100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm)
Combining processes without breaking vacuum
Multiple process modules for ICP-RIE, ALE,
DRIE, cryo etching, ICPECVD, and PEALD
Separating chemically incompatible processes

FAQ | Which plasma etching processes can SENTECH Systems carry out?

SENTECH offer plasma etching systems to facilitate reactive ion etching (RIE), low-damage inductively coupled reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE), deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), cryogenic etching and low-damage atomic layer etching.

FAQ | Can I combine different plasma processes without breaking vacuum?

While many SENTECH systems are single-chamber tools, each dedicated to a specific process type (e.g., ICP-RIE for etch, ICPECVD for deposition), cluster-style configurations can bring multiple modules together under shared vacuum handling, letting you do different processes in sequence without breaking vacuum.

FAQ | Does SENTECH offer application support?

SENTECH has a large team of application experts for both plasma process technology and thin film metrology. At our campus are two laboratories which are used to process and characterise customer samples, for system demonstrations and customer training. SENTECH offers application support for the lifecycle of your system. Learn more about our application support or contact the team.

FAQ | Can I send my samples to SENTECH for analysis?

Yes, SENTECH has two application labs in-house. You can contact our application team, who will share with you all the details and provide a sample analysis form for you to complete. Click here for further information and contact details.

FAQ | Does SENTECH offer technical service support?

Yes, SENTECH has a large network of technical service experts who offer in-country support for both plasma process technology and thin film metrology systems. Remote or on-site support is possible depending on your requirements. Click here to find out more or to contact the team.

FAQ | Which plasma processes can I combine in one chamber?

SENTECH provides process modules that combine multiple processes, such as SIPAR for PECVD and PEALD, in a single reactor. The SI 500 ICP-RIE accommodates chlorine and fluorine-based etch chemistry in one process chamber. These configurations come with dedicated hardware, cleaning and conditioning recipes, as well as training. These solutions prioritise a smaller footprint and cost efficiency while maintaining practical process repeatability performance.