TIMARIS PVD Cluster Tool

In the years before 2000 until about 2004 there has been big enthusiasm that MRAM would have the capability to replace many other existing CMOS based memories like DRAM, SRAM and FLASH. The idea was to build a universal memory for all purposes. This expectation implied that future MRAM chips would generate revenues similar in  magnitude as DRAM and/or FLASH. Correspondingly, it was expected, that a big market for specialized  deposition (and other) tools that were not currently available would arise. To shorten the time to market, Singulus created a “task force" team to design and manufacture the first 300mm PVD tool for the preparation of MRAM metal stacks in early 2002. Only one year later the tool, which is now the TIMARIS, demonstrated superior TMR results on large wafers on the base of Al2O3 tunnel barriers.

Since entering into the new business area of thin film deposition tools for magneto – electronic applications, SINGULUS is now manufacturing the second generation of their TIMARIS PVD bridge tool, capable of handling all wafers sizes up to 300mm diameter. Besides MRAM technology, SINGULUS has shipped and qualified a number of systems to the Hard Disk Drive industry for the volume production of  Thin Film Heads (TFHs).

The TIMARIS PVD tool is now qualified and used for several applications in the addressed markets:

Thin Film Heads (TFH)

• High Moment Material (Writer Material)
• TMR (Reader Material)
• GMR (Reader Material)

MRAM

• conventional
• STT-RAM
• TAS-MRAM

Other potential applications

• Phase Change material deposition
• Deposition of EUV mirrors for next generation of lithography
• SAW/BAW film deposition
• Inductors on chip

From the very beginning the TIMARIS has been designed as a cluster tool. This concept is very common in the semiconductor industry and enables the utilization of several process modules to a central wafer handling platform. As a result, the TIMARIS is a very flexible machine, that can be configured exactly according to our customers requirements. During the process of qualifying the TIMARIS for specific applications a number of process modules have been developed, designed and manufactured. There are now many possibilities to arrange the TIMARIS modules into a cluster configuration, enabling new application areas for the tool.

Examples of these applications include Seed and Lead layers in TFH manufacturing, metal gates for the next generations CMOS transistors.

In the following pages the TIMARIS modules are presented as well as a number of configuration examples for special applications.