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RAVE LLC introduces the Rhazer™ Haze
Removal System
New wafer fab tool provides enormous
cost saving haze management capability.
Delray Beach, Florida, July 15, 2008 – Today, RAVE LLC introduced its revolutionary Rhazer™ Haze Removal System.
Global semiconductor wafer fabs are struggling
with an increasingly serious and costly lithography problem.
Wafer stepper exposures initiate the growth of crystalline
defect contamination on reticles commonly known as “Haze.” The haze formation rate reduces the number of wafer exposures and forces lithography line stoppage. Reticles with haze must be returned to the mask shop for pellicle removal and wet clean. However, excessive wet cleans damage the reticle absorber materials and deposit additional chemical residues causing the haze to re-form at an increased rate. Recent wet clean and environmental control techniques have helped to slow haze formation, but show no promise of a haze prevention solution. The haze problem has worsened with each technology node shrink and is having a significant impact on wafer manufacturing costs.
“The Rhazer™ system does not prevent haze, but allows the wafer fab to manage it!” commented RAVE President and CEO, Barry Hopkins, “The Rhazer™ system is designed to reside in the wafer fab and provide a resident capability to completely remove haze from both sides of reticles in less than one working shift. The process is dry and does not require removal of the pellicle. Haze is expected to reform, but the Rhazer™ cleaning process causes no damage to the mask absorber materials, meaning reticles can be cleaned as often as needed without leaving the control of the fab line.” Mr. Hopkins also emphasized “The Rhazer™ process is consistent with the industry’s future environmental goal of using all ‘Green’ process technologies. The system has a small footprint, low energy consumption and produces no harmful effluents.”
Brian Grenon, President of Grenon
Consulting, Inc. is famous for working with mask makers
and wafer fabs around the world for over 10 years analyzing
the haze phenomenon, trying to develop haze prevention
and management solutions. Mr. Grenon was invited by
RAVE to assess the new Rhazer™ technology and was quoted as saying, “After nearly a decade of industry yield and revenue losses due to reticle haze, RAVE has developed a unique solution to the reticle haze problem, The solution both abates and removes haze without pellicle removal and damage to the reticle.”
The Rhazer™ system can be used to:
Pre-clean masks (providing
longer wafer exposure life)
Re-clean masks during wafer stepper lithography runs (quickly
returns reticles to the wafer line, increasing
line management flexibility and reducing the
need for duplicate reticles)
Post-clean masks immediately after use and just before transfer
to the reticle stocker to neutralize haze formation
during long term storage.
RAVE is already working with
several device manufacturers around the world
demonstrating the Rhazer™ process technology. Delivery of the first system is expected in Q1 2009.
About RAVE LLC
RAVE
LLC is a global supplier of advanced process
solutions to the Semiconductor and Photomask
Industries. Since 2001, RAVE has been recognized
as the industry leader in advanced photomask
repair with products that include high-speed
laser and precision nanomachining systems designed
for the accurate removal of defects on >=32nm photomasks. With the introduction of the new Rhazer™ Haze
Removal System, RAVE is once again pioneering
another breakthrough in advanced equipment
technology that is expected to bring enormous
cost savings to Semiconductor wafer fabs around
the world.
RAVE LLC is headquartered
in Delray Beach, Florida and maintains sales
and service offices in Asia, Europe and the
USA. All product and service names are trademarks
or registered trademarks.
This press release contains
forward-looking statements that involve a number
of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors that could cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of Company to be
materially different from any future results,
performance or achievement expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements. Readers
are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date the statement was made.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update
the forward-looking statements contained herein
to reflect events or circumstances after the
date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events. |
