Forge Nano’s APOLLO Wafer Coating System offers completely automatic cassette-to-cassette ALD processes with the lowest cost of ownership and a high throughput performance.
APOLLO is the best in each aspect of ALD productivity, cost and performance, while setting a whole new standard for efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. Thanks to its 'zero-waste' processing, APOLLO reduces power consumption in factories and requires a smaller footprint on the clean-room floor.
Key Features
- Compact footprint—1 m2 per chamber
- Ultrafast deposition of 120–300 Å/minute
- Maintenance at 250 pm
- Completely interlocked and fault-safe
- Longer pump life and no waste
- Uniformity within 1% between wafer and batches
- Up to 90% utilization of precursor
Applications
- Medical devices and sensors
- Eliminate hermetic packaging
- Optical Sensors
- Envelope for environmental, corrosion and high voltage insulation
- CoBs, PCBs, modules and ICs
- Electronic devices
Forge Nano delivers APOLLO across the world to facilitate a new generation of advanced technologies. APOLLO includes world-class maintenance and best-in-class service provided by Forge Nano’s dedicated team of U.S.-based scientists and engineers.
Basic Specifications and Configurations
Performance
APOLLO has achieved new levels of ALD productivity with the highest throughput manufacturing capability, excellent chemical utilization and the least cost of ownership. The patented SMFD-ALD™ process from Forge Nano guarantees the quality of films and nanolaminates.
Capabilities
The APOLLO system enables affordable ALD of films such as Al2O3, HfO2, ZnAlO, ZrO2, ZnO, Ta2O5, TiO2, SiO2, Nb3N5, HfSiO, BN, <300°C TiN, GaN and many more. The process covers even difficult patterned wafers like advanced-generation DRAM device wafers with an increased area of more than 50 times.
- Composite ternary and quaternary alloy films
- Thick film deposition (>5 μm)
- 100% conformal films over any topology
- Seamless incorporation of nanolaminates with reproducible atomic-layer control
- Low-temperature processing (down to 80 °C)
The APOLLO system enables smooth and reproducible film engineering with nanolaminate and composite capabilities. Film adhesion more than 1000 PSI to several different substrates such as copper, tin, polyimides, gold, ceramics, FR4, adhesives, different solder mask materials, polyurethanes and many more.
Design
APOLLO features the millisecond response ALD manifold from Forge Nano that combines 10 of its patented Fast Pneumatic Valves (FPV) to provide more than 100 million trouble-free cycles of composite and nanolaminate ALD films. This ALD manifold is the only one with the ability to switch composition every cycle without any throughput penalty.
Valves from Forge Nano are field-proven since 2005, setting records for reliability, speed, safety and service lifetime while functioning at higher temperatures of up to 220°C. The ALD valves from Forge Nano are the only doubly contained, spill-free UHP valves available in the market.
Configuration
The APOLLO system can house wafer sizes ranging from 75 to 300 mm, with cassette-to-cassette or single-wafer loader configurations.
Chemistry
Well-regulated, effective delivery of vapor from novel, proprietary sources facilitate rapid, low-cost deposition of films that require low-volatility precursors. More novel and proprietary on-demand sources are employed for safe regulation and delivery of otherwise over-reactive or short-lived reactants.