ITE orders Gamma 1000

has won an order for its Gamma 1000 thin-filmsputtering tool from the Institute of Electron Technology (ITE), a Polish research centre focussed on semiconductor, micro and nanotechnology.

According to Surrey NanoSystems, the tool will be a key platform for the institute's research and development activities into microelectronics and optoelectronics fabrication.

Gamma 1000C is sputtering tool that is capable of depositing conducting and insulating layers of materials in sequence or simultaneously. Featuring a hydrocarbon and particle free vacuum pumping system, a processing chamber with fast-access entry, and a graphical HMI offering manual control and recipe-driven operation, Gamma 1000C is, according to Surrey Nanosystems, the ideal platform for R&D and pilot production.

ITE has specified a system configuration that is capable of depositing metal, dielectric and semiconducting films, using sputter and sputter-etch processes.

This configuration will be one of the largest and most sophisticated sputtering systems that the company has ever built. The tool will also feature a very high vacuum capability of 1 x 10-9 Torr.

‘We've always known that our tool is very versatile, but were surprised to find that we were the only company tendering for this order - even though this was a public request,’ said Surrey NanoSystems' CTO Ben Jensen. ‘The very large configuration ITE requires really demonstrates the modularity of the underlying architecture, and we are delighted that this highly capable system will be used for such high-profile research.’

The system will be delivered to ITE by the end of 2007.