Upgrades

Control System Ugrades for Oxford Instruments' tools

We offer a growing range of control system upgrades, and all are easy to install and set up. These upgrades are designed specifically for Oxford Instruments’ tools, and can only be purchased through the company and our distributors.

Why purchase Control System upgrades?

• Increased and improved system performance
• Faster front end technology
• Process improvements

 

Please click here to download our Control Systems Upgrade flyer, or follow the link on the right.

The Gas Pod offers maximum process flexibility. Up to 12 gas lines may be fitted

Gas Pod Upgrade for extra flexibility

Oxford Instruments’ Gas Pods have the capability of being able to incorporate extra gas lines, allowing the user great flexibility. Additional lines may be added as User requirements change.

Key features

• Toxic and non-toxic gases may be accommodated
• Available for all Oxford Instruments’ PlasmaProTM systems (Ionfab tool upgrades reviewed individually for eligibility)
• Up to 12 gas lines can be accommodated (dependant on the gas pod’s configuration)

Benefits of the Gas Pod Upgrade

• Greater flexibility, increasing the range of different types of processes available for each process chamber
• Installation is quick and easy
• Latest version Mass Flow Controllers (MFC) can be installed
• Industry standard MFC mounting means MFCs from different manufacturers may be installed

 

LN2 Autochangeover Unit - an upgrade to Oxford Instruments Cryo Tables

LN2 Autochangeover Unit

Oxford Instruments’ LN2 Auto Changeover Unit enables table cooling fluid to be automatically switched between Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) and Chiller Fluid, via a recirculating chiller. The Unit may be added as an upgrade to many of our Systems, including systems with cryo cooled electrodes.

Key Benefits

• Accelerated cooling in temperature range 200 °C to 0 °C
• Fully automated, not requiring the manual removal of pipe work and blowing out the table, saving time and reducing the exposure risk to LN2 when changing between Chiller and Cryo modes
• Saves time when rapid mode change is required
• Unmanned/Overnight mode changes, gives time for the table temperature to stabilise, ready for process at the beginning of the next day
• Setpoint range: -150 °C to +400 °C (System 100 tool)
• Setpoint range: -120 °C to +350 °C (System 133 tool)
• Fantastic time saving
  Natural cool down 200ºC to 20ºC takes around 10 to 12 hours. Using the ACU time is cut to 40 minutes (including switching from Cryo to Chiller mode
• Great cost savings gained
• Systems compatible with LN2 Auto Changeover Unit:
  This Autochangeover unit can be used with all new or existing systems with a Cryo Table or  RIE heated electrode fitted. 

 

LN2 Autochangeover Unit - an upgrade to Oxford Instruments Cryo Tables	Comparison table shows assisted vs unassisted cooling, offering proven time and cost savings

 

Dry Pump N2 Standby Mode

Dry Pump N2 Standby Mode can be offered on many of OIPT’s systems

The N2 Standby Mode will save energy and nitrogen used by its plasma etch, deposition and growth systems. Previously, systems with dry pumps have had their nitrogen purge set continually at up to 35 litres per minute, but the nitrogen only needs to run at these levels when the chamber is running process gases.

OIPT’s newly introduced Dry Pump N2 Standby Mode has been designed to save a great deal of gas over the lifetime of a system. When the Systems are just pumping, on ‘idle’ or ‘standby’ mode, the nitrogen inlet to the dry pump can be controlled to reduce the amount of nitrogen entering the pump, while still continuing to purge the pump bearings. As well as benefiting the environment, this capability also offers significant cost reductions.

The pump can be set via Oxford Instruments’ PC2000 system software to run the preset flow of nitrogen for a set period prior to and after a process has completed its run, allowing all gases to be safely diluted and pumped away, before returning to the N2 Standby Mode.

Initially this new capability can only be offered on systems configured with Adixen pumps and blue plcs.

 

CCD 1 Spectrometer

CCD1 Spectrometer Screenshot

The introduction of the CCD1 Spectrometer system, offers improved end-pointing capability our range of plasma etch and deposition tools.

The CCD1 is capable of providing both a process endpointing capability, and UV/VIS spectrum capture, and is available as a standard option on all new tools or as an upgrade option for existing Oxford Instruments customers.

This spectrometer provides a cost-effective route to general purpose endpointing and spectroscopy, without compromising on resolution or signal strength.

The CCD1 is a UV/VIS CCD spectrometer that can monitor a wide range of plasma emissions over wavelengths 200nm-880nm. This unit can be used in one of two ways: process endpoint detection via OIPT’s PC2000™ software, or full spectrum viewing and recording.

This provides the user with detailed plasma spectroscopy information, which can be used for monitoring the concentrations of species within the plasma. The spectra can also be compared to previous spectral data – for system monitoring, fault detection and potential fault classification.

Now available as a system option on new OIPT etch and deposition tools, the CCD1 spectrometer may also be offered as an upgrade to systems in the field, dependent on the system age, type, and configuration.

We featured the CCD1 Spectrometer in our latest edition of Process News. To read it, click here.