Сравнение вертикальных и горизонтальных печей для полупроводниковых применений

JTEKT Thermo Systems представлены в Европе
Crystec Technology Trading GmbH

Сравнение вертикальных и горизонтальных печей

We are frequently asked for the differences of vertical furnaces and horizontal furnace and for a justification of the higher price of vertical systems. Therefore we worked out the following table sheet. We hope that this overview, this comparison sheet will help you to make a proper planning.
We compare in this sheet a horizontal furnace with a vertical furnace for mass production (VF5300) and with our small vertical furnace VF1000, which is a good alternative to horizontal systems for small companies as well as for research institutes.

Comparison furnace properties
Feature
Horizontalofen 206 208
3- or 4-Tube
Horizontal Furnace
e.g. Model M206

Vertikalöfen VF5300
Vertical Furnace
for Production
e.g. VF5300

Vertikalofen VF1000
Vertical furnace
for R&D
e.g. VF1000

  Heat up speed slower faster faster
  Quartz boat loading time slower faster faster
  Cool down speed equal equal equal
  Max. temperature using KLL's advanced LGO heaters 1100°C 1250°C 1250°C
  Temperature uniformity lower higher higher
  Temperature interference between the tubes 1 - 2 °C none none
  Oxygen concentration tube center (end open) 16% 0,1% 0,1%
  Oxygen concentration tube end (end open) high 500ppm 500ppm
  Oxygen concentration tube center (end closed) 0,1% 300ppm 300ppm
  Oxygen concentration tube end (end closed) 10 - 30 ppm 10ppm 10ppm
  Air tight process chamber (atmospheric process) no yes yes
  HCl leak free no yes yes
  Cross contamination possible not possible not possible
  Process independence not completely yes yes
  Particle data worse very good better
  Flexibility: Run mixed diameter of wafers in one run possible not possible not possible
  Flexibility: Run different diameter of wafers run to run possible not possible possible
  Flexibility: Range of wafer diameters that can be processed 3" - 6" (8") 4" - 300mm 3" - 300mm
  Stock wafer cassettes no yes no
  Automation level lower very high higher
  Thickness uniformity wet oxidation 10nm, 8" wafer no data ± 0.9 % ± 0.9 %
  Thickness uniformity dry oxidation 20nm, 8" wafer ± 2.4 % ± 1.2 % ± 1.2 %
  Thickness uniformity poly-Silicon 400nm, 8" wafer ± 2.0 % ± 1.0 % ± 1.0 %
  Thickness uniformity Nitride100nm, 8" wafer ± 2.5 % ± 1.5 % ± 1.5 %
  Capacity >150 wafer 100 - 150 wafer 25 wafers
  Power consumption high lower very low
  Maintenance independence no yes yes
  Maintenance work, necessary higher lower very low
  Footprint / tube 2.6 - 3.4 m2 (partially cleanroom) 3.0 m2 (grey room) 1.5 m2 (grey room)
  Price low high low

Nowadays, mass production of semiconductor chips happens with silicon wafers with 200mm or 300mm diameter. Vertical furnaces are used almost exclusively. Only in older factories, which still use smaller wafer diameters, horizontal furnaces are still common. For wafer diameters until 6" the performance of such systems is in many cases still good enough to fulfil the customer requests. However, the advantages of vertical systems are already evident for this wafer size.
The result of this situation on the oven market was, that almost all large furnace manufacturers stopped the further development of horizontal furnaces. Development work is done today almost only for vertical systems. Therefore vertical furnaces are superior to horizontal ones not only for physical reasons, but also because they are the more modern production tool. Their performance is much higher.
A main issue is furnace automation. Automation for horizontal furnaces means mainly the installation of an elevator system for the loading of the boat on the cantilever arm. The loading area is open to the clean room. Vertical furnaces however are closed system with clean room class 1 inside. The loading happens fully automatically from the cassette by advanced robot systems.
Other  technical advantages of the vertical furnaces are the better gas tight sealing of the furnace tube,  as well as several options, availabe only on vertical furnaces like improved temperature uniformity by boat rotation or nitrogen load lock chamber.

For smaller enterprises, pilot lines, research institutes and universities this development has the disadvantage that high performance is coupled to high grade of automation and therefore to a high equipment price. For budget reasons the only way out is quite often the purchasing of horizontal furnaces, although the customers has to accept in this case the lower performance of such systems.
Since several years, the company of JTEKT Thermo Systems (previously Koyo Thermo Systems) can offer a better solution. KTS developed a small vertical furnace named VF1000 for these customers. The VF1000 is a full performance vertical furnace. The capacity of this furnace has been kept small, because research customers require small capacity in most cases. Therefore this system has been developed as a mini batch furnace for 25 wafers (standard) or 50 wafers (option) capacity. The wafer loading of the boat is done manually, which increases the flexibility of the furnace a lot, while all other steps like the boat loading to the furnace and the performance of the process recipes are handled fully automatically same as on the mass production tools. The price of such a furnace finally is only little bit higher compared to a horizontal furnace tube.
The required footprint of our small vertical furnace is by the way smaller compared to the footprint of horizontal furnaces! We show you an example of the layout of 12 tubes (5 tubes PECVD) in vertical VF1000 design and in horizontal type 208 design (3 tubes per stack).

Platzbedarf  Reinraum Vertikalöfen Stellfläche Vertikalöfen VF1000

JTEKT Thermo Systems manufactures numerous versions of vertical furnaces and horizontal furnaces with full automation or manual loading. Smaller versions for pilot and laboratory applications are available.

JTEKT Thermo Systems and Crystec will be pleased to engineer a cost effective system to satisfy your most demanding and exacting requirements.