ClassOne Technology

109 Cooperative Way
Kalispell,  MT  59901

United States
http://www.ClassOne.com

• Booth: B1551

Welcome to ClassOne Technology!

ClassOne has become the industry’s preferred semiconductor equipment manufacturer of new, high-performance electroplating (ECD) and surface prep equipment for ≤200mm manufacturers. We design, build, and deliver advanced single-wafer tools for process development and volume production, as well as batch spray solvent tools, spin rinse dryers, and more.

VCSEL structure featuring Solstice gold plating

Today, we are working with a majority of the world’s category-leading device manufacturers, including both silicon and compound semiconductor producers of VCSELs, microLEDs, LEDs, Laser Diodes, MEMs, Power Semiconductors, RF,  Photonics, IR Sensors, Microfluidics, and much more. Our equipment routinely helps fabricate devices on a broad array of substrate sizes and materials, from silicon and glass to sapphire and GaAs to InP and HgCdTe and more.

 Press Releases

• ClassOne’s Solstice S4 Wet Processing System Chosen by TRUMPF (20210722)
  Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ClassOne Technology announced the sale of its Solstice® S4 fully-automated wet-processing system to one of the world’s leading VCSEL laser manufacturers, TRUMPF Photonic Components. The new Solstice S4 will be installed at the TRUMPF Photonic Components facility in Ulm, Germany. The announcement was made jointly by Byron Exarcos, ClassOne CEO, and Dr. Matthias Lessel, TRUMPF Manager of the Unit Process Development Group.

  “We are implementing new technologies, and the Solstice S4 will help to enhance our level of process automation,” said Dr. Lessel. “The ClassOne organization has always been very supportive in helping us meet our schedules. Most importantly, in our new process development we’ve been seeing very good first results on the Solstice.”

  “TRUMPF is a leading-edge manufacturer and they’re building very advanced VCSELs and photodiodes on gallium arsenide,” said Exarcos. “Our Solstice S4 will be helping to automate some of the wet-etching processes for those devices. The S4 can have up to four chambers; and for TRUMPF, the tool has been configured with special spray-etch and spin-rinse-dry chambers to streamline production. The Solstice also allows for quick and easy switching between three different substrate sizes, which is a very important feature for their productivity.”

  ClassOne explained that the Solstice platform was specifically designed for ≤200mm wafer users and allows for a great deal of modular flexibility in its configuration. Depending upon the choice of processing chambers, Solstice tools can be used for electrochemical plating as well as for a range of wet-chemical surface preparation processes, such as High-Pressure Metal Lift-Off, Resist Strip, UBM Etch, and more. In addition to the four-chambered fully-automated S4, ClassOne’s Solstice product line also includes the eight-chambered Solstice S8 for automated high-volume production and the dual-chambered, semi-automated Solstice LT for process development or lower-volume production. For additional information about the Solstice product line or other ClassOne Technology systems, please go to classone.com.

  About ClassOne Technology
  ClassOne Technology (classone.com) develops and delivers innovative new wet-chemical wafer processing equipment, including electroplating and surface preparation systems, as well as spin-rinse-dryers and spray solvent tools. The company focuses on delivering high-performance systems specifically for users of ≤200mm substrates, who traditionally have been underserved or ignored by the larger tool manufacturers. Based in Kalispell, Montana, ClassOne Technology is built upon decades of experience from industry veterans who continue the ClassOne tradition of delivering exceptional performance at an affordable price. ClassOne Technology is a sister company to ClassOne Equipment (ClassOneEquipment.com), long respected as the industry’s premier provider of refurbished processing tools, with over 2,500 systems installed worldwide.

  About TRUMPF
  The high-technology company TRUMPF (www.trumpf.com) is a world technological and market leader for machine tools used in flexible sheet metal processing and also for industrial lasers. TRUMPF develops and produces its VCSEL technology at Photonic Components, a business field located at the company’s Ulm, Germany, site.

  With about 14,300 employees, the company generated sales in the 2019/20 fiscal year of nearly 3.5 billion euros (preliminary figures). With over 70 subsidiaries, the TRUMPF Group is represented in nearly all the countries of Europe, North and South America, and Asia. It has production facilities in Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, the USA, Mexico, China and Japan.

• ClassOne’s Solstice LT Plating System Selected by Jenoptik for Producing High-Power Diode Lasers (20210722)

  Kalispell, MT — 

  Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ClassOne Technology announced the sale of its Solstice® LT electroplating system to Jenoptik for manufacturing semiconductor material for high-power diode lasers at its semiconductor production facility in Berlin-Adlershof, Germany. High-power diode lasers play an important role in optical pumping of solid-state lasers as well as in direct use applications such as material processing, sensing as well as in healthcare & life science. The dual-chambered Solstice LT is specially configured for high-performance gold processing. The announcement was made jointly by ClassOne CEO, Byron Exarcos, and Dr. Juergen Sebastian, plant manager of the Jenoptik facility in Berlin.

  “The new Solstice LT will replace a manual plating wet bench,” explained Dr. Sebastian. “This will significantly improve process stability, plating quality as well as reduce our metallization step costs. That’s important because at Jenoptik, we build all the semiconductors that go into our diode lasers in-house. The new Solstice LT electroplating system thus ensures very high quality, performance and service life of our end products. Moreover, the new system also promotes Jenoptik’s policy of sustainability thanks to the new electrolyte technology.”

  “The Solstice LT for Jenoptik is specially configured with our GoldPro™ processing chamber,” said Exarcos. “GoldPro can deliver unprecedented levels of repeatability – wafer-to-wafer, die-to-die, within-die, and within-feature. The bottom line is exceptional uniformity and reproducibility, along with reduced cost of ownership.”

  With the new electroplating system, Jenoptik is now able to process different GaAs wafers sizes to accommodate different customer requirements. Another reason for selecting Solstice was the flexibility of its design, which readily allows the handling of multiple wafer sizes on the same tool.

  “We’re proud to be on the Jenoptik team because their semiconductor lasers are industry leaders,” said Exarcos. “Their quality is based on advanced manufacturing, with strict quality controls and state-of-the-art process technologies. It’s an environment in which Solstice can play an integral role, and we’re looking forward to the next generations of Jenoptik diode lasers!”

  ClassOne Solstice systems provide high-performance electroplating specifically for ≤200mm wafer processing. The Solstice series includes fully-automated 8-chamber and 4-chamber systems with up to 75-wph throughput as well as a 2-chamber semiautomated configuration that can be used both for process development and production. In addition to electroplating, the unique Plating-Plus™ capabilities of the Solstice platform enable it to handle many other important functions, such as wafer cleaning, high-pressure metal lift-off, resist strip, UBM etch, and more. Solstice’s class-leading performance and flexibility consistently make it the tool of choice for ≤200mm plating.

  About ClassOne
  ClassOne Technology (classone.com) provides innovative new wet-chemical wafer processing solutions, including electroplaters, spin-rinse-dryers, spray solvent tools and more. The company focuses on making advanced technology available to users of ≤200mm substrates such as compound semiconductor and many emerging markets, who traditionally have been underserved by the larger equipment manufacturers. Based in Kalispell, Montana, ClassOne Technology is built upon decades of experience from industry veterans creating high-performance semiconductor equipment. ClassOne Technology is a sister company to ClassOne Equipment (ClassOneEquipment.com), long respected as the industry’s premier provider of refurbished name-brand processing tools, with over 2,500 systems installed worldwide.

  About Jenoptik
  Jenoptik (jenoptik.com) is a globally-operating technology group, active in three photonics-based divisions, Light & Optics, Light & Production, and Light & Safety, together with its mechatronics business managed under the VINCORION brand name. Optical technologies, systems, and solutions form the basis of the company’s business. Key markets include security & defense, semiconductor equipment, medical technology, mechanical engineering, traffic, aviation and automotive industries. With a broad portfolio of technologies, the Light & Optics division is a global OEM supplier of solutions and products in the fields of optics, laser technology, digital imaging, opto-electronics and software.

• ClassOne’s Solstice Plating System Selected for Advanced MicroLEDs (20210722)

  Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ClassOne Technology announced the sale of its Solstice® GoldPro™ electroplating system to one of the industry’s leading developers of microLED technology for advanced applications. The Solstice equipment, designed specifically for ≤200mm single-wafer processing, will be used for both R&D and production of next-generation microLED devices. The announcement was made by ClassOne’s CEO, Byron Exarcos, and Senior Technology Director, John Ghekiere.

  “The customer chose our Solstice S8 GoldPro because it can significantly increase gold plating quality,” said Ghekiere. “The evaporation methods they used previously were producing porous gold coatings with low conformality, which necessitated overly thick sacrificial gold deposition. But with our proprietary GoldPro technology they are able to fill the bond pad features void-free and reduce the sacrificial overburden gold by 50%. This new level of precise control and high performance is literally technology-enabling for their next-generation microLEDs.”

  “Every gold contact comes out exactly the same,” added Ghekiere. “The new system delivers unprecedented repeatability, wafer-to-wafer, die-to-die, within-die, and within-feature. And this tight within-feature control means that less gold is needed to achieve maximum device performance – which can reduce costs substantially. Plus, the flexible design of the Solstice provides additional cost efficiencies, allowing both process development and volume production to be done on a single tool.”

  “We are proud to be working with a customer who is leading the way in full-field self-emissive microLED displays,” said Exarcos. “Combining high efficiency, high pixel density, and low power, these microLEDs are becoming critical components in the newest electric vehicles, smart watches, smart phones, head-up displays, and more. Similarly, we’re seeing Solstice becoming the critical advanced plating tool for microLED fabs around the world.”

  MicroLEDs are essentially traditional LEDs shrunk down to microscopic size. They are self-emissive and do not require backlighting as LCDs do. They also provide special advantages such as increased brightness, ultra-low power consumption, fast response time, high contrast rate, wide color gamut, and long lifetime.

  ClassOne provides a family of Solstice systems for high-performance electroplating specifically on ≤200mm substrates. The family includes fully-automated 8-chamber and 4-chamber systems with up to 75-wph throughput as well as the dual-chambered Solstice LT, which can be used both for process development and production. In addition to electroplating, the tools’ unique Plating-Plus™ capabilities enable them to handle a number of other important functions, including wafer cleaning, high-pressure metal lift-off, resist strip, UBM etch, and more – all on the same platform. World-class performance and unprecedented flexibility are making Solstice the preferred tool for ≤200mm plating.

  About ClassOne

  ClassOne Technology (classone.com) provides innovative new wet-chemical equipment solutions, including electroplating systems, spin-rinse-dryers, spray solvent tools, and more. The company focuses on making advanced technology and performance available to users of ≤200mm substrates such as compound semiconductor and many emerging markets – who traditionally have been underserved by the larger equipment manufacturers. Based in Kalispell, Montana, ClassOne Technology is built upon decades of experience from industry veterans creating high-performance semiconductor equipment. ClassOne Technology is a sister company to ClassOne Equipment (ClassOneEquipment.com), long respected as the industry’s premier provider of refurbished name-brand processing tools, with over 2,500 systems installed worldwide.

• Ferdinand-Braun-Institut Chooses Solstice S4 for Advanced Electroplating and Wafer Surface Processing (20210722)

  Kalispell, MT — 

  ClassOne Technology, global supplier of advanced electroplating systems for ≤200mm wafer processing, announced the sale of its Solstice® S4 system to the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) in Berlin. The FBH is a major III-V compound semiconductor research institute that develops leading-edge microwave and optoelectronic devices for communications, energy, health, mobility and other industries.

  “We were looking for the right tool to optimize our metal lift-off processes, and we did a rigorous comparison of competitive equipment,” said Olaf Krüger, Head of FBH’s Process Technology Department. “The Solstice S4 came out the winner, with superior performance in comparison demos. And one strong differentiator was ClassOne’s unique face-down wafer processing design.”

  “Our face-down processing has become a clear favorite in the compound semiconductor industry,” said Roland Seitz, Director of ClassOne’s European Operations. “It’s an elegant design that does the job better and also eliminates fundamental problems common in other tools. For example, it prevents re-adhesion issues. After metal fragments and cross-linked photoresist have been dislodged, gravity simply pulls them away from the wafer surface and down the chamber drain – leaving the wafer surface clean.”

  Seitz explained that the Solstice S4’s compact footprint and its configuration and multi-processing flexibility were additional factors in the purchase decision – as well as FBH’s experience with ClassOne’s other equipment and customer support, since FBH is a repeat customer. Seitz noted that with the addition of the S4, FBH’s Berlin facility will now be employing virtually the entire portfolio of ClassOne tools, including the Solstice S8 as well as SAT, SST, and SRD systems.

  ClassOne’s Solstice platform includes three complementary configurations: The 8-chambered Solstice S8 with up to 75-wph throughput, the 4-chambered automated Solstice S4, and the 2-chambered Solstice LT for process development. In addition to electroplating, the Solstice’s special Plating-Plus™ capabilities enable it to handle numerous other functions, including wafer cleaning, high-pressure metal lift-off, resist strip, UBM etch and more. This multi-processing flexibility often reduces the number of different tools a user needs to purchase.

  About ClassOne Technology
  ClassOne Technology (classone.com) headquartered in Kalispell, Montana, has become known for delivering “Advanced Plating for ≤200mm Processing.” In addition to electroplating systems, the company also provides complementary wet processing equipment such as spin rinse dryers, spray acid tools, spray solvent tools, and more. All are designed to provide advanced technology processing equipment at attractive prices to compound semiconductor manufacturers and other emerging markets who have been underserved by the larger equipment makers. ClassOne Technology is built upon decades of experience from industry veterans creating high-performance semiconductor equipment. ClassOne Technology is a sister company to ClassOne Equipment (ClassOneEquipment.com), long respected as the industry’s premier provider of refurbished name-brand processing tools, with over 2,500 systems installed worldwide.

  About Ferdinand-Braun-Institut
  The Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik (FBH), is based in Berlin and researches electronic and optical components, modules and systems based on compound semiconductors, for communications, energy, health, mobility, and other industries. FBH develops such next-generation light sources as high-power diode lasers, UV light sources and hybrid laser modules. Applications range from medical technology, precision metrology and sensors to optical communications in space and integrated quantum technology. In microwaves, FBH develops high-efficiency multi-functional power amplifiers and millimeter wave frontends targeting energy-efficient mobile communications, industrial sensing and imaging as well as car safety systems. In addition, FBH produces compact atmospheric microwave plasma sources with energy-efficient low-voltage drivers and laser drivers for a range of applications.

• Major Asian GaAs Foundry Orders Multiple Solstice Electroplating Systems from ClassOne (20210722)

  Kalispell, MT — 

  ClassOne Technology (classone.com), the global provider of advanced semiconductor plating and surface preparation systems, announced that it has received a multi-tool order from one of the largest Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) foundries in Asia. The order was for ClassOne’s Solstice® S8 systems and included proprietary GoldPro™ processing chambers for advanced gold plating. The announcement was made by ClassOne’s CEO, Byron Exarcos, and Senior Technology Director, John Ghekiere.

  “This customer is using the Solstice S8 for high-volume HBT processes on 150mm GaAs wafers,” said Ghekiere. “They’re producing advanced power semiconductor devices that involve several important gold processes, both frontend applications and backend vias. So, they were interested in our GoldPro chamber for a number of reasons: For one thing, it automatically adjusts to a broad range of substrate thicknesses, from nominal-thickness wafers to those that are mounted on thick substrates. So they don’t have to reconfigure for each substrate type.”

  “Also, the GoldPro reactor is able to deliver exceptional gold plating uniformity together with high wafer throughput,” said Ghekiere. “In previous generations of gold plating systems, the user generally had to choose between plating quality and processing speed. However, GoldPro is designed to form highly stable flow structures that achieve extremely uniform feature shape without sacrificing plating rate.”

  “All of this is producing a steady increase In Solstice sales, notably in high-volume fabs and in Asia,” said Exarcos. “Partly it’s because of Solstice’s performance and flexibility, delivering both high-quality electroplating and surface prep processes on the same tool, which boosts production and ROI. But it’s also because of ClassOne’s high level of customer support in Asia. Many customers are just getting started in advanced electroplating technology, and they depend on us for the deep process experience and technical support they need to get from start-up to full production. For example, many of them count on our ability to provide pre-production sampling through our central Technical Development Center, which can shorten their time frames considerably. It’s this combination of world-class technology and world-class support that’s been driving many of the repeat orders we’ve been receiving across Asia and around the world.”

  ClassOne’s Solstice S8 is an eight-chambered, fully-automated single-wafer production tool that delivers high-performance electroplating as well as wafer surface preparation for a range of processes, including cleaning, metal lift-off, resist strip, UBM etch and more. The Solstice series also includes the fully-automated S4 with up to four processing chambers and the semi-automated Solstice LT with up to three chambers for process development or lower-volume production.

 Products