scia Systems GmbH, an industry leader in advanced ion beam and plasma process equipment for microelectronics, MEMS, and precision optics industries, will highlight advances in ion beam processing for semiconductor, sensor, and photonic integrated circuit (PIC) manufacturing at SEMICON Taiwan 2024. scia Systems’ high-precision solutions enable many of today’s high-growth consumer and industrial applications. With semiconductors and sensors' ever-growing complexity, manufacturing them requires higher levels of precision. Ion beam process technologies enable ultra-precision, leading to manufacturers’ success in producing such devices, which drive cloud computing, augmented/mixed reality (AR/MR), automotive, telecommunications, and many other industries.
Ion beam etching solutions enable significant growth in photonic integrated circuits
Demand for PICs is growing rapidly in telecommunications and data centers due to their wide bandwidth, low transmission loss, and numerous other advantages over traditional electronic integrated circuits. Integrating new materials, material stacks, and designs requires new etching solutions. scia Systems’ advanced ion beam etching and trimming processes enable manufacturing three-dimensional optoelectronic microstructures for PICs, such as waveguides and other optical components. Reducing microroughness by ion beam trimming is another promising application area that enhances the production of high-performance PICs. Further applications include nano-structured surface relief gratings for AR/MR systems and surface form error correction for telescope mirrors, X-ray optics, lenses, and conventional optics.
Ion beam etching technology produces GMR/TMR sensors for mega markets
High-precision sensors that use magnetic storage, most notably giant magnetoresistance (GMR) and tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors, are used to detect any motion, including proximity, rotations, or vibrations. These have been rapidly adopted across various industries and applications, including automotive electronics, industrial equipment, and cloud storage. However, these sensors' complex, multi-layer composition creates significant challenges for traditional chemical and dry etching processes, which have difficulty processing magnetic materials. scia Systems overcomes these limitations with its high-precision ion beam etching technology, enabling the manufacture of high-performance GMR sensors for flexible and wearable electronics, including AR/MR headsets, and TMR sensors for Internet of Things (IoT), automotive, smart home, eMobility, and many other applications.
Ion beam etching solutions for precision reverse engineering of ICs
Reverse engineering is an essential step in semiconductor manufacturing. By conducting verification, failure analysis, and research of internal device structures, engineers can isolate and troubleshoot problems to improve manufacturing yields. Reverse engineering involves exposing internal components, delayering to analyze each device layer, imaging, and post-processing. Conventional delayering processes such as wet chemical etching, CMP, or plasma etching are often expensive, error-prone, and limited in application. scia Systems’ ion beam etching technology enables precise processing within the micro- and nanometer-size range and atomic-level-thickness range for different materials simultaneously.
See scia Systems at SEMICON Taiwan.
SEMICON Taiwan attendees interested in learning more about scia Systems and its advanced ion beam and other thin-film process solutions are invited to visit Booth #I2422.
About scia Systems GmbH
Founded in 2013, scia Systems is a technology leader in thin-film process equipment based on advanced ion beam and plasma technologies. The systems are used for coating, etching, and cleaning processes with nanometer resolution and have been successfully implemented in various high-tech industries worldwide, including microelectronics, MEMS, and precision optics industries. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.scia-systems.com.