News Article
A new vacuum pump specially for LED & CS epitaxy
Edwards' new iXH645H dry vacuum pump has been designed with nitride LEDs and III-V compound semiconductor MOCVD growth in mind. The company says it requires minimal maintenance and maximises uptime in harsh manufacturing environments
Edwards is introducing a new iXH645H dry pump which has been optimised for MOCVD processes used in LED manufacturing.
The pump is also suited for use in the growth of III-V materials in gate stacks.
Edwards' iXH645 pump
The iXH645H delivers very high gas flow capability and is able to operate continuously at the high loads required for the latest-generation LED manufacturing tools. Edwards says the advanced technology of the iXH pump minimises maintenance requirements and maximises pump uptimes, helping to lower cost-of-ownership.
“This new addition to our iXH family of dry pumps is designed to address the needs of two rapidly growing segments of high technology manufacturing,” saysWei Shao, Edwards’ LED market sector manager. “Due to their superior lighting efficiency, LEDs are increasingly being seen as an environmentally-friendly alternative to incandescent lighting, as shown by recent legislation passed in China, Korea, Japan and the U.K to phase out traditional high power lighting.”
Shao adds, “At the same time, the use of III-V materials in compound semiconductor manufacturing is enabling the continuation of Moore’s Law to next-generation design nodes.”
Both LED and compound semiconductor manufacturing processes typically use high flows of light hydrogen and highly-corrosive ammonia gasses. The iXH645H has been designed to support these requirements with superior hydrogen pumping performance and a corrosion-resistant design, including a patented nitrogen purge barrier to protect the pump seals.
The high-temperature capabilities of the pump help prevent condensation of the phosphorous compounds which may be present.
What's more, its advanced oil lubrication and seal technology eliminate periodic maintenance requirements, while its thermal and motor design prevent overheating, motor overloads or zones of limited operation. The pump’s optimised temperature control system ensures the pump is ready for process within approximately 30 minutes of start-up.
Edwards will be explaining more about this latest addition to its portfolio at SEMICON West, taking place between July 10th and 12th, 2012 in San Francisco, California at booth #5351 in the North Hall.
