Silex’s commitment to exceeding our customers’ expectations is demonstrated in our class 1–10 MEMS 8-inch (200 mm) fab. This new ISO 9001:2000 certified facility combines the most advanced process technologies with state-of-the-art tool capabilities.

Our standard processes include proven technologies and proprietary processes such as the Silex  Sil-Via® TSV and Zero-Crosstalk™ isolating substrate. Incorporating state-of-the-art deposition and electroplating equipment in our 8-inch fab enables us to offer unique functional capping technologies with integrated through-wafer metal vias, RF passives and coaxial feedthroughs—advanced technologies that are spearheading the MEMS industry in CMOS-to-MEMS integration.

8” Wafer Fab Capabilities

Lithography
  • Contact 1:1
    Minimum features: ~0.8 µm (vacuum contact mode) or ~3 µm (proximity mode) Alignment accuracy: ~1 µm (front side align), or ~2 µm (back side align)
  • Stepper 5:1
    Minimum features: ~0.35 µm Alignment accuracy: ~0.1 µm
  • Photoresist coater
  • Contact/proximity mode aligner
  • Double-side lithography capabilities
  • Resist thickness: 1-10 µm using positive and negative photoresist
Plasma Etching
  • DRIE with high selectivity and feature aspect ratio <1:50
  • Dielectric etching (oxide, nitride etc.)
  • Polysilicon etching
  • Metal etching (TiN, AlSiCu)
  • Polymer etching/stripping
Plasma Deposition
  • PECVD Oxide
  • PECVD Nitride
  • PECVD TEOS
  • SACVD Oxide
Wafer Bonding
  • Silicon fusion bonding
  • Au-Si, Au-Sn eutectic bonding
  • Anodic bonding
  • Thermocompression bonding
  • Adhesive bonding
  • Bonding in controlled ambient/vacuum
  • Megasonic or Brush wafer clean
Furnace Processes
  • Wet/Dry/Mixed thermal oxidations (900 – 1050C)
  • Annealing Processes (densification, bond, or forming gas)
  • RTP
  • Doping Processes (Ion Implantation, POCl3)
  • LPCVD silicon (amorphous, poly) (in-situ P-doped Poly coming)
  • LPCVD nitride (standard, low stress)
  • LPCVD oxides (LTO, PSG, TEOS)
Wet Etching
  • Fully automated Spin Solvent Tool (SST)
  • Fully automated Spin Acid Tool (SAT)
Metallization
  • Sputter deposition (Ti/TiN, W, Cu, AlSiCu, AlN, Mo)
  • Electroplating with integrated seed layer etch (Ni, Au, Cu, Sn)
Metrology
  • SEM
  • Ellipsometer
  • Interferometer
  • Inspection microscopes
  • CD Microscopes
  • White light interferometer
  • Surface profiler
  • Film stress measurement
  • Sheet resistance measurement
  • Surfscan
  • XRD
Testing
  • Automated probing
  • Test development for prototyping and volume production of MEMS devices
  • Automated electrical parametric testing
  • Customer specific test rigs
Back End
  • Automated dicing of wafers and wafer stacks
  • Au and Al wire bonding
  • Epoxy and solder die attachment
  • Lapping for wafer thinning/polishing