From kmcpeak at ethz.ch Thu Nov 18 17:26:24 2010 From: kmcpeak at ethz.ch (Kevin McPeak) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:26:24 +0100 Subject: [labnetwork] Thermal Evap Opinions Message-ID: Dear labnetwork subscribers, I am new to the list and am looking for some advice on thermal evaporators. I am a new postdoc at ETH-Zurich and one of my first jobs is to select a thermal evaporator. The thermal evap will be used to deposit Ag, Au, Cu and Al films on Si wafers. Furthermore we want stage rotation and stage heating (150 C). So far the leading contenders (based on provided quotes) are Lesker's Nano 36 and the Minilab system from Moorfield (www.moorfield.co.uk). One of the biggest concerns I have with the Lesker system is that the current system comes with a 700 L/s diffusion pump. We can upgrade to a turbo but that would make the product less price competitive with the Minilab. Both products are in the high 50K range. The minilab comes with a 70 L/s Turbo pump. Does anyone on the list have any experience (good or bad) with either of these products? Also and advice on the diffusion vs turbo pump issue is greatly appreciated. I myself come from a solution deposition background so I am just coming up to speed on vacuum processing equipment. What I have been told is that diffusion pumps suck a lot of power and can have catastrophic oil issues if proper safety precautions aren't taken. Any advice is most appreciated. Regards, Kevin McPeak -- Kevin McPeak Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow ETH Z?rich Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory Universitaetsstrasse 6, CNB F121 CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland Voice: +41 44 632 6594 Email: kmcpeak at ethz.ch From zhang.bin at mtpvcorp.com Thu Nov 18 20:48:44 2010 From: zhang.bin at mtpvcorp.com (BenZ) Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:48:44 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] Thermal Evap Opinions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <000601cb878b$e662ce30$b3286a90$@mtpvcorp.com> I suggest don't buy it at all, use others' system and pay by hour if you want to save money. Ben -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Kevin McPeak Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 5:26 PM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] Thermal Evap Opinions Dear labnetwork subscribers, I am new to the list and am looking for some advice on thermal evaporators. I am a new postdoc at ETH-Zurich and one of my first jobs is to select a thermal evaporator. The thermal evap will be used to deposit Ag, Au, Cu and Al films on Si wafers. Furthermore we want stage rotation and stage heating (150 C). So far the leading contenders (based on provided quotes) are Lesker's Nano 36 and the Minilab system from Moorfield (www.moorfield.co.uk). One of the biggest concerns I have with the Lesker system is that the current system comes with a 700 L/s diffusion pump. We can upgrade to a turbo but that would make the product less price competitive with the Minilab. Both products are in the high 50K range. The minilab comes with a 70 L/s Turbo pump. Does anyone on the list have any experience (good or bad) with either of these products? Also and advice on the diffusion vs turbo pump issue is greatly appreciated. I myself come from a solution deposition background so I am just coming up to speed on vacuum processing equipment. What I have been told is that diffusion pumps suck a lot of power and can have catastrophic oil issues if proper safety precautions aren't taken. Any advice is most appreciated. Regards, Kevin McPeak -- Kevin McPeak Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow ETH Z?rich Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory Universitaetsstrasse 6, CNB F121 CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland Voice: +41 44 632 6594 Email: kmcpeak at ethz.ch _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From matthieu.nannini at mcgill.ca Fri Nov 19 08:55:56 2010 From: matthieu.nannini at mcgill.ca (Matthieu Nannini, Dr.) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 08:55:56 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates Message-ID: <8C55F6B1-87CF-48B7-9A2E-A184E7378C67@mcgill.ca> Hi all, I hate hotplates ! They are a pain. They get dirty, corroded, etc? I have tried several models, some expensive some inexpensive and none of them were acceptable. Could some of share what kind (make/model) of hotplate you have in your lab for the following tasks ? - chemical heating (RCA, piranha, etc?) - wafer bake when a wafer is not processed in a coating track Thanks a lot Matthieu ----------------------------------- Matthieu Nannini McGill Nanotools Microfab Manager t: 514 398 3310 c: 514 758 3311 f: 514 398 8434 http://miam2.physics.mcgill.ca/ ------------------------------------ From zhang.bin at mtpvcorp.com Fri Nov 19 16:14:38 2010 From: zhang.bin at mtpvcorp.com (BenZ) Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:14:38 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates In-Reply-To: <8C55F6B1-87CF-48B7-9A2E-A184E7378C67@mcgill.ca> References: <8C55F6B1-87CF-48B7-9A2E-A184E7378C67@mcgill.ca> Message-ID: <001301cb882e$c64895f0$52d9c1d0$@mtpvcorp.com> You could use oven, or put a large silicon wafer on hotplate. Ben -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Matthieu Nannini, Dr. Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 8:56 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates Hi all, I hate hotplates ! They are a pain. They get dirty, corroded, etc. I have tried several models, some expensive some inexpensive and none of them were acceptable. Could some of share what kind (make/model) of hotplate you have in your lab for the following tasks ? - chemical heating (RCA, piranha, etc.) - wafer bake when a wafer is not processed in a coating track Thanks a lot Matthieu ----------------------------------- Matthieu Nannini McGill Nanotools Microfab Manager t: 514 398 3310 c: 514 758 3311 f: 514 398 8434 http://miam2.physics.mcgill.ca/ ------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From pilarhf at eecs.umich.edu Mon Nov 22 13:41:26 2010 From: pilarhf at eecs.umich.edu (Pilar Herrera-Fierro) Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:41:26 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates In-Reply-To: <21E3B5EDBEBBAC4DB975C976990DAFB54710FBC431@ITCS-ECLS-1-VS1.adsroot.itcs.umich.edu> References: <21E3B5EDBEBBAC4DB975C976990DAFB54710FBC431@ITCS-ECLS-1-VS1.adsroot.itcs.umich.edu> Message-ID: <009901cb8a74$e1aea670$a50bf350$@umich.edu> Matthieu, You are right hot plates are a pain, they fail (die) regularly. We have found a brand that is sturdier than others : Torrey Pines Scientific. They have nice models with programmable heating cycles, different top materials, etc. The main reason of failure is the temperature probe, so I recommend you buy a couple when you order the hot plate. They have some ceramic top that are more chemical resistant but they have kind of a domed surface. Hope it helped. Pilar Pilar Herrera-Fierro, Ph.D. LNF University of Michigan -----Original Message----- From: Martin, Sandrine [mailto:sandrine at umich.edu] Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 12:35 PM To: Herrera-Fierro, Pilar Subject: FW: hotplates Can you provide details on this? Thanks Sandrine -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of Matthieu Nannini, Dr. Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 8:56 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates Hi all, I hate hotplates ! They are a pain. They get dirty, corroded, etc... I have tried several models, some expensive some inexpensive and none of them were acceptable. Could some of share what kind (make/model) of hotplate you have in your lab for the following tasks ? - chemical heating (RCA, piranha, etc...) - wafer bake when a wafer is not processed in a coating track Thanks a lot Matthieu ----------------------------------- Matthieu Nannini McGill Nanotools Microfab Manager t: 514 398 3310 c: 514 758 3311 f: 514 398 8434 http://miam2.physics.mcgill.ca/ ------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From shott at stanford.edu Wed Nov 24 09:24:15 2010 From: shott at stanford.edu (John Shott) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 06:24:15 -0800 Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates In-Reply-To: <8C55F6B1-87CF-48B7-9A2E-A184E7378C67@mcgill.ca> References: <8C55F6B1-87CF-48B7-9A2E-A184E7378C67@mcgill.ca> Message-ID: <4CED200F.7050207@stanford.edu> Oops, I see that I responded to Mathieu directly, but failed to also include my comments to the mailing list. So, I will repeat those comments here. Matt: I hate hot plates too! My biggest concern, however, is the safety risk that they pose. As you likely know, the most-common Corning hot plates can reach 500 Centigrade. I think that it is not inaccurate to say that hot plates have caused more cleanroom fires over the years than any of the other hazards with which we deal. We've tried a number of things but, to my knowledge, we haven't really come up with things that we are perfectly happy with. In fact, for heating significant volumes of chemicals (1-2 liters and up) we still use the 10" by 10" Corning ceramic tops with remote controls. The one thing that we have done on those which helps with safety a bit, is to machine some custom stop rings that fit behind the knob on the D-shaft. In that way, if we decided that a particular hot plate should not be used at a setting higher than 4, for example, we can insure that this cannot happen by having a mechanical stop that prevents the knob from being turned past 4. Particularly for resist bake applications, we've used a variety of digital hot plates including the Thermo Scientific Super-Nuova Series. Some of these feature an independently settable maximum surface temperature and come in either milled aluminun or ceramic coated versions for either wafer baking or chemical heating applications, respectively. Torrey Pines Scientific also offer some nice digital hot plates that can do things like reasonably well controlled ramp rates that offer another useful option for resist baking and similar applications. I'm not sure that we have a favorite, but I'm hopeful that others will add their experiences to this discussion. Good luck, John From vincent.luciani at nist.gov Wed Nov 24 12:04:50 2010 From: vincent.luciani at nist.gov (Luciani, Vincent) Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:04:50 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] hotplates In-Reply-To: <4CED200F.7050207@stanford.edu> References: <8C55F6B1-87CF-48B7-9A2E-A184E7378C67@mcgill.ca> <4CED200F.7050207@stanford.edu> Message-ID: <01F47D4EDEEC64488C10B767D15E485808967AAEFA@MBCLUSTER.xchange.nist.gov> Hello, I have also found that hotplates inside a fume hood have a very short life. The best solution I have experienced is when the hotplate is remoted from the controls with the controls outside the hood. We also combined this with sealing around the underside of the ceramic hotplate with the orange high temperature RTV. The stuff made for engine head gaskets, you can get it at any auto parts store. It is very chemical and heat resistant. Even on the non-remote style, you can extend the life of the hotplate by taking it apart and adding this RTV to seal up all the electronics, including the heater wiring feedthroughs and the joint around the perimeter on underside of the heated plate. You want to keep fumes and liquids from reaching the heating elements. Good luck. Vince -----Original Message----- From: labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu [mailto:labnetwork-bounces at mtl.mit.edu] On Behalf Of John Shott Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 9:24 AM To: labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu Subject: Re: [labnetwork] hotplates Oops, I see that I responded to Mathieu directly, but failed to also include my comments to the mailing list. So, I will repeat those comments here. Matt: I hate hot plates too! My biggest concern, however, is the safety risk that they pose. As you likely know, the most-common Corning hot plates can reach 500 Centigrade. I think that it is not inaccurate to say that hot plates have caused more cleanroom fires over the years than any of the other hazards with which we deal. We've tried a number of things but, to my knowledge, we haven't really come up with things that we are perfectly happy with. In fact, for heating significant volumes of chemicals (1-2 liters and up) we still use the 10" by 10" Corning ceramic tops with remote controls. The one thing that we have done on those which helps with safety a bit, is to machine some custom stop rings that fit behind the knob on the D-shaft. In that way, if we decided that a particular hot plate should not be used at a setting higher than 4, for example, we can insure that this cannot happen by having a mechanical stop that prevents the knob from being turned past 4. Particularly for resist bake applications, we've used a variety of digital hot plates including the Thermo Scientific Super-Nuova Series. Some of these feature an independently settable maximum surface temperature and come in either milled aluminun or ceramic coated versions for either wafer baking or chemical heating applications, respectively. Torrey Pines Scientific also offer some nice digital hot plates that can do things like reasonably well controlled ramp rates that offer another useful option for resist baking and similar applications. I'm not sure that we have a favorite, but I'm hopeful that others will add their experiences to this discussion. Good luck, John _______________________________________________ labnetwork mailing list labnetwork at mtl.mit.edu https://www-mtl.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo.cgi/labnetwork From kmcpeak at ethz.ch Fri Nov 26 16:39:30 2010 From: kmcpeak at ethz.ch (Kevin McPeak) Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:39:30 +0100 Subject: [labnetwork] Upstream vs. Downstream Pressure Control Message-ID: Dear labnetwork users, I posted a few days ago asking for advice on a thermal evaporator purchase. Thanks to all those that responded, I really appreciate you input. We are also purchasing a RF/DC magnetron sputtering system for the lab to deposit oxide and metal thin films. The leading contenders for this purchase are the Lesker PVD 75 and the Nexdep from Angstrom Engineering. Both seem like good options but one of the big differences is the PVD 75 comes with upstream pressure control while the Nexdep uses downstream pressure control. I have read that downstream pressure control is the preferred method but that most systems have upstream control. Lesker can do downstream control but it cost more (and the PVD 75 is already more expensive than the Nexdep). We aren't planning on doing reactive sputtering (Ar gas only) so I am not sure how much this matters for us. If anyone on the list has opinions good or bad about either of these systems or the pros/cons of downstream/upstream pressure control I welcome your insight. Regards, Kevin -- Kevin McPeak Ph.D. Postdoctoral Fellow ETH Z?rich Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory Universitaetsstrasse 6, CNB F121 CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland Voice: +41 44 632 6594 Email: kmcpeak at ethz.ch From codreanu at seas.upenn.edu Tue Nov 30 12:23:57 2010 From: codreanu at seas.upenn.edu (Iulian Codreanu) Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:23:57 -0500 Subject: [labnetwork] NEB-31 vendor Message-ID: <4CF5332D.2020207@seas.upenn.edu> Hi. Is there another US distributor of NEB-31 besides Sumika Electronic Materials, Inc? I placed an order with them in early August and I still have not received the resist. Thank you very much. Iulian -- iulian Codreanu, Ph.D. Director, Penn NanoFab 200 South 33rd Street Room 305 Moore Bldg Philadelphia, PA 19104-6314 P: 215-898-9308 F: 215-573-2068 www.seas.upenn.edu/~nanofab