SPTS Technologies Takes 900th Order for Deep Reactive Ion Etch (DRIE) Module

NEWPORT, Wales and SEMICON, Taiwan, September 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

SPTS Technologies, a leading manufacturer of etch, deposition, and thermal processing equipment for the semiconductor and related industries today announced it has received an order for its 900^th DRIE process module. The module will be shipped to one of Asia's foundries for use in micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing. This milestone confirms SPTS' market-leading position in DRIE. The company's DRIE product is used worldwide across a variety of device production, including MEMS, Advanced Packaging, and power devices.

DRIE is a highly anisotropic etch process used to create structures in silicon (Si), and is the cornerstone of modern MEMS production. The use of DRIE has expanded to also include applications for power (in deep trench isolation) and through-silicon-via (TSV) in advanced 3D-IC production.

SPTS shipped its first Bosch-licensed DRIE system in 1995 through its close partnership with Robert Bosch GmbH, the inventors of the 'Bosch process'. As a pioneer in this technology, SPTS has steadily expanded its DRIE product offerings through strategic merger and acquisition activity. In 2009, two of the industry's leading DRIE providers, Aviza Technologies and STS, merged to form SPTS. In February 2011, SPTS further consolidated this market position by acquiring Tegal's (formally AMMS) DRIE division, which included important intellectual property (IP) for future product development.  SPTS now supports the world's largest installed base of R&D and production DRIE systems.

"DRIE is the foundation of the MEMS market and we have supported customers in this space from the very beginning, from the development of inductively-coupled plasma processes, followed by high power decoupled plasma sources, to our latest generation, the Pegasus Rapier system," said Kevin Crofton, executive vice president and chief operating officer at SPTS. "The growth of the MEMS market has been enormous in the past 5 to 10 years - each of us now comes into contact with a MEMS-enabled device every day. We are proud to be part of this explosive growth, and to be one of the pioneers. We have come a long way since we sold that first system in 1995."

About Omega Etch Systems

SPTS' award-winning Omega etch systems are a suite of single-wafer etch process modules designed for a variety of market applications.  The market leading Omega™ Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) process modules provide production-worthy process capability, with very high throughputs and exceptional tilt control for Bosch process silicon etching used in MEMS and 3D-IC/Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) manufacturing.  The Omega Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) process modules offer a range of compound semiconductor etch processes comprising GaAs, GaN, GaP for LEDs and high frequency RF devices, and Omega APS is focussed on etching dielectric and low volatility materials, relevant to a variety of applications within MEMS, LEDs and TSV markets.

About SPTS Technologies

SPTS Technologies designs, manufactures, sells, and supports etch, PVD, CVD and thermal capital equipment and process technologies for the global semiconductor industry and related markets. These markets include MEMS, advanced packaging, LEDs, high speed RF on GaAs and power management. Formerly known as SPP Process Technology Systems, the company was acquired by its management in June 2011, backed by European private equity firm Bridgepoint. Prior to the acquisition, SPTS was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Precisions Products Co. Ltd., formed from the merger of Surface Technology Systems (STS) and acquired assets of Aviza Technology in 2009. For more information about SPTS Technologies, please visit http://www.spts.com

SOURCE SPTS Technologies Ltd