Swagelok’s advanced valve offers new opportunities for semiconductor production
Fluid system services provider Swagelok has introduced a new ultrahigh-purity (UHP) valve for high-flow applications: the ALD20.
Since first launching atomic layer deposition (ALD) valve technology on the market, Swagelok has worked with semiconductor tool manufacturers and chip fabricators to provide high performance needed to keep up with quickly changing process requirements.
The new ALD20 valve is the latest to be offered to the market, allowing process designers the flexibility to experiment with low-vapour pressure chemistries.
The valve’s patent-pending design maximises production process efficiency and deposition consistency by providing flow coefficients two to three times that offered with standard ALD valve technology.
It delivers a flow rate of up to 1.2 Cv in the same footprint (1.5 inch) as existing ALD valves, allowing some users to boost throughput without retooling existing equipment or making additional process changes. The other standard version ALD20 valve with a slightly larger footprint width (1.75 inch) provides an even greater flow rate of up to 1.7 Cv. Custom set flow coefficients are also available.
Designed for peak process consistency, the ALD20 can be fully immersed in a gas box from 50°F (10°C) up to 392°F (200°C), enhancing thermal stability and deposition uniformity. It also features a valve body comprised of 316L VIM-VAR stainless steel or Alloy 22, offering enhanced corrosion resistance to withstand aggressive media.
“The ALD20 is a direct response to the rapidly evolving needs of the semiconductor industry,” said Garrick Joseph, director of marketing, semiconductor at Swagelok. “Through partnership with industry leaders and application of fluid system engineering expertise, we are pleased to launch a product that allows customers to effectively use precursor gas chemistries that previously may have been considered too challenging or too expensive to employ, but which could be crucial to the development of the next generation of chip technology.”
The ALD20 is available in modular surface-mount configurations with two or three ports, in straight configurations with tube butt weld and male or female VCR® face seal fitting end connections, and in multiport valve configurations to optimise flow paths within existing or new systems. A high-temperature optical position sensor is also available as an add-on component.
Since first launching atomic layer deposition (ALD) valve technology on the market, Swagelok has worked with semiconductor tool manufacturers and chip fabricators to provide high performance needed to keep up with quickly changing process requirements.
The new ALD20 valve is the latest to be offered to the market, allowing process designers the flexibility to experiment with low-vapour pressure chemistries.
The valve’s patent-pending design maximises production process efficiency and deposition consistency by providing flow coefficients two to three times that offered with standard ALD valve technology.
It delivers a flow rate of up to 1.2 Cv in the same footprint (1.5 inch) as existing ALD valves, allowing some users to boost throughput without retooling existing equipment or making additional process changes. The other standard version ALD20 valve with a slightly larger footprint width (1.75 inch) provides an even greater flow rate of up to 1.7 Cv. Custom set flow coefficients are also available.
Designed for peak process consistency, the ALD20 can be fully immersed in a gas box from 50°F (10°C) up to 392°F (200°C), enhancing thermal stability and deposition uniformity. It also features a valve body comprised of 316L VIM-VAR stainless steel or Alloy 22, offering enhanced corrosion resistance to withstand aggressive media.
“The ALD20 is a direct response to the rapidly evolving needs of the semiconductor industry,” said Garrick Joseph, director of marketing, semiconductor at Swagelok. “Through partnership with industry leaders and application of fluid system engineering expertise, we are pleased to launch a product that allows customers to effectively use precursor gas chemistries that previously may have been considered too challenging or too expensive to employ, but which could be crucial to the development of the next generation of chip technology.”
The ALD20 is available in modular surface-mount configurations with two or three ports, in straight configurations with tube butt weld and male or female VCR® face seal fitting end connections, and in multiport valve configurations to optimise flow paths within existing or new systems. A high-temperature optical position sensor is also available as an add-on component.
