Low-pressure diffusion furnaces from Semco

After Semco Engineering S.A. has been building diffusion furnaces for the semiconductor industry for over 15 years, it recently began sales of a tube type furnace model to the PV industry.

© Semco Engineering Semco says its patented vacuum diffusion process provides cleaner doping of silicon wafers and higher throughput.

The DF5200 uses a new system called LYDOP (»Leak Tight Yield Doping«), which seals the tube and processes the wafers in a light vacuum. Semco claims that the low-pressure operating conditions in the tube prevent over-saturation of the doping gas POCl3. This results in a more homogeneous gas distribution, which saves doping gas and produces better quality wafers. The higher the homogeneity, the greater the throughput, as wafers can then be packed tighter into carrier boats.

Semco claims its furnace has a throughput of 1,600 wafers per hour in a four-stack furnace – that is higher than any other tube furnace covered in our diffusion furnace market survey (see PI 8/2002, p. 34).

Customers can either purchase the LYDOP system in a complete furnace, or they can retrofit an older furnace. Furnace prices vary between €360,000 and €600,000 ($353,000 and $588,000). Retrofitting a furnace with LYDOP, including equipment and staff training, costs between €200,000 and €250,000 ($196,000 and $245,000).

Semco Engineering S.A.
625, Rue de la Croix Verte
34196 Montpellier, France
phone +33/467/610990, fax - 526963
info@semco-engineering.com
www.semcoeng.com

Susanne von Aichberger
© PHOTON International, October 2002