Telius DRM

Plasma etchers are used in semiconductor manufacturing to remove material from wafer surfaces through a combination of physical and chemical processes. The Telius DRM is part of the Telius series of etch tools from Tokyo Electron.

In a plasma etcher, process gases are introduced into a vacuum chamber and energized by radio-frequency power to create a plasma. The plasma contains ions that accelerate toward the wafer surface and chemically reactive radicals that react with the material to be etched.

The system typically operates at low pressures to maintain plasma stability and uniformity across the wafer. Endpoint detection methods monitor the optical emission or other signals to determine when the desired etch depth is reached.

Etch tools are positioned in the semiconductor fabrication flow after photoresist patterning. The patterned resist defines areas to be etched, and material is removed from those areas to transfer patterns into underlying layers. After etching, the remaining photoresist is stripped in an ashing or wet-cleaning step.

The Telius DRM is used for critical etching steps in integrated circuit production, where precise control of etch rate, profile, and selectivity is required.