Austrian MEMS firm installs new IQ Aligner

EV Group an Austrian supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, today announced the successful installation of its fourth IQ Aligner System for packaging applications at a major semiconductor manufacturing facility in Austria. This purchase further strengthens the customer´s capacity for wafer-level packaging of MEMS and display devices, while underscoring the enabling, cost-effective nature of the IQ Aligner´s core technology. According to the chipmaker´s facility production manager, "Increased throughput and reduced cost of ownership (CoO) for products formerly processed on the company´s steppers made the IQ Aligner the best choice for a reliable and precise production tool." Allowing for maximum tool flexibility, the customer´s IQ Aligners are continuously updated with new process capabilities. The first IQ Aligner originally started with standard wafer handling and was upgraded in the field to thin-wafer handling capabilities (wafer thickness down to 70 microns on 150-mm substrates), which was already included in the order for the following systems. The latest upgrade included special infrared (IR) capabilities for fully automated alignment of inner substrate-alignment keys on temporary bonded silicon wafer pairs.