Attachment_A_SOW_Automated_Photoresist.docx.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

AUTOMATED PHOTORESIST PROCESSING TOOL

PCN: _____________________

Background

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has a pressing need to produce detector focal plane arrays with high uniformity of patterned features and low or zero defect counts across large substrate areas. These detectors are incorporated into x-ray instruments and are planned for the NASA contribution to the x-ray detector for Athena and other missions and opportunities. Requirements for these detector arrays include high-density, fine-scale wiring over large fractions of the substrate area with zero wiring defects allowed in the product array. High quality patterns of this type are produced in automated photoresist deposition equipment where substrate loading and transport is performed robotically and spin, bake, and develop are all co-located in the same tool.

Parameters achieved by the photoresist films are determined by the configuration of the system as well as the performance of the components used in the system. For NASA requirements, within a given substrate, the photoresist spin, bake, and develop process must be capable of achieving uniform feature size across the entire substrate. Further, the system must be able to deposit photoresist on multiple substrates so that different substrates (also called “wafers”) have resulting films with identical properties. As such, the system will be designed as a production level facility for a specific process as well as be optimizable as a general purpose tool. To verify that the specific process will be accessible in the proposed tool, the proposers will need to provide references and other evidence to support their proposal as part of the award process.

The photoresist films needed for NASA GSFC x-ray detector prototypes have several critical parameters that must be met by the equipment prior to acceptance by GSFC.

These specifications include uniform thickness across (4) four-inch substrates as well as tooling provided for 6” and 8” substrates where the tooling is readily interchangeable.

This uniformity is 1% wafer to wafer as well as 1% within wafer for all substrate sizes.

While wafer throughput is often a specification on such tools, NASA’s need is not for the highest throughput but the best maintenance record in terms of ease of repair, minimized downtime, and access for simple loading of fresh photoresist, cleaning of dispensers, coat bowls and wafer chucks. If the proposed equipment can do better than the requirements for uniformity or defect rate of the photoresist films, the vendor should indicate the ultimate capability of the system as this will be considered in the technical appraisal.

Similarly, the proposer should comment on the maintenance record of fielded tools and suggested methods for maintaining the equipment in a user-maintained facility.

Objectives

Through this statement of work NASA GSFC will obtain an automated photoresist application, bake, and develop system that achieves very specific specifications for high fidelity and defect free photoresist patterns.

The specifications for the automated photoresist system to be obtained by NASA

GSFC include strict guidance on performance of the tools, substrate sizes to be accommodated

The photoresist system will be capable of photoresist deposition on cassettes of up to 25 wafers which achieve the photoresist film thickness uniformity and quality conditions listed here.

The photoresist system will use a robotically controlled wafer handler with double end effector suitable for 4”, 6”, and 8” wafers.

The photoresist system will be capable of heating and cooling the substrates to target temperatures

The photoresist system will be capable of priming the wafers with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS)

The photoresist system will be capable of applying edge bead remover (EBR) to applied photoresist films

The photoresist system will be capable of baking the wafers to precise temperatures, including double-side-polished wafers where the backside of the wafer cannot be in intimate contact with a surface during baking.

The photoresist system will be capable of spin developing photoresist with specified chemistries.

The photoresist system will be capable of delivery of multiple photoresists through separate delivery apparatus

The photoresist system will have the option of a spray coating module for application of resist to uniformly cover corrugated surfaces with deep etched features.

The photoresist system will be computer controlled, programmable, with software equipped with process logging and maintenance scheduling and indicators for troubleshooting

NASA GSFC will obtain an automated photoresist processing system which is fully cleanroom compatible and compatible with the GSFC cleanroom facility including compatibility with all GSFC-provided utilities (power, compressed gases, and chilled water) and safety requirements of the GSFC facility.

NASA GSFC will obtain installation of the tool on site at NASA GSFC

NASA GSFC will obtain training on the tool once installed at NASA GSFC

NASA GSFC will obtain one year of support on the tool for achieving the specifications for the photoresist films as quoted by the vendor including improvements as needed to achieve the specifications.

NASA GSFC will obtain a one year warranty on the system for all parts and labor to maintain the functionality of the tool as delivered to GSFC.

Scope

The vendor shall design the automated photoresist system to meet the specifications described in the “Objectives” and “Task or Requirements” sections of this statement of work.

The vendor shall provide sufficient documentation of the design of the photoresist system to the NASA GSFC technical representative to gain approval of the design.

The vendor shall proceed with the build of the photoresist system after getting approval from the NASA GSFC representative.

The vendor shall complete building of the photoresist system at their facility and hold the system at their facility until the NASA GSFC technical representative accepts the tool for shipment to NASA GSFC. Prior to shipping the tool to GSFC, the vendor shall demonstrate tool functionality to the GSFC technical representative. The vendor shall provide photographs of the tool, screen captures of the functioning software, copies of data logs, and other information and details as requested by the GSFC technical representative.

The vendor shall provide references with similar tools installed in the field that can testify to tool functionality, specifications, and maintenance needs.

The vendor shall pack and ship the tool to NASA GSFC.

The vendor shall provide for installation of the tool at NASA GSFC.

The vendor shall provide a system that is compliant with NASA GSFC safety requirements or can readily become compliant upon installation at NASA GSFC.

The vendor shall provide for training of personnel on the tool at GSFC and provide all manuals and documentation pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the tool and its subcomponents.

The vendor shall provide and support a warranty of all components on the tool. If the tool has difficulty reproducing the specifications once installed at GSFC, the vendor shall provide support on the tool to establish end user processes that achieve the target specifications of the photoresist films and develops.

Tasks or Requirements

General

The vendor shall provide a system with all new construction and all new components.

No refurbished equipment will be accepted. No refurbished components or subcomponents will be accepted.

The vendor shall provide a photoresist deposition, bake, and development system meeting or exceeding specifications listed in the requirements below. The vendor shall prove through calculations and performance of past systems that the proposed system will meet all specifications.

System Configuration

The vendor shall provide a cluster tool with four quadrants containing the modules discussed below.

The vendor shall provide a stainless steel frame for supporting and enclosing the modules within the tool.

The vendor shall provide glass doors for viewing the tool as it runs processes on the wafers: load, spin, bake, and develop.

The vendor shall provide stainless steel doors for the other access points into the cabinet

The vendor shall provide for suitable exhaust ports on the system so as to maintain safe levels of solvent in the enclosed system

The vendor shall provide modules that can be levelled separately to enable proper alignment and functionality of each component within the tool.

Robotic lifter / end effector

The vendor shall provide a centrally located 3-axis robotic arm for loading and unloading substrates from the process modules and the cassette for carrying the substrates.

The vendor shall provide a double ended robotic arm

The vendor shall provide end effectors capable of quick change out for 4”, 6” and 8” substrates

The vendor shall provide a robotic arm that suspends operation immediately after a failure in a module including wafer breakage.

The vendor shall supply a lift pin mechanism for each module that is compatible with the robotic arm and end effectors.

The lift-pin mechanism shall be low surface area and low force for protecting the backside of the wafer from damage

The lift-pin mechanism shall be configurable for instances where the region that the wafer is contacted on the backside needs to be changed.

Wafer Priming/Cold plate

The vendor shall provide an enclosed chamber for priming of wafers with HMDS. The module shall be capable of heating the wafer to 120 C in vacuum and then applying

HMDS at a known rate for achieving target thickness of the primer layer.

The vendor shall supply a cold plate for rapid cooling of the wafer after priming to ensure the substrate is at the correct temperature for photoresist application. The cold plate shall achieve temperatures in the 15 C to 30 C range with +/- 0.5 C stability.

Photoresist Application/Edge bead remover

The vendor shall provide a module for uniform photoresist deposition.

The module shall be equipped with four dispensers for different photoresists.

The module shall be equipped with one dispenser for edge bead removal.

The photoresist application module shall be capable of achieving better than 1% thickness uniformity in the layer out to the edge of the wafer with zero particles.

The photoresist application module shall dispense photoresist onto substrates without the appearance of bubbles in the dispensed resist.

The dispensers shall be supplied with small quantities of photoresist (on the order of 100 mL) loaded conveniently on an as-needed basis. The dispensers shall also be able to accommodate large quantities (on the order of 1 L) of photoresist for “work horse” resists that are used in greater quantity.

The dispensers shall be easily disassembled for cleaning or otherwise have a straightforward and thorough cleaning procedure in place.

The dispensers shall draw photoresist into from the photoresist supply and deliver the photoresist to the nozzle so that the photoresist is bubble free.

The dispensers shall be maintained so that photoresist does not dry in the tip and create particles during the photoresist dispense.

The dispenser tips shall be accessible for easy cleaning if the tips do start to show particle accumulations that are getting into the photoresist layer.

The wafer loading mechanism shall center the wafer using a “touch-less” system that does not need to contact the wafer edge to center it.

The spinner shall be capable of substrate spinning speeds from 100 to 10000 rotations per minute. The spinner shall be capable of a ramp rate of 100 rpm per second to 1000 rpm/s.

The spinner shall be enclosable with a lid to reduce turbulence in the bowl. This feature shall enable photoresist spins in a solvent rich environment such that thick photoresist

(100 micron) layers are achievable.

The spinner shall have a rotating bowl to minimize backsplash

Hot Plates

The vendor shall supply four hotplates for dehydration bake, softbake, and hardbake that can be held stably at different temperatures.

The hotplates shall achieve temperatures between 30 C and 300 C.

The hotplates shall achieve temperature stability of +/-0.5 C over the range 90 C to 180 C

The hotplates shall have a proximity contact to prevent unwanted contamination on the backside of the wafer. The contact region shall be reconfigurable.

Spin developer

The vendor shall provide a module for developing photoresist and rinsing and drying after develop

The vendor shall provide a spinning bowl configuration to prevent backsplash during the development and rinse, and remove the need for backside rinse in the developer bowl.

The wafer loading mechanism shall center the wafer using a “touch-less” system that does not need to contact the wafer edge to center it.

The spinner shall be capable of speeds up to 5000 rpm with full range of spin speeds and ramps rates and programmability needed to enable spin develop.

The vendor shall provide two dispensers for developer, each capable of accessing a multi-liter developer supply.

The rinse shall be provided from a large (>1 L) supply of DI water or recommended rinse chemical through a separate dispenser.

Dispensers shall be easily disassembled or have a process in place for cleaning and flushing of developer chemicals from the lines.

The develop process shall be demonstrated to have better than 2% uniformity of feature size across the wafer – with a 0.5 cm exclusion zone at wafer edge - based on width of a

10 micron feature using a contact mask for full thickness exposure of the photoresist.

The develop process shall be demonstrated to be defect free in terms of backsplash or particle incorporation due to the developer module.

The provided plumbing and bowls shall be compatible with KOH or TMAH-based developer solutions.

Software controls / Programmability and process logs

The software shall include the capability for large numbers of flow and station recipes

The computer interface hardware shall include USB and Ethernet interface for data storage and Intranet connection

The computer hardware shall include PC with Windows 10 and operator monitor 21” touch screen, keyboard with roller-mouse and uninterruptable power supply (UPS)

The software package shall include the capability for recipe writing and system operating

(start of handling first wafer of cassette interlocked until process parameters like Hotplate temperature are according to recipe setting)

The software package shall include the capability for wafer loop (Sequence management) coating – HMDS– chill plate – hot plate low temp - hotplate high temp

The software shall have programmable user levels

The software shall have a maintenance mode including error-sensor-actuator logging

The software shall log all processes and capture critical parameters of each process

Automatic Control / Interlocks

The vendor shall provide automatic control for all operations in the tool. The vendor shall also provide for a maintenance mode wherein the tool can be accessed for servicing.

The vendor shall provide a computer interface for operation of the tool. It shall readout and log gauges, temperatures, and other relevant parameters during a photoresist deposition, bake, and/or develop.

The vendor shall interlock the system so that, for example, the photoresist will not dispense on the chuck without a wafer present and other such operational protections for the system.

Spare Parts

The vendor shall provide spare parts for the tool that are frequently required for changeout to maintain the tool.

The vendor shall provide a list of consumables such as gaskets and hardware that fit the system

Safety

The vendor shall provide an emergency power off switch that is clearly labeled and accessible to users, posted warnings of high temperature and chemical flammability and health hazard as needed for the system, and a system the secures all hazards within the system. The system shall have the ability to accommodate fire suppression fixtures to be provided by NASA GSFC for the tool.

Warranty

The vendor shall provide a one year warranty for all parts and labor for the tool and its components and subcomponents

Manuals

The vendor shall provide a full printed set of drawings of the tool, electronic schematics of the tool, and operation of the tool.

The vendor shall provide a parts list and operation and troubleshooting manuals for the components used in the tool

The vendor shall have five systems delivered and operating in the field with similar designs to the system described in their offer in the last five year period.

The vendor shall provide three references that can be contacted that can describe the system delivered by the vendor to their institution. The references will also be asked to speak to the usage of the equipment and its capabilities as well as the installation and training provided by the vendor at their facility.

The proposal made by the vendor will provide sufficient detail to indicate how the specifications for substrate temperature, film thickness, and vacuum pressure will be achieved. These should be detailed calculations of the proposed design and/or evidence of performance from existing systems. The technical representative will evaluate the viability of the system based on the details provided.

Since it is critical that the demanding technical specifications can be met by the tool, the price is not considered a major factor in the determination of the best proposal for this statement of work.

Options

The vendor shall provide an option for a spray coater module as part of the track system

The spray coater shall have 4”, 6” and 8” capability and be compatible with the robotic arm for loading and unloading of substrates.

The spray coater shall be capable of coating an aspect ratio of 6:1 with sidewall and corner coverage exceeding 70% of the planar photoresist thickness

The spray coater shall be capable of 5% uniformity across the wafer with 0.5 cm exclusion zone at the edge of the wafer.

The spray coater dispenser arm shall be programmable and consist of Sono-tek Titanium nozzle(s) and piezo-electric transducers

The spray arm shall have liquid Delivery through either syringe or positive displacement pump

The spray arm shall use a Sono-Tek Signal Generator

The spray develop module shall feature a wafer chuck that can be ambient or heated

The spray developer shall have Wafer Rotation and X/Y Nozzle Motion

Selection Criteria

Best technically acceptable.

Deliverables or Delivery Schedule

From Date of Award (DOA), the vendor shall provide a design for the system that meets the technical specifications. The design will include drawings of the proposed system as well as a parts list of all the components to be included in the system. In addition to the drawings and parts list, the vendor will provide supporting calculations to show that the technical specifications for temperature and film thickness will be met. (~ 1 month from

DOA)

1.5 months from DOA: After approval of the design by the technical representative

(which will take ~0.5 months), the vendor shall provide a schedule for the build of the tool and acquisition of the parts list.

4.5 months from DOA: At this point (roughly halfway through the build of the tool), vendor shall provide an update against the schedule to show how the work is progressing.

7.5 months from DOA: At this point, vendor shall have completed the build and assembly of the tool. The technical representative will visit the vendor facility to operate the tool to produce initial baseline samples and accept the tool. If the technical representative is unable to visit the vendor facility, the vendor shall demonstrate tool functionality to the GSFC technical representative prior to shipping the tool to

GSFC. The vendor shall provide photographs of the tool, screen captures of the functioning software, copies of data logs, and other information and details as requested by the GSFC technical representative.

8.5 months from DOA: One month after acceptance, the vendor shall have installed the tool at GSFC and trained GSFC personnel on the tool.

Government-Furnished Equipment and Government-Furnished Information

NASA GSFC will provide utilities and cleanroom space for installation of the tool per specifications provided by the vendor for electrical power, compressed gases, chilled water, and any other required facilities.

Security

None

Place of Performance

The design and construction of the tool will take place at the vendor facility. The initial technical acceptance of the tool, including operation of the tool to deposit a thin metal layer will be performed at the vendor facility. The tool with be packaged and shipped to

NASA GSFC for installation. Training of personnel will also take place at NASA GSFC once the tool is installed.

Period of Performance

The period of performance for this statement of work is 9 months from the date of award.