A01_-_Salient_Characteristics.doc

Salient Characteristics Amendment– highlights added 04 April 2016 Commercial Availability Certification:

I have evaluated the commercial marketplace and determined that all of the salient characteristics documented below are available in products/services offered in the commercial marketplace.

Signature (typed name): William Benard Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

The Contractor shall deliver and install at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Adelphi, Maryland a quantity of one (1) fully functional Silicon Carbide Hot Wall Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) System.

CLIN 0001 -One (1) Silicon Carbide Hot Wall Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) System that meets the minimum requirements as stated below:

1. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD System accommodates Silicon and 4H- and 3C-Silicon Carbide (SiC) substrates. The system will accomodate and include fixtures for the following commonly available size wafers, or parts of wafers of Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) standard substrates: 100 millimeter (mm) wafer, 76.2 mm wafer, a quarter (¼) of a 100 mm wafer, a quarter (¼) of a 76.2 mm wafer and multiple 10 mm2 substrates. The HWCVD System will be capable of growing 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC, 3C-SiC and graphene epilayers. The HWCVD System shall be capable of processing a SEMI standard 150 mm SiC wafer with the purchase of an appropriate wafer holder.

2. The Contractor shall ensure the HWCVD System is fully equipped, functional as a whole system and meets the minimum requirements as follows:

· Capable of being operated in automatic mode, utilizing programmed process operations for processing, semi-automatic mode, utilizing safety interlock features; and manual mode, allowing independent control of all automated operating components.

· Meets current industry standard requirements for safety including the use of Emergency Off (EMO) panic buttons, shielding, interlocks for hazardous areas including high voltages and moving parts, and over temperature shutoffs should the heating mechanism malfunction.

3. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD System includes a Process Chamber with the following specifications:

· Quartz glass horizontal reactor tube capable of accommodating a coated graphite susceptor that can process aSEMI standard 150 mm 4H-SiC wafer.

· Quartz glass adaptors to provide laminar flow of source and carrier gasses across the wafer.

· The vacuum chamber is to be comprised of quartz components, sealed by high-vacuum compatable o-ring or comparable seals to stainless-steel components which comprise the end caps of the vacuum chamber.

· The isolated vacuum chamber, including pressure measurement components, shall have a base pressure no greater than 1x10-6 Torr.

· The process gas lines, including pressure measurement components, shall have a base pressure no greater than 1x10-8 Torr.

· All required inner parts in SiC or TaC coated graphite

· All components must be vacuum and process flow compatible with halogenated precursors (including, but not limited to, Hydrogen Chloride (HCl) gas and Trichlorosilane)

· Reactor cabinet with connection points for gas exhaust.

· All parts of the cabinet are ventilated to dilute any possible gas leaks and to remove excess heat

· Access for downstream mass spectroscopy sampling.

· RF power generator and matching units with connecting cables capable of operation up to 1700 degrees Celsius (°C) (4H-SiC is approximately 1600°C substrate temperature, 3C-SiC is between 900 and 1200°C).

· Temperature will be controlled with a two-color pyrometer or equivalent

· Primary carrier gas for the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) reactor is Hydrogen, must be able to heat under Argon gas flow (No Hydrogen) for graphene formation

· Temperature uniformity across a 150 mm wafer is +/- 5% at 1600°C.

· All electrical components are electrically isolated from the interior of the vacuum chamber.

· Downstream loading port.

· Loading port must be load-locked.

· A transfer arm mechanism moves a substrate carrier to facilitate substrate transfer.

4. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD System includes a Vacuum System meeting the following specifications:

· Process chamber is pumped by a dry process pump during growth, Ebara or equivalent

· Process chamber is able to be evacuated by a turbomolecular pump, capable of a gas through put at full rotational speed for H2 of > 10.5 Torr l/second (s), with oil-free backing pump

· Service lines exist from both pumps to directly pump all connections to bubblers and incoming gas lines

· Leak test port

· Process pressure from approximately fifty (50) Torr to six hundred (600) Torr

· Pressure measurement is accomplished through the entire range from atmosphere (760 Torr) to high vacuum (1x10-9 Torr) to three significant figures, (whichever is greater).

· Throttle valve with automatic pressure control

· Trap with particle filter

· Overpressure relief check valves

5. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD System includes a Process Gas Distribution Cabinet meeting the following specifications:

· All parts of the cabinet are ventilated to dilute any possible gas leaks

· Includes connection points for incoming gasses from the facility gas supply

· Digital, metal-seal mass flow controllers and pressure controls

· Safety interlock to remotely shut off all process gasses from local and remote alarms

· Separate run line and vent line

· All manifold components to enable switching from run to vent of all source, push and carrier gasses

· At proposal submission a complete gas diagram shall be supplied with MFC sizes and source gas pressures. The specified MFC sizes shall allow for growth runs that fulfill the deposition requirements listed in section 18.

· (a) One (1) Hydrogen carrier gas line (up to 120 standard liters per minute (slm) at 70 psig based on hydrogen purifier delivery)

· (b) One (1) Argon gas line with SAES Getters MonoTorr or equivalent, must be able to run argon as a carrier gas as well as for graphite cooling requirements (up to 25 slm)

· (c) One (1) carbon gas line capable of carrying C2H4.

· (d) One (1) carbon gas line capable of carrying C3H8, and CH4 (This line will be used for one type of gas for any process run.)

· (e) One (1) 5% silane (SiH4) in Hydrogen gas line.

· (f) One (1) carbon gas line capable of carrying CH4 with SAES Getters PS4-MT3 or equivalent for stable isotope source.

· (g) One (1) 5% SiH4 in Hydrogen gas line for stable isotope source

· (h) One (1) Halogenated silicon source gas line

· (i) One (1) additional gas source line (same MFC size as (e))

· (j) One (1) HCl gas line (up to 5000 sccm.)

· (k) N2 gas line(s) for nitrogen doping (able to achieve n-type doping from 5x1014 to 1x1019 cm-3 for a growth rate ranging from 2 to 10 micrometers/hr using SiH4 and C2H4 precursors).

· (l) Trimethylaluminum (TMA) line(s) for p-type doping with thermostatic bath (able to achieve p-type doping from 5x1014 to 5x1018 cm-3 for growth rate of 2 and 10 micrometers/hr using SiH4 and C2H4 precursors)

· (m) Two (2) additional doping lines for bubblers to be added at a later date for rare-earth metal organic precursors.

· The required stable growth rate ranges (RSGR) for specified growth precursors are detailed in the following table. This range is meant to define the stable operational range for the MFCs. There does not exist an epitaxial delivery requirement for material grown at the highest expected growth rates.

6. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD System includes a Water Distribution Manifold meeting the following specifications:

· Manual shut off valves

· Interlocked flow switches to critical components

· Interlocked temperature sensors to critical components

7. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD System includes Power Distribution meeting the following minimum specifications:

· The Contractor shall ensure that the electrical facilities requirements of the HWCVD are 60Hz and based on voltages (120, 208, 240 or 480 Volts (V)) commonly used in the United States of America.

· Component wiring is routed to a centralized power distribution panel for each primary module (This does not include power to the radio frequency (RF) generator)

· Emergency Off (EMO) protection

· Appropriate safety interlocks

8. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD system includes a complete SEMI standard 100 mm SiC wafer capable susceptor meeting the following specifications:

· Susceptor is comprised of coated graphite parts for a single 100 mm wafer, capable of upgrade to process a SEMI standard 150 mm SiC wafer

· Five (5) Substrate carriers total, to consist of:

· One (1) substrate carrier capable of processing a single 100 mm wafer,

· One (1) substrate carrier capable of processing a single 76.2 mm wafer,

· One (1) substrate carrier capable of processing a quarter of a 100 mm wafer,

· One (1) substrate carrier capable of processing a quarter of a 76.2 mm wafer and

· One (1) substrate carrier capable of processing twenty-four (24) 10 square millimeter (mm2) substrates.

9. The Contractor shall ensure that the HWCVD system contains Software & Computer Controls with the following features:

· Screen layouts follow the guidelines of SEMI E95-0200 (specifications for Human interface for semiconductor manufacturing equipment)

· Personal Computer (PC) provides supervisory computer control over vacuum pumping, vent, transfer and process.

· Provides automatic process recipe execution

· Recipe tracer viewable on all screens

· Programming/control is accomplished via a keyboard and mouse, and/or touch screen

· Three (3) levels of password protection: Operator, Administrator and Service These levels correspond to the three (3) modes in section 2.

· Includes Graphical User Interface (GUI) display of the following HWCVD System parameters:

· Vacuum: Process chamber and foreline pump, valve and gauge indicators/controls; purge gas indicators/controls

· Process Pressure indicators/controls

· Deposition: Source carrier and reactant gas indicators/controls

· Heating: Substrate indicators/controls; source heating indicators/controls; over-heat protection

· HWCVD Setup: process sequence; source and mass flow controller (MFC) setup

· Transfer: Motor indicators/controls; substrate pin-lift indicators/controls

· Operation Navigation: Maintenance screen; password level; data log button; standard recipe buttons (i.e. pump, vent, transfer, heating)

· The HWCVD System can be run automatically or manually from the keyboard and mouse, and/or touch screen

· All safety functions and interlocks

· System will interlock with building safety alarms; such that an external alarm will place the system into a safe standby mode

· Software Process programming and history logging is accessible as readable text, comma separated variable, or Excel data file.

· The Contractor shall provide all new software releases, upgrades and patches for the HWCVD System for three (3) years after delivery and final acceptance.

10. Reliability Specifications and Definitions:

· Standard wafers – SEMI specification format in terms of geometry, with low to moderate wafer bow), within the contracted materials and thickness range, minimal backside patterning, and no through wafer vias.

· Fault: Something has gone wrong.

· Failure: Equipment has a problem, requires repair.

· Repair: Modification to hardware or software necessary for equipment to return to the standard operational specification as outlined in Section 2 and Section 3.

· High Failure: Failure compromising personnel safety, equipment damage or product damage.

· Low Failure: Failure not comprising personal safety, equipment damage or product damage.

· Assist: Unplanned interruption, recoverable by operator reset without requiring repair. Post reset there is no variation from specified process behavior.

· Uptime: Percentage of 12 hour shift time that the equipment is able to process as specified.

11. The Contractor shall ensure the HWCVD system meets the following Metrics:

· MTBHF (Mean Time Before High Failure)

· No significant process variation from predetermined process set, processing standard and wafers.

· Greater than 90 days (i.e. less than one (1) qualifying event per 90 days or 500 micrometers of silicon carbide deposition).

· MTBLF (Mean Time Before Low Failure)

· No significant process variation from predetermined process set, processing standard and wafers.

· Greater than 30 days (i.e. less than three (3) qualifying event per 90 days).

· MTBA (Mean Time Before Assist)

· Greater than five (5) days (i.e. less than 18 qualifying events per 90 days) not related to facility failures (i.e. power, gas, water or ventilation interruptions).

· MTTR (Mean Time to Repair)

· Time tool is not available for processing.

· Less than 72 hours. This does not include scheduled maintenance.

· Uptime

· Higher than 90% reactor availability

· Failures occurring due to lack of prescribed maintenance or facility failures (i.e. power, gas, water or ventilation interruptions or quality below specifications) are not counted as failure incidents in determining the reliability metrics.

12. Pre-installation Acceptance Tests:

· The Contractor shall demonstrate to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) before shipment of the HWCVD system that the system is fully functional at the Contractor’s facility using the following Government created acceptance tests detailed in section 13. The Contractor shall propose to the TPOC a date and time for acceptance test attendance at least one (1) month prior to proposed date. The TPOC will accept or deny the proposed date and time within three (3) business days.

· The Contractor shall demonstrate that the HWCVD meets the required specifications as outlined above which includes wafer handling, thermal processing temperatures, ramp rates, temperature uniformity, gas line configuration, and computer control. The Contractor shall provide all required materials for HWCVD System demonstrations, unless otherwise noted.

13. The Contractor shall demonstrate at the factory that all components of the HWCVD System are operational, which includes:

· Substrate handling and queuing

· Pump in load lock, transfer to chamber, return to load lock, vent

· Configured with all appropriate gas/input lines as detailed in section 5

· All gas flows are stable within 1% and are adjustable. This test may be accomplished using inert gasses.

· Leak rate of all lines and vacuum components below 5x10-9 Torrl/s (to be measured using the system pressure measurement gauge for (a) the vacuum chamber, (b) the source gas lines and (c) the source gas lines and vacuum chamber.

· The isolated vacuum chamber, including pressure measurement components, have a base pressure no greater than 1x10-6 Torr.

· The process gas lines, including pressure measurement components, have a base pressure no greater than 1x10-8 Torr.Pressure control is stable to +/- two (2) Torr in the pressure range from fifty (50) to six-hundred (600) Torr

· Substrate heating and rotation (only inert gasses are used)

· Operating with a temperature range of at least room temperature to 1600°C at the substrate surface

· Demonstration that all alarm sensors are fully functional

14. Pre-installation Acceptance Tests Report

The Contractor shall submit a pre-installation acceptance tests report to the TPOC outlining the results of the acceptance tests within one (1) week of the acceptance testing at the Contractor’s site. The TPOC will review and approve the pre-installation acceptance tests report within one (1) week of receiving the pre-installation acceptance tests report. The Contractor shall ship the HWCVD System only after the TPOC has approved the pre-installation acceptance tests report.

15. Delivery and Installation

The Contractor shall deliver and install the HWCVD System at the ARL, 2800 Powder Mill Road, Building 207, Room Z3C-13, within six (6) weeks of receiving approval of the pre-installation acceptance tests report from the TPOC. The Contractor shall propose a delivery date to the TPOC at least two (2) weeks prior to proposed date. The TPOC will approve or deny the proposed date and time within three (3) days. The TPOC will provide a leak detector with helium and suitable spray gun. The TPOC will support the installation and will provide qualified manpower that will be determined upon contract award.

16. Installation

· Installation of the HWCVD system by the Contractor does not include the following list. These items will be completed by qualified personal supplied by ARL

· Electrical connections to the HWCVD system or the RF generator

· Water connections (supply and return) to the HWCVD system

· Compressed air connections

· All-metal welded source gas and ventilation line connections to the HWCVD system, including hydrogen, argon, nitrogen, a carbon source (C3H8, C2H4 or CH4), and silane (5%)

· Trimethylaluminum bubblers connected to the source lines

· Ventilation connection to the HWCVD system

17. Post-installation Acceptance Tests- The Contractor shall demonstrate to the TPOC the installed HWCVD System in room Building 207, Room Z3C-13at ARL is fully functional using the following Government-created post-installation acceptance tests:

· The Contractor shall demonstrate to the TPOC post-installation acceptance testing procedure for the HWCVD System to include wafer handling, thermal processing temperatures, ramp rates, temperature uniformity, gas line configuration, pressure balancing, deposition and computer control. The TPOC will provide all precursor materials for HWCVD deposition demonstrations and substrates as government furnished materials (GFM).

18. The Contractor shall demonstrate at ARL that the HWCVD System is fully functional, which includes:

· Substrate loading and processing for at least 5 wafers (100 mm in diameter)

· Pump in load lock, transfer to chamber, return to load lock, vent

· Configured with all appropriate gas/input lines as detailed in section 5

· All gas flows are stable within 1% and are adjustable (using source gasses or inert gasses if designated source gas is not yet installed)

· Leak rate of all lines and vacuum components below 5x10-9 Torrl/s

· Pressure control is stable to +/- two (2) Torr in the pressure range from fifty (50) to six-hundred (600) Torr

· Substrate heating and rotation

· Operating with a temperature range of at least room temperature to 1700°C at the substrate surface

· Temperature is controlled within +/- 2K at process temperature (1600°C)

· Substrate rotation must be at a uniform rate

· Testing of all alarm sensors

· Deposition (all measurements include a 5 millimeter exclusion zone)

· Verify 4H-Silicon Carbide (SiC) deposition

· Substrate – 100 mm Si-face epiready 4H-SiC

· Deposition with SiH4 and C2H4 precursors

· Growth Rate - Five (5) to ten (10) micrometer/hour

· Film thickness – 20 micrometers (µm) +/- 10%

· Total epitaxial layer deposition count (on separate substrates)– three (3);

· one (1) intrinsically doped, Less than 5x1014 cm-3,

· one (1) nitrogen doped n-type, 1x1016 cm-3 +/- 10%,

· one (1) aluminum doped p-type, 5x1018 cm-3 +/- 10%,

· Cross-wafer thickness uniformity on 100 mm substrate less than 2% as measured by FTIR or other agreed upon method

· Polytype inclusions from deposition <1% of wafer as determined by x-ray diffraction mapping.

· Verify 3C-Silicon Carbide (SiC) deposition

· Substrate – Si

· Deposition with SiH4 and C2H4 precursors

· Growth Rate - Less than five (5) micrometers/hour

· Film thickness – Five (5) micrometer (µm)

· Total epitaxial layer deposition count (on separate substrates) – up to three (3)

· Cross-wafer uniformity on 100 mm substrate less than 2% measured by FTIR or other agreed upon method

· Polytype inclusions from deposition <5% of wafer as determined by x-ray diffraction mapping.

· Wafer-to-wafer thickness uniformity on 100 mm substrate less than 1% as measured by FTIR or other agreed upon method

· Deposition uniformity

· Doping levels are measured by CV with a uniformity within the wafer σ ≤10%

· Wafer-to-wafer n-type doping uniformity ≤5% (minimum of 3 epitaxial layer depositions (on separate substrates))

· Defect density ≤2/cm2 for feature size > 10µm

19. Post-installation Acceptance Tests Report

The Contractor shall submit a post-installation acceptance tests report to the TPOC outlining the results of the acceptance tests within one (1) week after the completion of the post-installation acceptance testing. The TPOC will approve the post-installation acceptance tests report within one (1) week of receipt.

20. Operator and Maintenance Training

The Contractor shall conduct operator and maintenance training following the installation of HWCVD System at ARL. For training purposes, the Contractor shall travel to ARL in Adelphi, MD to provide two (2) days, a total of sixteen (16) hours, of the operator and maintenance training for up to three (3) participants. The contractor shall ensure the training takes place within one (1) week after system post-installation acceptance approval. The Contractor shall propose to the TPOC a date and time for training. The TPOC will accept or deny the proposed date and time within two (2) business days of receipt. The Contractor may provide the training during or immediately following the post-installation acceptance tests.

21. Troubleshooting and Warranty

· Troubleshooting The Contractor shall provide access to a technical support person to answer questions regarding tool operation, hardware troubleshooting and basic HWCVD System deposition processing via telephone or email during normal business hours 0900-1700 for the time zone of the Contractor’s main base of operation for the duration of ownership. The Contractor shall ensure the technical support person responds to voicemails and emails within two (2) business days.

· Warranty The Contractor shall provide a full warranty on the HWCVD System for two (2) years after approval of the post-installation test report. The Contractor shall ensure the warranty includes:

· Installation and replacement of all parts (excluding contractor pre-defined consumable parts and materials, and parts that are handled incorrectly or misused by the government) at no cost. The list of contractor defined consumable parts shall be supplied at proposal submission.

· All repairs or modifications if the HWCVD System is no longer functional according to the acceptance test specifications defined in section 12 at no cost. This does not include impurity and doping specifications potentially affected by experimental processes using source gasses beyond silane, trichlorsilane, hydrogen, argon, CH4, C2H4, C3H8, HCl, nitrogen, or trimethylaluminum.

· All labor and transportation costs to and from ARL for repairs and modification if the HWCVD System is no longer functional according to the acceptance test criteria defined in section 12.

· A response time of two (2) business days from the time the Government calls or emails in a request for service to diagnose and propose a plan to repair the HWCVD System, and commence repair activities within four (4) business days from the time of request

22. Deliverables

· Initial HWCVD system technical design drawings – Within one (1) month of contract award, the Contractor shall provide the TPOC, an electronic copy in Portable Document Format (.pdf) of the technical design drawings, written in English. The drawings are to include 1) details of dimensions for the general assembly, 2) all facility installation requirements and a diagram showing all connection points including, but not limited to, vacuum, water, gas, ventilation, alarm system, and electrical diagrams, and 3) the susceptor and quartz schematic for 100 mm and 150 mm SiC wafer growth for the HWCVD System. The susceptor and quartz schematic is required to enable the Government to perform gas flow, thermodynamic and kinetic modeling. Any proprietary information should be appropriately labeled.

· Factory Acceptance Tests Report - The Contractor shall demonstrate to the TPOC at the Contractors site that all components of the HWCVD are operational before it has been shipped from the Contractor’s facility using the Government created acceptance tests in section 13 within Eight (8) months of contract issue. The Contractor shall propose to the TPOC a date and time for acceptance test attendance at least one month prior to proposed date. The TPOC will accept or deny the proposed date and time within three (3) days. The TPOC will review and approve the Factory acceptance tests report within one (1) week of receiving the factory acceptance tests report. The Contractor shall ensure the test report shows the test results for all tests in section 12-13. The Contractor shall ensure the report is in electronic format.

· Post-installation Acceptance Tests Report - The Contractor shall provide the TPOC with a post-installation acceptance tests report after installation of the HWCVD System acceptance within one (1) week after installation. The Contractor shall ensure test report shows the test results for all required tests in section 17 and 18 . The Contractor shall ensure the report is in electronic format.

· HWCVD System – The Contractor shall deliver a fully functional HWCVD System that meets all the specifications to the ARL Adelphi, Maryland. Delivery is required no later than eight (8) months after receipt of order.

· HWCVD System Schematic Drawings/Operation Manual – The Contractor shall provide the TPOC upon delivery, with an electronic copy in Portable Document Format (.pdf) of the schematic drawings, including general assembly, vacuum, water, gas, alarm system, and electrical diagrams for the HWCVD System, service and maintenance instructions, along with an electronic copy of the Operation Manual for the HWCVD System and manuals for all subsystems written in English.

· Consumable Parts and Materials List – The Contractor shall provide the TPOC, upon delivery a comprehensive list of all consumable items needed to maintain the operation of a 24/7 fully functional HWCVD System, to include required quantity, part number, manufacturer, lead time and ordering information.

· The Contractor shall provide the TPOC upon delivery, with an electronic copy in Portable Document Format (.pdf) of the factory settings of all components.

CLIN 0002 – Initial HWCVD system design drawings detailed in section 22.

CLIN 0003: CONTRACT DATA REQUIREMENTS in accordance with the attached DD1423 exhibits A.

CLIN 0004 Option- The Contractor shall provide One (1) Micro-channel Palladium Membrane Hydrogen Gas Purifier that meets the following specifications:

· SEAS PS7-PD1-30 or equivalent for 130 psig inlet pressure 70 psig outlet

· pressure 130 slm maximum flow rate for hydrogen gas.

· High Temperature Hardware Interlock

· Resulting Hydrogen gas purity is 99.9999999%, with <1 ppb O2, H2O, CO, CO2, N2, CH4, NMHC, Inert gasses CLIN 0005 Option- The Contractor shall provide One (1) Spare Parts Kit that include the following:

· Extra set of quartz parts, including reactor tube

· Extra set of graphite susceptor parts

CLIN 0006 Option- The Contractor shall provide One (1) Uninterruptable Power Supply(UPS) that is compatible with HWCVD system. The UPS shall provide emergency power to the HWCVD system when the main power source fails for a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes. The UPS will power the control system so that it can return to a safe state. The UPS does not power the heating system.

Contracting Officer:

Template last updated 02/27/2015