A POWERFUL
& FLEXIBLE PLATFORM

Wet processing equipment for semiconductors

The Solstice platform employs a unique level of engineering elegance and efficiency – expressly designed to provide ≤200mm wafer users with state-of-the-art processing capability along with unprecedented flexibility.

Innovative from the ground up

Solstice is built on a unique and powerful plating system platform. Newly designed from the ground up, our high-performance wet processing equipment is specifically designed for ≤200mm substrates. Solstice is built to be adaptable to user needs, readily able to provide a spectrum of capabilities. And the platform specifically eliminates “over-engineering” – which adds tool cost and complexity without commensurate benefit. Instead, the Solstice applies state-of-the-art technology with elegance, modularity, and maximum efficiency. It uses “less” to actually accomplish more. Much more…

Delivering more plating and surface prep capabilities

On Solstice systems, the user can change wafer sizes in less than three minutes.

ClassOne understands that users of ≤200mm wafers – such as compound semiconductor manufacturers – have unique needs. Besides working with a range of wafer sizes, they often need to change wafer sizes, or run different wafer sizes at the same time. That’s why Solstice actually allows users to change wafer diameters in under three minutes, giving a level of flexibility that is unprecedented in the industry.

In addition to silicon, ≤200mm users work with a broad range of wafer materials, from gallium arsenide to sapphire to silicon carbide, from transparent to opaque, thin to bonded. Solstice addresses all of these needs. And Solstice systems handle the full gamut of electroplating processes, from gold and copper to nickel and indium – as well as a spectrum of surface preparation needs, from etch to metal lift-off to photoresist strip. In Solstice, this capability is called Plating-Plus™, and it’s made possible by the uniquely flexible modularity of the platform and chamber designs.

Modular, flexible, efficient, easy to use

Solstice combines mechanical and operational elegance to achieve easier manufacturing configurability as well as user-friendliness and simpler serviceability. Solstice is a uniquely scalable platform that has considered both near-term and long-term usability.

Solstice reactors and chemical tanks are all modular for maximum flexibility.

The Solstice platform is built from modular elements that can be used in multiple ways. And up and down the Solstice product lines, the same parts, procedures, and process definitions are utilized. Reactors, controls, and software are all consistent. Design efficiency delivers optimum system capabilities that also have a more compact form factor. Which is why Solstice systems have the smallest footprints in their class.

The streamlined design of this platform also enhances its user-friendliness. Solstice tools are more intuitive and easier for operators to use. And, since all Solstice systems share the same simplified operator interface and control software, no relearning is necessary when a user transitions from one tool to the next. The processes are consistent, and so is the performance.

Advanced performance, highest quality

Because the Solstice platform is designed from the ground up, our engineers did not have to rework legacy equipment or out-of-date approaches. Nor did they have to reengineer 300mm equipment to make it work for ≤200mm. Rather, we were able to apply the best current technology available to address the specific objectives before us – to achieve optimal ≤200mm performance with maximum efficiency. And the results speak for themselves. See more about Solstice’s process performance and high plating quality.

Reliability and uptime, designed in

High-efficiency design is one of the fundamental reasons for the Solstice’s high reliability and uptime. Another factor is brand-name components – such as GEMÜ valves, Dynatronix power supplies, and Levitronix® pumps – which help to ensure maximum performance and longer service life. As a result, Solstice systems are able to deliver exceptional uptime with typical MTBFs of >800 hr, among the highest in the industry.

Unparalleled cost-efficiency and ROI

Along with delivering maximum performance, elegant design helps to reduce the cost to manufacture – and to operate. That is why Solstice systems have become known for their lower capex and also for their significantly reduced cost of ownership, allowing them to fit into more budgets for more users. Very often, Solstice brings state-of-the-art new-equipment performance to users who were previously limited to legacy systems and technologies.

As for ROI, Solstice systems can lower a user’s processing costs substantially. For instance, the Solstice GoldPro reactor can dramatically reduce the amount of gold used in high-quality gold plating. And the Solstice CopperMax reactor can significantly cut the cost of additives used in copper plating. And those are just two examples.

Efficient, elegant design gives Solstice tools the smallest footprints in their categories.

A natural growth path

Solstice provides an easy, cost-effective next step for users to upgrade from wet benches and other older plating systems – to significantly improve product quality and uniformity as well as productivity and ROI. Within the three Solstice groups there is also a natural, scalable growth path:

• Solstice LT:  up to 3 chambers, semi-automated, for process development or lower-level production
• Solstice S4:  up to 4 chambers, for fully-automated, cassette-to-cassette, mid-level production
• Solstice S8:  up to 8 chambers, for fully-automated, cassette-to-cassette, high-level production

Users can transition seamlessly from one Solstice series to the next, with no relearning needed. All three use the same chambers, software, and operator interface. The process columns and plumbing layouts are consistent for maximum continuity in processing procedures and results – and for easier retrofits and upgrades.

Ongoing technology development

ClassOne never stops improving. Our ongoing technology advancement program is driven by inputs and feedback from our class-leading customers around the globe and from our world-class support team that serves them. To see some of the tangible results of this program, please review our Advancing System Technology section.