Denton Vacuum Introduces Exilis 1 Atomic Layer Deposition System

Moorestown, NJ, May 2, 2014—Denton Vacuum LLC, a leading manufacturer of thin film technology products, announced today the introduction of Exilis 1, a new atomic layer deposition (ALD) system that will deliver breakthrough results for users in the research, aerospace, optics, semiconductor and medical communities.

Denton will be presenting the new Exilis 1 system to the thin film technology community as part of its participation in SVC TechCon 2014, the Society of Vacuum Coaters 57th annual technical meeting being held this year at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago, May 4-8.

“We’ve talked to ALD system users all over the world, and they are not happy with what’s now available on the market,” said Vince McGinty, president and CEO of Denton Vacuum. “Many commercially available ALD systems are limited in capability, while others have proven to be maintenance nightmares, with such simple tasks as chamber cleaning, precursor loading and valve changes turning into complex events that lead to extended, even indeterminate downtime. “ Adding to this,” McGinty continued, “users in the corporate community often find that systems designed for research and development bear no resemblance to systems designed for manufacturing-scale activities. Exilis 1 addresses these issues, with broader capability, improved productivity and maintainability, and direct paths to production scale-up.”

Denton Vacuum’s Exilis 1 brings new capability in several key areas, including three-dimensional (3D) capability and process chamber adaptability.

• Unlike the vast majority of commercially available ALD systems that can only process two- dimensional (2D) substrates and wafers, Exilis 1 deposits on both 2D and 3D objects. This expanded 3D capability opens up new development possibilities in advanced tribological coatings, precision optics, active and passive biocompatible films, novel surface adhesion and passivation techniques—in short, anywhere users need to apply ALD films to complex, multi-faceted objects.
• Exilis 1 uses Denton Vacuum’s new CF-102 Process Chamber, a proprietary cross-flow design that is prepared for future field upgrades, including a remote plasma source for plasma-enhanced processes, a vacuum load lock for improved productivity, and even integration into a Denton cluster tool.

Superior productivity is another important part of the Exilis 1 design. Denton Vacuum’s solutions package includes:

• An automated load/unload arm that enables immediate, safe removal of hot substrates or objects from the process chamber.
• Denton Vacuum’s new QVC-10 Delivery Precursor Manifold that addresses a common concern expressed by many ALD system users—reliable and quick replacement of precursor canisters and ALD valves. The hard-mounted, easy-access QVC-10 manifold incorporates an internal heater assembly and enables users to swap canisters or ALD valves in less than ten minutes.
• Periodic chamber cleaning is a fact of life for ALD users, and Denton’s CF-102 Process Chamber can be quickly disassembled and de-mounted, allowing use of standard cleaning methods and minimizing downtime.

Denton Vacuum’s Exilis 1 CF-102 Process Chamber addresses the barrier the production scale-up question often poses: How can I ramp-up my development work into high volume manufacturing? Exilis 1 breakthroughs this barrier with its CF-102 Process Chamber, a design that allows users to increase:

• Capacity by virtue of its large 3D deposition zone,
• Productivity through the addition of a vacuum load-lock, or
• Volume production by ganging two or more chambers into a cluster tool configuration.

New capability, superior research productivity and a clear path to production scale-up—the Denton Vacuum Exilis 1 is the new, breakthrough standard for atomic layer deposition systems.

For more information about these products, or any other products and services, feel free to contact Ernie Burrell, Regional Sales Manager, at eburrell@dentonvacuum.com or 856-380-5222.

About Denton Vacuum LLC

Now in its 50th year, Denton Vacuum continues to transform barriers into thin-film technology breakthroughs for customers across the globe. With operations in the United States and China, Denton designs and develops systems that precision-coat aerospace components, advanced optics, medical implants, solar cells, semiconductor devices and much more. Fifty years of tireless innovation have produced robust offerings ranging from high-volume production platforms to unique custom-engineered systems. Denton’s technology portfolio includes atomic layer deposition (ALD), thermal evaporation, e-beam evaporation, ion-beam-assisted evaporation, magnetron sputtering (including reactive sputtering), plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD), ion etch and ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD). As a leading source for thin-film technology, Denton also provides value-added services and lifetime support that set new industry standards. See how barriers become breakthroughs by visiting Dentonvacuum.com.