The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Fluorine Etching System to support nanofabrication in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) user facility.  The system will be sited and used as a shared resource accessible to researchers from industry, academia, NIST, and other government agencies in the CNST NanoFab.  The ICP Fluorine Etching System is a pattern transfer tool that uses fluorine compounds and other chemicals to fabricate three-dimensional structures in various substrate materials. Applications include fabricating nano-semiconductor and nano-photonic devices. 

The NanoFab currently operates several ICP Systems that are heavily used to fabricate a wide variety of devices with different chemical etching gases and substrate materials.  However, the current tools cannot meet the requirements of a growing number of NanoFab users.  More and more materials, such as metals, silicon, quartz/silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, polymer and others, are being etched in shared ICP systems. The mixing of the different etching processes in one system causes chemical cross-contamination process variation. To minimize the cross-contamination, improve the process control and increase the NanoFab’s capacity to serve users, the NanoFab has a need for a new ICP System with Fluorine and other gas etching capability.

1. General Description

As described above, this ICP system is a pattern transfer tool that uses an inductively coupled plasma to fabricate micron- and nano-scale structures in Si and other materials with vertical sidewalls of very high aspect ratio, primarily using Fluorine and other etching gases. This new ICP will be used to minimize the chemical cross-contamination, improve the process repeatability and add new NanoFab’s etching process capabilities.

1. Tool configuration:

The system must be equipped with following components:

1. A load-lock that transfers the samples in and out of the process chamber.
2. A process chamber that is compatible with reactive chemicals such as Fluorine.
3. A process chamber that is capable to handle 8 different gases.
4. An ICP source that operates from 0 to 3000 W.
5. A RIE electrode that operates from 0 to 600 W.
6. A pumping system that is compatible with fluorine-based chemistries and maintains a base pressure of 5x10-7 Torr.
7. An optical emission spectroscopy endpoint detector.
8. Software that supports both manual and automatic operations.
9. Safety interlocks to keep users safe.

1. Wafer compatibility and wafer heating:
   1. The system shall be able to process substrates with various sizes including 75 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm substrate.
   2. The system shall be able to process silicon, quartz, and III-V materials including GaAs and InP.
   3. The system shall be able to process substrates from -125 °C to +300 °C.

1. Established process library:
   1. The system shall have established processes for etching silicon, silicon dioxide, quartz, and silicon nitride.
   2. Established process documentation shall include process parameters such as etch rate, selectivity, and profile with scanning electron microscope pictures.

NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses.

Companies that manufacture ICP etching system are requested to email a detailed report describing their abilities to [email protected] no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications and any other information relevant to your product or capabilities. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided. 2. Name of company(s) that are authorized to sell the system components, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address). 3. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such systems. 4. Indication of whether each instrument for which specifications are sent to [email protected] are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.