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Materials
The Umicore Thin Film Products Customer Magazine | December 2004
More Development Power
for Sustainable Growth
Page 6 | Tools and Targets
for Advanced Packaging
Page 12 | Building
the Future of Umicore
2 | December 2004
2 | Editorial
4 | Will ITO Shortages
Slow LCD Growth?
Strong Fin
6 | Tools and Targets
Dear Readers,
Umicore TFP and advanced packaging
Welcome to our new issue of Materials Maga-
8 | Particle Sizing of Materials
by Laser Diffraction
zine.We are approaching
Ignace de Ruijter
the end of an exciting
year bringing us further growth in line with the
goals we set two years ago.
10 | Germanium Sputtering
Target Recycling
11 | The Umicore TFP Sales Meeting
Exchange, learning, and improved
customer service
12 | Building Our Future
Opening celebrations for
the new building in Balzers
Business increase
2004 has been very successful for Umicore
Thin Film Products.As a business unit, we have
continued on our track of steady growth and
continuous improvement. Sales were strong in
all segments. We saw healthy increase in electronics and optics, where we feel that our
product development and marketing efforts
are paying off. Sales of materials for wear protection showed continued growth, sales for
Optical Data Storage exceeded expectations
13 | Deposition, Starting Materials,
and Film Properties
despite lower demand for rewritables and
fierce competition.The display market has also
boomed this year, which led to a significant increase in sales of our ITO and Cr targets. We
16 | Umicore TFP Event News
expanded our capacity for ITO and continue to
support the further growth of Umicore in this
Editor in Chief: Ignace de Ruijter, Vice President Umicore Thin Film Products Managing Editor:
Markus Schilling, Marketing Communications Manager Design Management/Layout/Production: Denon Corporate Publishing, Rapperswil, Switzerland Project Manager: Veronika Schreyer,
is design, Vienna Please contact us: Fax: +423 388 74 50 E-mail: sales.materials@umicore.com
Internet: www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com Cover page: Cobalt powders; at Umicore TFP
cobalt is one of the elements used in the evaporation and sputtering process for PVD film
deposition.
Subscribe to Materials Magazine free! If you would like to regularly receive Materials Magazine,
please subscribe on our website www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com.
market segment (see also page 4).
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 3
ish of a Successful Year
Umicore Thin Film Products exceeded expectations for 2004. The Business
Unit showed solid growth for the past two years and is set to continue its
course of success.
Development power
results of the year so far! We now have a work-
germanium, and the complete range of pre-
The year was also successful with respect to
place where the material flow is greatly im-
cious metals (see page 10). Recycling and sus-
strengthening our team as presented in the
proved, with better environment and safety
tainability are essential to Umicore’s business
previous issue of Materials Magazine. With
standards, with a brand new development lab
model. Our business is driven by our people, by
particular attention to product management
as well as cleaning and packing infrastructure.
our knowledge and understanding of our mar-
and product development we will continue to
In other words: everything is in place for opti-
kets, products and processes, by our customers
enhance our responsiveness both in terms of
mized efficiency. The open office and working
and our partners, by communication. I am
customer communication and new product
environments create the openness and trans-
happy that this is well reflected in our Materi-
generation. Our development power, with con-
parency which Umicore stands for. In our «new
als Magazine.
stant process and cost optimization, is key to
home» we will make better products and pro-
supporting long-term growth and success in
vide even better services for our customers.
I leave with you my best wishes for the
remainder of this year and for the year 2005,
the dynamic markets where we are active.
Materials for a better life
may it be a year of happiness for you and your
Our new home
Umicore’s global vision can be summarized by
families.
Of course, one of the milestone events this
«Materials for a better life». We make exciting
year has been the move of our facility in Balz-
products for applications that bring quality to
ers to a new building in the same town (see
our lives today. Thin film products find their
page 12). This was a major project, and we
way into mobile phones, flat panel displays,
have successfully completed the whole move
high-speed electronics, CDs and DVDs, high-
on time, within budget, and without negatively
end tool components, or high-quality optical
affecting the service to our customers. The
lenses, to name a few.
move took place in the third quarter, which
Umicore has the capabilities to close the loop
even turned out to yield the best quarterly
by recycling spent materials such as indium,
Best regards,
Ignace de Ruijter
Vice President
Umicore Thin Film Products
ignace.deruijter@umicore.com
4 | December 2004
Will ITO Shortages Slow
LCD Growth?
The transparent conductor indium tin oxide (ITO) is an essential element in display technologies.
A supply shortage would have considerable impact, particularly on the fast growing flat panel
displays market.
By Dr. Thomas Jansseune
General Manager
Umicore Materials Taiwan
Thomas.jansseune@umicore.com
The growth of flat panel displays is spectacular, and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in particular are the motor behind this strong increase.
No matter whether expressed by number of units sold or by monetary
value, LCDs dominate and are expected to continue doing so (Figure
1). Although passive matrix LCDs (PMLCDs) are now enjoying the
highest volumes still, active matrix LCDs (AMLCDs) are clearly becoming the leading technology, driven by the introduction of LCD TV.
Can the supply chain follow?
Since the second half of 2003 the supply chain of the LCD juggernaut
has been under stress. Shortages have been reported for numerous
key components, such as LCD glass, polarizers, driver ICs, and color
filters. For most or all of these components, suppliers have in the
meantime announced an increase of capacity.
Is ITO in short supply as well?
ITO holds a somewhat special place in the display industry since it is
being used by all display technologies. Being a transparent conductor,
it is essential for the functioning of these electro-optic devices (see
also Materials Magazine June 2003). An accurate estimate of the
global ITO needs is difficult, but one can safely say that it is at least
linked to the consumption of LCD glass (Figure 2). Based on the forecasts for LCD glass, ITO consumption can be expected to double in
the next few years.
Earlier this year, shortages by 10 to 20% have been reported for this
critical ingredient.As for other key components, most prominent ITO
producers, including Umicore (Materials Magazine June 2004), have
since announced capacity increases. Umicore has already completed
this capacity increase, and it is expected that there will be no further
shortage of ITO production capacity in 2005.
Plenty of capacity but lack of raw materials
Figures for the need for indium, the main raw material, vary widely
but go up to 850 tons in 2005 (Metal Pages 16 September 2004). This
would outstrip the current production of virgin material, at the moment rated at around 300 tons per year (Figure 4). Of these 300 tons
only 60 to 80% are used for ITO. The rest of the material – having a
higher or lower purity than the ITO grade indium – is used in electronics (e.g. InP or other compound semiconductors) and alloys.
Since indium is a byproduct of zinc, lead, and tin production, its output
is linked to the output of these metals and cannot be easily increased.
Recently, Korea Zinc, however, announced that they would start refining the indium that is contained in their flow sheet, but the effect of
this may be balanced by a reduced output from China. A shortage of
indium concentrates is becoming critical there, some indium activities
were closed in 2001 and as recently as August 2004 (Metal Bulletin
25 August 2004). Despite the closures in 2001 the Chinese output
increased again in 2003 and this may be due to sales of inventory at the
current attractive indium price (Figure 3). It remains to be seen
Indium produced by Umicore
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 5
whether the Chinese output will be able to keep up with this production level. In France, Metaleurop stopped producing indium, taking 65
tons capacity from the market. With the currently high indium price,
not many new suppliers are expected to enter the arena. Any investment setting up a new production unit would require a lot of capital,
even just financing the material that is required for production flow.
Fortunately, some secondary indium is available from recycling.
Around 60% of ITO targets can be recycled, but this would still not
be enough. This overall shortage is reflected in the strongly increased
indium price (Figure 3). Just a few months ago, a brief leveling in the
price increases occurred; it is believed that this was linked to Japanese
ITO producers having secured their needs for the second and third
quarters of 2004. Right now, buyers seem to be back for the rest of the
year and 2005. The odds are that a shortage will remain. If this is the
case, a portion of the ITO production capacity will remain idle. In such
circumstances, fully integrated ITO producers will be in the best posi-
Figure 1: Evolution of the displays market
tion to continue a secure supply to their customers. Most ITO is still
being produced in Japan, but only a small share of the indium production is located there (Figure 4), most indium supply for the Japanese
market coming from China or Canada.
Umicore as ITO producer
So far, Umicore is the only established fully integrated ITO producer,
with its indium refining operation in Belgium and ITO production at
Umicore Indium Products (USA). Related activities, such as bonding
and sales, are also covered by Umicore. Recycling takes place both at
the Belgian and USA facilities giving Umicore a lot of flexibility for
taking in various types of indium containing materials. Umicore can
offer its customers the long-term assurances they are looking for.
This article is based on a presentation given on Semi FPD Technical
Seminar in Taipei (June 2004).
Figure 3: Indium price development
2,500
1,000
800
1,500
600
USD/kg
Million units
2,000
400
1,000
200
500
AMLCD
PMLCD
OLED
Figure 2: LCD glass capacity
Source: iSupply
Aug 04
July 04
June 04
Apr 04
March 04
Jan 04
Dec 03
2007
Oct 03
2006
other
Sept 03
2005
PDP
Aug 03
2004
June 03
2003
May 03
2002
March 03
0
Feb 03
Jan 03
0
Source: Metal Bulletin
Figure 4: Indium production
90
400
80
350
70
300
60
MT/y
mm 2 / y
250
50
200
40
150
30
100
20
50
10
0
1995
0
2004
Corning
Asahi
2005
NHT
NEG
Belgium
1996
Canada
1997
China
1998
France
1999
Japan
2000
Peru
Russia
2001
others
2002
2003
Source: USGS
6 | December 2004
Tools and Targets
A Short Introduction to Advanced Packaging
Targets from Umicore Thin Film Products are widely used in under bump metallization (UBM)
processes as implemented by Unaxis Wafer Processing. Dr. Dominik Ringer talks to Hans Auer,
Product Marketing Manager PVD, Dr. Christian Linder, PVD Process Technology Manager, and
Wolfgang Rietzler, Product Marketing Manager PVD, from the Unaxis Wafer Processing Division.
By Dr. Dominik Ringer
Product Manager
Semiconductor Materials
dominik.ringer@umicore.com
Dominik Ringer: Many of our customers are
running Unaxis tools using Umicore Thin Film
Products targets for advanced packaging.
Mr. Auer, could you give us a brief overview
of the advanced packaging market?
Hans Auer: «Increased computing speed,
transition to flat panel displays, more powerful
mobile communication, and personal digital
devices define the innovation momentum in
semiconductor packaging. Cost, performance,
miniaturization, thermal and power management, and most recently integration have
become key factors dictating the pace to
adopt advanced packaging.
While flip-chip technology has been used for
quite some time mainly for microprocessors,
high performance logic and display drivers,
WL-CSP, SiP, and integration of passive elements have just recently been introduced.»
Dominik Ringer: Could you explain some of
the most common expressions, such as WLP,
flip-chip, WL-CSP and SiP?
Hans Auer: «All advanced packaging process
steps performed at the wafer level are described as wafer level packaging (WLP). At
Unaxis Wafer Processing, we cover the metallization processes with our proven sputter
technology.WLP requires the following steps:
sputtering, photo lithography, coat/bake/de-
© Unaxis Wafer Processing
CLUSTERLINE® 300 mm sputtering target
velop of photo resist and passivation layers,
electroplating or screen printing, wet and/or
dry etching and cleaning, and bump reflow.
The term flip-chip (the chip needs to be
«flipped» to meet the contacts on the counterpart) distinguishes from wire bonding
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 7
Images courtesy of Unaxis Wafer Processing
where a chip is attached to the counterpart
with its backside. Flip-chips typically feature
fine pitch bumps and are attached either to a
ceramic or organic substrate or directly as flipchip on board (FCOB), flip-chip on glass
(COG) or flip-chip on a flexible circuit board
(COF). They are also ideal for system in
package (SiP) assembly. SiP means several
chips are assembled on one substrate to a
package. The introduction of wafer level chip
scale packaging (WL-CSP) has gathered a lot
of speed over the last couple of years. The
uniqueness of WL-CSP is the package being
basically finished on wafer level, which can,
after dicing the WL-CSP with its ball contacts,
be assembled on standard surface mount devices (SMD) pick and place equipment. However, due to the larger ball contacts compared
to bumps, only a much smaller pin count
can be achieved, limiting the application of
WL-CSPs to smaller and simpler devices with
lower I/O counts.»
Dominik Ringer: What types of different technologies are implemented at Unaxis Wafer
Processing, and what are the implications in
using them for 300 mm wafers?
Christian Linder: «The WLP processes implemented at Unaxis include under bump metallization (UBM) and redistribution layers
(RDL), as well as integration of passive
elements using physical vapor deposition
(PVD). After UBM and RDL processes have
qualified for 300 mm several years ago,
volume production is currently in place at
several IDMs (independent device manufacturers) and assembly and packaging
foundries. A typical production sequence
starts with a clean-etch step using an inductive coupled plasma (ICP) source, which induces no damage to the pre-fabricated dies
on the wafer. This etching removes native
oxides and other materials such as organic
residues from the wafer surface. Thus, subsequent metal films (first metal of the
UBM/RDL stack, e.g. Ti or Al) achieve a low
contact resistivity to the metal pads of the
dies and an optimum adhesion to the pads, as
NiV7, Au), or as wetable materials for the
solder of printed bumps. In the case of RDL,
the top metals serve as the conductive interconnect lines (e.g. Al, Cu).»
© Unaxis Wafer Processing
LLS EVO II with automatic cassette-to-cassette wafer handling
well as to the passivation layers on the wafer
surface. Next, barrier metal films such as
NiV7 or WTi10 are deposited preventing diffusion of the bump metals to the die metals.
The top metals of the UBM stack are used
as seed layers, e.g. for subsequent plating (Cu,
Figure 1: Schematic structure of flip-chip
interconnection
Si
Solder
UBM
PCB
Cu
Adhesion layer
Diffusion barrier layer
Solder wettable layer
© Unaxis Wafer Processing
Side view of the CLUSTERLINE® 300
Dominik Ringer: Which tools are available at
Unaxis and what are your critical process parameters?
Wolfgang Rietzler: «In general, three principles can be applied: evaporation, sputtering in
a batch, and a single wafer system. For these
processes, Unaxis developed the LLS EVO II
and the CLUSTERLINE® 200 and 300. Precise control of process parameters combined
with the perfectly adjusted design of module
components guarantees optimum film characteristics. For example, electrical film properties
can be tuned for lowest possible resistivity at a
given maximum process temperature as well
as for appropriate uniformity. This enables
precise metal wet etching or homogeneously
distributed plating current for uniform bump
heights. Furthermore, depending on the film
material, the mechanical stress can be specifically controlled by means of process power,
gas flow, temperature, or RF-bias. The results
are low-stress film stacks providing mechanical stability which is needed for the long term
reliability of the bump structure.»
Dominik Ringer: Can you name some typical
examples of UBM layers which can be accomplished with Umicore TFP targets on Unaxis
tools ?
Wolfgang Rietzler: «All current UBM processes are supported in the Unaxis product
portfolio.
Some examples of these processes are:
Ti-Al-Ti
Al-NiV-Cu
Cr-Cu-Au
WTi(N)-Cu-Au
WTi(N)-NiV-Au
Cr-Cr/Cu-Cu-Au (original C4).
For more information on Umicore TFP targets and
evaporation materials please contact:
dominik.ringer@umicore.com
8 | December 2004
Particle Sizing of Materials
by Laser Diffraction
Particle size measurement is a must in many branches of the manufacturing industry. It is especially
valuable in areas such as product development, manufacturing control, and quality assurance.
By Dipl.-Phys. Andreas Hiermer
R&D Project Manager Optics
andreas.hiermer@umicore.com
Measurement equipment
In our laboratory in Balzers, Liechtenstein, a
Mastersizer 2000 laser diffraction-based particle size analyzer from Malvern Instruments
is used.The Mastersizer 2000 system is driven
by standard operating procedures (SOPs)
and thus guarantees a reliable solution for
everyday particle sizing needs. Full integration of the entire system provides assured
measurement performance from submicron
to millimetre particle sizes (0.02 µm to 2 mm).
Its modular configuration is highly flexible.
Samples can be measured wet or dry, and the
Working with the Mastersizer
system is able to cope with quantities ranging
from only a few milligrams to several grams.
Laser diffraction physics
Laser diffraction is a non-invasive method for
measuring particle size.The beginnings of this
method can be pinpointed to 1820 when
Figure 1: Diffraction pattern of one
spherical particle
Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787 – 1826) discovered the diffraction effects of light in
Benediktbeuern, Germany.
During a laser diffraction measurement, particles pass through a focused laser beam.
These particles scatter light at an angle, which
is inversely proportional to their size. This
means, small particles generate large diffraction angles and vice versa. The angular intensity of the scattered light is then measured by
a series of photosensitive semiconductor detectors. The number and positioning of these
detectors has been optimized to achieve maximum resolution across a broad range of particle sizes.
The map of scattering intensity versus angle is
the primary source of information used to
calculate particle size (Figure 1). The scattering of particles is quite accurately predicted
by the Mie scattering model introduced in
1908. This model is applied in the Malvern
equipment, allowing accurate sizing across
the widest possible dynamic range from 0.02
to 2,000 microns. The optical setup for the
generation of diffraction patterns is shown in
Figure 2. The sample is fed through the
system either by air or by liquid in a so-called
cuvette, which provides two glass windows to
guide the sample flux through the system.
Increased sub-micron resolution is achieved
with a dual wavelength detection system. In
addition to the red light emitted from the
He-Ne laser, the shorter wavelength of a blue
light laser diode is used in conjunction with
forward and backscatter detection for enhanced sizing performance. These two light
sources combined provide sensitivity across a
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 9
Klaus Leitner, Head of R&D in Balzers:
«This instrument enables us to provide quality products
for PVD applications on the basis of powder metallurgy and
ceramics to our customers.»
wide size range. The entire measurement
range is accessed using a single-lens system.
This rugged configuration ensures that
changing between different dispersion units
for dry and wet sample preparation is immediate and easy. Any reconfiguration is automatic and software-controlled. Alignment is
carried out in seconds either as part of an
automated measurement or with a single
mouse-click on the screen.
Sample preparation is essential
Inadequate sample dispersion is a major
source of measurement errors in particle
sizing. A wide range of software-controlled
sample dispersion units allows the dispersion
conditions to be matched to individual applications and samples. Where, for example, the
primary particle size is important, correct dispersion of the sample will be important; if the
natural agglomerated state is of interest,
sample preparation should take this into
account in order to avoid the breakup of
agglomerated particles. In either case, the
dispersion medium – whether air or a liquid –
should not cause irreversible changes to the
particle size through processes such as dissolution, milling, or agglomeration. A typical
dispersant is water. Ultrasound and additives
like sodium hexametaphosphate keep the
sample during measurement in a stable dispersed condition.
Measurements made reproducible
through automated operation
Meeting international standards
Automatic operation using preprogrammed
SOPs ensures that any operator bias is minimized. Full automation and SOP-driven operation has dramatically reduced the need for
user intervention. Thereby a major source of
measurement variability is removed. Softwarecontrolled dispersion units deliver the optimal
sample preparation that is necessary to produce repeatable high-quality results. Real time
displays allow the tracking of sample measurements to monitor all aspects of the measurement process. Result reporting is completely
configurable, which allows an exact definition
of the information displayed. This ensures
consistent data management and reporting.
Figure 3 shows the particle distribution of a
TiO2 powder sample which we use as a raw
Figure 2: Laser diffraction schematic
Optical set-up for the generation of diffraction patterns
material for our evaporation granulate and
tablets.The diagram shows the particle size distribution in percent over particle size in microns. The term d (0.5) describes the size in
microns where 50% of the sample is smaller
and 50% is larger. This value is also known as
the Mass Median Diameter (MMD).
ISO 13320-1 is the first formal international
standard for particle size analysis by laser
diffraction. It provides a methodology for adequate quality control. Successful measurement
also depends on the good performance of the
sample dispersion units. As quality audit
standards,glass beads in the size range between
10 µm and 12 µm, packaged in single-shot
bottles, can be used to validate the system
performance.
Further reading
• R. H. Müller, R. Schuhmann, Teilchenmessung in der
Laborpraxis, Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft
Stuttgart, 1996
• Brian Scarlett, Particle Size Analysis, Classification
and Sedimentation Methods, Chapman & Hall, 1994
Figure 3: Typical particle size distribution
10
9
Sample in
Lens
8
Detector
7
Volume (%)
Beam expander
Laser
6
5
4
3
2
1
Measuring zone
0
Sample out
0.01
0.1
1
10
Particle size (m)
100
1,000
3,000
10 | December 2004
Germanium Sputtering
Target Recycling
Umicore’s sustainable development strategy sets a new milestone.
By Christophe Murez
Product Manager Optical Data Storage
christophe.murez@umicore.com
The Umicore Group considers recycling of
materials as a pillar of its strategy, and the
Optical Data Storage business line is proud to
have set a new milestone in this direction.
Since Spring 2004 we offer our customers in
DVD rewritable production a solution to
recycle spent Ge sputtering targets.
Germanium in DVD rewritable stack design
The Germanium Nitride layer has two main
functions: protecting the phase change layer
from sulfur diffusion and enhancing the crystallization behavior of this rewritable active
layer. Making the most of Umicore‘s internal
synergies, Umicore Thin Film Products has
Figure 2: Umicore closed
loop Ge recycling
Customer sputtering
process
Collecting of Umicore
spent Ge targets
Collecting of
competitors‘ spent
Ge targets
De-bonding and
weighting
Cash credit
for our customers
Umicore TFP monocrystalline 5N Ge sputtering target,
100% density
Figure 1: Example of GeN layer
in a DVD RW stack design
Mirror
Spent targets
Dielectric (l2)
GeN
Phase Change
GeN
Hydrometallurgy
Casting metallurgy
Dielectric (l1)
Substrate
Manufacturing
of Ge targets
introduced monocrystalline Ge targets to the
market, which are produced at our Belgian
plant in Olen (Figure 1). While most of our
competitors can only propose polycrystalline
materials, the unique Umicore monocrystalline quality ensures the specified purity,
but also – thanks to its perfect density – the
required sputtered layer uniformity.
Recycling process of Ge sputtering targets
At Umicore TFP, we do not compromise on
quality. Each spent target follows the
complete chemical refining process. The
recovered Ge will be reprocessed to GeO2
before being grown as a high purity crystal,
sawed and ground to finally be born again as
a brand new sputtering monocrystalline target
meeting all required specifications. Targets
produced from recycled materials have exactly the same properties and meet the same
severe specifications as those produced from
virgin materials.
Recycling makes economic sense
Our customers are of course sensible to
environmental aspects related to their
production processes, but when ecological
awareness meets economic advantage,
Umicore TFP really strikes a hit. Umicore
closes the loop (Figure 2) and contributes
actively to the cost per disc reduction.
Our solution is not only a step forward
towards sustainable development, it also
represents a tangible cost saving for disc
producers. Each spent target returned to
Umicore generates an immediate and transparent cash refund, supporting our customers
in their permanent race for reduced cost
per disc.
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 11
Exchange, Learning, and
Improving Customer Service
Much hard work and an interesting underground experience for the Umicore Thin Film Products
sales team at our sales meeting.
By Rene Bühler
International Marketing
and Sales Manager
rene.buehler@umicore.com
For three days in October the new Umicore
TFP building was bustling with activity and
people from around the world. Our new sales
organization (see also Materials Magazine
June 2004) got together for its annual meeting – with a long and demanding agenda.
Better customer service in every respect
This is a tall order, and discussions focused on
the way we were able to fulfill our goals since
the new sales organization was introduced six
months ago. The change was rather challenging, for our customers as well as for our own
organization. Today, I have to say that our
team has done a great job, and I am conviced
our customers will confirm this sentiment.The
truly global nature of our business becomes
apparent when looking at our sales team.
Europe, the US, and Asia are equally represented, and the rich mixture of (working) cultures is a benefit to us all. Ultimately, this also
benefits our customers: their partners at Umicore TFP have an understanding of regional
and individual needs beyond technology matters and are able to deliver a high level of service accordingly. As well as giving us a great
opportunity to exchange experiences from all
corners of the world, our international sales
meetings are about gaining further knowledge. Intensive product training sessions were
scheduled: on coating systems for sputtering
and evaporation technologies, manufacturing
of coating materials, bonding, and analytics.
High-level technical know-how for our sales
personnel ensures that customers always have
a competent partner at Umicore TFP who understands their specific requirements.
The Umicore TFP sales team explores the old iron ore mine of «Gonzen», Switzerland.
Connecting with the past
A more relaxing evening was spent exploring
the materials business of our ancestors. The
iron ore mine of Gonzen in Sargans was discovered some 2,000 years ago by the Romans.
Until 1966, when production in this last
working mine in Switzerland ceased, 90 km of
tunnels were driven into the mountain. The
«Gonzenexpress», running on the old railway
tracks, which used to transport the ore, now
transported us to the entrance of the mine,
where a very instructive and enjoyable tour
and a good traditional meal of «Maccheroni»
with a delicious Gonzen wine were waiting
for us. Mining technology has come a long
way since the old days, but it’s still a tough
business – a short glimpse of working conditions underneath the mountain was enough
for us, and we were happy to re-emerge into
the fresh air of above-the-ground Switzerland.
Traditional food and wine under ground
12 | December 2004
Building Our Future
Umicore TFP celebrates the opening of the new development, production and
office building in Balzers, Liechtenstein.
By Markus Schilling
Marketing Communications Manager
markus.schilling@umicore.com
Exactly two years
On 27th February 2003, the foundation stone
for our new building in Balzers was officially
laid down. This was also a milestone on the
path into the future of Umicore Materials AG
and Umicore Thin Film Products.
The project began in October 2002, when
contracts for the new building were signed.
Now we see the completion of a modern
building that fully provides for all requirements of high-tech industry in the 21st
century. Four floors will be at the disposal of
the Umicore Materials AG, integrating
production, R&D, laboratories, logistics, and
administration under one roof. Great emphasis was also placed on environmental concerns. Air filtering systems and a water
treatment plant ensure highly efficient use of
resources.
Shell construction was finished after just six
months, which was celebrated in a traditional
«Aufrichte» ceremony in October 2003.
Interior construction continued throughout
the winter, and after one year all works were
The new Umicore Materials AG building in Balzers is built with state of the art, energy-efficient technology, has lots of natural light,
and a great view of the surrounding countryside.
Celebrating together
On Friday, 5th November 2004, the official
opening ceremony took place with guests
from around the world – customers, suppliers,
«This is an important step for us.
Improved material flows, simpler communication, and greater transparency will enable
a more efficient organization. This new building provides us with an important platform
for the future of Umicore TFP..»
Ignace deRuijter, Vice President Umicore Thin Film Products:
according to schedule. In July 2004, we began
the move, and finally we were ready to celebrate – together with our employees, customers, and the local population here in
Liechtenstein.
local politicians, trade and industry representatives, and top Umicore management.
Representing the government of Liechtenstein, Hans-Jörg Frick, Minister of Trade and
Industrie, followed our invitation, as did
Anton Eberle, the Mayor of Balzers. He
expressed his gratitude for Umicore’s confidence in the location of Balzers, where the
company provides opportunities for highly
qualified and skilled employees.
Umicore CEO Thomas Leysen emphasized
the importance of Umicore Materials AG to
the company’s thin film business and highlighted the importance of recycling as a key
element of Umicore’s business model. Customers must be able to return used targets,
resulting in more cost effective products and
sustainability. Saturday, we opened our doors
to the public. We invited local people to see
the new building in their neighborhood from
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 13
Thomas Leysen, CEO Umicore S.A: «Umicore
aims to contribute to
technological advance through sustainable development.
Umicore Thin Film Products fits with our vision. I am conviced
it has great potential for growth.»
the inside and find out about our business.
Many employees took the opportunity to
show their families around. The offices where
with Umicore employees and their families,
friends, and neighbors. In total, over 650 people accepted the invitation on our open day.
René Bühler, International Marketing and Sales Manager Umicore Thin Film Products: «We
will make
Umicore Materials AG Balzers a center of excellence for thin film technology.»
buzzing with interested visitors touring the
building. Exhibition stands explained technologies and products, special programs and
a cinema were organized for children, and
everyone enjoyed a drink, a snack, and a chat
Vision of the future
The move to our new and much larger building has brought a lot of advantages for Umicore Thin Film Products. All employees and
departments are now gathered under one
roof: R&D, laboratories, production, logistics,
and administration. They are supported by a
modern infrastructure and a lovely view of
the countryside surrounding Balzers. The
building in a way represents the goals and the
vision of Umicore Thin Film Products: commitment to sustainable growth and leadership, to the future, to our customers, our
employees, and to the community.
Picture left: Cutting the
ribbon together (from left to
right): Anton Eberle, Mayor
of Balzers, Hansjörg Frick,
Liechtenstein Minister for
Trade and Industry, Thomas
Leysen, CEO Umicore S.A.,
and Ignace de Ruijter, Vice
President Umicore TFP.
Even the children had
some fun on our open day.
Umicore TFP employees
explain technologies and
products to our visitors.
An evening buffet was
served in the atrium and
there was time for a
drink and a chat – not only
about business.
14 | December 2004
Deposition Technologies, Starting
Materials, and Film Properties
There is a close interrelation between obtained film properties, used starting materials and applied
coating technology including all its parameters. A large number of papers has been published on this
topic in various journals. This contribution gives a condensed overview of metal oxide films.
By Dr. Hans Pulker
University of Innsbruck
Austria
«Classical» evaporation: CRE
(conventional reactive evaporation)
Thin films in general, and particularly when
produced with conventional evaporation
techniques, have a large surface to volume
ratio. The extended surface, and consequently
low density, has a large influence on film properties. It is also responsible for their environmental instability. These undesirable aspects
of film properties, like low refractive index,
residual optical absorption, or inhomogeneity,
initiated the effort for improving reactive
evaporation by ion and plasma assistance.
Ion and plasma assistance
Various researchers have found that better
Ophthalmic plastic lenses during ion assisted process
stoichiometric oxide films and therefore
lower residual optical absorption can be
achieved with mainly activated and partially
ionized oxygen gas in the reactive evaporation process.
In order to generate activated oxygen, a
hollow cathode glow discharge device inside a
quartz tube with an aperture in the direction
of the substrate was used. The technique is
called activated reactive evaporation (ARE).
It drastically reduced residual optical absorption. Controlled bombardment of a growing
film with oxygen and/or argon ions of energies
up to several tenths of electron volt have been
shown to improve density, adherence, and stoichiometry. The effects are produced by momentum transfer and forced oxidation. Ion
beam techniques can also be applied before
(cleaning, surface modification) and after
(post deposition treatments) the deposition of
the films.This technique is called ion beam-as-
Ion plating (RLVIP) plant BAP 800
sisted deposition (IBAD). It is difficult, however, to uniformly bombard larger surface areas simultaneously.
This difficulty could be overcome by reactive
ion plating technologies. In these techniques,
the gaseous components as well as the coating
material vapours are ionized and activated to
high degrees. All the ionized components are
accelerated by special means to the rotating
substrates, where dense, well adherent, abrasion-resistant, and environmentally stable
films are formed uniformly over the whole
substrate holder area.
Gas discharge sputtering
Reactive magnetron sputtering with all its
modern variants may also result in dense, well
adherent, and stoichiometric compound films
of excellent optical data. Film properties can
be modified by electrical energy, gas pressure,
and target to substrate distance. Magnetron
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com | 15
sputtering is used to produce optical films and
is best suited for coating large flat substrates,
e.g. architectural glass.
Starting materials
In all these cases, the success depends not only
on the coating technology but also on the
quality and purity of the applied starting materials and/or sputter targets. Careful material
treatment and long experience are necessary
to obtain a proper starting material quality.
For the correct choice of material, metal or
chemical compound, advice is available at the
material producer. Further experience-based
information can be found in PVD literature.
Film properties
Our technological capability has improved
significantly over the last two decades, but the
demands on coating performance have risen
as well.A large number of optical interference
Refractive index of TiO2 films
Starting
material
TiO
Ti3O5
TiO
Ti
TiO
Evaporation material and coated substrates
systems have been designed and successfully
produced.And it is known that in all cases it is
easier to design such systems than to produce
them. For both, however, besides low optical
losses, reproducible and environmentally
stable refractive indices are required. In an increasing number of applications optical coatings do not only modify the optical properties
of surfaces, but must also serve as protective
Refractive index of
various CRE oxide films
Substrate
temperature
Refractive
index film
Refractive
index bulk
TS (°C)
30
150
200
250
250
300
300
350
400
450
n550
1.91
2.26
2.32
2.38
2.27
2.43
2.47
2.49
2.56
2.64
n550
mean index of
Anatase n=2.391
at room
temperature
mean index of
Rutile n=2.726 at
room temperature
Refractive index n of TiO2 films prepared by conventional
reactive evaporation from W-boats as function of substrate
temperature TS
Starting Film
material
SiO2
SiO2
Al2O3
Al2O3
ZrO2
ZrO2
Substrate
temperature
Refractive
index
TS (°C)
20
300
20
200
300
20
200
250
n550
1.461
1.473
1.535
1.611
1.623
inhomogeneous strong
1.927
slightly
1.944
Refractive index of various oxide films n550 prepared by
conventional reactive e-Beam evaporation CRE as function of
substrate temperature TS
coatings withstanding moisture and other
adverse chemical and physical environments.
Today, mainly metal oxide coatings, deposited
with reactive ion and plasma technologies, are
used to meet these requirements. Among
them, reactive ion plating processes as reactive low voltage ion plating (RLVIP) and
reactive advanced plasma source ion plating
(RAPSIP) are the most promising technologies.The tables list refractive indices of a number of important metal oxide films, which
were obtained by various coating technologies. As demonstrated, the best results were
achieved with ion and plasma processes.
References:
• H. K. Pulker, Coatings on Glass, 2nd rev. edn, Elsevier,
Amsterdam, NL, 1999
• H. K. Pulker, N. Kaiser, Optical Interference Coatings,
Springer, Berlin, 2003, particularly chapts. 5, 6, 7, and 15
• C. Amra, N. Kaiser, H. A. Macleod, Advances in Optical Thin
Films, Proc. SPIE, St. Etienne, F, vol. 5250, 2003
Characteristics of PVD optical coatings by
sputtering or ion-assisted sequences
n (550 nm)
H DSI [GPa]
i [GPa]
TiO2
2.20 – 2.60
7 – 12
+0.3 to –0.4
Nb2O5
2.30 – 2.40
Ta2O5
2.10 – 2.25
9 – 12
–0.2 to –0.5
ZrO2
1.95 – 2.15
10 – 15
<–1.5
Al2O3
1.65 – 1.75
20 – 22
–0.2 to –0.6
SiO2
1.43 – 1.47
7– 9
Materials
n refractive index 550 nm, H depth sensing indentation (DSI)
hardness, i intrinsic stress
Optical properties of high vacuum evaporated silicon oxide films
Starting
Material
Deposition methoda
evaporation temperature
Film composition
Film structure, packing density (p),
and substrate temperature (TS)
Transmittance range
(m) < 103cm–1
Refractive index (n), wavelength
(m), and substrate temperature (TS)
Mechanical and chemical film properties
SiO2
E (~ 1600°C)
SiO2
Amorphous
0.2 – 9
1.45 – 1.46
(0.55 m)
Hard and resistant by
SiO
SiO
B,R (~ 1300°C)
B (~ 1300°C)
Si2O3
SiO
p=0.9 (TS=30°C)
deposition on heated sub-
p=0.98 (TS=150°C)
strate, compressive stress
Amorphous
Amorphous
0.4 – 9
0.7 – 9
1.55
2.0
(0.55 m)
Hard by deposition
(TS=30°C)
on heated substrate
(0.7 m)
Hard, tensile stress
(TS=30°C)
a
B=Boat E=electron beam R=reactive deposition in O2
16 | December 2004
SEMICON – a Platform for Different Umicore Business Units
Again Umicore demonstrated its power at Semicon West. With a large
booth we presented the
business units ElectroOptic Materials (EOM), Thin Film Products (TFP), and the business
line Electro Packaging Materials (EPM). At Semicon Taiwan, where
limited space was available, two smaller booths were used to present
TFP and EPM products. During booth shows, the brand name Umicore enjoyed exposure to a large audience of technical and commercial people. EOM presented products such as 300 mm Ge, SOI, and
GeOI wafers. TFP showed sputtering targets and evaporation materials for Semiconductor and Microeletronics applications. Solder wire
and solder paste for a variety of applications in the electronics segment
known as «Microbond» was presented by EPM.
By Dr. Dominik Ringer
Product Manager
Semiconductor Materials
dominik.ringer@umicore.com
Replication Expo ‘04
in Guangzhou, China
Busy times at Semicon West on the joint exhibition stand of the Umicore business units
EOM, EPM, and TFP.
Trade shows
January – June 2005
Optics
Photonics West
For the second time
Umicore TFP has exBy Christophe Murez
hibited at Replication
Product Manager Optical Data Storage
Expo in China, the
christophe.murez@umicore.com
largest venue in Asia
Pacific for the optical media and data storage industries. As a materials supplier Umicore TFP was in great demand at the exhibition,
despite the currently challenging market situation for data storage.
Our stand was very busy giving an indication of the dynamic Asian market, which we
are confident will experience
an upturn in the near future.
January
22 – 27 San Jose, USA
OFC
March
SVC
April
23 – 28 Denver, USA
6 – 11 Anaheim, USA
Photonics World
May
4 – 6 Singapore
Mido
May
6 – 9 Milan, Italy
Optical Data Storage
Media-Tech Expo
May
10 – 12 Las Vegas, USA
May
2 – 6 San Diego, USA
Wear and Decorative Coating
ICMCTF
Semiconductors/Electronics
Semicon China
March
15 – 17 Shanghai, China
Semicon Europe
April
12 – 14 Munich, Germany
Semicon Singapore
May
4 – 6 Singapore
SVC
April
23 – 28 Denver, USA
Semi FPD Expo Taiwan
June
Displays & Solar Cells
Our team in Guangzhou: Christophe
Murez, Tom Liu (Shanghai),
Joe Lau (Hong Kong), and
René Bühler (from left to right)
8 – 10 Taipei, Taiwan
www.thinfilmproducts.umicore.com
Umicore Materials AG
Umicore Thin Film Products USA
Umicore Materials Taiwan Co., Ltd.
Umicore Indium Products
Alte Landstrasse 8
Postfach 364
FL-9496 Balzers
Tel +423 388 73 00
Fax +423 388 74 50
sales.materials@umicore.com
Div. of Umicore USA, Inc.
4 Townsend West, Unit 12
Nashua, NH 03063 USA
Tel +1 603 594 1500
Fax +1 603 594 1538
sales.materials.na@umicore.com
No. 32, Fushing Road
Hsinchu Industrial Park, Hukuo Hsiang
Hsinchu Hsien, Taiwan R.O.C.
Tel +886 3597 6699
Fax +886 3597 7070
sales.materials.hc@umicore.com
50 Simms Ave
Providence, RI 02909, USA
Tel +1 401 456 0800
Fax +1 401 421 2419
sales.materials.pr@umicore.com