EV Group is a company that provides innovative processes and expertise for cutting-edge semiconductor design and chip integration solutions. Recently, they introduced a new generation of GEMINI automated production wafer bonding system for 300mm wafers. The system is based on the global industry standard for mass production (HVM) wafer bonding, with the newly designed high-pressure bonding cavity being noteworthy for ensuring excellent bond quality and yield for MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) devices fabricated on large wafers. EV Group has already delivered several GEMINI systems based on the new equipment platform to a number of leading MEMS manufacturers.
According to Yole Group's analysis, the MEMS market is growing strongly and is expected to grow from $14.6 billion in 2023 to $20 billion in 2029. This growth is driven by inertial sensors, microphones, and a new generation of MEMS products such as micro speakers. These products are increasingly used in consumer wearable devices such as smart watches and true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones. Many MEMS devices need to be isolated from the outside environment, and some can only operate in a specific gas environment or vacuum. Metal-based wafer bonding technologies, such as eutectic bonding, transient liquid-phase bonding, and hot-pressed bonding, play a key role in the fabrication of these MEMS devices, enabling hermetically sealed, pressure, or vacuum encapsulation.
Figure: EV Group launched the next-generation GEMINI 300mm wafer automatic bonding system to help upgrade the MEMS industry
Now, MEMS manufacturers are moving from 200mm to 300mm lines. On the one hand, this is done to achieve economies of scale and meet the growing demand for MEMS devices. On the other hand, it is also to support new device integration schemes such as CMOS-MEMS integration, as well as the fabrication of larger MEMS devices such as ultrasound MEMS and micromirrors. However, to switch from a 200mm wafer to a 300mm wafer, a much larger bonding pressure is required than a 200mm wafer to maintain the same bonding pressure over a larger surface area.
EV Group's next-generation GEMINI system for 300mm wafers exceeds the standard requirements for 300mm MEMS manufacturing and is ready to meet the needs of current and future MEMS device production. The GEMINI platform is an integrated modular HVM alignment wafer bonding system with up to four cavities and adjustable bonding forces up to 350 kN, with high vacuum (down to 5 x 10^{-6} mbar) and overpressure (2000 mbar absolute). At the same time, it retains the industry-leading advantages of the previous generation platform, such as fully automated optical alignment, customizable module configurations, flexibility to adapt to a variety of needs, and support for a wide range of bonding processes.
Dr. Thomas Glinsner, Corporate Technical Director at EV Group, said: "EV Group has more than 30 years of experience in providing production wafer bonding systems to the MEMS industry. Working closely with our customers and partners, we are able to identify key trends and inflection points in this market at an early stage and plan ahead. The new generation of GEMINI wafer bonding systems is a prime example of how we have put our long-term vision and experience into practice. It is the first of its kind in the MEMS industry and enables our customers to keep up with the technology and bring innovative and attractive new MEMS devices and end products to market.”
