Semiconductor Equipment Industry's First Configurable Technology Development Platform for RF Matches; Will Match ''Personality'' of Each Plasma System and Cut Development Time in Half.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Trazar Corporation is unveiling the industry's first configurable automatic impedance match (CAIM) development platform for RF Matches, called Horizon Match(TM), that is expected to reduce design and development time by more than half. It is intended for 200mm and 300mm, plasma-based semiconductor equipment, medical systems and industrial applications. E[acute accent]Trazar is bringing its long-time experience and industry leading reliability of 44 months MTBF for its current line of RF Matches, to this new endeavor. The company has noted a sea change in the development and design requirements of its customers, who are demanding ever more sophisticated, higher performance and specially fitted Matching Networks for their plasma processes, to accommodate the ever changing demands of the semiconductor industry. E[acute accent]Horizon Match is based on two classes of modules from which to choose. One is a comprehensive set of verified building blocks that are common to most RF Matches. The choice of building blocks is based on the customer's chamber and manufacturing process. E[acute accent]The other category provides the functionality unique to a customer's system and their preferences. Trazar calls this a "personality module" as it can be configured and programmed to accommodate the inherent differences in each system.

E[acute accent]Current environment

E[acute accent]No two plasma processes are the same as each has its own unique needs and requirements. Every RF Match is often a custom endeavor with development time ranging anywhere from three to six months. E[acute accent]By integrating readily available and verified building blocks, Trazar is creating a configurable RF Match development platform based on reusable design modules. This standardized but flexible approach can cut development time by more than half, to as little as three weeks to three months at most. E[acute accent]"Instead of time to market, we call it time-to-process, which can be reduced by half or more in some cases," said Eswar Subramanian, CTO and VP of engineering and product development. E[acute accent]"A configurable approach will enable the addition of new features in a short period of time, without having to swap out and requalify the entire Match," Eswar added. E[acute accent]Of particular interest and uniqueness is the interface between Horizon Match and the system controller that can be programmed to fit the "personality" of any system. E[acute accent]"We call this a 'Personality Module' as it easily manages the interaction between the host system controller and the Match," explained Eswar. E[acute accent]Most RF Matches available today are based on one particular type of variable capacitor -- air, gas, or vacuum. But because of the built-in flexibility, RF Matches developed from Horizon Match will be able to use any variable capacitor. E[acute accent]Variable capacitors are the heart of any RF Match and can range in cost, performance and reliability. The versatility of the configurable match allows customers to meet various performance metrics of their individual systems and processes without having to commit to a specific capacitor technology, or obsolete a current one. Trazar is creating a development system where the type of variable capacitor used is not a mitigating factor and the customer gets a cost-optimized solution. E[acute accent]"We are in essence, variable-capacitor friendly," said Eswar. E[acute accent]Pricing for Horizon Match is dependent on customer needs and requirements, but could be as low as $5,000 depending on application and quantity. E[acute accent]Customer evaluation and initial product development using Horizon Match will be available at the end of Q4 2005. Full productization capabilities of approved and authorized RF Matches will be available in Q1 2006.

E[acute accent]Trazar

E[acute accent]Trazar Corporation is a provider of RF delivery systems for the semiconductor and medical equipment industries. The company's RF Matches boast an industry-leading and proven 44 months MTBF. The company provides repair and maintenance services through its RF Services group. Trazar also offers specialty contract manufacturing for high-quality, moderate volume customers. Trazar was founded in 1987 and is based in Santa Clara, Calif., with repair and sales offices worldwide.