Advanced Thin Film Coating for Electroplating Metals
Jet Process Corporation
57B Dodge Avenue
North Haven, CT 06473
Telephone: (203) 985-6000
http://www.jetprocess.com
Environmental Problem
Thin film coatings play a prominent role in the manu-
facture of electric and microelectronic devices, but
some deposition methods have negative environ-
mental effects. Electroplating, for example, uses toxic
chemicals and generates significant process waste
and water pollution. Chemical vapor deposition
(CVD) employs toxic gaseous organic precursors. The
most common coating processes—sputtering, evapo-
ration, CVD, and plating are not always compatible
with heat sensitive substrates and semiconductor
processes, and they provide only moderate output at
a high cost. The trend in microelectronics toward
ever smaller feature sizes requires micron-sized sol-
der bumps at high density for packaging. These
bumps cannot be made with bulk metal foil preforms
but must be vapor deposited or electroplated. This is
difficult to accomplish with conventional techniques.
SBIR Technology Solution
With support from EPA's Small Business Innovation
Research (SBIR) Program, Jet Process Corporation
Get Process) has developed an innovative, carbon-
free process without toxic precursors or effluents to
manufacture high-quality coatings on substrates for
various applications. The Jet Vapor Deposition™
(JVDTM) process vaporizes wire of appropriate com-
position completely into atoms, which are carried
by sonic inert gas carrier jets and deposited on the
substrate. With this pollution-free method, virtually
any solder—elemental or multi-component—can be
deposited at a high rate on photo-resist patterned
substrates such as multi-micron thick films. Subse-
quent resist lift-off yields the solder bumps. When
the bumps must be very small, with pattern window
aspect ratios — 1, it is better to deposit metal nan-
oclusters. Once accelerated by the jet, the relatively
heavy nanoclusters move directly to the substrate,
unaffected by collisions with lighter carrier gas
atoms, and with no shadowing by the walls of the
resist windows. Nanoclusters of any solder can be
nucleated, grown, and deposited by simple alter-
ations in jet operating conditions. In addition, nan-
ocluster generation and deposition in JVDrM can be
performed at high rates, making it more economical
to use this technology to produce the thick films (1
to 10 microns) usually needed for solder bumps.
The company also has deposited test coatings of 20
or more microns on large substrates. The JVD™ ca-
pability for using various material sources, in se-
quence or together, leads to layered structures or
alloys of multiple metal components, including gold
(Au), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc
(Zn), iron (Fe), tin (Sn), and silver (Ag). In a reactive
mode with oxygen or nitrogen, JVD™ can make re-
producible combinations of complex oxide and ni-
tride dielectrics not achievable by other thin film
methods.
Commercialization Information
The versatility of JVD™ has enabled Jet Process to
develop a wide range of systems for low- and high-
volume production. At present, the major focus at
SBIR Success Stories
Jet Process is to provide a coating service for lead-
free solders such as AuSn, indium (In), InSn, SnAg,
SnlnAg, or SnCuAg, along with ancillary adhesion
and diffusion barrier layers such as titanium-plat-
inum-gold (TiPtAu) orTiNiAu.
This coating service is being used by leading manu-
facturers of microelectronics, semiconductor pack-
aging, advanced sensors, solid state lighting,
optoelectronics, telecommunications, and micro-
electro-mechanical systems (MEMs) components
and products for many advanced metallizing re-
quirements. For example, JVD™ eutectic gold-tin
and other solder layers (1 -20 microns) and titanium-
platinum-gold or titanium-tungsten bond/barrier lay-
ers are replacing preforms in laser and
Ł
"'Jw
Mag. 100 kX
SEM image of platinum nanocluster films made using Jet
Vapor Deposition™, an innovative and environmentally
friendly dry process on wafers.

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microelectronics packaging applications, meeting
wafer level processing requirements for smaller di-
mensions, high reliability, longer life, thermal man-
agement solutions, simplified assembly,
semiconductor process compatibility, higher device
yields, low temperature processing, and cost.
Jet Process also uses the nanocluster capability for
applications other than solder deposition, including
deposition of platinum nanocluster films on pho-
toresist patterned wafers as a replacement for "plat-
inum black," which usually is produced via wet
chemical methods, for electrochemical and bio-
medical applications. The high surface area Pt nan-
ocluster film shown in the scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) image had excellent electro-
chemical response for several reactions of biomed-
ical interest.
Jet Process has worked for and/or received devel-
opment support from many advanced technology
leaders, including: IBM, Intel, Motorola, Texas In-
struments, General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, BAE,
Ericsson, Lucent, Raytheon, Agilent, Lockheed Mar-
tin, 3M Company, Pratt & Whitney, and SEMAT-
ECH.
Company History and Awards
Founded in 1991, Jet Process is based in North
Haven, Connecticut, and specializes in rapid turn-
around thin coating services for gold-tin solders, other
lead-free metal solders, and advanced thin film di-
electrics. The company holds more than 30 U.S. and
foreign patents and provides high-quality coatings for
diverse industrial, consumer, and military applications,
including for microelectronics, semiconductor packag-
ing, optoelectronics, solid state lighting, advanced sen-
sors, microelectro-mechanical systems, photonics, and
telecommunications and microwave devices. Jet
Process' global partners include Fortune 500 corpora-
tions, government, and advanced technology leaders
around the world.
SBIR Impact
Conventional electroplating processes used to apply thin film coatings
on electric devices generate significant water pollution, process waste, and
toxic effluent.
Jet Process has developed jet sources for metals done by electroplating,
including chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, iron, tin, and silver, that are equivalent
or superior to conventional coatings, environmentally friendly, and more cost
effective, and they specialize in deposition of AuSn and other lead-free solders.
The Jet Vapor DepositionTM (JVD™) process allows easy sequential or si-
multaneous deposition of multiple metal components, enabling a repro-
ducible combination of complex layers and alloys.
JVD™ coatings are used by leading manufac-
turers of microelectronics, semiconductor
packaging, advanced sensors, solid state light-
ing, optoelectronics, telecommunications, and
MEMs components.
SBIR Success Stories

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