The Research Center Jülich and AIXTRON have already collaborated closely for some time within the framework of a Cooperation Agreement on the development of multicomponent oxide thin films for high-e -dielectric applications. According to Dr. Marc Deschler, AIXTRON´s Director of Sales and Marketing, "this sale further strengthens the collaboration and also highlights AIXTRON´s growing strength in the ferroelectrics and dielectrics market. To our knowledge, this installation will be the largest multiwafer reactor for BST so far, and demonstrates the direction the AIXTRON MOCVD technology is taking". Within the agreement the Research Center Jülich will act as a Demonstration Laboratory for AIXTRON customers for ferroelectrics and dielectrics.

High-e -dielectrics materials are highly promising for the future of the memory chip industry. It is expected that the next generation of D-RAMs, with 1 and 4 Gb and higher capacities, will be produced using BST as high-e -material. Prof. Waser, who is head of the Institute of Electroceramic Materials at the IFF involved in the research project at the Research Centre Jülich, is strongly convinced of the huge potential offered by MOCVD for these materials. "MOCVD offers distinct advantages compared to sputtering with respect to the deposition rate and to chemical solution deposition with respect to the microstructure of the films. For sub-micron technologies and large scale integration, MOCVD provides, in particular, excellent conformal layer deposition with high step coverage, a high level of control of thickness with very good reproducibility and extremely high cost-efficiency and yield", he commented. He is very confident that with the combination of AIXTRON´s AIX 2600G3 and the expertise and know-how within his group, it will be possible to generate processes for industrial use with these advantages.

The AIX 2600G3 system is ideally suited for the growth of high-e -materials. The Planetary Reactor^®, with automatic cassette-to-cassette wafer-handling, is designed for high throughput, low-cost manufacturing. Processes are run on 150 mm (6") wafers and the flexibility of the system allows the process to be upgraded to 250 mm (10") wafers. The unique design of the AIX 2600G3 Planetary Reactor^® ensures homogeneous composition distribution, high step coverage on structured surfaces and selective deposition capabilities. In addition, all steps of the process can be easily monitored and controlled using the latest in-situ monitoring techniques.

The BST AIX 2600G3 reactor is linked to a Liquid Delivery system for growing oxide thin films. Prof. Waser´s group will investigate the parameter space for optimized growth conditions and the electrical properties of the films. Correlations will be made between the processing conditions, the micro and nanostructure of the films and their dielectric performance.

AIXTRON offers a wide range of CVD and epitaxial systems for MOCVD, VPE and LPE from R&D- oriented systems up to large-scale Planetary Reactor^® production systems for up to 20x4" wafers. The company has installed over 240 systems worldwide, provides an extensive service and support network for maintenance and upgrading and is represented in 18 countries. Among AIXTRON's list of industrial clients are names such as Alcatel, AT&T, EPI, ATMI/Epitronics, Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, IBM, ITT, Kopin, Lucent, Motorola, NEC, Philips, Rockwell, Samsung, Siemens, Thomson and numerous Japanese corporations. AIXTRON systems have also been installed in many of the world's most renowned research institutes including NASA-JPL-CALTEC, Sandia Nat. Lab., Fraunhofer Institute, CNET and CNRS. AIXTRON is very active in advancing MOCVD technology through collaborations and joint R&D projects with major partners worldwide.