More Pumping Speed, Same Footprint: Edwards Previews Its Next-Gen Turbopumps

As device architectures grow more three-dimensional, the turbomolecular pumps that clear etch byproducts from process chambers have to move faster. Dawn Stephenson, business development manager, chamber solutions, at Edwards Vacuum, said her team has pushed turbopump speeds past 5,000 liters per second, with 7,000 next, without growing the pump’s footprint. “Anyone can increase pumping speed by making the blades bigger. The challenge now is getting more speed in the same footprint,” she said.

Edwards’ 5K turbopump, officially launching at SEMICON West, came out of an AI- and machine-learning-assisted modeling tool that searches across competing design parameters and converges on an optimized blade-path and drag-stage geometry. “It’s a case of AI paying it back,” Stephenson said. Edwards calls the approach “Rocket Technology” for how much it borrows from aerospace turbine engineering.

Faster pumping shortens residence time, improving uniformity, yield and throughput for FinFETs, gate-all-around transistors and deep memory structures. A 7K pump is in development, and Edwards is investigating aerospace-derived alloys as the next lever for higher rotor speeds.

Click here to read the full article in the SEMICON West Show Daily.

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