News: Suppliers
13 July 2023
Inseto supplies equipment to Cardiff’s Institute for Compound Semiconductors
Inseto (UK) Ltd of Andover, UK (a distributor of equipment and materials to the semiconductor, microelectronic & advanced technology sectors) has supplied Cardiff University’s Institute for Compound Semiconductors with a variety of semiconductor manufacturing equipment for its new 16,150ft2 cleanroom adjacent to its Translational Research Hub (TRH), which opened for business in May.
The TRH is a 129,000ft2 facility with a mix of flexible laboratory and office space where industry and experts can come together to solve complex global challenges. The ICS’s new 200mm fabrication line is being used by researchers in the ICS and commercial partners to trial, develop and scale up new compound semiconductor devices.
The equipment supplied by Inseto includes an MCS8 manual resist coating system, an MA8 Gen4 mask aligner, SD12 and AD12 wet processing systems, and an HMxSquare 9 photomask cleaner (all from SUSS MicroTec), a PlasmaEtch PE-75 plasma treatment system and an ADT 7900 wafer dicing saw. In addition, Inseto’s engineering team managed the equipment installation and operator training.
Picture: SUSS MicroTec MA8 Gen4 mask aligner, supplied to the Institute for Compound Semiconductor by Inseto.
“Inseto was able to offer us a range of state-of-the-art equipment that has enabled us to scale up our fabrication line from 150mm to 200mm – something that was at the heart of our move to the new cleanroom,” notes ICS operations director Dr Angela Sobiesierski. “The post-delivery support from Inseto has also been great, working closely with our team and the OEM engineers involved to ensure that installation and commissioning proceeded smoothly,” she adds.
The ICS was a founding member and key partner in the development of Europe’s first compound semiconductor cluster, CSconnected, in South Wales, UK. The institute provides small- to medium-scale fabrication capacity to complement activity at other cluster partners, with the expertise and capability to translate academic excellence through to practical, manufacturable devices and integrated subsystems.
Cardiff University-based Translational Research Hub opens for business
