7 minute read
MKS Instruments - pushing the boundaries of possibilities
by Dorothy Johnson, MKS Instruments
MKS Instruments, Inc (NYSE: MKSI) has been pushing the boundaries of possibilities for over 60 years. Cutting edge science and engineering are starting points for us. Equally important is how we win as a team. We listen, collaborate, and solve our customer’s hardest technological challenges together. We solve together and succeed together.
MKS products improve process performance and productivity for customers in exciting fields like 5G, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Autonomous Vehicles, and Big Data. Our products measure, control, power, monitor, and analyze critical parameters of high tech electronic manufacturing. MKS Products include RF (radio frequency) power generators, vacuum products, gas delivery, plasma generation, ozone solutions, lasers, photonics, precision optics, motion, and PCB (Printed Circuit Board) laser processing systems. We primarily serve the semiconductor, advanced electronics and specialty industrial markets.
A Market Leader
MKS Power Solutions in Henrietta, NY (part of the Vacuum Solutions Division) holds the #1 position for RF Power in our markets. We started in the 1980’s as Electronic Navigation Industries. Today our team of 180+ people produces advanced RF power delivery systems, RF matching networks, and metrology products used in laboratory, semiconductor, deposition, and flat panel industries. These products provide energy to various thin film etching, stripping, and deposition processes for the latest generation of integrated circuits.
Fabricating semiconductor devices involves four broad processes: deposition, removal, patterning, and modification of electrical properties. MKS Power Solutions’ equipment is key to enabling all of these processes. By company estimate, MKS equipment has touched every semiconductor chip produced today.
According to Aaron Radomski, MKS Fellow, “Virtually every smart phone, laptop, tablet pc, and server computer uses 3D NAND Flash memory to store enormous amounts of images, video, music, and other critical information. These devices could only store a fraction of the information without MKS Power Solutions’ advanced RF power technology. Our generators provide the energy that creates the plasma for etching products such as 3D NAND flash memory.”
How 3D NAND Flash Memory is created
A high energy plasma is used to “drill” very high aspect ratio holes in the semiconductor device to create the dense vertical array of storage cells in a 3D NAND memory. The plasma drilling operation is powered by MKS RF generators capable of precisely pulsing the power from a few Watts to nearly a hundred thousand Watts in a few millionths of a second – with accuracy of better than 1%. This is an incredible engineering challenge, requiring expertise in power conversion, digital signal processing, advanced control systems, and mechanical/thermal/ materials engineering. Many of our engineers are multi-disciplined, enabling them to solve multi-physics problems.
The RF delivery system used for plasma processing is analogous to an automobile drivetrain: the “engine” is the RF generator. The RF generator creates the energy, the matching network transforms the chamber impedance to the generator impedance and the plasma absorbs the energy to modify thin films (ex. etch or deposition).
RF energy in the semiconductor process:
• Breaks apart process gases to create a mix of ions, neutrons, and electrons (plasma)
• Accelerates ions to a substrate to drill (or etch) deep channels or holes
• Creates special chemistries for deposition of thin films
Unlocking the Future of Electronics
The semiconductor industry continually faces new challenges as products become smaller, more powerful, and highly mobile. Ultra-thin layers, smaller critical dimensions, new materials, 3D structures, and the ongoing need for higher yield and productivity drive the need for tighter process measurement and control.
As semiconductor devices continue to get smaller and faster, Power Solutions needs to stay ahead of the needs of next generation manufacturing techniques.
Industry Challenges bring Engineering Opportunities
• Plasma properties must be controlled more precisely (software, hardware innovation required)
• Peak RF power must increase (new power conversion and device technologies)
• RF generator power density must increase to limit factory footprint (new transistor technologies, new materials for thermal management)
• Reliability/Availability must be excellent (Machine Learning algorithms for health monitoring, Advanced reliability testing/modeling to ensure low downtime)
Why MKS Power Solutions is in the #1 market position for RF Power
MKS customers bring us their technological challenges and we solve them together. Per Carl Ioriatti, Director of Engineering, “Customers bring us their bleeding edge technological challenges. Through the tenacity, passion, and expertise of our Engineers, MKS Power Solutions solves our customers’ toughest problems. This ability has built strong customer trust and enables both Power Solutions and our customers to succeed. This has driven us to the number one position in our market space.”
Our Engineers work in:
Electronics
• Power conversion (RF power amplifiers,switchmode power supplies)
• Digital design (Microprocessors, Field Programmable Gate Arrays, System-on-chip)
• Analog design (filters, amplifiers, sensors)
Software
• Control algorithms (feedback/feedforward control to obtain precise control of plasma properties)
• High speed communication protocols (etherCAT, ethernet, DeviceNet, etc.)
• Digital Signal Processing (Filters, Detectors)
• Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence techniques (Anomaly Detection, Pattern Recognition, Reinforcement Learning)
Mechanical Design/Analysis
• Multi-physics FEA (Finite Element Analysis) for thermal, mechanical, electromagnetic effects
• Advanced thermal management (heat exchanger design, Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling)
• Design for high reliability in high volume manufacturing (solder fatigue modeling, vibration modeling)
Physics
• Plasma physics: How to measure and control the plasma properties (e.g., ion energy, density)
• Reliability physics: How to increase the power density/reliability under plasma conditions and stay competitive
• Semiconductor device physics: How advanced electronic devices work and how they are fabricated
MKS Engineers have the ability to grow at every point in their career. According to Gabrielle Gosset, Software Engineer, “As someone hired more recently, it’s been inspiring to become part of such a knowledgeable team that encourages asking questions and staying curious.” Matt Harrington, Engineering Manager, has grown in his 10+ years here: “The ability to grow my career and skills by focusing on the projects that interest me has kept me engaged. The complexity of the technology enables me to keep learning and growing. I like being a part of solving the customers’ most challenging problems.”
Company Culture
Power Solutions has the feel of a small company with the benefits of being part of a larger company. Our projects and technology keep our employees interested and engaged. We foster an environment of collaboration, cooperation, empowerment, and ownership. We work hard together, and we want to have fun doing it. Our employees run (or walk) the Corporate Challenge, volunteer to rehab houses that MKS sponsors, play volleyball, and celebrate, together.
From food, clothing, and toy drives to donations of school supplies, MKS and our employees continually contribute to our community. From the Small Business Council’s Thanksgiving appeal, the Flower City Youth Camp, donations to Intervol for Ukrainian Relief, and donations to United Way with corporate matching, we believe in giving back.
Our goal at MKS is to Grow, Win (as a team), Innovate, Own and Celebrate our Results. We are actively growing and seeking talent in every business function and engineering discipline. We’d like to invite you to join our team. www.mksinst.com/careers q
By Dorothy Johnson, Senior Acquisition Specialist, MKS Instruments Contact: Dorothy.johnson@mksinst.com MKS Power Solutions is located at 100 Highpower Rd, Rochester, NY 14623 (585) 427-8300
Dorothy Johnson, Senior Acquisition Specialist, MKS Instruments
