Providing Technology Solutions since 1996
At Intlvac, we specialize in Etch, Evaporation, Sputter, and PECVD process technologies, forming the cornerstone of our expertise.
With decades of expertise in thin film coating and etching tools, Intlvac has perfected systems for advanced processes like E-Beam and Thermal Evaporation, DC Magnetron Sputtering, and Plasma-Assisted Reactive Sputtering. Using these techniques, we deliver high-quality coating services across a wide range of materials and complex geometries.
Find every component for the Mark I and Mark II Ion Sources in our online store. With parts in stock and next-day shipping.
Intlvac is the exclusive Canadian distributor for Leybold vacuum products and certified service.
From hard carbon etch masking to advanced failure analysis, Intlvac’s thin film and ion beam solutions drive progress across every stage of semiconductor development.
In semiconductor manufacturing, performance begins with precision. Ion Beam Etch and Thin Film Deposition technologies give engineers the control to shape materials layer by layer — with nanometer accuracy.
Ion Beam Etching delivers highly directional, physical removal of material using a focused ion beam. It’s ideal for applications that demand exacting detail — from high-aspect-ratio etching and photomask repair to failure analysis and MEMS fabrication. By enabling clean, damage-free pattern transfer across complex materials, IBE supports innovation in quantum devices, photonics, and advanced sensors.
Thin films are the building blocks of every semiconductor device. Through controlled deposition, materials can be engineered for specific electrical, optical, or mechanical properties, supporting next-generation devices such as 3D transistors, compound semiconductors, and integrated photonics. Thin film technology makes it possible to integrate new materials, improve device performance, and shrink architectures — fueling ongoing industry advancement.
Together, our thin film and ion beam technologies provide a complete platform for prototyping, research, and production-scale development. From material engineering to precision etching, Intlvac’s vacuum solutions help drive the breakthroughs that define tomorrow’s semiconductor landscape.
ICs are small chips with areal sizes ranging from 4mm x 4mm to as large as 25mm x 25mm. They use a silicon substrate base on which extremely thin layers of electronic materials are deposited to create components in microelectronic circuits. These layers, which are typically micrometers to nanometers thick, consist of a complex array of conductive metals, insulating dielectrics, and semiconductor materials.
The number of layers in an IC usually ranges from 5 to 12. A simple single passive layer, for example, may contain aluminum or copper lines and posts, surrounded by a thin barrier layer composed of tantalum- or titanium-based materials, all embedded in a silicon-based dielectric compound matrix.
In order to analyze failure modes or reverse engineer these complex IC structures, the ability to precisely and uniformly expose the layers, one by one, is critical. By the necessity of IC construction, the layers typically exposed first are the top BEOL (Back End of Line) and "packaging" layers. Methodically, deeper layers are reached as the process removes one layer at a time, progressing down to the FEOL (Front End of Line) layers. This sequential removal technique is called “delayering.”
Traditional and standard delayering methods are now encountering significant limitations when applied to contemporary IC chip designs. With the Athena Nanoquest I, we overcome these challenges with ease.
BEFORE ETCH
Figure 1. A prepared contemporary integrated circuit (IC) chip before the etching process. Modern chips are densely populated with ultra-thin layers and compact structures. The challenge in delayering lies in the precise removal of material at the micrometer, nanometer, and even atomic scale — a task ideally suited to the Athena Nanoquest I Ion Beam Etch platform.
AFTER ETCH
Figure 2. The same integrated circuit (IC) chip following a single etch process in the Athena Nanoquest I. The ion beam has uniformly delayered the entire surface, delivering a clean, non-contact process that is chemistry-free and preserves delicate device structures.
With the microelectronics market pushing for more powerful and densely packed IC designs, the challenge arises as layer thicknesses shrink and structures within those layers become more compact. Existing methods to delayer such advanced IC chips are increasingly costly, error-prone, and of limited utility.
To successfully conduct failure analysis and reverse engineering on modern IC chips, the delayering process requires innovative material removal techniques capable of precisely removing nanometer-level amounts of material uniformly across the entire chip. The primary goal of delayering is to expose the constituents of an IC chip in a single, uniform plane. A failed step in this process can penetrate adjacent layers, revealing materials and structures not relevant to the target plane. Successful delayering techniques must create smooth and uniform planar surfaces, accomplished on either the micrometer, nanometer, or even atomic scale.
This challenge is amplified by the variety of distinct materials present within an IC layer, each of which behaves differently during material removal due to its unique physical properties. Efficient material removal processes must account for these differences while achieving precise control, consistency, and a high-quality planar surface across the chip. Delayering employs various methods to meet these demands, ensuring removal rates are controlled to produce a common planar surface suitable for failure analysis and measurement.
Universal Material Removal
IBE can physically remove any type of material through a process called sputtering, making it a universal etching method. Metals, alloys, insulators, semiconductors, carbon-based materials, and complex multilayer composites can all be targeted. Additionally, IBE achieves precise control over material removal by adjusting ion beam properties, such as energy levels, ion current density, and incidence angle, which fundamentally impact the sputtering process.
Material Selectivity
By selecting the appropriate feed gases for the ion beam etching process, material removal rates can be optimized, allowing for preferential etching of one material over another. This capability, known as material etch selectivity, enables uniform removal of diverse materials present in an IC layer, leading to the smooth, planar surfaces required for effective analysis.
Nanometer-Scale Precision
While IBE can remove tens of micrometers of thick material, such as upper passivation layers, its ability to remove material at atomic levels is a game-changer for the field of IC delayering. The precision and repeatability of IBE allow it to achieve nanometer-scale resolution, significantly minimizing errors such as undershooting or overshooting the desired layer.
Surface Planarization
Many IC chips have surface layers that are not initially flat but instead contain protruding features. IBE excels in such situations by using controlled ion beam angles to selectively target and remove elevated structures, ultimately achieving a smooth and uniform planar surface. Unlike mechanical polishing methods, which rely on slurries and physical force, IBE removes material at the molecular or atomic scale.
Large Area Uniformity
The broad size of the ion beam is well-suited for processing IC chips, which are typically small (up to 25mm x 25mm). IBE ensures uniform material removal across the entire chip, achieving less than 1% non-uniformity. This capability allows for the consistent propagation of planar layers deeper into the IC structure. Non-Invasive Process Compared to traditional methods, IBE minimizes disruptive side effects that can distort the IC layers or compromise subsequent measurements. For instance:
IBE avoids these challenges by minimizing exposure to bulk plasma, heat, and radiation, thus preserving the integrity of the IC chip's materials.
The Nanoquest II employs a broad-beam ion source combined with fully adjustable substrate motion to achieve precise, purely physical material removal through momentum transfer from inert ions such as argon. This process eliminates the chemical dependencies of plasma etching, providing exceptional control over geometry, uniformity, and surface quality.
With its material-agnostic ion beam etching capability, Nanoquest II can process even the most chemically inert materials, including LiNbO₃, SiO₂, and sapphire. Adjustable beam incidence angles and substrate rotation deliver smooth, vertical sidewalls free from redeposition artifacts, while tunable ion energy and in-situ cooling preserve optical integrity by minimizing damage and contamination.
The system’s collimated beam ensures consistent etch rates across wafers up to 200 mm, and compatibility with a wide range of masking materials—including metals and multilayer dielectrics—extends process flexibility. Optional tilt-etch cycles and beam neutralization maintain optical-grade smoothness, making Nanoquest II the cornerstone of advanced photonic fabrication in lithium niobate and other challenging substrates.
The Nanochrome™ IV utilizes Plasma Assisted Reactive Magnetron Sputtering (PARMS) to deposit highly uniform oxide and nitride thin films essential for every stage of LiNbO₃ device fabrication. These precision coatings provide the structural, optical, and protective layers required for high-performance photonic devices.
Through PARMS, materials such as SiO₂, Si₃N₄, and Al₂O₃ are deposited as dense, conformal films ideal for masking, passivation, and optical layer engineering. During high-aspect-ratio etching in the Nanoquest II, these durable coatings act as robust hard masks that preserve pattern fidelity and protect surfaces under demanding plasma and ion beam conditions. Following nanostructuring, the same dielectric films serve as tuning or passivation layers, enhancing optical confinement and device reliability.
Integrated seamlessly into Intlvac’s cluster environment, the PARMS process maintains a continuous, contamination-free workflow from deposition through etch and lift-off. This closed-system integration ensures reproducibility and pristine interfaces, empowering researchers and manufacturers to advance the limits of quantum photonics, high-speed communications, and integrated optical systems.
The Aegis DLC system provides a critical enabling layer for precision etching in LNOI (Lithium Niobate on Insulator) waveguide fabrication. Using Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD), it deposits a thin, diamond-like carbon (DLC) film from hydrocarbon precursors to form a hardmask with exceptional hardness, adhesion, and etch selectivity.
Once deposited, the DLC layer undergoes oxygen plasma patterning to define intricate features with high resolution. Subsequent argon Ion Beam Etching (IBE) transfers these patterns into the underlying lithium niobate substrate, achieving nanometer-level accuracy and smooth, vertical sidewalls. Post-etch cleaning removes the DLC mask, revealing finely structured LNOI waveguides with exceptional optical performance.
By combining mechanical robustness with precise process control, the Aegis DLC module ensures repeatable, high-fidelity pattern transfer—an indispensable step in producing reliable and scalable photonic devices for advanced communications and quantum technologies.
Accelerate your photonics and quantum device development with a turnkey, fully-equipped ion beam and thin-film fabrication ecosystem. From deposition to etch, the Intlvac Lithium Niobate Foundry delivers the capabilities of a world-class semiconductor lab — in a compact, configurable package ready for on-site research and production.