POL.L Regulatory News (POL)

23 Jun 2005 07:01

Polaron PLC23 June 2005 23 June 2005 Polaron plc Launch of Laser Atom Probe Semiconductor materials market opened up Polaron plc, the broad-based technology company, announces today the launch of alaser version of its 3 Dimensional Atom Probe (3DAP) that can now be used tovisualise the atomic structure of silicon devices, and is specifically targetedat the semiconductor manufacturing market. Using the 3DAP, semiconductor device manufacturers will be able to determineboth the elemental identity and position of individual atoms in their products.This will enable them to improve their understanding of how manufacturingprocesses affect device structure on the atomic scale and how these changesinfluence device yields, performance and reliability. With decreasing devicedimensions, the unique capabilities of this technique will also be critical fordevice design. The 3DAP works by evaporating individual atoms from a semiconductor sample,measuring their atomic mass and then calculating their position in the sample's3 dimensional structure. A detailed three dimensional atomic model of thesample can then be visualised using software reconstruction. Polaron is nowusing a laser excitation mechanism to open up the technique to semiconductorsamples. Outstanding results have been produced on silicon samples of differentconductivities and a variety of metal multilayer structures, including metaloxide layers, grown on a silicon substrate. In addition to providing visualisation of atomic structure in a way notpreviously attainable, the laser 3DAP enables results to be obtained withsignificantly enhanced mass resolution and a much faster data acquisition rate.Sample analyses of millions of atoms can be run in 10 minutes and the industryleading mass resolution means that very small quantities of atoms with similaratomic mass can be separated out by the instrument, which is crucial whenlooking at small dopant concentrations. Joe Stelzer, Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is one of the most significant developments to date for the company's 3DAPtechnology. The semiconductor industry has been aware for many years of thecapabilities of 3DAP for metals and alloys. We now have the technology to allowthe evaporation, counting, identification and spatial location of individualatoms in a semiconductor sample to produce a 3-dimensional visualisation of theatomic arrangement within that sample. Not only have we opened up a greatlyextended range of materials that can be analysed by our instrument, but thereare also a number of other major benefits in terms of speed of analysis, massresolution and stability of the samples. This addition to the nanotechnologydivision strengthens our position and broadens our target market." The laser 3DAP will be introduced to the semiconductor market at the SEMICONWest 2005 show in San Francisco on 12 July 2005. -ends- For further information, please contact: Polaron plc Tel: 01923 495513Joe Stelzer Financial Dynamics Tel: 0207 831 3113Juliet Clarke This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange