SAL installs first Euro­pean ULVAC NLD-5700 TFLN Etching System

Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) has expanded its capa­bil­i­ties with the instal­la­tion of the ULVAC NLD-5700 Reac­tive Ion Etching System at its Villach clean­room facility. The system marks a signif­i­cant mile­stone, using propri­etary plasma tech­nology, further strength­ening its posi­tion as a Euro­pean re­search partner for industry-driven R&D.

The NLD-5700 intro­duces ULVAC’s Neutral Loop Discharge plasma tech­nology, enabling highly stable and precise dry etching processes tailored for advanced photonics appli­ca­tions.

The system offers several distinct tech­no­log­ical advan­tages:

• High-density, low-elec­tron-temper­a­ture plasma for stable and controlled fine-feature process­ing
• Excel­lent within-wafer unifor­mity on 8-inch wafers, adjustable via Neutral Loop radius
• High etch rates, partic­u­larly at low pres­sures (0.1–1 Pa)
• High-aspect-ratio etching capa­bility, enabling vertical struc­tures with near-vertical side­walls

Expanding Process Capa­bil­i­ties for Industry

With the instal­la­tion of the NLD-5700, SAL signif­i­cantly strengthens its plasma etching port­folio of TFLN and offers indus­trial part­ners access to a tech­nology plat­form not yet avail­able else­where in Europe.

The system is attrac­tive for compa­nies devel­oping next-gener­a­tion inte­grated photonic compo­nents, RF struc­tures, and advanced sensor tech­nolo­gies where preci­sion, repeata­bility, and vertical profile control are crit­ical. Indus­trial part­ners can perform feasi­bility studies, opti­mize processes, and vali­date complex device archi­tec­tures within SAL’s state-of-the-art clean­room envi­ron­ment.

“With the first NLD-5700 system in Europe, we are signif­i­cantly expanding our plasma etching capa­bil­i­ties for next gener­a­tion of photonics and quantum appli­ca­tions,” says Mohssen Moridi, Senior Director at SAL. “The system provides our indus­trial part­ners with a powerful plat­form for next-gener­a­tion device devel­op­ment.”

“The successful start of full oper­a­tion of the NLD-5700 in Europe is a mile­stone we are truly proud of,” said Harunori Iwai, Exec­u­tive Officer, Special Assign­ment, Semi­con­ductor & Elec­tronics Domain at ULVAC. “ULVAC will continue to deepen its part­ner­ship with SAL and work together to drive the growth of photonics and MEMS tech­nolo­gies across the Euro­pean market. Through ongoing inno­va­tion, we aim to contribute to the sustain­able devel­op­ment of Europe’s high-tech indus­tries.”

With the NLD-5700 now fully oper­a­tional, SAL further strengthens its role as a Euro­pean compe­tence hub for advanced MEMS and optical process­ing — bridging cutting-edge plasma tech­nology with real indus­trial appli­ca­tion need.

Contact

Lisa Kainz, MA
Busi­ness Deve­lop­ment Micro­sys­tems