Apogee 450 Spin Coater
A benchtop spin coater for large substrates, up to 450 mm
The CEE Apogee 450 is a benchtop spin coater for large substrates: wafers up to 450 mm round and photomasks or glass up to 14″ x 14″ square. It spins at up to 6,000 rpm and keeps its acceleration with heavy substrates, and every recipe step is programmed from its touchscreen. Cost Effective Equipment build it in the United States, and SiSTEM supplies it across the UK and Europe.
Where it’s used
Apogee spin coaters are very popular with universities and research institutes across the UK and Europe, and with spin-out companies setting up their first lithography processes.
Acceleration with heavy substrates
Speed repeatability is 0.2 rpm. Acceleration reaches 30,000 rpm/s unloaded and holds up well as the load grows:
- 23,000 rpm/s with a typical 300 mm silicon wafer
- 3,000 rpm/s with a 350 mm x 6 mm round recessed chuck
- 400 rpm/s with a 14″ x 14″ x 0.05″ photomask in a recessed chuck
Programming and process data
Recipes take an unlimited number of steps, timed to 0.1 seconds with up to 9,999.9 seconds a step, and speed and acceleration can change within a run. DataStream logs every run alongside room temperature and humidity, and recipes and logs move over USB or Ethernet or through a web browser.
Bowl and chemistry
The high-density polyethylene spin bowl handles a wide range of chemistries. Its lid design allows process flexibility and repeatability. An optional nitrogen purge gives an inert spin environment, and the drain and exhaust ports are built in.
Built for a long service life
An indirect drive keeps the motor out of the chemical path, and vacuum and lid interlocks stop a run if the substrate isn’t held or the lid is open. The Apogee 450 is CE marked, and ETL listed through Intertek for North America.
Options
The Apogee 450 is available as a benchtop unit or in a flange or deck-mount configuration, and it fits CEE’s X-Pro II workstation, which adds an upper exhaust enclosure for fume control alongside developers and bake plates. Automated dispense options include multiple simultaneous dispense lines and AccuScan.
Specifications
- Substrates: up to 450 mm round; up to 14″ x 14″ square
- Spin speed: up to 6,000 rpm, repeatability and resolution 0.2 rpm
- Acceleration: up to 30,000 rpm/s unloaded
- Step time: 0.1 s resolution, 9,999.9 s maximum
- Dimensions: 27 5/8″ W x 30 3/4″ D x 15 3/4″ H (702 x 781 x 400 mm)
- Weight: 85 lb (38.6 kg) excluding accessories
- Power: 208-230 VAC, 1,440 W (6 A) maximum
- Vacuum: below 33 kPa absolute
- N2 or CDA for automated dispense: 70 psi (482 kPa)
- Drain 3/4″ OD; exhaust 1 1/2″ OD (2″ on X-Pro models)
Buying through SiSTEM
SiSTEM quotes and supplies the Apogee 450 in the UK and Europe and handles the one-year parts-and-labour warranty in territory. CEE’s remote technical support and application process assistance run for the life of the tool. Prices depend on the configuration, mainly mounting, dispense and chucks, so each system is quoted individually. Send us your substrate sizes and the materials you’re coating, and we’ll put together a quote for the right set-up.
