X-Pro II Workstation

A cleanroom workstation for lithography

The CEE X-Pro II is a cleanroom workstation that holds Apogee spin coater, spin developer and bake plate modules for wafer processing in a single cabinet, with fume control and chemical storage built in. It replaces a conventional wet bench for lithography in research and development labs and low-volume production. CEE fits and configures the process modules at the factory, so the workstation arrives ready to connect to your site utilities. Cost Effective Equipment have served the semiconductor industry since 1987 and build the X-Pro II in the United States. SiSTEM supplies it across the UK and Europe.

Where it’s used

The X-Pro II is very popular with universities and research institutes across the UK and Europe, and with spin-out companies setting up their first lithography line.

Sizes and module layouts

The X-Pro II comes in two sizes. The full-size cabinet has four bays and takes four 200 mm modules, two 300 mm modules, or two 200 mm modules with one 300 mm module. The half-size cabinet has two bays and takes two 200 mm modules or one 300 mm module. Where one cabinet isn’t enough, workstations can be combined side by side.

Each 200 mm module fills one bay: the Apogee spin coater, Apogee spin developer, Apogee bake plate and a DI sink. The larger 300 mm modules take two bays each: the Apogee 450 spin coater and spin developer, plus the Apogee 300 bake plate. A bay can also be left as open workspace, ready for a module added later. You specify the order of the tools from left to right.

Exhaust and airflow

There are three tops to choose from. The ducted exhaust enclosure connects to your building exhaust and draws 540 cfm through the hood. A fan filter unit on the roof gives laminar downflow through a HEPA/ULPA filter instead. For sites without a hood duct, the ductless recirculation top filters the air and returns it to the room. With any top, the cabinet exhaust and each module’s own exhaust and drain connections are still needed.

Storage, waste and safety

The lower cabinet has an exhausted drawer for chemical supply vessels such as pressure cans, and waste bottles sit in containment, with drain bottles as an option. A sash closes the front of the work area during processing. An emergency off button stops every module at once, and accessory outlets on the side of the cabinet give mains power and USB charging. The X-Pro II is CE marked, and CEE’s declarations cover both the workstation and the process modules fitted to it.

Optional safety package

When a sensor detects a fault, the safety package shuts down the workstation and its modules and sounds an alarm, with an LED showing which sensor tripped. You can fit up to four sensors, including containment leak, chemical drawer leak, exhaust leak, over-temperature, nitrogen or CDA flow, and an external 24 VDC contact. A dry contact output links the package to a building management system. The workstation won’t restart until every alarm has cleared.

Side pods, drain bottles, vacuum pumps and the other options are set out on our X-Pro II options page.

Specifications

• Sizes: full size (four bays) or half size (two bays)
• Modules, full size: four 200 mm, two 300 mm, or two 200 mm plus one 300 mm
• Modules, half size: two 200 mm or one 300 mm
• Tops: ducted exhaust, fan filter unit (laminar downflow) or ductless recirculation
• Dimensions, full size: 70.5″ W x 45″ D x 80″ H (1800 x 1143 x 2032 mm), doors and sash closed
• Dimensions, half size: 39.5″ W x 45″ D x 80″ H (1003 x 1143 x 2032 mm), doors and sash closed
• With the sash fully open: 77.6″ (1970 mm) wide on the full size and 44.4″ (1130 mm) on the half size, and 83″ (2108 mm) high on the full size
• Weight, full size: 1,000 to 1,400 lb (454 to 635 kg), depending on modules
• Weight, half size: 600 to 800 lb (272 to 363 kg), depending on modules
• Power: 208-230 VAC, 50/60 Hz, single phase, 26.2 A maximum, 30 A breaker
• Nitrogen or CDA: 70 psi (482 kPa), 1/4″ push-to-connect
• Vacuum: below 20 inHg (33 kPa absolute), 1/4″ push-to-connect, not needed if bought with vacuum pumps
• Hood exhaust (ducted top only): 540 cfm at 0.4″ H2O, 8″ OD on the full size and 6″ OD on the half size
• Cabinet and drawer exhaust: 4″ OD on both sizes
• Accessory outlets: 220 VAC, 10 A maximum, plus 5 VDC USB
• Certification: CE marked

Planning the room

Our X-Pro II facility and utility requirements document (PDF) sets out the utilities, connections, clearances and crated sizes for both cabinets, with CEE’s installation drawings. It’s also in the Utilities downloads below. Final connection positions always come from the drawing CEE issue with your order.

Buying through SiSTEM

SiSTEM quotes and supplies the X-Pro II in the UK and Europe and handles the one-year parts-and-labour warranty in territory. Installation and training can be arranged and quoted, and are delivered by our UK and European after-sales team. CEE’s remote technical support and application process assistance run for the life of the tool.

The price depends mainly on the cabinet size and the modules fitted, so each workstation is quoted individually. Get a quote for the configuration you have in mind, or contact us with your substrate sizes and process steps and we’ll help you work out a layout.