ASM International N.V. introduced its Intrepid® ESA™ epitaxy tool for 300mm applications for power and analog devices, and for epitaxial silicon wafers. Based on the proven, high-volume-manufacturing Intrepid platform, the new ESA tool expands ASM’s atmospheric epi offerings with ASM’s first 300mm atmospheric cluster tool. The Intrepid ESA offers best-in-class on-wafer performance. An expanding range of semiconductors are needed for 5G smartphones, internet of things (IoT), edge computing, automotive, sensors, renewable energy, and much more. ASM’s epitaxy tools are critical for depositing silicon-based films in diverse, fast growing applications for analog and power devices, as well as for silicon wafer manufacturing. For chipmakers, the metrics that drive product yield and fab operational cost will be of utmost importance: the ability to manufacture a wide range of different products; on-wafer performance metrics, such as within-wafer and wafer-to-wafer uniformity; and productivity and foot print efficiency. ASM has responded to this critical customer need with the introduction of the Intrepid ESA. The Intrepid ESA has innovative technologies and features that provide unmatched in-film performance and reactor availability. These include a hot quartz isothermal reactor for superior temperature uniformity, allowing for the deposition of films as thick as 85µm without interruption and reactor clean, a significant throughput and device performance benefit. Furthermore, ASM has introduced the first 10-port MFC-based advanced gas injection system, called AEGIS™, providing flexibility for film thickness profile control. To further enhance device performance and die yield, ASM has pioneered real-time closed-loop wafer temperature control during epi processing allowing for the in-situ measurement and control of wafer temperature simultaneously in different areas of the wafer during processing. This first-of-its-kind feature enables the elimination of thermal gradient induced wafer slip in high temperature processing, resulting in improved die yield. In addition, Intrepid ESA can hold up to four reactors on its XP platform. It is compact in size, has dual gate valves for isolating each chamber with the XP platform, and has independent gas delivery systems. These features enable considerably higher throughput and thus improved platform efficiency (wafer output per square meter) which view as unique strengths of the Intrepid ESA. More than 30 Intrepid ESA reactors, with repeat orders, are in production at different sites in Asia and the Unites States.