Tegal 701D Plasma Inline Wafer RF Etcher Semiconductor Etch System Parts

Tegal 701D Plasma Inline Wafer RF Etcher Semiconductor Etch System Parts

The Tegal 701D is a plasma inline RF etcher designed for dry plasma etching of semiconductor wafers in a production fab environment. Built by Tegal Corporation of Novato, California, the 701 series uses RF-excited plasma to etch silicon wafers in a cassette-to-cassette inline configuration, with separate load and unload stations feeding wafers through the plasma reactor chamber. This unit (model 701D, internal designation T701D) is being sold as-is for parts or repair and is not in working condition.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Tegal Corporation, Novato, California
• Model: 701 / 701D (T701D)
• Serial Number: 7010338 (per label)
• Type: Plasma Inline Wafer RF Etcher (Dry Etch System)
• RF Channels: 2 (Chan I and Chan II)
• Service Power: 115V AC, 1A
• RF Power Fuse: 7A SB
• Logic Power Fuse: 6A
• Chart Recorder Outlet: 115V AC (rear panel)
• Gas System: Multi-channel solenoid valve manifold; N2 at 80 PSI and 37 PSI; 500 PSI max rated flow manifold
• Mass Flow Controller: Unit Instruments UFC-1000, 0–5VDC set point, Fullerton CA (visible internally)
• DC Bias: DC Bias control circuit with front-panel display
• Vacuum: Rear vacuum pump port connection
• Coolant: Liquid coolant IN and OUT connections on rear panel
• Leak Test / Normal selector switch on side panel
• Top cover interlock (per panel notice)
• Front Panel Displays: Pressure / DC Bias (digital), Flow (digital), Temperature (digital)
• Front Panel Meters: Chamber Pressure analog meter (x1 / x10 range)
• Front Panel Controls: Receive / Load / Unload indicators; REF PWR and FWD PWR knobs; Process Temp and Temp Set; Busy/Halt; Flow Adjust; Gas 1–4 and Press Adj selectors for Chan 1 and Chan 2; Prog Abort / Fault indicator
• Load Station: Cassette-based wafer load arm and transport mechanism (intact)
• Unload Station: Cassette-based wafer unload arm and transport mechanism (intact)
• Internal PCBs: Main control PCB (green board with ICs and relay banks), process control subpanel PCB, and additional boards visible
• Internal drive: Motor/actuator assembly for wafer transport
• Internal: Large electrolytic capacitor, transformer, and wiring harness visible
• Power Cable: Standard 115V AC 3-prong cord included
• Form Factor: Freestanding console on casters (mobile)
• Country of Manufacture: United States

Applications

The Tegal 701 series was a widely used plasma dry etch platform in semiconductor wafer fabrication from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Tegal Corporation was an early pioneer in commercial plasma etch systems, and the 701 inline design was adopted by fabs processing silicon wafers for integrated circuits, MEMS precursors, and other microelectronic devices. In a plasma etch system like this one, RF energy (typically in the MHz range) excites a low-pressure process gas — such as CF4, O2, or SF6 — into a plasma state within a reaction chamber, and the resulting reactive species selectively remove material from the wafer surface. The inline cassette-to-cassette configuration of the 701 series allowed higher throughput than batch systems by moving wafers continuously from a load cassette through the reactor to an unload cassette. This class of equipment was foundational to the transition from wet chemical etching to dry plasma etching in production semiconductor manufacturing. Today, Tegal 701 systems and their component parts are sought by vintage fab collectors, university research labs, museums of semiconductor history, and small-volume fab operations or restoration projects that still use legacy process tools. Individual subsystems — including the mass flow controller, RF power components, gas manifold valves, wafer transport mechanisms, and control PCBs — retain value as spare parts for other Tegal 701 installations.