Saturday, April 13, 2024
Applied Materials Pioneer® CVD film for EUV Sculpta and DRAM Sym3 Etch applications
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Applied Materials Unveils Cutting-Edge Patterning Technologies for Next-Gen Semiconductor Device Manufacturing
Applied Materials is leading the charge into the angstrom era of chipmaking, unveiling a suite of innovative solutions at the SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning conference. The company's focus is on overcoming the challenges posed by extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and high-NA EUV lithography, crucial for the production of chips at 2nm process nodes and below. Their approach integrates new materials engineering, metrology techniques, and pattern-shaping technology to enhance chip performance and yield.
To help overcome patterning challenges for leading-edge chips, Applied Materials offers a portfolio of technologies designed to complement the latest advances in lithography. The company’s newest innovations include the Producer® XP Pioneer® CVD patterning film, the Sym3® Y Magnum™ etch system, the Centura® Sculpta® pattern-shaping system and Aselta contour technology for design-based metrology.
Central to Applied Materials' advancements is the Sculpta® pattern-shaping technology, first introduced at the previous year's conference. Sculpta has seen growing adoption among top logic chipmakers for its ability to refine EUV patterning, notably reducing double patterning steps and mitigating defects such as bridge defects. This technology not only lowers patterning costs but also improves chip yields, showcasing its increasing importance in the semiconductor manufacturing landscape.
In response to the issue of EUV line edge roughness, Applied Materials has launched the Sym3® Y Magnum™ etch system. This innovative system employs a combination of deposition and etch processes within a single chamber to smooth out rough edges before etching, thereby enhancing yield and chip performance.
Additionally, the company introduced the Producer® XP Pioneer® CVD patterning film, designed for high-fidelity pattern transfer with enhanced resistance to etch chemistries. This film is especially significant for advanced process nodes, offering improved sidewall feature uniformity and co-optimization with both Sculpta and the Sym3 Y Magnum system for superior patterning capabilities.
To address the critical issue of feature alignment across chip layers, Applied Materials has acquired Aselta Nanographics, integrating its design-based metrology with Applied's leading eBeam systems. This integration enables a comprehensive metrology solution that significantly enhances feature placement accuracy, crucial for optimizing chip performance and yield.
Applied Materials' expansion of its patterning solutions portfolio underscores its commitment to advancing semiconductor technology. By addressing key challenges in EUV lithography and introducing groundbreaking technologies, the company is setting new standards for the industry, driving forward the capabilities of angstrom era chipmaking.
Monday, October 16, 2023
Kokusai Electric's Successful IPO Raises $724.4 Million, Japan's Largest in 5 Years
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Aixtron’s G10-SiC CVD System Supports GlobiTech’s SiC Epitaxy Expansion
- GlobiTech Inc produces silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon epitaxial wafers, primarily focusing on serving the power and electric vehicle (EV) market segments.
- GlobiTech Inc's production facilities are located in Sherman, Texas, USA.
Aixtron SE is aiding Texas-based silicon-epitaxy foundry GlobiTech Inc's entry into the silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxy market. The G10-SiC chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system from Aixtron has enabled GlobiTech to rapidly scale SiC epitaxy production in response to growing demand for power epiwafers. Featuring dual wafer sizes (9x150mm and 6x200mm), it offers high throughput per fab space. GlobiTech's expansion confirms the trend of SiC replacing silicon in various applications. Both firms have enjoyed a fruitful partnership, with Aixtron's tools maximizing wafer output. The G10-SiC is projected to be Aixtron's top-selling product in 2023.
Source: AIXTRON Pressemeldungen :: AIXTRON
Recent Blog posts on SiC:
BALD Engineering - Born in Finland, Born to ALD: Samco launches new ICP Tornado Plasma ALD system
Background:
- Silicon carbide: from gold rush to commodity?1, which provides an overview of the global SiC market and its predictions for the future of the technology. It discusses the growth rate, size, and drivers of the SiC device market, as well as the competitive landscape and supply chain of the SiC industry. It also analyzes the challenges and opportunities for SiC technology in different applications, such as automotive, industrial, energy, and telecommunications. It also compares and evaluates SiC with other wide bandgap materials, such as gallium nitride (GaN) and diamond.
- The 2023 global fab landscape: opportunities and obstacles2, which considers the state of the global semiconductor fab market in a post-COVID world. It discusses the emerging business models that could enable the semiconductor industry to migrate to leading-edge and mature technology with optimal manufacturing capacity. It also examines the impact of COVID-19, trade wars, and geopolitical tensions on the semiconductor supply chain and fab investments. It also explores the trends and innovations in semiconductor materials, devices, and modules, such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium nitride (GaN), and quantum computing.
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Call for Papers on ALD & ALE Applications, at ECS Fall Meeting / Gothenburg Oct. 2023 ►►DEADLINE EXPIRES APRIL 21◄◄
The Electrochemical Society (ECS) conference is an international event running every spring and fall, and gathering 2000-4000 participants and 30-40 exhibitors both from academia and industry.
The conference has a strong focus on emerging technology and applications in both electrochemistry and solid-state science & technology.
This fall the event will be held as 244th ECS Meeting on Oct. 8-12, 2023 in Gothenburg (Sweden).
The full program as well as information on travel assistance for students can be found on https://www.electrochem.org/
The organizers of symposium G01 on “Atomic Layer Deposition & Etching Applications, 19” encourage you to submit your abstracts on the following (and closely related) topics:
1. Semiconductor CMOS applications: development and integration of ALD high-k oxides and metal electrodes with conventional and high-mobility channel materials;
2. Volatile and non-volatile memory applications: extendibility, Flash, MIM, MIS, RF capacitors, etc.;
3. Interconnects and contacts: integration of ALD films with Cu and low-k materials;
4. Fundamentals of ALD processing: reaction mechanisms, in-situ measurement, modeling, theory;
5. New precursors and delivery systems;
6. Optical and photonic applications;
7. Coating of nanoporous materials by ALD;
8. MLD and hybrid ALD/MLD;
9. ALD for energy conversion applications such as fuel cells, photovoltaics, etc.;
10. ALD for energy storage applications;
11. Productivity enhancement, scale-up and commercialization of ALD equipment and processes for rigid and flexible substrates, including roll-to-roll deposition;
12. Area-selective ALD;
13. Atomic Layer Etching (‘reverse ALD’) and related topics aiming at self-limited etching, such as atomic layer cleaning, etc.
Abstract submission
Meeting abstracts should be submitted not later than the deadline of April 21, 2023 via the ECS website: Abstract submission instruction
List of invited speakers
· Johan Swerts, (Imec, Belgium) KEYNOTE: ALD challenges and opportunities in the light of future trends in electronics
· Stephan Wege (Plasway Technology, Germany), Reactor design for combined ALD & ALE
· Masanobu Honda (TEL, Japan), Novel surface reactions in low-temperature plasma etching
· Barbara Hughes, (Forge Nano, USA), Dual Coatings, Triple the Benefit; Atomic Armor for Better Battery Performance
· Juhani Taskinen, (Applied Materials-Picosun, Finland), ALD for biomedicine
· Alex Kozen (Univ. of Maryland, USA), ALD for improved Lithium Ion Batteries
· Malachi Noked (Bar-Ilan Univ., Israel), ALD/MLD for batteries
· Yong Qin (Chinese Academy of Sciences), ALD for catalysis
· Jan Macák, (Univ. of Pardubice, Czechia), ALD on nanotubular materials and applications
· Bora Karasulu, Univ. of Warwick, UK), Atomistic Insights into Continuous and Area-Selective ALD Processes: First-principles Simulations of the Underpinning Surface Chemistry
· Ageeth Bol (Univ. Michigan, USA), ALD on 2D materials
· Pieter-Jan Wyndaele (KU Leuven-imec, Belgium), Enabling high-quality dielectric passivation on Monolayer WS2 using a sacrificial Graphene Oxide template
· Elton Graugnard (Boise State Univ., USA), Atomic Layer Processing of MoS2
· Han-Bo-Ram Lee (Incheon National Univ., Korea), Area-Selective Deposition using Homometallic Precursor Inhibitors
· Ralf Tonner (Univ. Leipzig, Germany), Ab initio approaches to area-selective deposition
· Nick Chittock (TU Eindhoven, Netherlands), Utilizing plasmas for isotropic Atomic Layer Etching
· Heeyeop Chae (Sungkyunkwan Univ., Korea), Plasma-enhanced Atomic Layer Etching for Metals and Dielectric Materials
· Charles Winter (Wayne State Univ., USA), New Precursors and Processes for the Thermal ALD of Metal Thin Films
· Anjana Devi, Ruhr Univ. Bochum, Germany), Novel precursors dedicated for Atomic Layer Processing
Visa and travel
For more information, see: www.electrochem.org/244/visa-
In addition, Mrs. Francesca Spagnuolo at the ECS (Francesca.Spagnuolo@
We are looking forward to meeting you in Gothenburg !
Sunday, September 18, 2022
Samsung to focus on treatment of gas used in chip production to achieve net-zero emissions
"Treatment of gas used to manufacture semiconductor chips is our biggest focus in our spending (to achieve net-zero emissions)," Song Doo-guen, executive vice president and head of the Environment & Safety Center at Samsung Electronics, told reporters at a briefing in Seoul.
- Samsung has pledged a 7 trillion won ($5 billion) investment to achieve its climate ambitions, and announced that it had recently joined RE100, a coalition comprising 380 global enterprises committed to becoming 100 percent renewable.
- Alongside the plan to cut direct carbon emissions, Samsung has also laid out a raft of plans to reduce indirect emissions, mainly by pursuing ultralow-power chip products.
- Other eco-conscious plans it has drawn up include capping the maximum use of freshwater to 300,000 tons a day by 2030 and eradicating gaseous and liquid pollutants by 2040 with treatment technology.
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Supply Tightening Expected for Specialty Electronic Gases
Demand to outpace supply for NF3 and WF6 unless alternatives come into play
Thursday, June 16, 2022
Electronic Gases Markets – To Approach a US$9 Billion Market in 2022
Saturday, March 5, 2022
Electronic Gas Markets – Strong Growth, Pressing Supply-Chain Issues
Friday, October 29, 2021
Green CVD: How Sustainable is Thin Film Deposition?
Friday, July 23, 2021
Green CVD—Toward a sustainable philosophy for thin film deposition by chemical vapor deposition
Summary of a suggested Green CVD philosophy
Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A 39, 051001, (2021); https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0001125 Henrik Pedersen, Seán T. Barry, and Jonas Sundqvist
Tuesday, June 1, 2021
South Korean equipment makers recorded mixed results in the first quarter of 2021
- Fab equipment vendors posted high growth, while display equipment firms underperformed.
- Fab equipment makers benefited from aggressive spending by semiconductor companies.
- CVD/ALD equipment companies showed good growth, see below (Jusung, Wonik IPD, Eugene Technologies
Friday, May 7, 2021
Applied Materials Introduces Materials Engineering Solutions for DRAM Scaling
- New Draco™ hard mask material co-optimized with Sym3® Y etcher to accelerate DRAM capacitor scaling
- DRAM makers adopting Black Diamond®, the low-k dielectric material pioneered by Applied Materials to overcome interconnect scaling challenges in logic
- High-k metal gate transistors now being introduced in advanced DRAM designs to boost performance and reduce power while shrinking the periphery logic to improve area and cost
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
EMD Electronics Creates Center of Excellence for Atomic Engineering by Combining Thin Films R&D Lab with Intermolecular
- Unique capabilities with novel organo-metallic precursors and applications will enable customers to explore and test advanced materials for next-generation devices
- Centralized innovation hub to speed up the delivery of material solutions to customers
EMD Electronics "We've established a Center of Excellence for Atomic Engineering! Our Thin Films Applications R&D lab has merged with Intermolecular's advanced electronics capabilities to create a centralized innovation hub for our customers. This will enable seamless integration of testing and deposition of new materials for next-generation semiconductors." (Quote and photo above from EMD Electronics LinkedIn Announcement LINK)