Behold the final Program for EFDS ALD for Industry, Berlin 19-20 March

Ladies and Gentlemen, behold the final Program for EFDS ALD for Industry, Berlin 19-20 March. 2 intensive days with a great show! 

Program_ALD

The 4th-annual Critical Materials Council (CMC) Conference April 25-26, 2019

The 4th-annual Critical Materials Council (CMC) Conference will be held April 25-26, 2019 at the Saratoga Hotel and Casino in Saratoga Springs, New York. The public conference follows private CMC Fabs face-to-face meetings and Associate Members joint sessions April 23-24, at GlobalFoundries in Malta, New York.

https://cmcfabs.org/agenda/

Ultra-high on-chip optical gain in ALD erbium-based hybrid slot waveguides

Reliable on-chip optical amplifiers and light sources can enable integration of active functionalities on silicon based platforms.

Previously lasers integrated on silicon has been demonstrated with semiconductors by using methods such as wafer bonding or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). These methods are however not that cost-effective in high volume manufacturing.

Now rearchers at Aalto University and Université Paris-Sud has now managed to significantly improve within chip data transmission using ALD Er:Al2O3 - a CMOS-compatible and scalable atomic-layer deposition process.

"The unique layer-by-layer nature of atomic-layer deposition enables atomic scale engineering of the gain layer properties and straightforward integration with silicon integrated waveguides. We demonstrate up to 20.1 ± 7.31 dB/cm and at least 52.4 ± 13.8 dB/cm net modal and material gain per unit length, respectively, the highest performance achieved from erbium-based planar waveguides integrated on silicon. Our results show significant advances towards efficient on-chip amplification, opening a route to large-scale integration of various active functionalities on silicon." [Nature Communications 2019, LINK]

Extended deadline for ASD 2019 Workshop

We are pleased to announce that the deadline for ASD abstract submission has been extended until Sunday 10 February. This means you have an extra ten days to finalize your abstracts and submit them at: abstract@asd2019-workshop.org

 

 

The workshop will feature the following invited speakers:

Rudy J. Wojtecki (IBM, USA), Katie Nardi (LAM Research, USA), Kanda Tapily (TEL, USA), Chi-I Lang (AMAT, USA), John Tolle (ASM, USA), Han-Bo-Ram Lee (Incheon National University), Gregory Parsons (NC State University, USA), Matthias Minjauw (University of Gent, Belgium), Necmi Biyikli (University of Connecticut, USA), Mohamed Saib (IMEC, Belgium), Efrain A. Sanchez (IMEC, Belgium), John G. Ekerdt (University of Texas, USA).

The workshop will cover a wide range of topics, including the following:

Area selective epitaxy and area selective chemical vapor deposition: processes and mechanisms, defects control

Intrinsic selectivity of ALD processes: nucleation and interface studies, chemical selectivity in surface reactions, competitive adsorption, precursors design, modeling of surface reactions

Methods for area selective activation / deactivation: use of inhibitors (self-assembled monolayers, polymers), plasma-/beam-induced activation

Processes and mechanisms for area selective atomic layer deposition: deposition of metals or dielectrics, thermal/plasma enhanced ALD, 3D or patterned substrates, substrates preparation, sequential deposition/etching,

Metrology and defects control: surface characterization techniques, selective etching of defects

Applications of area selective deposition: semiconductor industry (integration needs of device makers, solutions proposed by the equipment makers), catalysis, energy generation and storage, etc.


On behalf of the organizing committee, it will be our pleasure to welcome you in Leuven.

Andrea Illiberi Program Chair of the 4th ASD workshop

Low temperature ALD of Rutheium using H2O as co-reactant

For those of you who were not surprised when Helsinki University published their Ru ALD processing using air as co-reactant please behold - Ruthenium ALD using H2O as co-reactant!

Self-catalyzed, Low-temperature Atomic Layer Deposition of Ruthenium Metal Using Zero-valent, Ru(DMBD)(CO)3 and Water

 
Zhengning Gao, Duy Le, Asim Khaniya, Charles L. Dezelah, Jacob Woodruff, Ravindra K. Kanjolia, William E Kaden, Talat S. Rahman, and Parag Banerjee
Chem. Mater., Just Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b04456

Ruthenium (Ru) films are deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD), promoted by a self-catalytic reaction mechanism. Using zero-valent, η4-2,3-dimethylbutadiene Ruthenium tricarbonyl (Ru(DMBD)(CO)3) and H2O, Ru films are deposited at the rate of 0.1 nm/cycle. The temperature for steady deposition lies between 160 ○C and 210 ○C. Film structure and composition is confirmed via x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The room temperature electrical resistivity of 10 nm Ru films is found to be 39 µΩ.cm. In situ quadrupole mass spectrometry and ab initio density functional theory are used to understand ALD surface reactions. The ligand, dimethylbutadiene dissociatively desorbs on the surface. On the other hand, the carbonyl ligand is catalyzed by the Ru center. This leads to the water gas shift reaction, forming CO2 and H2. Modulating deposition temperature affects these two ligand dissociation reactions. This in turn affects nucleation, growth and hence, Ru film properties. Self-catalyzed reactions provide a pathway for low temperature ALD with milder co-reactants.

 

 

An up-to-date and colorful ALD periodic table (to download)

Atomic Limits just published an overview of all materials prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) – An up-to-date and colorful periodic table (to download, LINK)

 

"As you might have noticed, we have just started a year in which we celebrate the discovery of the Periodic System by Dmitri Mendeleev: 2019 is the 150^th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has therefore been proclaimed the “International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)” by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO."

 

The Importance of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) in Batteries

Here is a nice article on the importance of ALD in batteries by Dr. Arrelaine Dameron, Director of research and development at Forge Nano : "The Importance of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) in Batteries" [AZ Materials, LINK]

Forge Nano just recently recieved a USD 10 million invetsment by Volkswagen for new deveopment of ALD ofr lithium batteries [LINK]. 

Forge Nano ALD plant for coating tons of battery material required by the automobile industry (Picture: ForgeNano/AZ Materials)

Entegris and Versum Materials to Combine in $9 Billion Merger of Equals to Create A Premier Specialty Materials Company

BILLERICA, Mass. & TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Entegris, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTG), a leader in specialty chemicals and advanced materials solutions for the microelectronics industry, and Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE:VSM), a leading specialty materials supplier to the semiconductor industry, today announced that they have agreed to combine in a merger of equals. The combined company will be a premier specialty materials company for the semiconductor and other high-tech industries.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, Versum Materials stockholders will receive 1.120 shares of Entegris for each existing Versum Materials share. Upon completion of the merger, Entegris stockholders will own 52.5 percent and Versum Materials stockholders will own 47.5 percent of the combined company1. The combined company will have a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $9 billion, based on the closing prices of Entegris and Versum Materials on January 25, 2019, and approximately $3 billion in revenue and approximately $1 billion in Adjusted EBITDA on a pro forma basis for calendar year 20182.

The combined company will retain the Entegris name and will be headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, and will maintain a strong operational presence in Tempe, Arizona.

Upon closing of the transaction, Entegris CEO Bertrand Loy will serve as Chief Executive Officer, Entegris CFO Greg Graves will serve as Chief Financial Officer, and Versum Materials General Counsel Michael Valente will serve as General Counsel of the combined company, supported by a highly experienced and proven leadership team that reflects the strengths and capabilities of both companies.

The combined company’s Board of Directors will have nine members, consisting of four directors from the existing Versum Materials board, including Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman of the Versum Materials Board, who will serve as Chairman of the Board of the combined company, and five directors from the existing Entegris Board, including Bertrand Loy.

Entegris President and Chief Executive Officer, Bertrand Loy said, “We are excited to combine with Versum Materials to create a premier specialty materials company for the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. The combined company will be ideally positioned to more effectively help our customers achieve higher yields and new levels of performance and reliability, and together, we will be well positioned to take advantage of long-term secular semiconductor growth, and to tackle new industry process challenges. I have great respect for the Versum Materials team and look forward to joining forces as we embark on this next chapter and create new value for our stockholders, employees and customers.”

Versum Materials President and Chief Executive Officer, Guillermo Novo said, “We could not ask for a better partner in Entegris. This merger will create greater benefits and growth opportunities than either company could have achieved on its own. It dramatically accelerates our goal of portfolio diversification – creating an end-to-end materials solutions provider across the entire semiconductor manufacturing process. With enhanced global scale and world class technical expertise, we’ll be poised to drive further innovation and support investments across our technology, infrastructure, and additional capabilities – enabling us both to better serve our customers and provide expanded opportunities for our employees.”

Compelling Strategic and Financial Benefits of the Merger

Enhanced product breadth and depth: Entegris and Versum Materials have highly complementary portfolios that combined will bring customers enhanced technical capabilities. This merger will create the world’s first comprehensive and effective end-to-end materials solutions provider across the entire semiconductor manufacturing process. The combined company is expected to have a full suite of diversified product offerings including Advanced Materials, Specialty Gases, Microcontamination Control, Advanced Materials Handling, and Delivery Systems and Services. 

World class technology: The combined company’s world class technology and R&D capabilities will better enable it to:

• Address customers’ evolving needs for new materials as device architectures become more complex;
• Capitalize on the increasing demand for purity and help drive improved yield; and
• Accelerate the development and time to market of new technologies that align with the industry technology roadmap.
• Global scale and operational excellence: A much broader, global scale will enable the combined company to reach additional customer touch points, and have increased relevance in key geographies. By combining its extensive global manufacturing network, the company will be able to improve delivery times and drive new levels of operational efficiencies and excellence.
• Increased financial strength and flexibility: The combined company will have approximately $3 billion in revenue and approximately $1 billion in Adjusted EBITDA on a pro forma basis for calendar year 20183. It will be well capitalized with a strong balance sheet and a pro forma net leverage ratio of 1.1x4. In addition, it will have flexibility to invest, make acquisitions, and return capital to stockholders, while enjoying greater earnings stability and margin growth potential.
• Significant stockholder value creation: The combination is expected to generate more than $75 million of annual cost synergies in manufacturing, logistics, procurement and SG&A rationalization within 12 months post close. In addition, the combined company is expected to realize significant revenue growth synergies from cross-selling opportunities, with further potential upside from capex and revenue synergies.

Oxford Instruments Partners ITRI for Micro LED Development with Plasma Etch Solutions

[LED Inside, LINK] Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology (OIPT) announced that it has worked with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) by providing multiple PlasmaPro 100 systems including both etch and deposition for ITRI’s Micro LED R&D program.

 

The PlasmaPro 100 ICP process solutions are designed to support leading edge device applications such as Lasers, RF, Power and advanced LEDs.

Volkswagen invests USD 10 M in US ALD start-up Forge Nano for battery material research

The Volkswagen Group is investing US$10 million in the start-up Forge Nano Inc with a view to reinforcing its specialist knowledge in the field of battery research. Forge Nano is investigating a material coating technology that could further improve the performance of battery materials. As a partner, Volkswagen will provide support for industrial trials of this technology. The transaction is still subject to approval by the authorities. 

(forgenano.com)

Volkswagen has been collaborating with Forge Nano on advanced battery material research since 2014. The startup with headquarters in Louisville, Colorado, is investigating processes for scaling atomic layer deposition (ALD) to create new core-shell materials, especially for battery applications. ALD is a chemical process for applying atomic scale coatings one atom at a time. With its specific ALD technology, Forge Nano aims to boost energy density of vehicle battery cells.

For example, a higher energy density would have positive effects on the range of electric vehicles. Volkswagen has been lending their automotive and battery expertise towards Forge Nano’s applied research efforts.

The Volkswagen Group is consistently forging ahead with its electric offensive and intends to offer more than 50 battery-electric models by 2025, accounting for about a fifth of its entire model portfolio. To safeguard this approach, Volkswagen is cooperating with strategic battery cell suppliers and developing its own specialist know-how in battery research. This also includes targeted venture investments. Volkswagen is increasingly investing in international start-ups to bring innovative technologies forward to production maturity together.

Dr. Axel Heinrich, Head of Volkswagen Group Research, said: “At Volkswagen, we want to be the world’s leading provider of e-mobility. We are continually expanding the battery technology know-how required for this purpose. We need to safeguard our technological competence for the future. Cooperation with start-ups is a key element in these efforts. We are acting as a partner to Forge Nano and intend to provide the team with opportunities to carry out industrial trials with its innovative technology.”

Dr. Paul Lichty, Founder and CEO of Forge Nano, said: “Our atomically precise surface engineering technology is ushering in a new era of high performance materials. We are excited to partner with a company that has such a strong commitment to commercializing innovation.”