Development Of Planarizing Spin-On Carbon Materials For High-Temperature Processes


Multilayer lithography is used for advanced semiconductor processes to pattern complex structures. As more and more procedures incorporate a high-temperature process, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the need for thermally stable materials increases. For certain applications, a spin-on carbon (SOC) layer under the CVD layer is required to survive through a high-temperature process. ... » read more

Finding Defects With E-Beam Inspection


Several companies are developing or shipping next-generation e-beam inspection systems in an effort to reduce defects in advanced logic and memory chips. Vendors are taking two approaches with these new e-beam inspection systems. One is a more traditional approach, which uses a single-beam e-beam system. Others, meanwhile, are developing newer multi-beam technology. Both approaches have thei... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 18


Quantum Internet The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently unveiled a strategy to develop a quantum Internet in the United States. DOE’s 17 National Laboratories will serve as the backbone of the quantum Internet, which will rely on the laws of quantum mechanics to control and transmit information over a network. Currently in its initial stages of development, the quantum Internet coul... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers At its Architecture Day this week, Intel disclosed its roadmap for the company’s next-generation microprocessors, graphics chips, FPGAs and other products. As part of the event, Intel announced some new enhancements for its existing 10nm finFET technology. Basically, it’s a mid-life kicker for the technology. Intel calls it the 10nm SuperFin technology, which is a redefinitio... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 10


EUV mask cleaning process TSMC has developed a new dry-clean technology for photomasks used in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a move that appears to solve some major problems in the fab. TSMC and Samsung are in production with EUV lithography at advanced nodes, but there are still several challenges with the photomasks and other parts of the technology. Using 13.5nm wavelengths, EUV... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers Nvidia is in advanced talks to acquire Arm from Softbank, according to numerous reports. In addition, TSMC and Foxconn are looking at possible investments or stakes in Arm, according to a report from Nikkei Asia Review. Infineon posted mixed results for the third quarter of the 2020 fiscal year. "Infineon has so far coped well with the challenging situation caused by the coronavi... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Aug. 4


Advancing rheometry The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a new technology that could advance the field of rheometry. More specifically, NIST has developed a new and advanced capillary rheometer. Rheometry is the study of the flow of liquids, gases or matter in systems. A capillary rheometer is an instrument, which measures the flow properties and shear vis... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers and OEMs As reported, Intel this week reorganized its operations following delays with its 7nm technology. Intel is behind TSMC and Samsung in technology. As a result, TSMC’s foundry customers, such as AMD, Nvidia and others, are also pulling ahead of Intel. In addition, reports have surfaced that Intel will outsource some of its leading-edge chip production to TSMC. To solve t... » read more

Next Challenge: Parts Per Quadrillion


Requirements for purity of the materials used in semiconductor manufacturing are being pushed to unprecedented — and increasingly unprovable — levels as demand for reliability in chips over increasingly longer lifetimes continues to rise. And while this may seem like a remote problem for many parts of the supply chain, it can affect everything from availability of materials needed to make t... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 28


Nanoscale IR imaging The Nanooptics Group at CIC nanoGUNE has made some major advances in the emerging field of nanoscale infrared microscopy. The group’s technology, called nano-FTIR spectroscopy, is an infrared characterization technique. Infrared (IR) isn’t new. Invisible to the human eye, infrared wavelengths range between 760nm to 1,000nm. For years, infrared inspection/metrology h... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →