Multi-Beam Writers Are Driving EUV Mask Development


By Jan Hendrik Peters (bmbg consult) and Ines Stolberg (Vistec Electron Beam) The European Mask and Lithography Conference (EMLC) 2023, held in Dresden this past June, was attended by about 180 people and over 60 talks and posters were presented. With several keynote and invited talks over two and a half days, the conference gave an overview of the semiconductor and technology landscape in E... » read more

193i Lithography Takes Center Stage…Again


Cutting-edge lithography to create smaller features increasingly is being supplemented by improvements in lithography for mature process nodes, both of which are required as SoCs and complex chips are decomposed and integrated into advanced packages. Until the 7nm era, the primary goal of leading-edge chipmakers was to pack everything onto a single system-on-chip (SoC) using the same process... » read more

Reflections On Photomask Japan 2023: Embracing The Era Of Curvilinear Masks


In April, 2023, I had the privilege of participating in Photomask Japan 2023 (PMJ2023), a web conference that brought together experts and enthusiasts in the field. The conference commenced with an enlightening keynote talk by Dr. Kurt Ronse of imec on the status and challenges of the high NA EUV ecosystem, presenting roadmaps for the introduction of high NA EUV. I would like to express my grat... » read more

How Curvilinear Mask Writing Affects Chip Design


As chips become more complex and features continue to shrink, it becomes more difficult to print shapes on photomasks. The ability to print curvilinear masks changes that equation, but not all of the pieces in the flow are automated today. Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S, talks about what has to change, what will the impact be on design rules, and why using curvilinear shapes can shrink the manufactur... » read more

Evolution Of The EUV Ecosystem Reflected At 2023 Advanced Lithography + Patterning


As anticipated, this year’s Advanced Lithography + Patterning Symposium was a very informative event, with many interesting papers being presented across a wide range of subjects. Many papers addressed topics relevant to leading-edge lithography, which these days means EUV lithography. With EUV lithography firmly established in high volume manufacturing (HVM), we could see in the presentation... » read more

Deep Learning (DL) Applications In Photomask To Wafer Semiconductor Manufacturing


Published by the eBeam Initiative Member Companies (February 2023), this list of artificial intelligence (AI) systems used by member companies in their semiconductor manufacturing products shows progress. New examples of systems using AI include: image processing and parameter tuning in lithography tool mask metrology system B-SPline Control Point generation tool sem... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) released an interim roadmap for Microelectronic and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MPAT) that targets 10- to 15-year goals for 3D integration and multi-chiplet packaging. The roadmap is open for comments. Participants in the MPAT include AMD, IBM, Intel, Texas Instruments, Purdue University, SUNY Binghamton and the Georgia Institute of Technology. It i... » read more

Mapping The Future Of Lithography


The SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning (AL+P) Symposium is always an informative event for lithographers, and looking at the Advance Program, it appears that AL+P 2023 will be no exception. The progress being made on key lithographic challenges is consistently of interest to attendees, and there will be many timely presentations that address issues of current significance. For example, r... » read more

Multi-Beam Mask Writers Are A Game Changer


The eBeam Initiative’s 11th annual Luminaries survey in 2022 reported strong purchasing predictions for multi-beam mask writers, enabling both EUV and curvilinear photomask growth. A panel of experts debated remaining barriers to curvilinear photomask adoption during an event co-located with the SPIE Photomask Technology Conference in late September. Industry luminaries representing 44 compan... » read more

Increased Photomask Density And Its Impact On EDA


The ability to print curvilinear shapes on photomasks can have big repercussions on semiconductor design. Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S, explains why mask rule checking has been bound by complex design rules, and why curvilinear shapes are important for reducing margin and simplifying the chip design process. » read more

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