Front-end patterning and epitaxy approach on Si photonics 220nm SOI substrates


A new technical paper titled "Lateral Tunnel Epitaxy of GaAs in Lithographically Defined Cavities on 220 nm Silicon-on-Insulator" was published by researchers at Cardiff University and University of Southampton. Abstract "Current heterogeneous Si photonics usually bond III–V wafers/dies on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate in a back-end process, whereas monolithic integration by di... » read more

Navigating the Metrology Maze For GAA FETs


The chip industry is pushing the boundaries of innovation with the evolution of finFETs to gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet transistors at the 3nm node and beyond, but it also is adding significant new metrology challenges. GAA represents a significant advancement in transistor architecture, where the gate material fully encompasses the nanosheet channel. This approach allows for the vertical... » read more

Equipment Suppliers Brace For GaN Market Explosion


A huge GaN market is opening up, driven by consumer devices and the need for greater energy efficiency across many applications. Suppliers are ready, but to fully compete with SiC in high-voltage automotive applications will require further technological developments in power GaN (gallium nitride). Still, the 2020s mark a very high-growth phase for GaN markets. Revenues in the power GaN mark... » read more

How Quickly Can SiC Ramp?


Device makers across the globe are ramping silicon carbide (SiC) manufacturing, with growth set to really take off starting in 2024. It’s been almost five years since Tesla and STMicroelectronics threw down the gauntlet with SiC in the Model 3. Now, no one doubts the market pull for electric vehicles, but consumers are still clamoring for better range and faster charging. SiC devices are a... » read more

What’s Next For Transistors And Chiplets


Sri Samavedam, senior vice president of CMOS Technologies at Imec, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about finFET scaling, gate-all-around transistors, interconnects, packaging, chiplets and 3D SoCs. What follows are excerpts of that discussion. SE: The semiconductor technology roadmap is moving in several different directions. We have traditional logic scaling, but packaging i... » read more

The Effects Of Poly Corner Etch Residue On Advanced FinFET Device Performance


In this paper, we study the effect of poly corner residue during a 5nm FinFET poly etch process using virtual fabrication. A systemic investigation was performed to understand the impact of poly corner residue on hard failure modes and device performance. Our results indicate that larger width and height residues can lead to a hard failure by creating a short between the source/drain epitaxy an... » read more

200mm Demand Surges


A surge in demand for various chips is causing shortages for select 200mm foundry capacity as well as 200mm fab equipment, and it shows no signs of abating in 2021. Foundry customers will face a shortfall of 200mm capacity at select foundries at least in the first half of 2021, and perhaps beyond. Those customers will need to plan ahead to ensure they obtain enough 200mm capacity in 2021. Ot... » read more

Improvement Of Dopant Concentration Control With Acoustic Control System For B-SiGe Epitaxy Deposition


Currently, SiGe-B epitaxy is a leading technology to induce strain in PMOS channel and improve the hole mobility to achieve better device performance. In practice, we observe that the device performance strongly depends on the dopant concentration, especially boron concentration. It is shown that the Acoustic Control System [ACS] is able to actively respond to instantaneous variations of incomi... » read more

Inspection, Metrology Challenges Grow For SiC


Inspection and metrology are becoming more critical in the silicon carbide (SiC) industry amid a pressing need to find problematic defects in current and future SiC devices. Finding defects always has been a challenging task for SiC devices. But it’s becoming more imperative to find killer defects and reduce them as SiC device vendors begin to expand their production for the next wave of a... » read more

MicroLEDs: The Next Revolution In Displays?


Flat-panel display technology is exploding on several fronts as more screens are required for more devices. But one type of display is generating an enormous amount of buzz in the market—microLEDs. Dozens of companies are working on micro-light emitting diodes (microLEDs), a technology that promises to provide better and brighter displays than current solutions in the market. Apple, Facebo... » read more

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