tag: etch

Semiconductor Device Manufacturing Process Challenges And Opportunities
By Andreas Bier - 07 Dec, 2023 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor device manufacturing involves a complex series of processes that transform raw materials into finished devices. The process typically involves four major stages: wafer fabrication, wafer testing, assembly or packaging, and final testing. Each stage has its own unique set of challenges and opportunities. The semiconductor device manufacturing process faces several challenges, inclu... » read more

When And Where To Implement AI/ML In Fabs
By Anne Meixner - 21 Sep, 2023 - Comments: 0

Deciphering complex interactions between variables is where machine learning and deep learning shine, but figuring out exactly how ML-based systems will be most useful is the job of engineers. The challenge is in pairing their domain expertise with available ML tools to maximize the value of both. This depends on sufficient quantities of good data, highly optimized algorithms, and proper tra... » read more

Improving Gate All Around Transistor Performance Using Virtual Process Window Exploration
By Sumant Sarkar - 25 Jul, 2023 - Comments: 0

As transistor sizes shrink, short channel effects make it more difficult for transistor gates to turn a transistor ON and OFF [1]. One method to overcome this problem is to move away from planar transistor architectures toward 3D devices. Gate-all-around (GAA) architectures are an example of this type of 3D device [2]. In a GAA transistor, the gate oxide surrounds the channel in all directions.... » read more

Etch Processes Push Toward Higher Selectivity, Cost Control
By Laura Peters - 18 May, 2023 - Comments: 0

Plasma etching is perhaps the most essential process in semiconductor manufacturing, and possibly the most complex of all fab operations next to photolithography. Nearly half of all fab steps rely on a plasma, an energetic ionized gas, to do their work. Despite ever-shrinking transistor and memory cells, engineers continue to deliver reliable etch processes. “To sustainably create chips... » read more

How Metrology Tools Stack Up In 3D NAND Devices
By Laura Peters - 15 May, 2023 - Comments: 0

Multiple innovations in semiconductor processing are needed to enable 3D NAND bit density increases of about 30% per year at ever-decreasing cost per bit, all of which will be required to meet the nonvolatile storage needs of the big data era. 3D NAND is the first truly three-dimensional device in production. It is both a technology driver for new metrology methods and a significant part of ... » read more

A Deposition And Etch Technique To Lower Resistance Of Semiconductor Metal Lines
By Timothy Yang - 20 Apr, 2023 - Comments: 0

Copper's resistivity depends on its crystal structure, void volume, grain boundaries and material interface mismatch, which becomes more significant at smaller scales. The formation of copper (Cu) wires is traditionally done by etching a trench pattern in low-k silicon dioxide using a trench etch process, and subsequently filling the trench with Cu via a damascene flow. Unfortunately, this meth... » read more

Research Bits: April 4
By Jesse Allen - 04 Apr, 2023 - Comments: 0

Wet-like plasma etching Researchers from Nagoya University and Hitachi developed a new etch method called wet-like plasma etching that combines the selectivity of wet etching with the controllability of dry etching. The researchers say the technique will make it possible to etch complex structures such as metal carbides consisting of titanium (Ti) and aluminum (Al), such as TiC or TiAlC, wh... » read more

Process Innovations Enabling Next-Gen SoCs and Memories
By Laura Peters - 20 Feb, 2023 - Comments: 0

Achieving improvements in performance in advanced SoCs and packages — those used in mobile applications, data centers, and AI — will require complex and potentially costly changes in architectures, materials, and core manufacturing processes. Among the options under consideration are new compute architectures, different materials, including thinner barrier layers and those with higher th... » read more

Making Chips Yield Faster At Leading-Edge Nodes
By Ed Sperling - 30 Nov, 2022 - Comments: 0

Simulation for semiconductor manufacturing is heating up, particularly at the most advanced nodes where data needs to be analyzed in the context of factors such as variation and defectivity rates. Semiconductor Engineering sat down with David Fried, corporate vice president of computational products at Lam Research, to talk about what's behind Lam's recent acquisition of Esgee Technologies, ... » read more

What’s Different About Next-Gen Transistors
By Katherine Derbyshire - 20 Oct, 2022 - Comments: 0

After nearly a decade and five major nodes, along with a slew of half-nodes, the semiconductor manufacturing industry will begin transitioning from finFETs to gate-all-around stacked nanosheet transistor architectures at the 3nm technology node. Relative to finFETs, nanosheet transistors deliver more drive current by increasing channel widths in the same circuit footprint. The gate-all-aroun... » read more

← Older posts

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy