High-NA EUVL: the next major step in lithography


"In the course of 2025, we expect to see the introduction of the first high-NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment in high-volume manufacturing environments. These next-generation lithography systems will be key to advance Moore’s Law towards the logic 2nm technology generation and beyond. In this article, imec scientists and engineers involved in preparing this major engine... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Oct. 5


EUV lithography storage ring At the recent SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Lithography conference, Japan’s High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) presented a paper on its latest efforts to develop a free-electron laser (FEL) storage ring source power unit for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. KEK has demonstrated a proof-of-concept EUV-FEL, which has been in R&D. EUV-FEL... » read more

Inside Intel’s Ambitious Roadmap


Ann Kelleher, senior vice president and general manager of Technology Development at Intel, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about the company’s new logic roadmap, as well as lithography, packaging, and process technology. What follows are excerpts of that discussion. SE: Intel recently disclosed its new logic roadmap. Beyond Intel 3, the company is working on Intel 20A. Wit... » read more

Angstrom-Level Measurements With AFMs


Competition is heating up in the atomic force microscopy (AFM) market, where several vendors are shipping new AFM systems that address various metrology challenges in packaging, semiconductors and other fields. AFM, a small but growing field that has been under the radar, involves a standalone system that provides surface measurements on structures down to the angstrom level. (1 angstrom = 0... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers and OEMs Samsung has announced its latest foldable smartphones--the Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. The systems are based on Samsung’s 5nm application processor. One system is the company’s most affordable foldable phone. The Galaxy Z Fold3 is $1,799.99, while the Galaxy Z Flip3 is $999.99. Samsung also announced two smartwatches—the Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch4... » read more

Tailoring spatial entropy in EUV focused beams for multispectral ptychography


The Advanced Research Center for Nanolithography (ARCNL) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam have developed a new class of diffractive optical elements that paves the way towards more widespread use of EUV microscopy. Abstract "Diffractive optics can be used to accurately control optical wavefronts, even in situations where refractive components such as lenses are not available. For instance, c... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 20


Interference EUV lithography ESOL has developed a standalone interference extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tool for use in R&D applications. The system, called EMiLE (EUV Micro-interference Lithography Equipment), is primary used to speed up the development of EUV photoresists and related wafer processes. The system is different than ASML’s EUV lithography scanners, which are ... » read more

Finding, Predicting EUV Stochastic Defects


Several vendors are rolling out next-generation inspection systems and software that locates problematic defects in chips caused by processes in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Each defect detection technology involves various tradeoffs. But it’s imperative to use one or more of them in the fab. Ultimately, these so-called stochastic-induced defects caused by EUV can impact the perf... » read more

Demand, Lead Times Soar For 300mm Equipment


A surge in demand for various chips is causing select shortages and extended lead times for many types of 300mm semiconductor equipment, photomask tools, wafers, and other products. For the last several years, 200mm equipment has been in short supply in the market, but issues are now cropping up throughout the 300mm supply chain, as well. Traditionally, lead times have been three to six mont... » read more

Improvement Of EUV Si Hardmask Performance Through Wet Chemistry Functionalization


In EUV lithography, spin-on silicon hardmasks have been widely used not only as etch transfer layers, but also as assist layers to enhance the lithographic performance of resist. In this study, we demonstrate a novel approach to functionalize spin-on silicon hardmasks by hybridizing them with functional groups through a sol-gel approach. By varying the concentration and type of the functional g... » read more

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