Chip Industry’s Technical Paper Roundup: June 5


New technical papers recently added to Semiconductor Engineering’s library: [table id=105 /] More Reading Technical Paper Library home » read more

3D Memory Structures: Common Hole And Tilt Metrology Techniques and Capabilities


A technical paper titled "Inline metrology of high aspect ratio hole tilt and center line shift using small-angle x-ray scattering" was published by researchers at Bruker Nano and Lam Research. Abstract: "High aspect ratio (HAR) structures found in three-dimensional nand memory structures have unique process control challenges. The etch used to fabricate channel holes several microns deep... » read more

Etch Processes Push Toward Higher Selectivity, Cost Control


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

The Impact Of Metal Gate Recess Profile On Transistor Resistance And Capacitance


In logic devices such as finFETs (field-effect transistors), metal gate parasitic capacitance can negatively impact electrical performance. One way to reduce this parasitic capacitance is to optimize the metal gate recess dimensions. However, there are limits to reducing this capacitance if you simply remove more of the metal material, since this can modify capacitance unexpectedly through chan... » read more

Impacts Of Process Flow, Scaling, And Variability On Interconnect Performance


Virtual fabrication is used to evaluate the performance of interconnects (line and via resistance, capacitance, etc.) across pitches compatible with either EUV single exposure or SADP for three different process flows: single damascene, dual damascene, and semi-damascene (subtractive metal etch). The effects of process variation for the three flows are also investigated to determine the relativ... » read more

A Deposition And Etch Technique To Lower Resistance Of Semiconductor Metal Lines


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

Blog Review: April 19


Synopsys' Soren Smidstrup and Kerim Genc explore how materials modeling helps battery designers explore the wide playing field for new battery materials and optimize performance by co-designing the structure and chemistry of new batteries, ultimately shortening development time and cost. Siemens' Stephen Chavez finds that enabling multiple engineers to work simultaneously within the same PCB... » read more

Power Semiconductors: A Deep Dive Into Materials, Manufacturing & Business


Whether you’re the owner of the average smartphone, commuting on trains, or driving around in a Tesla, you use power semiconductor devices every day. In a technology-dependent world, these devices are everywhere, and demand for more types of chips using different materials is growing. In the past, most engineers paid little attention to power semiconductors. They were deemed commodity, off... » read more

Blog Review: March 29


Siemens' Heather George suggests adopting a shift-left strategy for complex designs that integrate multiple dies into a package and examines the challenges and opportunities for performing comprehensive tests on 2.5D and 3D IC designs. Synopsys' Shekhar Kapoor notes that when considering whether a system will perform as intended, techniques that work well for monolithic SoCs may not be as we... » read more

Tech Forecast: Fab Processes To Watch Through 2040


The massive proliferation of semiconductors in more markets, and more applications within those markets, is expected to propel the industry to more than $1 trillion by 2030. But over the next 17 years, semiconductors will reach well beyond the numbers, changing the way people work, how they communicate, and how they measure and monitor their health and well-being. Chips will be the enabling ... » read more

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