Gearing Up For High-NA EUV

By Mark LaPedus - 21 Oct, 2021 - Comments: 2

The semiconductor industry is moving full speed ahead to develop high-NA EUV, but bringing up this next generation lithography system and the associated infrastructure remains a monumental and expensive task. ASML has been developing its high-numerical aperture (high-NA) EUV lithography line for some time. Basically, high-NA EUV scanners are the follow-on to today’s EUV lithography systems... » read more

Stacked Nanosheets And Forksheet FETs

By Katherine Derbyshire - 19 Aug, 2021 - Comments: 0

What comes next after gate-all-around FETs is still being worked out, but it likely will involve some version of stacked nanosheets. The design of advanced transistors is a tradeoff. On one hand, it takes less gate capacitance to control a thin channel. On the other hand, thin channels can’t carry as much drive current. Stacked nanosheet designs seek to reconcile these two objectives by... » read more

Tailoring spatial entropy in EUV focused beams for multispectral ptychography

By Technical Paper Link - 27 Jul, 2021 - Comments: 0

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

Underlayer Optimization Method For EUV Lithography

By Brewer Science - 21 Jul, 2021 - Comments: 0

Photoresist and underlayer combine to serve a central role in EUVL for patterning. Layers will be very thin in future, because high numerical aperture (NA) and tight pitches will require very thin layers in the lithography stack. This thinness will make chemical interactions at the photoresist-underlayer interface more common. Adhesion between these layers will be critical to overcome pattern c... » read more

What’s Next In Fab Tool Technologies?

By Mark LaPedus - 12 May, 2021 - Comments: 0

Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and other next-generation fab technologies with Jerry Chen, head of global business development for manufacturing & industrials at Nvidia; David Fried, vice president of computational products at Lam Research; Mark Shirey, vice president of marketing and applications at KLA; and Aki Fuj... » read more

The Quest For Curvilinear Photomasks

By Mark LaPedus - 15 Apr, 2021 - Comments: 1

The semiconductor industry is making noticeable progress on the development of advanced curvilinear photomasks, a technology that has broad implications for chip designs at the most advanced nodes and the ability to manufacture those chips faster and cheaper. The question now is when will this technology move beyond its niche-oriented status and ramp up into high-volume manufacturing. For ye... » read more

Applications, Challenges For Using AI In Fabs

By Mark LaPedus - 14 Apr, 2021 - Comments: 0

Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss chip scaling, transistors, new architectures, and packaging with Jerry Chen, head of global business development for manufacturing & industrials at Nvidia; David Fried, vice president of computational products at Lam Research; Mark Shirey, vice president of marketing and applications at KLA; and Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S. Wh... » read more

Why New Photoresist Technology Is Critical

By Rich Wise - 18 Mar, 2021 - Comments: 0

As chipmakers move to advanced technology nodes, they are challenged to resolve ever finer features. One of the major roadblocks involves the material used to transfer chip design to the wafer. That material is rapidly reaching its limit to accurately transfer designs. To keep next-generation device scaling on track, a breakthrough technology has been introduced: dry resist. To better understan... » read more

Changing The Rules For Chip Scaling

By Ed Sperling - 10 Mar, 2021 - Comments: 0

Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S, talks with Semiconductor Engineering about the incessant drive for chip density, how to improve that density through other means than just scaling, and why this is so important for the chip industry. » read more

200mm Demand Surges

By Mark LaPedus - 17 Dec, 2020 - Comments: 1

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

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Knowledge Centers
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tag: lithography