Expanded Material Metrology For Refined Etch Selectivities


Trends in advanced device fabrication require combined lithography-etching multi-patterning sequences and self-aligned multi-patterning to form devices’ finest features at subwavelength dimensions. As EUV lithography (13.5 nm) progresses to larger numerical apertures and new thin resists, new multipatterning sequences must be developed with mutually compatible resists and proximal layers t... » read more

What’s Next In Fab Tool Technologies?


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

Recalculating The Cost Of Test


The cost of test is rising. For decades, test was limited to a flat 2% of the cost of designing and manufacturing a chip. Today, no one is quite sure what that cost really is, and there doesn't seem to be any single formula for determining it. In some cases, there isn't even a sense of urgency to finding out. Several significant changes are occurring that make any formula difficult to cal... » read more

Acoustic Metrology for Fine Pitch Microbumps in 3D IC


The continuing shift to 3D integration requires formation of electrical interconnects between multiple vertically stacked Si devices to enable high speed, high bandwidth connections. Microbumps and through silicon vias (TSVs) enable the high-density interconnects for die-to-die and die-to-wafer stacking for different applications. In this paper, we present acoustic metrology techniques for the ... » read more

Advantages Of Picosecond Ultrasonic Technology For Advanced RF Metrology


This paper is from China Semiconductor Technology International Conference (CSTIC). Picosecond Ultrasonics (PULSE Technology) has been widely adopted as the tool-of-record for metal film thickness metrology in semiconductor fabs around the world. It provides unique advantages, such as being a rapid, non-contact, non-destructive technology, and has capabilities for simultaneous multiple layer... » read more

The Future Of Transistors And IC Architectures


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. What follows are excerpt... » read more

Hunting For Open Defects In Advanced Packages


Catching all defects in chip packaging is becoming more difficult, requiring a mix of electrical tests, metrology screening, and various types of inspection. And the more critical the application for these chips, the greater the effort and the cost. Latent open defects continue to be the bane of test, quality, and reliability engineering. Open defects in packages occur at the chip-to-substra... » read more

Part Average Tests For Auto ICs Not Good Enough


Part Average Testing (PAT) has long been used in automotive. For some semiconductor technologies it remains viable, while for others it is no longer good enough. Automakers are bracing for chips developed at advanced process nodes with much trepidation. Tight control of their supply chains and a reliance upon mature electronic processes so far have enabled them to increase electronic compone... » read more

Metrology at Automated Test Equipment Manufacturers


New technologies require an efficient qualification infrastructure to determine and qualify technical specifications. Metrology is the science which determines the acknowledged specification setting process based on proven international standards. This paper describes metrology and its role and benefits in automated test equipment business. By Piotr Skwierawski and Ralf Haefner. Click her... » read more

Monitoring Critical Process Steps In 3D NAND Using Picosecond Ultrasonic Metrology With Both Thickness And Sound Velocity Capabilities


Amorphous carbon (a-C) based hard masks provide superior etch selectivity, chemical inertness, are mechanically strong, and have been used for etching deep, high aspect ratio features that conventional photoresists cannot withstand. Picosecond Ultrasonic Technology (PULSE Technology) has been widely used in thin metal film metrology because of its unique advantages, such as being a rapid, non-... » read more

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