At the SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning Conference held recently, Applied Materials introduced a range of products and solutions designed to meet the patterning requirements of the "Angsm" chip. As chipmakers transition to the 2nm and below process nodes, they are increasingly benefiting from new materials engineering and metrology techniques that help overcome EUV and high numerical aperture EUV patterning challenges, including line edge roughness, tip-to-tip spacing limitations, bridging defects, and edge placement errors.
At last year's SPIE lithography conference, Applied introduced the Centura Sculpta patterning system, which allows chipmakers to reduce the EUV double patterning step by elongating patterned features, bringing the feature tip closer to each other than a single EUV or a high numerical aperture EUV**. Applied Materials is currently working with all leading logic chip manufacturers to develop a growing number of Sculpta applications. For example, in addition to reducing tip-to-tip spacing, chipmakers use Sculpta to eliminate bridging defects, resulting in lower patterning costs and higher chip yields.
Dr. Prabu Raja, President of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials, said, "Leading chipmakers have seen excellent results when deploying Sculpta systems in production and exploring applications beyond EUV dual-pattern step reduction. "Sculpta is a brand new tool in the pattern engineer's toolkit that will be used for more applications as engineers use their imagination to solve challenging problems in new ways. ”
"Pattern Shaping is an innovative solution that helps Intel accelerate its process technology roadmap," said Ryan Russell, corporate vice president of logic technology development at Intel. "We are deploying the Sculpta system for our Angstrom process nodes, and initial results show increased throughput, improved wafer yield, reduced process complexity, and reduced costs. Pattern shaping facilitated new strategies for advanced pattern formation and paved the way for pushing the boundaries of lithography. ”
Jong-Chul Park, Head of Wafer Etching Technology Team at Samsung Electronics, said, "Pattern Shaping is a breakthrough technology that solves a key challenge in the EUV era. "Samsung is an early-stage development partner and is evaluating the Sculpta system for our 4nm process. We look forward to positive results, including reduced costs and complexity, as well as improved yields." ”
The EUV system produces fewer photons and can clearly define the lines and spatial patterns in the photoresist. As a result, rough-edged lines are etched into the wafer, potentially creating open and short circuits in the chip. As chipmakers implement Angstrom-era designs with narrower lines and spatial patterns, these yield-impacting defects are becoming more common.
Applied Materials introduces the Sym3 Y Magnum etching system, which combines deposition and etching techniques in the same chamber. The unique system deposits material along rough edges, allowing the EUV line pattern to be smoother before etching onto the wafer, resulting in higher yield and lower line resistance, resulting in improved chip performance and power consumption. In foundry logic, Sym3 Y Magnum has been used by leading chipmakers for critical etching applications and is currently being deployed for EUV patterning in Angstrom nodes. In memory, Sym3 Y Magnum is the most widely adopted EUV patterned etching technique in DRAM.
Applied Materials has also introduced the Producer XP Pioneer CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) patterned film. Pioneer films are deposited on the wafer prior to photoresist pattern processing, and their unique design transfers the desired pattern to the wafer with superior fidelity. Pioneer is based on a unique high-density carbon formulation that is more resilient to etching chemistries used in state-of-the-art process nodes, allowing for thinner film stacks with superior sidewall characteristic uniformity. Pioneer has been adopted by leading memory manufacturers for DRAM patterning.
Pioneer's co-optimization with Applied's Sculpta pattern forming technology enables pattern engineers to maximize pattern elongation while maintaining tight control over the original EUV pattern. Pioneer has also been co-optimized with the new Sym3 Y Magnum etching system to provide higher selectivity and better control than traditional carbon films for critical etching applications in logic and memory processing.
Applied's industry-leading electron beam metrology systems are used by the world's leading logic and memory companies to develop and control their most critical EUV patterning applications. A major challenge is to tightly define and place billions of functions on each layer so that they are properly aligned with the opposite functions on the next layer of the chip. Small placement errors can reduce chip performance and power consumption, while large errors can cause yield-impacting defects.
Applied Materials acquires ASELTA Nanographics, a technology leader in design-based contour measurement. Contours enable patterning engineers to collect orders of magnitude more data on the shape their formulations create on patterned films and wafers. This data is fed back into lithography and the process flow to create more accurate on-chip features and layouts.
"ASELTA contour technology is now integrated with Applied's VeritySEM CD-SEM system and Provision Ebeam metrology system, providing chipmakers with unique end-to-end capabilities to address the full range of Metrology challenges of the Angswagand," said Keith Wells, Group Vice President. Ph.D. in Imaging and Process Control from Applied Materials.
Since 2012, Applied Materials has made patterning a R&D focus, investing in new products and solutions that help customers overcome their toughest patterning challenges, especially in emerging EUV and high NA EUV applications. The company's current patterning portfolio includes CVD and ALD deposition; four types of material removal (etching, selective material removal, pattern forming, and CMP); Heat treatment; and electron beam metering. The company has increased the available market for its services from approximately $1.5 billion in 2013 to more than $8 billion in 2023 and increased its share of opportunity from approximately 10% to more than 30% over the same time frame.