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Addressing critical needs for next-generation device scaling, Lam today introduced a new dry photoresist technology that offers significant improvement in EUV lithography resolution, productivity and yield. As chipmakers move to advanced technology nodes, they are challenged to resolve ever finer features. With this new technology, Lam expands its patterning solutions portfolio, co-optimizing the patterning process from resist application and stack deposition through final etching and cleaning.

Lam Research Unveils Technology Breakthrough for EUV Lithography
New dry resist technology being developed with ASML and imec will help to extend EUV lithography’s resolution, productivity and yield

FREMONT, Calif., Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lam Research Corp. (Nasdaq: LRCX) today announced a dry resist technology for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) patterning. By combining Lam’s deposition and etch process leadership with strategic partnerships with ASML and imec, Lam is developing a new dry resist technology that will help to extend the resolution, productivity, and yield of EUV lithography. Lam’s dry resist solutions offer significant EUV sensitivity and resolution advantages and thus an improved overall cost for each EUV wafer pass.

As EUV lithography systems are now being used in high volume manufacturing by leading-edge chipmakers, further improvements to productivity and resolution will help extend affordable scaling to future process nodes. Lam’s new dry resist application and development technologies will enable lower dose and increased resolution, thereby increasing productivity and enlarging the exposure process window. Additionally, by utilizing five to ten times less raw materials, Lam’s dry resist approach provides significant running cost savings to customers while also delivering a more sustainable solution for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures.

“After more than twenty years of sustained R&D by ASML and its partners, EUV is now being used in high volume chip manufacturing,” said Peter Wennink, president and CEO of ASML. “We are committed to maturing and extending this technology further through close collaboration with Lam Research and imec. This strategic partnership on dry resist technology supports chipmakers to innovate higher performance chips at lower cost, unlocking the potential of technology for society.”

“This technology breakthrough is a perfect example of innovation through collaboration and how our valued partnerships with ASML and imec continue to bring new benefits to customers and the industry,” said Tim Archer, president and CEO of Lam Research. “Lam continues to lead in deposition and etch, and we are excited by this new opportunity to expand our patterning solutions directly into photosensitive lithographic materials. This new capability demonstrates Lam’s comprehensive patterning strategy, first enabling the industry to scale with multiple patterning solutions and now by enhancing the productivity and performance of EUV.”

Lam is engaged with multiple chipmakers in solving key challenges of EUV lithography using this dry resist technology. The new dry resist technology enables continued scaling for advanced logic and memory devices.

“Optimizing a patterning process requires a lot of diverse skills, and for many years, imec has been pioneering the patterning process development in collaboration with key industry partners,” said Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec. “Dry resist can be a key enabling technology for further adoption of EUV lithography and acceleration of the technology roadmap. Together with Lam and ASML, we aim to optimize the dry resist technology to get the best possible performance.”

Lam will present its new technology development at the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference in San Jose at 9:40 a.m. PST on February 26, 2020.