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Introduction The semiconductor industry has been focused on scaling and developing advanced technologies using advanced etch tools and techniques. With decreasing semiconductor device dimensions...

Reducing the parasitic capacitance between the gate metal and the source/drain contact of a transistor can decrease device switching delays. One way to reduce parasitic capacitance is to reduce...

With continuous device scaling, process windows have become narrower and narrower due to smaller feature sizes and greater process step variability [1]. A key task during the R&D stage of...

Introduction BEOL metal line RC delay has become a dominant factor that limits chip performance at advanced nodes [1]. Smaller metal line pitches require a narrower line CD and line-to-line...

Modern semiconductor processes are extremely complicated and involve thousands of interacting individual process steps. During the development of these process steps, roadblocks and barriers are...

Introduction As we approach the 1.5nm node and beyond, new BEOL device integration challenges will be presented. These challenges include the need for smaller metal pitches, along with support for...

Design of Experiments (DOE) is a powerful concept in semiconductor engineering research and development. DOEs are sets of experiments used to explore the sensitivity of experimental variables and...

When I was a small child, I remember watching a 1966 American sci-fi adventure movie called “Fantastic Voyage” (the Korean title was “Micro Squad”) on an old black-and-white TV. The...

SEMICON China will connect technologists to the world’s fastest growing and most dynamic microelectronics market. Held at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC) on March 17-19,...

Semiconductor process development is no easy task, with each generation of devices more difficult and expensive to create. Traditional cycles of build-and-test development are becoming obsolete,...

The SPIE Advanced Lithography symposium brings together leaders across the semiconductor industry to discuss the latest challenges in lithography and patterning. Held at the San Jose Convention...