Aug 31 2009
SEMATECH, a global consortium of chipmakers, and Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd., one of the world's largest suppliers of semiconductor materials, announced today that Shin-Etsu has joined SEMATECH's Resist Materials and Development Center (RMDC) at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex.
As a Resist member of SEMATECH's lithography program, Shin-Etsu will team with researchers at SEMATECH to develop and demonstrate advanced EUV photoresist for use at the 22 nm node and beyond.
"Partnering with resist suppliers such as Shin-Etsu will accelerate our progress in tackling key challenges - such as resolution, line-width roughness, and pattern collapse - in the critical area of advanced imaging," said Bryan Rice, director of Lithography at SEMATECH. "We are pleased to welcome Shin-Etsu to SEMATECH's RMDC, where it will partner with dozens of researchers representing universities and companies from around the world united in advancing resist process development."
"The cutting-edge research and development that is necessary for the commercialization of EUVL technology will be further enhanced by the addition of Shin-Etsu," said Richard Brilla, CNSE Vice President for Strategy, Alliances and Consortia. "This new partnership will build on the world-class capabilities at the UAlbany NanoCollege in support of the advanced technology needs of our global corporate partners and the nanoelectronics industry."
The collaboration will be based on SEMATECH's extensive network of hardware and research expertise, semiconductor experience, and highly respected market leadership and on Shin-Etsu's proven, industry-leading semiconductor specialty materials. SEMATECH's RMDC will provide access to two micro-exposure tools (METs) located at the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and University of California at Berkeley, as well as several metrology tools.
For several years SEMATECH has maintained a world-class exposure capability for materials development. The RMDC brings together leading resist and materials suppliers and a large portfolio of resist research projects employing academic and industry researchers from around the world. Together, the RMDC provides the hardware and research expertise to develop EUV resist processes meeting the stringent resolution, line-width roughness, and sensitivity specifications needed for continued progress in manufacturing.