Lam's New Etch and Deposition Products Control Process Variability to Enable Advanced Multiple Patterning

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - July 07, 2014) - Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX), a major global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the global semiconductor industry, today released two new products that deliver the stringent process control and productivity needed for advanced patterning. Multiple patterning strategies rely on etch and deposition to extend the use of optical lithography and involve an increasing number of these enabling process steps. Lam's 2300® Kiyo® F Series conductor etch system uses a breakthrough technology -- the Hydra™ Uniformity System -- to enable cross-wafer process control that corrects for incoming pattern non-uniformities. The VECTOR® ALD Oxide system uses atomic layer deposition (ALD) to create the highly conformal dielectric films that are used to define critical pattern dimensions in a multiple patterning sequence.

Double and quadruple patterning schemes are being used by chipmakers to compensate for limitations in optical lithography. These techniques create smaller features than would be possible from single patterning by printing larger, less dense patterns and then shrinking both the size and the spacing by repeating some combination of lithography/etch/deposition steps to achieve the desired dimensions. With the increased number of process steps, variability challenges are exacerbated since each individual step contributes to overall non-uniformity. Because of this compounding effect, variability tolerances for etch and deposition need to be far more stringent in order for devices to function as intended. Process control is essential since variability can impact device performance, power consumption, and yield, which may lead to costly and time-consuming rework. In addition to variability control, high productivity is required to mitigate the increased manufacturing costs from additional process steps.

The latest generation of Lam's market-leading conductor etch products, the 2300 Kiyo F Series addresses patterning variability by using its Hydra technology to correct for critical dimension (CD) non-uniformities present on the incoming wafer. The system's symmetrical chamber design provides inherently uniform etch process results, while the Hydra technology further improves uniformity through localized corrections. Using proprietary hardware and software, this technology maps incoming CDs and adjusts etch process conditions in "micro" zones across the wafer to reduce variability, thereby compensating for variation from up-stream processes.