Line edge roughness (LER) can occur during the exposure step in lithography [1-2]. Similarly, etch and deposition process steps can leave a roughness on semiconductor surfaces. LER is a stochastic […]
At the beginning of my career in semiconductor equipment, the backside of the wafer was a source of anxiety. In one memorable instance in my early career, several wafers flew […]
Introduction The semiconductor industry has been focused on scaling and developing advanced technologies using advanced etch tools and techniques. With decreasing semiconductor device dimensions and increases in process complexity, the […]
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 the […]
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 often encountered in the form […]
One of the fastest ways to predict semiconductor manufacturing final results is by adding together the results of performing individual process steps. Unfortunately, this prediction might ignore critical defects that […]
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 their effect […]