SEMATECH, Intermolecular Partner to Accelerate EUV Lithography, Advanced Transistor Development

In an effort that will accelerate commercialization of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology and the development of next-generation transistors, SEMATECH announced today that Intermolecular, Inc. IMI has joined SEMATECH's Lithography and Front End Processes (FEP) programs. The companies have agreed to co-develop new methods to reduce overall cost of ownership (CoO) for Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) lithography, and to co-explore new materials, processes, and integration schemes for advanced logic integrated circuit technologies. “There are technology gaps the industry needs to address to enable cost-effective insertion of EUV lithography at the 22 nm half-pitch,” said Stefan Wurm, SEMATECH's director of Lithography. “SEMATECH is pleased to welcome Intermolecular as a partner. We will work together to accelerate the investigation and qualification of chemical formulations needed to establish a production-worthy EUV lithography technology.” Intermolecular's High Productivity Combinatorial (HPC™) platform provides disruptive research and development (R&D) capability that allows for prototyping and characterization of atomic-scale devices at rates 10-100 times faster than can be achieved with conventional approaches. Such methodologies and technologies will be used in both of the program collaborations.