Semiconductor Fabrication - Science topic

Motivated by the drawbacks of solution phase processing, an all‐dry resist formation process is presented that utilizes amorphous zinc‐imidazolate (aZnMIm) films deposited by atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD), patterned with electron beam lithography (EBL), and developed by novel low temperature (120 °C) gas phase etching using 1,1,1,5,5,...

The micro-hole machining of quartz wafers depends on photolithography techniques akin to those used in semiconductor fabrication. These methods present challenges due to high equipment setup costs, large space requirements, and environmental pollution risks. This research applies ultrasonic vibration assistance in electrochemical discharge machinin...

We demonstrate an artificially-intelligent cornea that can assume the functions of the native human cornea such as protection, tactile perception, and light refraction, and possesses sensory expansion and interactive functions. These functions are realized by an artificial corneal reflex arc that is constructed to implement mechanical and light inf...

Optical imaging and photolithography hold the promise of extensive applications in the branch of nano-electronics, metrology, and the intricate domain of single-molecule biology. Nonetheless, the phenomenon of light diffraction imposes a foundational constraint upon optical resolution, thus presenting a significant barrier to the downscaling aspira...

With the advancement of state-of-the-art technologies, the semiconductor industry plays a key role as an essential component in the manufacture of various electronic products. Since the manufacturing of a semiconductor goes through very sophisticated and complex processes, efficient and accurate work and management are essential in the design, cons...

As the digital age continues to evolve, the environmental footprint of the electronics industry becomes increasingly evident. The traditional production and disposal processes of electronic devices pose significant threats to our environment. Addressing these concerns, the integration of renewable materials offers a promising avenue towards redefin...

The semiconductor industry is experiencing a significant shift from traditional methods of shrinking devices and reducing costs. Chip designers actively seek new technological solutions to enhance cost-effectiveness while incorporating more features into the silicon footprint. One promising approach is Heterogeneous Integration (HI), which involves...

In Part I of a two-part report, we provide a detailed and systematic review of the latest progress in cutting-edge innovations for the silicon carbide (SiC) material system, focusing on chemical vapor deposition (CVD) thin film technologies. To this end, up-to-date results from both incremental developments in traditional SiC applications as well m...

Control over the intensity, shape, direction and phase of coherent light is essential in numerous fields, from gravitational wave astronomy, quantum metrology and ultrafast sciences to semiconductor fabrication. Modern photonics, however, can involve parameter regimes where the wavelength or high optical powers involved restrict control due to abso...

Advancements in semiconductor fabrication over the past decade have catalyzed extensive research into all-optical devices driven by exciton-polariton condensates. Preliminary validations of such devices, including transistors, have shown encouraging results even under ambient conditions. A significant challenge still remains for large scale applica...

We develop a method to estimate the quality of processing routes in a wafer fabrication process. Ranking such routes can be useful for identifying the “best” and “worst” routes when making adjustments to recipes. Route categorization is also useful in developing efficient scheduling algorithms. In particular, we propose a method for ranking routes...

The controllable synthesis of complicated nanostructures in advanced two‐dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as periodic regular hole arrays, is essential and remains immature. Here, we report a green, facile, highly controlled synthetic method to efficiently pattern 2D semiconductors, such as periodic regular hexagonal‐shaped hole arrays (HHA),...

Parallel-connected power device is an extensively applied solution in the industry to increase the current rating of the converter system. However, due to the undesired PCB layout or semiconductor fabrication tolerance, mismatched drain-source current which speeds up the aging process of a certain device can be introduced. The application of silico...

In this paper, we address a two-stage hybrid flowshop scheduling problem with identical parallel machines in each stage. The problem assumes that the queue (Q)-time for each job, which represents the waiting time to be processed in the current stage, must be limited to a predetermined threshold due to quality concerns for the final product. This pr...

The memory-type control charts, such as cumulative sum (CUSUM) and exponentially weighted moving average control chart, are more desirable for detecting a small or moderate shift in the production process of a location parameter. In this article, a novel Bayesian adaptive EWMA (AEWMA) control chat utilizing ranked set sampling (RSS) designs is prop...

Power semiconductor devices are often connected in parallel to increase the current rating of the power conversion systems. However, due to mismatched circuit parameters or semiconductor fabrication discrepancies, the current of paralleled power semiconductor devices can be unbalanced, which potentially leads to accelerated aging and long-term reli...

Graphene-on-silicon photodetectors exhibit broadband detection capabilities with high responsivities, surpassing those of their counterpart semiconductors fabricated purely using graphene or Si. In these studies, graphene channels were considered electrically neutral, and signal amplification was typically attributed to the photogating effect. By c...

Electromechanical resonators operating in the sub-terahertz regime could be of use in the development of future communication systems because they support extremely fast data rates. Such resonators are also of interest in studying quantum phenomena of mechanical entities, as they can maintain the quantum ground state at kelvin temperatures rather t...

One of the bottlenecks to building semiconductor chips is the increasing cost required to develop chemical plasma processes that form the transistors and memory storage cells1,2. These processes are still developed manually using highly trained engineers searching for a combination of tool parameters that produces an acceptable result on the silico...

In this study, the sludge formation in the wastewater drain from the advanced packaging process mechanisms are revealed as well as the key factors, materials, and sludge prevention methods using surfactant. Compared with that of conventional packaging process, advanced packaging process employ similar process to the semiconductor fabrication proces...

The use of plasma in semiconductor fabrication processes has been continuously increasing because of the miniaturization of semiconductor device structure, and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) has become a major process in thin film deposition. As a consequence, plasma diagnosis has become crucial during the deposition process, but...

The integrated structure of graphene single-electron transistor and nanostrip electrometer was prepared using the semiconductor fabrication process. Through the electrical performance test of the large sample number, qualified devices were selected from low-yield samples, which exhibited an obvious Coulomb blockade effect. The results show that the...

We propose a wafer-type ion energy monitoring sensor (IEMS) that can measure the spatially resolved distribution of ion energy over the 150 mm plasma chamber for the in situ monitoring of the semiconductor fabrication process. The IEMS can directly be applied to the semiconductor chip production equipment without further modification of the automat...

In semiconductor fabrication, the deposition process generates layers of materials to realize insulating and conducting functionality. The uniformity of the deposited thin film layers’ thickness is crucial to create high-performance semiconductor devices. Tuning fabrication process parameters (e.g., for evenly distributed gas flow on the semiconduc...

Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT‐MS) is now recognized as the most versatile analytical technique for the identification and quantification of trace gases down to the parts‐per‐trillion by volume, pptv, range. This statement is supported by the wide reach of its applications, from real‐time analysis, obviating sample collection of ver...

Graphene is a promising candidate for future electronic applications. Manufacturing graphene‐based electronic devices typically requires graphene transfer from its growth substrate to another desired substrate. This key step for device integration must be applicable at the wafer level and meet the stringent requirements of semiconductor fabrication...

A micropolarizer array (MPA) that can be integrated into a scientific camera is proposed as a real-time polarimeter that is capable of extracting the polarization parameters. The MPA is based on highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) films inspired by their typical anisotropy and selectivity for light propagation over a wide spectral range. The MPA c...

In modern semiconductor fabrication plants, automated overhead hoist transport (OHT) vehicles transport wafers in front opening unified pods (FOUPs). Even in a cleanroom environment, small particles excited by the mechanical vibration of the FOUP can still damage the chips if such particles land on the critical area of the wafers. To minimize the v...

Non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) absorption spectroscopy is a widespread approach to gas sensing due to its selectivity and conceptual simplicity. One of the main challenges towards the development of fully integrated NDIR sensors is the design and fabrication of microstructures, typically waveguides, that can combine high sensitivity with the ease o...

Silicon wafer defect classification is crucial in improving fabrication and chip production. While deep learning methods have been successful in single-defect wafer classification, the increasing complexity of the fabrication process has introduced the challenge of multiple defects on wafers, which requires more robust feature learning and classifi...

This paper presents a concept of a circuit harvesting high-energy plasma and operating during its semiconductor fabrication process, namely Fetal-Movement Circuit (FMC). The plasma current collection antenna is designed to be a comb shape for area saving. This enables the FMC related circuits to be placed within a dicing street for suppressing its...

A proposal on the integration of a Taiwanese offshore wind farm with Hydrogen production for delivery to TSMC

We have designed a hot-plate-type micro-Pirani vacuum gauge with a simple structure and compatibility with conventional semiconductor fabrication processes. In the Pirani gauge, we used a vanadium oxide (VOx) membrane as the thermosensitive component, taking advantage of the high temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of VOx. The TCR value of...

Laser-based plasma studies that apply photons to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) generation are actively being conducted, and studies by direct electron irradiation on Sn for EUV lighting have rarely been attempted. Here, we demonstrate a novel method of EUV generation by irradiating Sn with electrons emitted from a carbon nanotube (CNT)-based cold catho...

Long coherence time and compatibility with semiconductor fabrication make spin qubits in silicon an attractive platform for quantum computing. In recent years, hole spin qubits are being developed as they have the advantages of weak coupling to nuclear spin noise and strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), in constructing high-fidelity quantum gates. How...

One of the cleaning processes in semiconductor fabrication is the ashing process using oxygen plasma, which has been normally used N2 gas as additive gas to increase the ashing rate, and it is known that the ashing rate is strongly related to the concentration of oxygen radicals measured OES. However, by performing a comprehensive experiment of the...

The silicon photonics market has grown rapidly over recent decades due to the demand for high bandwidth and high data-transfer capabilities. Silicon photonics leverage well-developed semiconductor fabrication technologies to combine various photonic functionalities on the same chip. Complicated silicon photonic integrated circuits require a mass-pr...

Micron-scale shaped 2D or 2.5D structures made of silver or copper can be produced by combining silicon photolithographic etching with metal casting by pressure infiltration. This combination of two classical processes , one from semiconductor fabrication and the other from the metallurgical industries, combines advantages of lithography and castin...

The semiconductor industry is well known for its high resource consumption due to its clean room usage and power-intensive manufacturing technology. This is a significant financial burden for semiconductor fabrication plant owners who wish to minimize the cost needed to cover the electricity and gas loads for their daily operations. From a historic...

With the reduction of feature size and increase of integration density, the traditional three‐dimensional (3D) semiconductors have been unable to meet the future requirements of chip integration. The current semiconductor fabrication technologies are approaching their physical limits based on the Moore's law. Two‐dimensional (2D) materials such as...

Spin-orbit torque (SOT) based magnetization switching is of current technological interest to demonstrate its utilization in nonvolatile embedded memory and logic devices. These devices require perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) for high bit density, significant SOT efficiency to warrant low power consumption, and external field-free magnetiza...

Graphene is a promising candidate for future electronic applications. Manufacturing graphene-based electronic devices typically requires graphene transfer from its growth substrate to another desired substrate. This key step for device integration must be applicable at the wafer level and meet the stringent requirements of semiconductor fabrication...

Negative photosensitive polyimides (PSPIs) with the photo-patterned ability via the photocrosslinking reactions induced by the i-line (365 nm) and h-line (426 nm) emitting wavelengths in high-pressure mercury lamps have been paid increasing attention in semiconductor fabrication, optical fiber communications, and other advanced optoelectronic areas...

The purpose of this chapter is to analyze software development as a technology, that is, a process that utilizes phenomena in the material world to achieve a human purpose. What tasks are needed to make a software program? How does software development compare to the other technologies we have looked at, for example, auto production, semiconductor...

Particle contamination of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photomasks is one of the numerous challenges in nanoscale semiconductor fabrication, since it can lead to systematic device failures when disturbed patterns are projected repeatedly onto wafers during EUV exposure. Understanding adhesion of particle contamination is key in devising a strategy for...

To improve semiconductor productivity, efficient operation of the overhead hoist transport (OHT) system, which is an automatic wafer transfer device in a semiconductor fabrication plant (“fab”), is very important. A large amount of data is being generated in real time on the production line through the recent production plan of a smart factory. Thi...

The formation of polymeric micro-patterns on various substrates via a photolithography procedure has been widely used in semiconductor fabrication. Standard polymer patterns are usually fabricated via photosensitive polymer varnishes, in which large amounts of potentially harmful solvents with weight ratios over 50 wt% have to be removed. In the cu...

This paper compares the contamination monitoring of the three largest microelectronics research organizations in Europe, CEA-Leti, imec and Fraunhofer. The aim is to align the semiconductor infrastructure of the three research institutes to accelerate the supply to European industry for disruptive chip processing. To offer advanced edge AI systems...

Along with the remarkable growth in the complexity of semiconductor fabrication technology, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) has evolved and become progressively more sophisticated over the years, enabling the implementation of novel integration schemes. This paper discusses current research and development trends in one specific aspect of t...

Nanoscale optical resolution with a large field of view is a critical feature for many research and industry areas, such as semiconductor fabrication, biomedical imaging, and nanoscale material identification. Several scanning microscopes have been developed to resolve the inverse relationship between the resolution and field of view; however, thos...

One of the reasons why graphene attracts so much attention is its large ballistic transport mean free path, which could lead to novel electronic devices with very low power dissipation, breaking one of the key barriers that currently limit further electronics miniaturization. In particular, epi-graphene with scalable growth and high compatibility w...

In this study, InSb and InSb1 − xBix (x = 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03) thin films were grown on quartz substrates and polyimide (PI) films by multi-cathode radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The effects of Bi doping on the structural properties, stacking-fault probabilities, and environmental resistance were investigated. The properties of the InSb/PI...

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) has been demonstrated to satisfy the industry requirements of the new generation semiconductor fabrication. The development of high power EUV sources is a long-term critical challenge to enable the implementation of EUVL in high volume manufacturing (HVM), together with other technologies such as photoresist a...

We present a triangle oriented nano hybrid plasmonic in a footprint area of 1100 × 800 nm2 in this script. To accurately match the impedance, the proposed antenna would be inlay fed by hybrid plasmonic waveguide. The waveguide will be constructed using the SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator) method. And over frequency range of 160-240 THz, the operation of...

This assignment describes the evolution of the generation of automated material handling systems in semiconductor fabrication facilities. The benefits and challenges in implementing and maintaining these systems are discussed. The generation of fabrication facilities present some new challenges and opportunities for lowering capital and operational...

Laser melt annealing of amorphous silicon (a-Si) and subsequent recrystallization of a-Si are essential processes for successfully implementing vertical NAND (V-NAND) flash memory devices developed based on the cell-over-periphery (COP) structure. The aim of this study was to develop the numerical model for the laser melting process of a-Si used in...

Although efforts to improve the productivity of semiconductor fabs have mostly focused on processing machine scheduling, recent productivity drops due to insufficient automated material handling system (AMHS) resources have made the efficient control of AMHS a major issue in improving overall productivity. This study introduces a storage prioritiza...

A indústria de eletrônicos e automotiva vem sofrendo com a escassez de semicondutores, essa crise tem sido agravada pela Covid-19 que afetou todo o mundo a partir do ano de 2020, forçando um consumo maior de eletrônicos. Os fabricantes de microchips, não conseguem atender a pedidos de clientes, gerando transtorno em diversas fábricas, não atendendo...

The 3D integration technology in semiconductor fabrication requires a key component, the ovonic threshold switching (OTS) selector, to suppress the current leakage. The As doped amorphous (a-) GeSe glass is a commercialized OTS material in 3D phase-change memory, but the understanding of such a doping mechanism is still inadequate. Here we systemat...

Microfluidic platform technology has presented a new strategy to detect and analyze analytes and biological entities thanks to its reduced dimensions, which results in lower reagent consumption, fast reaction, multiplex, simplified procedure, and high portability. In addition, various forces, such as hydrodynamic force, electrokinetic force, and ac...

Accessing the immense value of freeform surfaces for mass-sensitive applications such as space optics or metaform optical components requires fabrication processes that are suited to figuring thin substrates. We present stress tensor mesostruc-tures for precisely correcting figure errors, even after microstructures or coatings have been applied to...

As semiconductor device geometries continue to shrink, the semiconductor manufacturing process becomes increasingly complex. This usually results in unbalanced utilization of machines and decreases overall productivity. One way to resolve such a problem is to share the manufacturing resources between different lines divided by floors. To this end,...