Brion to offer computational lithography software to GLOBALFOUNDRIES's customers

Date: 18/03/2013
Computation Lithography expert Brion Technologies (division of ASM Lithography) is working closely with fab service provider GLOBALFOUNDRIES in making computation lithography software is available for GLOBALFOUNDRIES's customers in fixing photo mask bugs at deeper nodes starting from 28nm to 14nm nodes.

When printing patterns of size in the range of 14nm by using light on silicon wafers, the effects of interference and diffraction rise exponentially causing etching defects resulting in severe reduction of yield (Number of working and reliable ICs/silicon wafer). To reduce the loss resulting from lesser yield, semiconductor fabs go for simulation of the lithography process on a computer before finalizing the mask data. The mask data can be edited for removing bugs which can be found using lithography simulating software from Brion.

ASM's holistic lithography approach is said to enable both process window enhancement and process window control from design to mask tapeout to chip manufacturing by leveraging the computational model accuracy that comes from tight integration with the ASML scanners including FlexRay & FlexWave.

"At 28nm and below it is necessary to explore and realize every possible process window improvement to achieve a manufacturable patterning solution," said Chris Spence, Senior Fellow of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. "We have found that Brion's OPC and Computational Lithography solutions enable us to achieve this goal and ensure the best possible yield for GLOBALFOUNDRIES' customers."

Jim Koonmen, general manager of Brion Technologies said, "We look forward to this important expansion of our long-standing relationship with GLOBALFOUNDRIES, and to the successful use by GLOBALFOUNDRIES of these leading edge technologies at the N28, N20, N14 and future nodes."