Increase in collaborations for deep node semiconductor manufacturing

The semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem, mainly the semiconductor equipment companies are increasingly collaborating to develop solutions for volume manufacturing of chips in the nodes of less than 14 nm and also on wafer sizes of 450mm. Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML and imec are extending partnership by launching Advanced Patterning Center, which going to work on lithography technology in the nodes of less then 14nm. imec and ASML to combine their technologies to print nanometer size patterns more precisely and uniformly on the semiconductor wafer. The Advanced Patterning Center to use actual devices to analyse and optimize process steps as well as materials and device architecture choices, while applying integrated metrology. Imec's clean room infrastructure (full 300mm pilot line with extension to 450mm) and ASML's most advanced scanners, metrology systems and lithography equipment are used in the Advanced Patterning Center. The combined research effort is aimed at providing enhanced lithography equipment for deeper nodes as well 450mm wafer processing. At the nodes of 14 nm and lower, it needs extraordinary microscopes to see the changes after etching and other processes. Bruker, an expert in this area has joined SEMATECH to collaborate with metrology experts at SEMATECH to develop high-resolution atomic force microscope (AFM) based defect ...