sediment
The process begins with a silicon wafer. The wafer is sliced from salami-shaped silicon strips (called “silicon ingots”) with a purity of 99.99% and polished to an extremely smooth finish. Thin films of conductive, insulating, or semiconductor material (depending on the type of structure being manufactured) are deposited on the wafer to print the first layer. This crucial step is commonly referred to as “deposition.”
As microchip structures shrink, the wafer patterning process becomes more complex. Advances in deposition, etching, and photolithography (more on this later) have been driving miniaturization and the pursuit of Moore's Law. These advancements include the use and innovation of new materials that can improve the precision required to deposit them.
Photoresist coating
Then, a photosensitive coating called "photoresist" is applied to the wafer. There are two types of photoresist: positive photoresist and negative photoresist.
The main difference between positive and negative photoresists lies in the chemical structure of the materials and how the photoresist reacts with light. With positive photoresists, areas exposed to ultraviolet light alter their structure and become more soluble, preparing them for etching and deposition. With negative photoresists, the opposite occurs; areas exposed to light polymerize, meaning they become stronger and more difficult to dissolve. Positive photoresists are most commonly used in semiconductor manufacturing because their higher resolution capabilities make them a better choice for the photolithography stage.
Several companies worldwide produce photoresists used in semiconductor manufacturing, such as Fuji Electric Materials, Dow Chemical, and JSR.
Photolithography
Photolithography is a critical step in the chip manufacturing process because it determines the size of the transistors on the chip. In this stage, the chip wafer is inserted into a photolithography machine and exposed to deep ultraviolet (DUV) or extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. The wavelength range of this light is from 365 nm (used for less complex chip designs) to 13.5 nm (used to produce some of the finest details on the chip, some of which are thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand).
Deposition, photolithography, etching, and plasma implantation are the four key technologies in semiconductor and beyond-Moore manufacturing processes. In the investment and construction of new wafer production lines, approximately 80% of the investment is used to purchase equipment, with thin-film deposition equipment accounting for about 25% of that. The mainstream thin-film deposition processes in the industry mainly include atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Among them, ALD, a type of CVD, is currently the most advanced thin-film deposition technology. A report from research firm GIR indicates that the global market size for atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 25.1% from 2021 to 2026, increasing from US$1.0661 billion in 2019 to US$2.6129 billion in 2026.
With 40 years of ALD expertise, Sirui Intelligent is joining hands with a national-level innovation center to accelerate its industrial layout.
"Focusing on ALD Innovation, Empowering Beyond Moore's Law," in May 2021, Qingdao Sifang Sirui Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Sirui Intelligent or SRII), an ALD equipment and service provider, and the National Innovation Center for Intelligent Sensors (hereinafter referred to as NISIC) officially launched their strategic cooperation agreement in Shanghai. Mr. Nie Xiang, General Manager of Sirui Intelligent, and Dr. Jiao Jiwei, Vice President of NISIC, attended the signing ceremony on behalf of their respective organizations. Both parties stated to the attendees that this strategic cooperation will focus on the Beyond Moore's Law field, conducting joint R&D in key areas such as MEMS and CMOS image sensors based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. Through in-depth collaboration, they are committed to accelerating the industrial application and technological innovation in the Beyond Moore's Law field.
Mr. Nie Xiang stated, "The Yangtze River Delta region, represented by Shanghai, is the hub of China's semiconductor industry, and the National Innovation Center for Advanced Semiconductor Technology (NIAS) is a leading institution in China's beyond-Moore field. Leveraging the nearly 40 years of ALD technology R&D experience and world-class ALD equipment and solutions from BENEQ, a subsidiary of Sirui Intelligent, the two parties will cooperate deeply to jointly establish a technology center and industrialization center for beyond-Moore technology. This collaboration will provide the industry with comprehensive and systematic technical solutions through an open and inclusive mechanism, jointly promoting the industrialization and innovative development of beyond-Moore technology." Sirui Intelligent's 8" ALD equipment has already been successfully installed on the beyond-Moore R&D pilot production line at the NIAS, meeting the development needs of national strategic emerging industries.
Dr. Jiao Jiwei stated, "The strategic cooperation between the National Innovation Center and Sirui Intelligent will take ALD equipment and technology as its starting point and fulcrum. In the future, we will explore the localization of manufacturing equipment, including new materials for semiconductors, new processes for MEMS, and new applications of ALD artificial intelligence and the Internet. This signing ceremony marks a new stage in the cooperation between the two parties. We look forward to the two parties and more industry partners working together to move forward and develop together on the track of surpassing Moore's Law."
ALD technology becomes the "preferred choice," with BENEQ Transform™ breaking through capacity efficiency boundaries and reaching new heights in performance.
In fact, with the application and development of new materials, new processes and new technologies in the emerging semiconductor manufacturing industry, ALD technology has significant advantages in terms of the ability to deposit materials in the form of single-atom films (0.1nm) on the substrate surface. This advantage is particularly suitable for the manufacturing and production of MEMS, CMOS image sensors and other products, and is gradually becoming the preferred coating deposition technology beyond the molar realm.
In response, BENEQ, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sirui Intelligent, has launched its new Transform™ series of equipment, a competitive ALD solution specifically designed for the beyond-Moore application market. The Transform™ platform employs a new cluster design and cutting-edge deposition technology, enabling the deposition of various materials on the surface of 8” and smaller wafers, including oxides and nitrides such as Al2O3, SiO2, AlN, and TiN, achieving fully conformal and highly uniform thin film deposition.
Patrick Rabinzohn, Head of Semiconductor Business at BENEQ, stated, "The Transform™ platform is compatible with single-wafer, batch, thermal, and plasma technologies, making it the only versatile and advanced platform in the industry that integrates multiple functions. Furthermore, the Transform™ platform offers flexible configuration options. Customers can choose between a standard configuration of '3 ALD modules + preheating module' or a simplified configuration of '2 ALD modules + preheating module' for Transform™ Lite, enabling differentiated and more efficient production and management methods, and securing orders from major manufacturers."
Taking 50-nanometer alumina deposition as an example, if the standard Transform™ system is used, the maximum output can reach more than 40 wafers per hour, and even Lite equipment can reach more than 25 wafers per hour. This is a revolutionary technological breakthrough for the entire industry's traditional understanding of ALD!
According to Patrick, the BENEQ Transform™ platform has passed SEMI S2/S8 certification, supports SECS/GEM standards, and is gradually moving towards mature deposition technology for 12” wafers, providing customers with a flexible, reliable, and high-capacity semiconductor wafer coating mass production solution.
Expanding market application matrix to empower innovation across a wide range of industries with general-purpose ALD technology.
In addition to breakthroughs in technology, performance, and production capacity, Sirui Intelligent is expanding its application innovations in more cutting-edge vertical industries, leveraging BENEQ's advanced general-purpose ALD technology.
In another presentation via video link with Finnish experts, Alexander Perros, Technical Director of BENEQ Semiconductor Business, explained: “BENEQ’s general-purpose ALD technology boasts a rich matrix of applications beyond Moore’s Law, including power devices, filters, MEMS, and CIS. Furthermore, BENEQ offers different ALD solutions for various market segments, primarily including high-k dielectrics, surface passivation, ALD nucleation layers, chemical barrier layers, moisture-proof layers, and anti-reflective films.” For example, surface passivation can be achieved using different ALD materials, while moisture-proof layers play a crucial role in packaging; these all possess strong versatility across a wide range of applications.
In summary, ALD is one of the advanced technologies required for traditional semiconductor manufacturing processes, and it is also a key technology for the development of emerging semiconductor, broader semiconductor, and non-semiconductor industries such as optical coating. Sirui Intelligent is committed to becoming a world-class ALD equipment and service provider by offering cutting-edge, innovative, and flexible ALD equipment and service solutions.
