Although Moore's Law has been repeatedly voiced in the semiconductor industry, at SEMICON Taiwan this year, there is absolutely no feeling that the process of miniaturization will come to an end. From 10 nanometers down to 7 nanometers , Or even 3 nanometers, all exhibitors are focused on the focus.
On the other hand, due to lack of electricity and lack of work, the shadows continued to shatter the Taiwanese technology industry and the semiconductor industry was the first to bear the brunt. Therefore, power plant and automation solution providers were also selected to launch corresponding solutions during SEMICON Taiwan.
KLA-Tencor new system locks multiple exposure / EUV requirements
KLA-Tencor has introduced five development-forming control systems for logic and cutting-edge memory design nodes up to 7nm, aiming to help wafer manufacturers meet the stringent process tolerances required for multiple exposure technology and EUV lithography. The new system expands KLA-Tencor's diverse portfolio of measurement, detection and data analysis systems to identify and correct process changes including ATL, SpectraFilm F1, Teron 640e, LMS IPRO7 and 5D Analyzer X1.
Ahmad Khan, executive vice president of KLA-Tencor's Global Products Division, said wafer makers are finding it increasingly difficult to create stack-to-edge errors, uneven linewidths and hot spots for their 7nm and 5nm process nodes. In addition to exposure machine calibration, customers are also learning how different mask and wafer process variations can affect the development process.
Through open manufacturing-wide open measurement and inspection data, IC engineers can quickly position process issues and manage directly where they occur. Five systems from KLA-Tencor are looking to reduce customers' A wafer, mask and process steps caused by the development of molding errors.
At the IC manufacturing plant, the ATL Stacking Measurement System and the SpectraFilm F1 Film Measurement System provide process characterization and offset monitoring for the fabrication of FinFET, DRAM, 3D NAND and other complex component structures. The Teron 640e Mask Detection Product Family And LMS IPRO7 photomask stack alignment measurement system to assist the reticle factory in the development and qualification of EUV and advanced optical reticle. 5DAnalyzer X1 Advanced Data Analysis System provides an open architecture foundation to support the foundry's tailor-made Analysis and real-time process control applications.
Merck to add IC Materials Center in Taiwan
Merck, a global leader in biomedical and specialty materials, grabbed pre-SEMICON Taiwan announced that its first R & D center for integrated circuit (IC) materials in Asia in Kaohsiung will be officially launched with an initial investment of about NT $ 100 million To provide front-end atomic layer deposition (ALD) / chemical vapor deposition (CVD) materials and process development, semiconductor package development and error analysis and other services to help local and Asian semiconductor industry to shorten the development time, as soon as possible into the IC advanced process .
According to the 2026 Semiconductor Science and Technology Report released by Gartner, the 5-nanometer process cost will be 2.5 to 3 times that of the current 16/14 nanometer process, and it has become increasingly difficult and cost-effective for the photolithographic process to reach below 10 nanometers. In view of this, Through continuous miniaturization and cost reduction of system-in-package or 3D-package solutions, the semiconductor industry has gradually become a trend that has led to the growth of IC manufacturing and packaging related materials markets. "Rico Wiedenbruch, Merck's senior vice president, said that from 2015 to 2020, Manufacturing materials and packaging materials market is expected to appear about 3% to 4% annual compound growth rate, the sales amount can be up to 30 billion and 24 billion US dollars.
Taiwan's Merck chairman Xie Zhihong said that Taiwan's close geographical proximity to Asia and Merck's presence in one of the world's most important markets led the company to decide to expand its IC materials application center in Taiwan in order to be close to the market and its customers. Taiwan's semiconductor / panel industry chain is complete and its human resources are abundant. Coupled with the special respect and protection of silicon intellectual property by the government and the industry, it is also a major consideration for foreign investors to be assured of investing in Taiwan.
The R & D center has a deposition material application lab and a semiconductor packaging application research and development laboratory, the former focuses on the research and development of front-end ALD / CVD processes in response to the increasing sophistication of semiconductor structures, and designs / identifies novel semiconductor thin film precursors, And further evaluate the application with advanced equipment. The latter focuses on advanced packaging, including the development of environmentally friendly / high thermal conductivity / high performance sintered materials, assisting the industry to speed up the development process, make error analysis and provide high-quality customized technical services.
Before and after the process of continuous evolution of semiconductor materials with the times
Another semiconductor manufacturer, Brewer Science, also briefed the Taiwanese semiconductor industry on SEMICON Taiwan's new materials developed for new front-end and back-end semiconductor manufacturing processes.
According to James Lamb, vice president of technology at Brewer Science (Figure 1), the semiconductor industry needs advanced computing power through advanced node logic and memory on the one hand, and also requires the use of advanced packaging technology to achieve heterogeneous integration. , The company has invested in developing specialized materials and processes to meet the new needs of front-end and back-end processes, including a combination of robust temporary laminate / release materials and processes for fan-out FO and 3D IC processes, Lithography EUV and DSA materials.
Taiwan's semiconductor manufacturing industry is committed to advanced node lithography and advanced wafer level package manufacturing (HVM). In addition, the region has a strong display industry infrastructure and therefore has the advantage of implementing the panel-level advanced packaging process.
Discussions on wafer and panel-level FO architectures focus on the packaging of both system-in-package and heterogeneous integration applications, with a focus on wafer-first approaches that have been applied to production for nearly nine years, and RDL-priority for more advanced architectures Method, both of which have to accommodate more dies in the same package, but this can result in increased pressure and wafer waving, thus requiring temporary carrier support throughout the manufacturing process.Also, while professional packaging houses have not officially put FO The panel-level process (FO-PLP) is in mass production, but every industry is moving in that direction so Brewer Science is ready for that.
These new packaging processes are bound to use the laser lift-off method, which is available for RDL-first and FO-PLP glass substrate support processes. The latest generation of Brewer Science strip materials is designed for laser separation.
As for the front-end process, the most advanced process node is now 10 nanometers, and in the near future will start the introduction of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography process.Lamb believes that the use of EUV has been an unstoppable trend, so the company will Invest in directional self-assembly (DSA) materials that complement EUV.
The DSA that enables the material to form a lithography on its own is an important technique for assisting EUV. The DSA is best suited for devices with multiple, repetitive, regular fine pitch features that can reach 30 nanometer feature size without the need for additional photomasks. EUV can be used on wafers Draw lower resolution features and create spacers for subsequent DSA depositions.
Lamb said that while DSA is still awaiting development, its goal is to be ready for production within two years, and the combination of DSA and EUV will provide IDMs and foundries with complementary strengths to enhance their manufacturing capabilities. "Taiwanese manufacturers are leading the future, Efforts to continuously expand the integration of DSA and EUV technology.
Continued miniaturization of semiconductor lineup Pollutant filtration test
Semiconductor process continues to shrink, a new generation of chip performance, power consumption can be a better performance, but the process of miniature but also makes the process of pollutant control by more stringent tests.To this, the special material supplier Intergott (Entegris) recently released Oktolex thin-film technology, which addresses the needs of a wide range of chemicals and enhances the original interception mechanism of various films to allow the thin film technology to filter photochemical contaminants. Currently, the major markets are locked in logic, DRAM and 3D NAND devices ArF, KrF and EUV photolithography.
Xie Junan, general manager of INVT Taiwan (Figure 2), said that with advances in nano-fabrication and the introduction of EUVs, the manufacturing process of semiconductors has become more complicated and it has become more difficult to control the particles. As semiconductor process lines get smaller and smaller, contaminated particles that would not otherwise affect the process have to be managed today to ensure the yield of semiconductor manufacturing, for example, Ingersolltger only had to control 20 nanometers The size of the pollution particles, but the process is getting smaller and smaller, IGMP now must try to control 10 nm, or even finer particles, so the corresponding technology must be increased.
In view of this, Intergrew at the SEMICON Taiwan exhibition recently announced the innovative Oktolex film technology, this technology can be applied to the advanced use of photolithography technology. Oktolex revolutionary film for a variety of chemical needs , To strengthen the original interception of various films to filter photochemical contaminants Oktolex film The film characteristics, and specific pollutants absorption mechanism to match, and thus the membrane can be optimized filtration efficiency, and will not be chemical Composition of adverse reactions.
In response to power shortage / lack of labor crisis energy storage / automation vendors advice
In addition to the challenge of advanced manufacturing processes, the semiconductor industry can not afford to miss out on power shortage and lack of work that affect the overall industrial development in Taiwan. In view of this, SESTO Robotics, Eaton and robot handling robot, Taiwan show, showcasing solutions for the semiconductor industry.
Eaton in this exhibition main two-way grid storage applications xStorage, intelligent power management blueprint, and uninterruptible power system with lithium iron battery applications.
Gong Honghua, general manager of Eaton's Taiwan region, said that while the tower of the Peace Power Plant collapsed and the 815 power outage exposed the fragility of the power network in Taiwan, the high temperature in the summer and the surge in electricity consumption kept the reserve capacity at 3 % Up and down, Taiwan has always been in the power shortage crisis.How to have a stable and secure power system has become an important issue for business management.Eyon Blue Cloud project not only has the function of UPS backup power, but also can achieve energy storage, bidirectional and multi-directional Power regulation, to help enterprises build a complete power system, and use of multi-power control technology to achieve intelligent power management, to achieve the highest efficiency and best value for money.
In addition, Eaton's main product, uninterruptible power system, UPS Eaton also continues to develop smaller, lighter and more environmentally friendly lithium-iron batteries within the UPS, which not only offers faster charging but also significantly lower business costs.
GongHongHua thinks, the lithium iron battery is obviously superior to the lead-acid battery in each specification characteristic, but the past cost is too high, it is difficult to apply on a large scale .However, the most criticized cost problem of lithium iron battery, Year.Many Taiwan semiconductor manufacturers have already begun lithium-iron battery system into the program, lead-acid battery system will be gradually relegated to the second line over time.
As businesses face the power crisis caused by the energy transformation, Eaton will continue to provide efficient and reliable power energy solutions to help businesses face future power challenges.
In addition to the lack of power, the shortage of workers is also testing the semiconductor industry in Taiwan. SEE IT CEO Leung Hon-ching (Figure 3) pointed out that the operators of the wafer production line are actually a high level of manual labor and are rather dull and lacking in developmental work .
Take wafer handling as an example. Although most advanced 12-inch fabs have Crane transport tracks, most of them do not need to rely on human resources. However, if they are 8-inch fabs or older factories, they still have to rely on manpower On the other hand, Crane transportation is expensive to build and lacks elasticity, and if Crane transportation is used, the location of the production line must be fixed, no matter if the line is to be changed or the production capacity is increased trouble.
In the Crane transport can not completely replace the case of manpower operations, many semiconductor plants, in particular, the latter part of the IC packaging and testing plant, or rely on the operator pushing the wafer cart, in the production line of various stations around the loading and unloading. This is a Very hard work, an operator may be more than 20 km walk a day, and dull and no prospects for development, so many young people are reluctant to engage in this work.
This is a good development opportunity for Sciento, which specializes in the design of AGVs, and now the company has introduced a solution for the design of wafer transfer needs, which is delivered by unmanned Car plus Yamaha robotic arm with a maximum arm load of 20 kg.The AGV not only meets the requirements of the semiconductor industry where the X, Y and Z axis vibrations are less than 0.5G, and by laser ranging, Machine skin and other technical assistance, and human operators can work side by side without security concerns, it will not collide with other machines on the production line.
At present, the van has been adopted by many international semiconductor manufacturers such as Infineon, and has proved its reliability and durability during the actual import process. Therefore, Liang Hanqing believes that in the same case of Taiwan Semiconductor Industry, this solution also has great application space.