Applied Materials Japan K.K.
Applied Materials Accelerates the development of the world’s most advanced computer chips with a breakthrough in electron beam writing technology
*This press release, which was scheduled to be distributed from PR TIMES at 10:00 on December 19, 2022, was not distributed due to a problem with our system. We sincerely apologize and will send it again.
State-of-the-art ‘Cold Field Emission’ (CFE) technology works at room temperature, improving nanoscale resolution by up to 50% and drawing speed by up to 10X
CFE Electron Beam Technology Enables Leading Semiconductor
Manufacturers to Accelerate Development and Commercialization of New 3D Gate-All-Around Logic Transistors, Next-Generation DRAM and NAND Memory Chips, and More
Launch of two new CFE electron beam technology products: SEMVision(R) G10 defect review system and PrimeVision(R) 10 defect inspection system to expand leadership in electron beam process diagnosis and control market
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT; Headquarters: Santa Clara, Calif.; President and CEO Gary E. Dickerson) announced today, December 14 (local time), “cold field emission: CFE) technology has been put into practical use. This groundbreaking electron beam writing technology can better detect and draw nanoscale buried defects, so development of memory chips such as next-generation Gate-All-Around (GAA) logic chips, high-density DRAM, and 3D NAND. and speed up production.
Semiconductor manufacturers use electron beam (eBeam) technology to detect and classify microscopic defects that are invisible to optical equipment. As companies push the limits of 2D logic and DRAM scaling with EUV lithography, and move to complex 3D architectures such as GAA logic transistors and 3D NAND memory, finding surface and buried defects is becoming increasingly difficult. increase. Breakthroughs in e-beam writing technology that significantly improve resolution and speed are expected not only to accelerate chip development, but also to expand the use of e-beam technology to mass production.
Cold Field Emission (CFE): Next Generation Electron Beam Technology Thermal field emission (TFE), which has been used in conventional electron beam equipment, has a high operating temperature of 1,500°C or more, so there are dozens of studies aimed at the practical application of CFE electron beam technology that functions at room temperature. It’s been done for years. The lower the temperature, the narrower the beam and the denser the irradiated electrons. However, previous CFE technologies lacked robustness and were not suitable for practical applications. The problem is that impurities in the equipment accumulate in the electron beam emitter, slowing the flow of electrons. In contrast, the TFE system is equipped with a mechanism that automatically removes impurities. Therefore, Applied Materials has introduced two breakthroughs that enable mass production of CFE electron beam equipment.
• Extreme Vacuum Electron Beam Column: Applied’s proprietary electron beam column houses the electron beam emitter and other critical components. This new CFE column combines an ultra-high vacuum operating environment with specially developed chamber materials to significantly reduce contaminants. Vacuum pressures of less than 1×10-11 mbar generated by special pumps are two or three orders of magnitude lower than those of TFE devices and are almost comparable to the vacuum conditions in outer space.
・ Newly introduced self-cleaning mode: even under extreme high vacuum, a small amount of residual gas is generated in the electron beam column, and even a single atom adhering to the tip of the electron beam source causes partial electron emission. will be blocked and the operation will become unstable. Applied Materials has developed a cyclical self-cleaning process to continuously remove contaminants from the CFE source for consistent, repeatable performance.
Keith Wells, Group Vice President, Imaging and Process Controls, Applied Materials, said: “The commercialization of CFE represents the first major advance in electron beam writing technology in decades. can be quickly detected and drawn.”
Introducing SEMVision(R) G10 and PrimeVision(R) 10
Applied Materials today launched two of its first electron beam devices based on CFE technology.
SEMVision G10 Defect Review System: Applied Materials’ SEMVision product line is the world’s most popular e-beam defect review system, imaging microscopic defects in semiconductor chips to improve process development and volume production. We support the clarification of the problems that affect The new SEMVision G10 uses CFE technology to achieve sub-nanometer resolution and a drawing speed that is up to three times faster than our previous top model (compared to our company). SEMVision G10 has been adopted as a process development tool by all GAA manufacturing customers and has already exceeded $400 million in sales. Major memory manufacturers are also adopting this machine to develop new process nodes in DRAM and NAND and to secure mass production in existing memory nodes.
PrimeVision 10 defect inspection system: PrimeVision 10, the newest addition to Applied Materials’ e-beam product portfolio, is capable of detecting microscopic defects on wafer surfaces with nanometer resolution, as well as 3D GAA structures and high-aspect-ratio memory devices. Equipped with 3D detection technology for buried defects that affect production yield. With its high e-beam density, PrimeVision 10 can produce high-resolution images up to 10 times faster than TFE-based e-beam inspection systems.
Applied Materials has become the leading supplier of e-beam equipment to the process control industry, with 2021 sales of more than $1 billion and a market share of more than 50%* in e-beam equipment. For additional information on Applied Materials’ CFE technology and new equipment, please visit our “eBeam Technology and Product Launch” masterclass on December 14th.
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 is a leader in materials engineering solutions that power nearly every semiconductor chip and advanced display in the world. Our expertise in atomic-scale materials control on an industrial scale helps our customers turn possibilities into reality. Applied Materials enables a better future through innovation. Further information is also available on our website www.appliedmaterials.com. * Source: TechInsights, April 2022
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Applied Materials Japan Co., Ltd. translated the English press release issued by Applied Materials in the United States on December 14 and announced it.
Applied Materials Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President: Hitoshi Nakao) was established in October 1979. With 15 service centers in addition to the Osaka branch and Kawasaki office, we have established a support system for Japanese customers.
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