Applied Materials' New Carina System Overcomes Barriers to Etching
High-k/Metal Gates
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applied Materials, Inc. today turned up the heat in etching the world’s
most advanced transistors with the launch of its Applied Centura®
Carina™ Etch system.
Using innovative high-temperature technology, the system is the only
production-ready solution available today that delivers the material
profiles that are essential for scaling logic and memory devices with
high-k/metal gates (HK/MG) to 45nm and beyond. Applied’s
Carina technology is unique in that it makes no compromises in critical
etch parameters: smooth, vertical sidewalls with zero silicon recess and
zero byproduct residue are all achieved simultaneously.
“This is the first etch system specifically
designed to meet the challenges of HK/MG production,”
said Tom St. Dennis, senior vice president and general manager of
Applied Materials’ Silicon Systems Group. “Our
customers are very enthusiastic about the new technology offered by the
Carina system and we have multiple installations at leading logic and
memory semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.”
Key to the system’s benchmark performance is
its proprietary high temperature cathode. Processing at high
temperatures produces smooth, vertical profiles without the high-k “foot”
and silicon recess that plague conventional-temperature alternatives. In
addition, the high temperature prevents the etched material from
re-depositing on the wafer and eliminates the need for complex wet/dry
process combinations to remove the residue. Advanced chamber materials
deliver long-term process stability and the lowest cost-of-consumables
of any available advanced gate etch system.
Applied’s Carina Etch technology will be
showcased at SEMICON West as part of Applied’s
integrated HK/MG technology: a comprehensive portfolio of fully
characterized systems and processes for building HK/MG structures in
high volume production.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT - News) is the global leader in
Nanomanufacturing Technology™ solutions with
a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products
for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panels, solar
photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At
Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the
way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
