An unidentified Taiwanese foundry has selected ASM International’s ‘Pulsar’ atomic layer deposition (ALD) tool for the deposition of high-k gate dielectric materials at the 28nm production node. ASM was an early pioneer of ALD process technology and was selected by Intel for its 45nm high-k materials and deposition tools, early in the development phase.
"Achieving a successful high-k manufacturing process for the 28 nm node is a testament to ASM's ability to integrate new materials into manufacturing," said Glen Wilk, business unit manager for transistor products at ASM. "Having qualified our high-k process demonstrates its readiness for manufacturing at the 28 nm node, and we look forward to advanced developments that extend those same benefits to future nodes."
According to ASM, the unidentified foundry, which is either TSMC or UMC, will also collaborate with the Dutch equipment supplier on process development, supplying Pulsar ALD tools this quarter for future development. Apparently, the foundry in question has spent the last four years collaborating with ASM on hafnium-based high-k materials.