STMicroelectronics has extended its DFM collaboration with ASML and
Brion to include the deployment at the 28nm node and 22nm node
development. The joint development project has been code-named SOLID
(Silicon printing Optimization with Lithography control and Integrated
Design). The project is also intended to accelerate time to market for
ST.
“This joint development project combined with ASML’s integrated suite of lithography products, including Brion computational solutions and the latest generation of TWINSCAN NXT scanner provides ST with computational and wafer lithography technologies that will enable us to develop optimum manufacturing solutions at 28-nm and below,” said Joël Hartmann, Silicon Technology Development Director for STMicroelectronics, at Crolles, France. “Furthermore this ST-ASML effort is a reinforcement of the Crolles cooperative R&D cluster, which gathers partners around the development and enabling of low-power SoC (System on Chip) and value-added application-specific technologies. This is a perfect example of a project developed within the framework of the Nano2012 program.”
“As a long-time customer of ASML, ST is an excellent partner with whom to explore and develop holistic lithography methods for creating advanced semiconductors,” said Bert Koek, senior vice president, applications product group at ASML.
The new project seeks to optimize the patterning process from design to manufacturing, extend characterization tools and methods to develop new correction/compensation techniques for reducing variability and explore breakthrough lithography solutions for manufacturing complex chips at sub-30-nm nodes.