SAN JOSE, Calif. — Novellus Systems Inc. here claimed a major breakthrough in the low-k dielectrics field, saying it has developed a new "chemical vapor" approach to enable chips with k values down to 1.7. The technology also has a material hardness that exceeds today's chemical vapor deposition (CVD) films, the company said.
Novellus' new low-k technology is not based on its current CVD tools, but rather a "novel non-PECVD" approach that makes use of a film with "structured pores," said Wilbert van den Hoek, chief technical officer and executive vice president of integration and advanced development at Novellus.
The breakthrough is significant in the emerging low-k market. It demonstrates that CVD-like approaches are able to devise chips with k values below 2, according to van den Hoek.
Some low-k providers, especially the spin-on glass community, claim the rival CVD films are unable to break this magical barrier. The spin-on camp claims to have achieved this barrier, but there are still major issues with the mechanical properties of the material.
"We have a completely novel approach," said van den Hoek. "It's not spin-on. It's a chemical process that involves in-situ on the wafer," he said in an interview with SBN.
The Novellus CTO did not elaborate, but noted the technology is still in the R&D stage and has yet to be commercialized. The company will present more details about the technology within the next year.
van den Hoek said the porous film can enable chips with k values down to 1.7—with a material hardness that exceeds existing CVD flims. In doing so, the porous materials have some new properties. "The pores are structured," he said.
At present, Novellus claims to be one of the few companies with a low-k material in production. Novellus' current low-k offering, dubbed Coral, has been endorsed by Chartered, Fujitsu, Samsung and United Microelectronics Corp. Reports have surfaced that IBM Corp.'s Microelectronics Division is also evaluating and developing chips based on Novellus' low-k material.
Novellus competes in the low-k market against Applied, ASM International, Dow, JSR and Trikon, among others.
RSS
Digital
10 in trouble:
EE Times has assembled a list of 10 companies (or more) that seem in particular danger of continuing to spill red ink, being acquired, seeking bankruptcy protection or just not being around in current form a year from now.
10 fab technologies on the hot seat:
There's trouble brewing in chip-making paradise. Delivery of chips at 32-nm and beyond won't be a cool breeze. EE Times has constructed the following list of 10 fab technologies that could make or break future IC scaling.
6 fab technologies on the bubble:
It isn't going to be a slam-dunk to deliver chips at 32-nm and beyond. See our story about 10 fab technologies on the hot seat. Then read this article: 6 technologies on the bubble.
Our take on Intel-River:
With its acquisition of embedded software leader Wind River Systems Inc., Intel Corp. has unambiguously signaled that it is again attempting to diversify beyond X86 processors. Here's our take on the deal.
Can wireless HD survive?:
When Yoav Nissan-Cohen, chairman and CEO of Amimon, stopped by our offices here to discuss the state of the wireless video networking industry, he had three messages to deliver.
Hot technologies to watch for in 2009:
Every technologist, marketer, industry analyst and reporter on a hunt for the next big thing is bracing for the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show scheduled less than a month away.
Top 20 predictions for semis in 2009:
To help sort out the confusion in the market, EE Times has released its own chip forecasts--and other predictions--for 2009. So, what will happen in analog, FPGAs, foundry, memory, MPUs and other sectors?
Silicon 60 version 8.0
The EE Times 60 Emerging Startups list, first published in April 2004, has been updated to version 8.0 to reflect the latest corporate, commercial, technology and market conditions.
RSS| 
Digital| 
Mobile
