SCREEN signs MoU with National Tsing Hua University
SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in a ceremony commemorating the launch of the massively E-beam direct write lithography for 12-inch Si wafers (MEB12) program.
NTHU combined with international semiconductor equipment and software suppliers will establish the first massively electron beam direct writing (MEBDW) innovative semiconductor industry-university alliance to develop the state-of-the-art maskless lithography technology. The MEBDW lithography technology enables "on-chip security", making Taiwan the world's first development and pilot production for security chips with unique IDs, providing information security for the Internet, AI, electronic payment and automotive chips.
The MEB12 program participants include the world's only commercial MEBDW lithography equipment manufacturer, Mapper Lithography B.V., from the Netherlands and U.S. design software supplier Synopsys, Inc. SCREEN will support the MEB12 program with both DUO lithography coat/develop track and SU-3200 single wafer cleaning systems.
As one of the MEB12 project initiators, Professor Po-Wen Chiu of NTHU's Department of Electrical Engineering and chairman of the Centre for Nanotechnology, Materials Science, and Microsystems, pointed out: "This project is a successful case to use Taiwan's strong penetration capability in the semiconductor manufacturing sector, to form an alliance with international semiconductor giants and build up the most advanced commercial 12 inch MEBDW lithography process line in the campus, making NTHU the world's first university to have this unique R&D capability."
"We are very pleased to be supporting NTHU in Taiwan as they pioneer the MEB12 alliance," noted Tadahiro Suhara, president of SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions. "This is a testament to the value our SCREEN equipment technology and resources bring to innovative IoT applications."
The MEB12 alliance will allow Taiwan and neighbouring Asian semiconductor IC design and manufacturing companies to join the alliance with membership and jointly develop the innovative chips. According to Professor Chiu, "In addition to developing security chips, it can also be used as a maskless IC design verification platform which survives the start-up IC design companies by significantly reducing the soaring costs derived from the photomasks, and a low cost foundry service with high resolution and high graphic-flexibility for the niche applications."
