Ultratech says that it has successfully developed what it believes to be the IC industrys first laser thermal processing (LTP) technology. The company believes that this will allow manufacturers to scale down to the 20nm technology node. The new technology is the result of nearly nine years of intensive development. LTP uses laser heating, which can be focused at specific areas of the wafer, rather than across the wafer as happens in furnaces or with rapid thermal processing (RTP).

Ultratech says that it has successfully developed what it believes to be the IC industrys first laser thermal processing (LTP) technology. The company believes that this will allow manufacturers to scale down to the 20nm technology node. The new technology is the result of nearly nine years of intensive development. LTP uses laser heating, which can be focused at specific areas of the wafer, rather than across the wafer as happens in furnaces or with rapid thermal processing (RTP).

Ultratech chairman and CEO Arthur W Zafiropoulo reports that this technology is now ready for commercialisation - paving the way to thermal processing advances to improve both the speed and density of future-generation chips. LTP is expected to improve both device reliability and yields, increasing productivity and enhancing return on investment (ROI). LTP is expected to overcome current thermal diffusion limitations by greatly accelerating anneal/activation times. The technology's predecessor, RTP, enabled the submicron era - Ultratech expects LTP to change the landscape by becoming a key enabler of the nanotechnology era.

Ultratech worked in close cooperation with several of the industrys leading chipmakers in both the USA and Japan to validate the technology. LTP technology demonstrated the ability to activate extremely shallow junctions and contacts in just nanoseconds, thereby achieving the desired performance characteristics while using zero thermal budget. Test results demonstrate abrupt profile junctions with high surface concentrations down to the 20nm technology node. Tests also indicate that the process results are relatively insensitive to device and wafer pattern densities. This is essential to facilitating integration of the technology into diverse manufacturing environments.

Ultratech has already been awarded more than 20 patents with 40 more pending on the technology.

Implementation challenges have made it a long road to LTP commercialisation.
Somit Talwar, Ultratech vice-president for laser technology, reports: "Since the use of lasers for the annealing process had long been attempted, but without sufficient success, a new approach was needed. We believe that we have amassed the worlds foremost team of experts in the emerging laser processing arena and paired them with Ultratechs projection lithography experts to tackle this challenge. As a result of this collaboration, the precision capabilities of projection lithography have been successfully combined with the near-instantaneous heating properties of high-intensity lasers, enabling state-of-the-art thermal processing performance."

Ultratech says that it has optimised the technology for volume production and is now ready to enter the commercialisation phase of its LTP program. The companys first commercial product based on the new LTP technology platform will be for laser spike annealing (LSA), which will enable ultra-shallow junction formation for multiple generations. Over the past 12 months, Ultratech has been shipping R&D tools. The company has also taken orders for the first production tools for shipment at the end of this year, with volume-production shipments expected to begin 2004.

AngelTech Live III: Join us on 12 April 2021!

AngelTech Live III will be broadcast on 12 April 2021, 10am BST, rebroadcast on 14 April (10am CTT) and 16 April (10am PST) and will feature online versions of the market-leading physical events: CS International and PIC International PLUS a brand new Silicon Semiconductor International Track!

Thanks to the great diversity of the semiconductor industry, we are always chasing new markets and developing a range of exciting technologies.

2021 is no different. Over the last few months interest in deep-UV LEDs has rocketed, due to its capability to disinfect and sanitise areas and combat Covid-19. We shall consider a roadmap for this device, along with technologies for boosting its output.

We shall also look at microLEDs, a display with many wonderful attributes, identifying processes for handling the mass transfer of tiny emitters that hold the key to commercialisation of this technology.

We shall also discuss electrification of transportation, underpinned by wide bandgap power electronics and supported by blue lasers that are ideal for processing copper.

Additional areas we will cover include the development of GaN ICs, to improve the reach of power electronics; the great strides that have been made with gallium oxide; and a look at new materials, such as cubic GaN and AlScN.

Having attracted 1500 delegates over the last 2 online summits, the 3rd event promises to be even bigger and better – with 3 interactive sessions over 1 day and will once again prove to be a key event across the semiconductor and photonic integrated circuits calendar.

So make sure you sign up today and discover the latest cutting edge developments across the compound semiconductor and integrated photonics value chain.

REGISTER FOR FREE

VIEW SESSIONS