Morgan Advanced Materials joins SEMATECH to develop new process solutions to advance semiconductor manufacturing

USA: Morgan Advanced Materials has joined SEMATECH’s International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI), a program designed to improve semiconductor equipment manufacturing productivity, yield, and cost.

Morgan Advanced Materials will help develop process variation solutions to improve availability and process control across 200 mm and 300 mm semiconductor manufacturing facilities, while allowing for forward-compatibility with 450 mm.

As a member of SEMATECH’s Manufacturing Technology Program, Morgan will collaborate with ISMI engineers to develop and introduce new material solutions that will help to significantly extend the life of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pads, CMP conditioners, as well as electrostatic chucks.

The partnership will further the development of processing solutions for effective CMP processing, including pad conditioning, to eliminate legacy high-volume manufacturing issues, shorten pad break-in time, and extend pad life of soft-pad textures.

“We are excited to collaborate with ISMI on innovative technology development to help address current and future technology challenges for both CMP and electrostatic chuck design,” said Daniel Manoukian, GM of Morgan’s Allentown, PA site. “These projects will enable high-volume manufacturing of 10 nm devices and improve manufacturing for current technologies. As the complexity of the technology increases, innovations in pad conditioner materials to control pad textures are essential for successful manufacturing.”

Morgan Advanced Materials’ Phoenix edge CMP conditioner uses a unique design consisting of an engineered substrate with CVD diamond coating, which produces a uniform fine-textured pad surface that is essential for advance nodes. This unique conditioner design increases pad life by five times compared to standard gritted conditioners. Morgan expects the partnership with ISMI will help solve critical technology challenges, ultimately resulting in manufacturing advancements for the semiconductor industry.