Applied Materials

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      ALDAtomic Layer DepositionHKMG

    


  * At 22nm, the heart of the transistor gate - its dielectric film stack - must
    be atomically engineered
  * Challenge: Forming atomically thin film stacks with clean, precisely-
    controlled interfaces
  * Solution: Performing multiple process steps, including advanced high-k ALD
    technology, entirely under vacuum

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 12, 2011 - Applied Materials, Inc. today launched its
Applied Centura(®) Integrated Gate Stack(TM) system for creating the critical
gate dielectric structures in 22nm logic chips. This system is the only tool
available that can process the entire high-k multilayer stack in a single vacuum
environment, thus preserving the integrity of its critical film interfaces. This
capability is vital to maximizing transistor speed and minimizing power
consumption in leading-edge microprocessor and graphics chips.

As logic chips scale down to the 22nm node and beyond, the heart of the
transistor gate structure, its dielectric film stack, is becoming so thin that
it must be atomically engineered. To meet this challenge, the Integrated Gate
Stack system features Applied's advanced atomic layer deposition (ALD)
technology, which builds ultra-thin, hafnium-based layers less than 2nm in
thickness - about one hundred thousandth the width of a human hair - a fraction
of a monolayer at a time, with unmatched uniformity across the wafer.

More importantly, as these films become thinner, the interfaces between adjacent
layers become more crucial. The new Integrated Gate Stack system fabricates the
entire gate dielectric gate stack - involving typically four process steps -
entirely under vacuum. This unique approach avoids contamination of the
interfaces from exposure to ambient air which can degrade transistor
performance. Applied's researchers have found that eliminating air exposure
during processing offers a significant performance boost: mobility in the
transistor can improve by up to 10% and switching voltage variability between
transistors can be reduced by up to 40%, enabling the manufacture of faster,
higher-value chips.

"Tomorrow's nanoscale transistors require incredible precision because films
just a few atoms thick will determine device performance," said Steve Ghanayem,
group vice president and general manager of the Metal Deposition, Front End and
ALD Products division at Applied Materials. "By combining multiple adjacent
processing steps on our world-class Centura platform, we can simplify customers'
process flows and help them achieve high production yields of their next-
generation logic chips."

"There is a tremendous increase in chip complexity as we move to the 20nm era
and one of the biggest changes is at the transistor level where we are seeing a
complete redesign of this important building block for electronic devices. Our
customers saw the benefit of Applied's Metal Gate Stack solution and worked with
us on the same integrated approach for the dielectric gate stack," said Dr.
Randhir Thakur, executive vice president and general manager of the Silicon
Systems Group at Applied Materials. "The new Centura Integrated Gate Stack
system is the latest of several innovative systems Applied has launched in
recent months, all designed to enable our customers to transition their cutting-
edge transistor designs from the lab to high volume manufacturing."

Applied Materials will showcase its Centura Integrated Gate Stack technology at
Semicon West in San Francisco from July 12-14. For more information, visit
www.appliedmaterials.com/events/semicon-west-2011.

Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in providing
innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of
advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Our
technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar
panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the
world. At Applied Materials, we turn today's innovations into the industries of
tomorrow. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.

# # #

Contact:
Connie Duncan (editorial/media) 408.563.6209
Michael Sullivan (financial community) 408.986.7977




The Applied Centura Integrated Gate Stack system.: 
http://hugin.info/143724/R/1530242/465505.jpg




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