Seeking to expand IBM’s logic scaling roadmap, the company is partnering with Lam Research on new processes and materials to support sub-1 nm logic scaling.
The agreement will focus on the joint development of novel materials, fabrication processes and high-numerical aperture (High-NA) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
Under the five-year agreement, the work will focus on developing:
- New materials
- Advanced etch and deposition capabilities
- New high NA EUV lithography processes
These tools will help to enable future interconnect, device patterning and accelerate industry adoption.
The companies will use IBM’s research facilities at the NY Creates Albany NanoTech Complex and will utilize Lam’s end-to-end process tools and innovations including Aether dray resist technology, Kiyo and Akara etch platforms, Striker and Altus Halo deposition system and advanced packaging technologies.
This combination will seek to build and validate full process flows for nanosheet and nanostack devices and backside power delivery. This will allow High NA EUV patterns to be reliably transferred into real device layers with high yield and allow for continued scaling, improved performance and viable paths to production of future logic devices, the companies said.
"As the industry enters a new era of 3D scaling, progress depends on rethinking how materials, processes, and lithography come together as a single, high-density system," said Vahid Vahedi, chief technology and sustainability officer at Lam Research. "We are proud to build on our successful collaboration with IBM to drive HighNA EUV dry resist and process breakthroughs, accelerating the development of lower power and higher performance transistors that will be critical for AI era."
