Applied Materials Sees Record Adoption of New AdvantEdge Silicon Etch Technology

Applied Materials, Inc. unveiled its new Applied Centura AdvantEdge Mesa system for creating nano-scale circuit features with angstrom-level precision in next-generation DRAM, Flash and Logic devices. As a result of this critical breakthrough in silicon etch technology, Applied has experienced very rapid demand for the AdvantEdge Mesa system. More than 60 chambers have shipped to customers in the last three months – where they are tool-of-record for 32nm chip production and 22nm development.

“Our customers’ enthusiastic adoption of the AdvantEdge Mesa system illustrates the industry’s strong unmet need for etch technology capable of fabricating high-density memory devices and energy-efficient microprocessors,” said Ellie Yieh, corporate vice president and general manager of Applied’s Etch business division. “By freeing chipmakers from the need to compensate for systematic non-uniformity limitations, the Mesa system can be a critical tool for helping customers shrink circuit features, control leakage current and achieve the high production yields necessary to build the smart mobile devices of the future.”

Key to the AdvantEdge Mesa system is its new inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) source design, which eliminates the characteristic “etch signature” that has limited the performance of all previous ICP-based systems. The Mesa’s ICP source provides a truly flat, uniform profile, enabling precise transfer of lithography patterns out to the extreme edge of the wafer to significantly increase die yield.