Semiconductor Materials: Key Industry Growth Enabler – Insights From SMC Korea 2024
With semiconductor materials key enablers of industry growth, experts gathered at SMC Korea to explore the materials market challenges and opportunities ahead.
Advances in semiconductor materials and transistor structures will be crucial for continuous scaling of logic devices, and EUV technology will be essential in driving these innovations, Seong Tae Oh, a Fellow at TEL, said in his keynote address at SMC (Strategic Materials Conference) Korea 2024 in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea in late May. While stochastic noise in EUV lithography can hamper chip performance, he expressed confidence that material innovation will enable the industry to overcome that key challenge.
In his presentation titled Process Technologies for Continuous Scaling of Logic Devices, Oh described a roadmap for the future of semiconductor scaling, noting that the density of logic semiconductors is increasing by 1.74 times every two years. At the same time, SRAM density is rising by 1.49 times. Key factors driving this trend include advancements in materials, transistor structures, and EUV lithography.
Oh predicted that by 2025, 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) nanosheet transistors process will be available, by 2029 10-angstrom nodes with CFET transistors will materialize, and by 2033 5-angstrom nodes will emerge with third-generation CFET technology.
He also outlined TEL’s three initiatives for advancing etch technology towards EUV lithography:
- Improving post-lithography variation through repeated deposition and etch processes
- Enhancing mask selectivity by leaving film on resist
- Leveraging collaborations with imec and ASML to develop patterning solutions for the high-NA (numerical aperture) generation
Seong Tae Oh, Fellow at TEL
Oh was among 14 renowned visionaries from leading companies in the industry to present under theme Materials Resilience: Navigating Challenges, Embracing Opportunities. Attended by about 300 industry professionals, the 9th annual SMC Korea featured insights not only representatives from semiconductor materials companies but also thought leaders from equipment manufacturers, chipmakers, and research institutes. The event’s goal: Drive toward a holistic approach to addressing industry challenges. The presentations focused on key issues including sustainability and supply chain continuity from an ecosystem-wide perspective.
Following the keynote speech, presenters offered insights on the outlook for the global semiconductor materials market, shifts in the supply chain, and the challenges facing the materials industry.
SOURCE: SEMI Blog
