The change of metal materials will affect the research and development direction of semiconductor equipment in China
In the past 20 years, the first transistor contacts and wires have undergone a major change in metal materials, which can remove the main performance bottlenecks in wafer manufacturing processes of 7nm and below. Due to the electrical performance of tungsten (W) in transistor contacts and the local terminal metal wire manufacturing process of copper (Cu), both have approached the physical limit and become bottlenecks that cannot fully play their performance. So chip designers can replace tungsten and copper with cobalt (Co) metal below 7nm, improving chip performance by 15%.
Tungsten and copper are important metal materials used in advanced manufacturing processes at present. However, tungsten and copper have poor adhesion to the insulating Layer, so they both need a Liner Layer to increase the adhesion between metal and insulating Layer.
In addition, in order to avoid preventing tungsten and copper atoms from diffusing into the insulating layer and affecting the electrical properties of the chip, there must be a barrier layer.
At present, etching and thin film are the fastest developing semiconductor equipment in China. This part aims at entering the production line of mainstream manufacturers, obtaining certification and establishing mass production data. The long-term goal of entering the crystal control process of advanced manufacturing process is quite clear.
However, compared with the technical level of the international mainstream semiconductor equipment manufacturers, Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers are still followers. Therefore, the establishment of the trend of cobalt replacing tungsten and copper will affect the research and development direction of Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers, especially etching and thin film.
