SEMATECH and Newly Merged SUNY CNSE/SUNYIT Launch New Patterning Center to Further Advance Materials Development

Albany, New York (PRWEB) August 11, 2014

SEMATECH and the newly merged SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) / SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) announced they have launched their joint Patterning Center of Excellence. The new Center will leverage the CNSE/SUNYIT lithography infrastructure which includes state-of-the-art film deposition and etch capability, leading-edge patterning systems and SEMATECH’s Resist Materials Development Center’s (RMDC) world class EUV imaging capabilities.

The Patterning Center of Excellence (CoE) will enable lithography equipment and lithographic materials manufacturing companies access to a vertically integrated semiconductor processing facility. The new Center aims to reduce the tangible and intangible costs of developing critical lithography materials for individual semiconductor companies. CNSE has continued to build capability, enabling technological excellence as represented by the Center for Semiconductor Research (CSR), a leading-edge research center valued at more than $1 billion established at CNSE in May 2005; the Global 450 Consortium (G450C), which is focused on building the 450mm wafer and equipment development environment; and by CNSE’s membership in SEMATECH.

“Building on SEMATECH’s recent achievements in mask blank and resist, the new Patterning Center will provide the critical capabilities that will continue to produce the results that our members and the industry need to show that EUV lithography is manufacturable,” said Michael Lercel Senior Director and Chief Technologist at SEMATECH. “Furthermore, the new Center will provide an excellent platform for advancing cost-effective semiconductor materials and process solutions needed to enable EUV and emerging patterning technologies.”

“The new Patterning Center further builds on the world-class capabilities enabled by the SEMATECH-CNSE/SUNYIT partnership to support the commercialization of EUVL technologies,” said Dr. Michael Liehr, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology of the newly merged CNSE/SUNYIT. "New York State continues to chart a pioneering path for the semiconductor industry under the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, and we are delighted to support the advanced technology needs of our global corporate partners and the industry."

Advances in lithographic patterning critically depend on the timely availability of enabling resists and materials. The new center, a vital component that builds on SEMATECH’s mask blank and novel imaging efforts, will enable companies to assess their materials, test new tooling, and validate designs for the manufacturing EUVL and other next-generation technologies through access to the newly merged CNSE/SUNYIT’s advanced fabrication facilities.

“The challenges for advanced lithography are developing resist processes that meet the stringent resolution, linewidth roughness, and sensitivity specifications,” said Kevin Cummings, SEMATECH’s Director of Lithography. “These processes will not be available in time without intervention, and the Patterning Center is the place where the industry’s the most advanced technologists can come together and partner to commercialize extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and other technologies for the manufacturing of future nanoelectronics devices.”

“The industry is at a crossroads,” said Warren Montgomery, Assistant Vice President of Advanced Technology and Business Development at the newly merged CNSE/SUNYIT. “The high cost of R&D has made it very difficult to do the research and development needed to continue the drive to smaller and smaller features sizes. The creation of collaborative ‘centers’ like the Centers of Excellence at CNSE and this newly created Patterning Center, being created by CNSE and SEMATECH, will enable R&D to continue while keeping the economics reasonable.”

“SEMATECH remains committed to finding cost-effective solutions through its connections with a broad base of member company engineers, suppliers, and academic researchers to ensure the affordable evolution of emerging lithography technologies,” said Edward Barth Director of Strategic Growth Initiatives at SEMATECH. “Building on SEMATECH’s latest development efforts in mask and novel imaging, the new Center will provide an excellent platform for advancing cost-effective semiconductor materials and process solutions for future nanoelectronics devices.”

Over the past decade, SEMATECH has enabled fast cycle time of resist and materials development by providing the industry access to successive generations of small field exposure tools. In addition, SEMATECH’s projects have succeeded in measuring the outgassing characteristics in hundreds of EUV resists and materials formulations, and delivering thousands of EUV exposure shifts to member companies that have enabled tens of thousands of materials formulations to be evaluated.

CNSE/SUNYIT has, over the past decade, enabled advanced 193nm resist and materials development, etch characterization, defect characterization and integrated process flow demonstration to its partner ecosystem.

SEMATECH and CNSE/SUNYIT’s new Patterning Center is taking the collaboration with CNSE/SUNY IT and its global ecosystem and research network one step further by enabling them to share the costs for advancing resist and materials and process development to support the critical needs of industry.

For more information on membership benefits and participation in the Patterning Center of Excellence, please contact Edward Barth at edward.barth(at)sematech(dot)org, Kevin Cummings at kevin.cummings(at)sematech(dot)org, or Warren Montgomery at wmontgomery(at)sunycnse(dot)com.

About SEMATECH. For over 25 years, SEMATECH®, the international consortium of leading semiconductor device, equipment, and materials manufacturers, has set global direction, enabled flexible collaboration, and bridged strategic R&D to manufacturing. Through our unwavering commitment to foster collaboration across the nanoelectronics industry, we help our members and partners address critical industry transitions, drive technical consensus, pull research into the industry mainstream, improve manufacturing productivity, and reduce risk and time to market. Information about SEMATECH can be found at http://www.sematech.org. Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sematech

About SUNY CNSE. The SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) is the world leader in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, and nanoeconomics. CNSE represents the world’s most advanced university-driven research enterprise, with more than $20 billion in high-tech investments and over 300 corporate partners. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 3,100 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty. CNSE maintains a statewide footprint, operating the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester, and the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua. CNSE co-founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) at SUNYIT and is lead developer of the Marcy Nanocenter site in Utica, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Complex, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information, visit http://www.sunycnse.com.

About SUNYIT. SUNYIT, the State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, is New York’s public polytechnic, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in technology and professional studies. Its academic offerings in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies, and its programs in professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing, are complemented by athletics, recreational, cultural and campus life programs, events, and activities. Founded in 1966, SUNYIT is a unique high-tech learning environment on hundreds of acres, offering degree programs online as well as on campus. The SUNYIT family of alumni now numbers 25,000. For information, visit http://www.sunyit.edu.

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