What is going on with AMAT?

Applied Materials (AMAT) reported that unveiled a new way to engineer the wiring of advanced logic chips that enables scaling to the 3nm node and beyond. The new technology, called the Endura Copper Barrier Seed IMS,  is an Integrated Materials Solution that combines seven different process technologies in one system under high vacuum: ALD, PVD, CVD, copper reflow, surface treatment, interface engineering and metrology.

What does this mean for Applied Materials?

AMAT's new technology is significant as it not only integrates seven process technologies in one system, but also includes a new materials engineering approach that increases chip performance and reduces power consumption.

“A smartphone chip has tens of billions of copper interconnects, and wiring already consumes a third of the chip’s power,” said Prabu Raja, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials. “Integrating multiple process technologies in vacuum allows us to reengineer materials and structures so that consumers can have more capable devices and longer battery life. This unique, integrated solution is designed to accelerate the performance, power and area-cost roadmaps of our customers.”

The Endura Copper Barrier Seed IMS system is now being used by leading foundry-logic customers worldwide.

Applied Materials is the world's largest supplier of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, providing materials engineering solutions to help make nearly every chip in the world. The firm's systems are used in nearly every major process step with the exception of lithography. Key tools include those for chemical and physical vapor deposition, etching, chemical mechanical polishing, wafer- and reticle-inspection, critical dimension measurement, and defect-inspection scanning electron microscopes.