Applied Materials Achieves a New Breakthrough in Etching Technology

A groundbreaking etching technology achieves atomic-level etching precision, thereby driving the advancement of Moore’s Law. As chip architectures become increasingly sophisticated, this ultra-selective process can remove unwanted materials without damaging the chip itself. The system has already gained favor among leading chip manufacturers and is being used to produce advanced FinFET and memory chips. According to a report on June 29, Applied Materials recently achieved a new breakthrough in etching technology by launching the industry’s first ultra-selective etching tool—the AppliedProducer® Selectra™ system. By introducing entirely new material engineering capabilities, this system will help accelerate the development of 3D logic chips and memory devices.

A groundbreaking etching technology achieves atomic-level etching precision, thereby driving the advancement of Moore’s Law. As chip structures become increasingly sophisticated, this ultra-selective process can remove unwanted materials without damaging the chip itself. This system has already gained favor among leading chip manufacturers and is being used to produce advanced FinFET and memory chips.

On June 29, it was reported that Applied Materials recently achieved a new breakthrough in etching technology by launching the industry’s first ultra-selective etching tool—the Applied Producer® Selectra™ system. By introducing entirely new material engineering capabilities, this system helps continue shrinking the size of 3D logic and memory chips.

“One significant barrier to producing advanced chips is the ability to selectively remove a specific material in a multi-layer chip structure without damaging other materials,” said Dr. Shankar Venkataraman, Vice President at Applied Materials and General Manager of the Selective Removal Products Business Unit. “The Selectra system represents another major innovation in our etching portfolio, further enriching our differentiated product lineup. By enabling an ultra-selective removal process, it not only advances Moore’s Law but also opens up new market opportunities.”

As the structures of advanced microchips become increasingly complex, their deep and narrow trenches pose entirely new challenges for chip manufacturing—for instance, wet chemical etchants cannot penetrate these tiny structures, or it becomes impossible to remove unwanted materials without damaging the chip itself. The revolutionary process of the Selectra system can access extremely confined spaces, enabling unprecedented selectivity in material removal and atomic-level etching precision. This technology is suitable for a wide range of dielectric, metallic, and semiconductor thin films. Thanks to its broad process portfolio and precise control capabilities that ensure residue-free and damage-free material removal, the Selectra system significantly expands the scope of etching applications, making it ideal for critical etching processes such as patterning, logic device fabrication, foundry services, 3D NAND, and DRAM. With the rich functionality of the Selectra system, chip manufacturers can produce cutting-edge 3D devices and explore new chip architectures, materials, and integration technologies.

The Selectra system is currently in mass production in fields such as foundry, logic, and memory chips. As customers begin producing more advanced chip designs, demand for this system is expected to grow further in the future.

Key words: