Electronics Solutions

Comments by Ken Seibert, Global Market Manager for Device Fabrication and Jeroen Bloemhard on the subject of driving semiconductor productivity with lower cost of ownership (CoO) follows:

Jeroen Bloemhard, Global Executive Director, Electronics and Advanced Technologies Industry, Dow Corning Corp.

We continue to see the number of new materials needed for advanced CMOS grow exponentially with every new DRAM half-pitch technology node (often referred to as "More Moore"). Moreover, we are seeing additional new material requirements arise for complementary devices, such as MEMS and passives ("More Than Moore"). The very nature of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) fosters opportunities for new processes and material applications in low- and high-k dielectrics, high-aspect-ratio gap-fill dielectrics, and dielectrics that can be deposited at lower thermal processing temperatures — particularly for silicon-based photoresists and antireflective coatings because of their superior etch resistance.

In the "More Than Moore" scenario, we see material opportunities evolving with the integration of heterogeneous devices on a single chip (system-on-a-chip [SOC]), as well as from new advanced system-in-a-package (SiP) technologies, such as 3-D integration and wafer-level packaging (WLP) techniques. As predicted, the cost for R&D has been, and will continue to, grow exponentially, highlighting the critical need for collaboration. We continue to see that strategic partnerships between device manufacturers, equipment suppliers and state-of-the-art microelectronics R&D centers will be the most effective way to bring innovative solutions to the market quicker and at a lower cost.

Their comments appear along with viewpoints from chief executives at other companies that supply semiconductor equipment and materials. View the entire Executive Outlook section.

Contact about this release: Rhonda Bovin