Metal oxide material enables patterning architectures

“The SAP platform is a breakthrough in the way manufacturers can deal with ever growing challenges faced by the semiconductor industry,” said Jonathan Glen, Chairman and Managing Director of PiBond. “It is a simple solution to the current road block that is holding back the development of a new generations of devices demanded by the market.”

The material developed by PiBond has the ability to withstand variable aggressive reactive ion etch conditions. The patent granted materials boast etch selectivity to silicon that exceeds 100,000:1 - improving the control of critical dimensions, and enabling patterning architectures previously unachievable with conventional techniques. The SAP products are easy-to-apply and easy-to-remove spin coated materials which can be processed using existing coating infrastructure.

As well as working as normal hard-masks, SAP’s photo-patterned metal oxide materials are expected to revolutionise pattern and etch cost structures by the elimination of cumbersome thick photoresists as well as costly and slow plasma vapor deposition tools. With a photo-patterned SAP product PiBond anticipates to reduce costs considerably. “We believe this material platform will fundamentally change how our users approach patterning these demanding architecturesn” added Dr. Thomas Gädda, Director at PiBond.

SAP products are anticipated to become the go-to material not only in the MEMS industry but also in DRAM memory capacitor trench generations and 3D IC Through Silicon Via (TSV) patterning and in particular the System-on-Package backside illuminated CMOS image sensor.