Shown is a 22nm SRAM array after metal1 patterning with EUV litho and etch.
Leuven, Belgium: IMEC, the independent research centre for nanoelectronics and nanotechnology, is laying claim to the first functional 22nm CMOS SRAM cells. The devices were created with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
The 0.099μm2 SRAM cells, made with FinFETs, have both the contact and metal1 layer printed using ASML’s full-field EUV Alpha Demo Tool (ADT). The ultra-small circuit structures were fabricated with Applied Material’s advanced deposition systems.
The density of the new cells of 0.099μm2 represent a 47% area scaling compared to the 0.186μm² of IMEC’s 32nm cell reported last year. For the front-end-of-line process, IMEC used its high-k/metalgate FinFET platform. The FinFETs consist of HfO2 as dielectric and TiN as metal gate and NiPt silicide for the source/drain. The minimum active FIN pitch is 90nm.
The FinFET layers were printed with ASML’s 1900i immersion lithography tools. For the metallization of the contact holes, Applied Material’s contact processing modules were employed for inter-layer barrier Ti and TiN before tungsten fill and chemical mechanical polishing.
In its core program of electronics development, IMEC works together with IC companies; key partners in 2009 are Intel, Micron, Panasonic, Samsung, TSMC, Elpida, Hynix, Powerchip, Infineon, NXP, Qualcomm, Sony, and ST Microelectronics.