UMC to adopt Black Diamond low-k material at 12-inch fabs
Samson Yu, Taipei; Jack Lu, DigiTimes.com [Friday 11 June 2004]
In addition to employing Coral-based low-k film, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) will also adopt Black Diamond low-k material from Applied Materials for processing 12-inch wafers with 90nm technology, according to a source with equipment makers.
UMC has begun installing CVD tools for employing Black Diamond material at its Singapore subsidiary UMCi, with production scheduled to begin in the second half of this year at the earliest. UMC also plans to adopt the material in its 12-inch Fab 12A in Taiwan, the source indicated.
UMC is also developing Coral-based low-k material from Novellus at 90nm node with Texas Instruments (TI) and Xilinx, with output limited to 1,000 wafers per month, as reported on May 14.
According to Applied Materials, Black Diamond low-k material allows smaller, tightly spaced interconnect wires to move electronic signals through the device at multi-gigahertz speeds. The material also offers reduced power consumption with lower crosstalk for heightened performance.
UMC competitor Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) already employs Black Diamond low-k at its 0.13-micron copper and 90nm technologies, as reported on May 14.
US-based IBM Microelectronics is pilot running Black Diamond low-k film at 90nm node and Chartered has begun using it for some of its 0.13-micron processes, according to the source.
At 0.13-micron node, UMC and IBM are still using fluoro-silicate glass (FSG) dielectric material. |
