en.Wedoany.com Reported - Applied Materials, Inc. has introduced two new chip manufacturing systems designed to address the challenges of precision processing in advanced 3D semiconductor structures. These systems, used for deposition and etching, help chip manufacturers achieve further scaling in logic and memory, delivering higher performance, better energy efficiency, and improved manufacturing yields for next-generation AI chips.
The surge in AI computing is accelerating the industry's transition to advanced 3D device architectures such as Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors and high-layer-count 3D NAND. As features in these vertical structures become deeper and narrower, traditional deposition and etching processes struggle to distribute materials uniformly from top to bottom, leading to variations that degrade electrical performance and yield. To address this challenge, Applied Materials has launched the Centris™ Spectral™ SiN ALD and Producer™ Selectra™ Mo Etch systems. Together, these systems provide chip manufacturers with precise control over dielectric film deposition and metal removal in high-aspect-ratio structures, enabling more uniform material engineering to support continued 3D scaling, resulting in better device performance, tighter process control, and improved manufacturability.
Dr. Prabu Raja, President of the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials, stated that as the industry pushes the limits of AI computing, the greatest opportunities lie in material engineering. Chip manufacturers need new methods to precisely deposit and selectively remove materials in complex 3D architectures, and the new systems offer differentiated capabilities to help customers overcome scaling barriers and accelerate innovation. The Centris Spectral SiN ALD system utilizes innovative high-density microwave plasma technology to deposit high-quality silicon nitride (SiN) films within deep, narrow structures, eliminating the trade-off between plasma density and ion-induced damage seen in traditional methods. This system enables dense, uniform SiN deposition at low temperatures, suitable for continued scaling in DRAM and logic devices, such as forming high-quality contact liners in GAA transistors to reduce resistance and capacitance. The system is based on Applied Materials' new Spectral ALD platform, which features a state-of-the-art four-reactor design with precise chemical delivery, multiple plasma and thermal processing capabilities, and dedicated hardware for time- and spatial-ALD operations, enabling the creation of a variety of advanced films for cutting-edge AI chips. The Spectral SiN ALD system has been adopted by leading chip manufacturers.
The Producer Selectra Mo Etch system introduces new capabilities for selective metal removal, enabling precise and uniform word line separation across the entire 3D NAND stack. By engineering process control and advanced gas delivery, this system overcomes the limitations of wet etching in deep features, achieving superior top-to-bottom uniformity and profile precision, helping to reduce leakage current and improve data retention. The Selectra Mo Etch has been validated in high-volume manufacturing, supporting the transition from traditional wet processes to next-generation 3D NAND scaling, and expanding the Selectra product portfolio from dielectric and silicon applications to advanced metal integration, opening new opportunities in NAND, DRAM, and foundry logic.
Applied Materials will showcase these innovations at the 2026 IEEE Symposium on VLSI Technology & Circuits, and will host a panel discussion on June 16 to explore how system architecture, logic and memory technologies, advanced packaging, and manufacturing can be co-optimized to drive AI-powered computing.
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