February 19, 2016 – Rolla, MO, USA, and Colombes, France—Brewer Science, Inc., and Arkema France Corp. are pleased to announce the achievement of a production milestone in high-quality directed self-assembly (DSA) materials for use in semiconductor manufacturing.
Building on the partnership announced in October 2015, Brewer Science and Arkema have demonstrated pilot-scale production of DSA materials using Arkema’s block copolymer (BCP) technology and Brewer Science’s manufacturing expertise. This achievement is a step toward bringing DSA from a research level up to mainstream semiconductor production. These initial pilot-scale DSA materials are based on polystyrene-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-PMMA) and are being used to support customer DSA process evaluations.
“We have progressed more quickly toward this milestone through our partnership with Arkema than either company could have done on its own,” said Dr. Daniel Sullivan, director of Brewer Science’s semiconductor Research & Development department. Sullivan added, “We expect to similarly speed up customer process testing moving forward.” The new pilot-scale capabilities, combined with Arkema’s proven BCP blending process, will help speed up DSA process development by allowing for faster creation of many different BCP materials that can be evaluated in a semiconductor production environment.
“In addition to its intrinsic flexibility, the BCP blending technology is demonstrating better performance with respect to defects and DSA kinetics. This allows for faster process development as a wider range of process parameters can be investigated by the blended BCPs,” said Dr. Ian Cayrefourcq, Scientific Director of Arkema. Both companies will continue to combine their strengths to make DSA a reality for next-generation lithography applications.
A designer of materials and innovative solutions,Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance. Arkema’s balanced business portfolio spans high-performance materials, industrial specialties, and coating solutions. Its globally recognized brands are ranked among the leaders in the markets it serves. Reporting annual sales of €7.5 billion in 2014, Arkema employs approximately 19,200 people worldwide and operates in close to 50 countries. Arkema’s research centers in North America, France, and Asia concentrate on advances in lightweight materials, renewable feedstocks, energy generation and storage, water treatment, electronics, and 3-D printing. For the latest, visit http://www.arkema.com.
Brewer Science is a global technology leader in developing and manufacturing innovative materials, processes, and equipment for the fabrication of semiconductors and microelectronic devices. With its headquarters in Rolla, Missouri, Brewer Science supports customers throughout the world with a service and distribution network in North America, Europe, and Asia. As a 2014 SEMI Award for North America recipient for revolutionizing optical lithography with ARC® anti-reflective coatings, Brewer Science is prepared for the next generation. Are you? Find out at http://www.brewerscience.com.
PRESS CONTACT ARKEMA:
Sophie Suc
Tel.: +33 6 22 02 24 64
E-mail: sophie.suc@arkema.com
PRESS CONTACT BREWER:
Loretta Wallis
Tel.: (US) +1.573.364.0300
E-mail: mwallis@brewerscience.com