Contributes to cost reduction and power saving in the leading-edge semiconductors manufacturing
TOKYO, April 30, 2024 -- FUJIFILM Corporation (President and CEO, Representative Director: Teiichi Goto) today announced the launch of the Nanoimprint Resist. The Nanoimprint Resist is a semiconductor material compatible with nanoimprint lithography semiconductor manufacturing technology and will be provided in Japan through FUJIFILM Electronics Materials Corporation (President: Shigeki Kobayashi), a core company in the electronic materials business.
Driven by high-speed, high-capacity communications through 5G/6G, the expansion of autonomous driving, and the spread of AI and the metaverse, demand for advanced semiconductors with higher performance is expected to increase. Last year, nanoimprint lithography was commercialized as a new manufacturing technology that can produce high-performance semiconductors at low cost and with low power consumption. Unlike photolithography, which is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing, nanoimprint lithography does not require development and rinse processes or complex optical systems for exposure. Nanoimprint lithography is expected to expand particularly in the advanced semiconductor segment as it offers the advantage of producing high performance semiconductors at lower cost and with lower power consumption than photolithography.
The Nanoimprint Resist is newly designed with a molecular structure optimized for nanoimprint lithography. It was developed based on detailed analysis of the resist’s flow behavior during the imprinting process and the interaction of resist with wafer surfaces and masks, utilizing the knowledge and technology that the company has cultivated in the development of photoresists. The Nanoimprint Resist can quickly and uniformly fill the complex circuit patterns engraved on the mask, and transfer and form nanometer-scale circuit patterns in a short time. Furthermore, after curing by UV radiation, the Nanoimprint Resist shows excellent mold-releasing properties that do not cause loss of circuits even when the mask is removed at high speed. This enables the improvement of throughput - patterning throughput per hour - and yield improvement due to low defects, which have been issues for the practical application of nanoimprint lithography and contributes to cost reduction and energy saving in the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors.
In brief
FUJIFILM Corporation announced the launch of Nanoimprint Resist, a semiconductor material designed for use with nanoimprint lithography. The product will be offered in Japan through FUJIFILM Electronics Materials Corporation. Fujifilm says the resist can fill mask patterns, form nanoscale circuits and release from the mold after ultraviolet curing, supporting throughput and yield improvements. The company says the material uses an inkjet formulation that can reduce resist consumption to approximately 1/100 of the amount used with spin coating, based on its trial calculation. The resist uses a hydrocarbon release agent rather than PFAS. Fujifilm says the product extends its semiconductor materials portfolio and is intended to support manufacturing that uses less cost and power.
Key takeaways
- Fujifilm launched a resist designed for nanoimprint lithography in semiconductor manufacturing.
- The product will be provided in Japan through FUJIFILM Electronics Materials Corporation.
- Fujifilm says inkjet application can reduce resist use to approximately 1/100 of spin coating.
- The resist uses a hydrocarbon release agent instead of PFAS.
In addition, by utilizing the technology Fujifilm has cultivated through the development of industrial inkjet printers, the company has realized a formulation design that allows the optimum amount of droplets to be applied to the wafer surface using an inkjet method. Compared to the spin-coating method*1 used in the current manufacturing process, the amount of resist used can be reduced to approximately 1/100*2. The Nanoimprint Resist uses a hydrocarbon compound as a release agent instead of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of synthetic chemicals whose use is increasingly regulated due to concerns over their impact on the environment and ecosystems.
By providing its Nanoimprint Resist, Fujifilm will continue to promote the spread and expansion of new manufacturing technology that contributes to cost reduction and power saving in the leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing.
Fujifilm provides photoresists, process chemicals, polyimides, and other process materials for semiconductor manufacturing from front-end to back-end processes, as well as Wave Control Mosaic (WCM) such as color filter materials for image sensors. As a semiconductor materials manufacturer providing one-stop solutions covering from leading-edge to legacy semiconductors, Fujifilm is working to meet the needs of customers and solve their issues. With the addition of the Nanoimprint Resist suitable for cutting-edge semiconductors to its product lineup, Fujifilm will continue to contribute to the further development of the semiconductor industry by offering these wide-ranging products and developing products compatible with new manufacturing technologies.
- *1 A method of creating a resist thin film by dropping resist onto a wafer and rotating the wafer at high speed.
- *2 Trial calculation by Fujifilm
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FUJIFILM Corporation
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Questions around this news
How does nanoimprint lithography differ from photolithography?
The release describes nanoimprint lithography as forming circuit patterns by pressing a patterned mask into resist, rather than using the complex optical exposure systems associated with photolithography. It also says nanoimprint lithography does not require the development and rinse steps used in photolithography. The release presents the approach as a lower-cost, lower-power option for making advanced semiconductors.
What role does resist play in nanoimprint lithography?
Resist is the material that receives and preserves the mask’s circuit pattern. Fujifilm says its new resist is designed to fill detailed patterns evenly, then harden under ultraviolet light so the pattern remains when the mask is lifted away. The release says these properties are intended to support faster patterning and fewer defects.
How much resist can the inkjet application method save?
Fujifilm estimates that its inkjet formulation design can reduce the amount of resist used to approximately one-hundredth of the amount used with spin coating. The release identifies this as a company trial calculation and compares it with the spin-coating method used in the current manufacturing process. The figure is an estimate, not a general result for every production line.
Why does the new resist use a hydrocarbon release agent instead of PFAS?
The release says the resist uses a hydrocarbon compound as its release agent in place of PFAS. It describes PFAS as a group of synthetic chemicals whose use is increasingly regulated amid concerns about effects on the environment and ecosystems. The announcement does not provide further comparative performance or environmental-impact data for the two types of release agent.
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