New news about the effects of the chip shortage, such as the closure of auto plants and sluggish PC sales, are breaking daily; the supply chain disruption caused by COVID-19, combined with increased demand, has caught many companies off-guard.

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The causes of the chip shortage crisis have been widely discussed, but what about specific solutions? How can semiconductor manufacturers add new production capacity to meet demand as quickly as possible?

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While there is much talk about investing in the construction of new chip plants, these traditional methods of increasing manufacturing capacity typically take several quarters or even years to materialize. Building a new plant is prohibitively expensive, time-consuming, and takes years from planning to construction, and realistically does not close the gap in the short to medium term. Similarly, adding additional processing equipment is capital-intensive, takes many quarters to realize, and is often limited by a lack of cleanroom floor space and equipment lead times of 6-12 months or more.

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Instead, we need to look for smarter and more creative ways to increase throughput and yield. That way, we can produce more chips in the fabs we already have without the need for lengthy buildings and equipment.

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Methodologies have been developed over the years to address the need to increase productivity faster and for less money. One famous example is CopyExactly!Pioneered by Intel 20 years ago, this methodology was designed to reduce process risk and expand overall factory manufacturing capacity. But as semiconductors became more complex and processes advanced, so did the technology and metrology required to support advanced manufacturing applications.

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To make better use of today's existing facilities, which are increasingly focused on advanced process notes and technologies, you need innovative solutions that are fit for purpose to support advanced process control and that can do so quickly and easily.

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At Atnerup, which I founded and lead, the mass spectrometry team is pioneering just such a solution with Aston, a new advanced molecular sensor platform for semiconductor metrology. real-time molecular profiling that supports today's advanced process control needs.

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Aston has seen process throughput units improve by more than 40% in certain applications. This is a huge improvement. Even a 1% improvement in overall fab throughput can translate into tens of millions of dollars in annual output for a typical fab."
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Aston demonstrated the ability to quickly retrofit and optimize existing production lines to reduce process time, increase throughput, and improve yield results within weeks.

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Aston is a robust platform that can replace multiple legacy instruments and provides an unprecedented level of control in a comprehensive set of applications including lithography, dielectric and conductive etch and deposition, chamber clean, chamber matching, static elimination The system offers an unprecedented level of control in a comprehensive set of applications including lithography, dielectric and conductive etching and deposition, chamber clean, chamber matching, and ionization. With an integrated plasma ionization source, it is robust enough to be used in harsh manufacturing environments with corrosive gases and condensation particles.

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Fast and practical, endpoint detection (EPD) is the most efficient way to operate semiconductor manufacturing equipment and plants. Until now, EPD has not been able to be implemented in many process steps. This is because the required in-situ sensors could not withstand the harsh processes and chamber cleaners, or clog due to condensate buildup, or lack sensitivity and chemical specificity.

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Traditionally, factories have been forced to use fixed-time etch or additional etch stop layers to ensure process margins; Aston overcomes this challenge and enables EPD by accurately detecting process end on the fly. This detection includes chamber cleaning after the end of the process, reducing required cleaning time by up to 80%.

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Using Aston, we have seen an increase in unit process throughput of over 40% in some applications. This is a significant improvement. Even a 1% improvement in overall fab throughput can translate into tens of millions of dollars in annual output for a typical fab.

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In fact, Aston has already helped three of the world's top five fabs improve yield, throughput, and efficiency.

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Analysts predict that the worst chip shortages will begin to improve later this year, with more chips moving through the supply chain by 2022. The challenge now for chipmakers is to do this without investing billions of dollars in the problem.

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We believe that innovative measurement solutions will play a major role in resolving this crisis and will also be essential in preventing the next one.

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Please join us for a deep dive webinar on Aston, hosted by SemiWiki.com, on Tuesday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. In this webinar, Dr. Saïd Boumsellek, Senior Director of Instrumentation and Applications at Atonarp, will discuss how Aston improves fab throughput and enables in-situ metrology solutions for advanced CVD and etch applications. and in-situ metrology solutions for advanced CVD and etch applications. Click here to register.