With the rapid spread of HBM and 3D stacking-based advanced packaging technologies driven by increasing demand for AI computing, Applied Materials has simultaneously released six new semiconductor equipment products targeting the entire related manufacturing process. It consists of three types of core process equipment for advanced packaging, two types of electron beam measurement and defect review systems, and one type of epitaxy system for DRAM.

On the 29th, Applied Materials unveiled a new lineup of semiconductor manufacturing systems that support the 3D architecture required to implement next-generation AI chips.

The new products include a total of six types: Opta Quad CMP platform, Nokota Vmax 2 ECD system, Producer Avila 2 PECVD system, VeritySEM 7AP, SEMVision G7AP, and Centura Prime epi system.

The Opta Quad CMP platform is a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system designed exclusively for advanced packaging.

By monitoring the wafer status in real-time and dynamically controlling it during polishing, the performance of wafer uniformity and total thickness variation (TTV) control was enhanced.

It is used to ensure the surface flatness required in the hybrid bonding process.

The Nokota Vmax 2 ECD system enables high-precision copper plating in a wide range of advanced packaging processes, from TSV filling to microbump formation.

Adaptive Pattern Tuning (APT) technology was applied to correct deviations caused by the circuit layout and improve plating uniformity across the wafer.

The company explained that the Producer Avila 2 PECVD system improves the mechanical stability of ultra-thin DRAM dies by depositing a dielectric film with balanced internal stress around the TSV, and is applicable to high-stacking HBM processes of 12 layers, 16 layers or more.

Prabhu Raja, President of Applied Materials’ Semiconductor Products Group (SPG), stated, “The complexity of next-generation 3D architectures demands a new level of precision at every process step,” adding, “Our leadership in dielectric CVD, ECD, and CMP and "Process integration expertise will serve as the foundation for securing 3D additive structure yields for customers," he said.

Two electron beam systems were also unveiled in response to the growing need for wafer fab-level defect management in advanced packaging fabs.

VeritySEM 7AP stated that it precisely measures features even on thick substrates with mixed heterogeneous materials and substrates with severe warping, and provides measurement sensitivity of less than 10 nm.

SEMVision G7AP enables high-resolution defect review and automatic classification across silicon, organic, and glass substrates, and is reported to have already been adopted by some memory and logic manufacturers supporting high-volume advanced packaging.

Keith Wells, Vice President of the Imaging and Process Control Group at Applied Materials, explained, “Even in packaging fabs, there is a growing need for electron beam-grade precision to accurately detect and classify defects,” adding, “Both systems are specifically designed to address the substrate characteristics and defect challenges unique to 3D architectures.”

The upgraded Centura Prime epi system selectively grows doped silicon germanium (SiGe) and silicon phosphide (SiP) in the source and drain regions of peripheral DRAM transistors to increase driving current and transistor efficiency.

The company stated that the equipment installation area has also been reduced by 20% compared to existing standards, which is advantageous for expanding production capacity within the DRAM fab.