Advanced Memory Development Center

The Unit Process Department is committed to the establishment of various manufacturing processes necessary for memory development. Circuit patterns are transferred onto the wafer through thin-film deposition and optical lithography exposure. Manufacturing processes are supported by various fundamental technologies, including nanofabrication technologies such as plasma-based reactive ion etching (RIE) and wet cleaning and etching; chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), i.e., a polishing process combining chemical and mechanical forces; and ion implantation. The Unit Process Department is responsible for the conceptual design of these fundamental technologies necessary to realize the next-generation device structure; the evaluation and verification of manufacturing machines and materials based on the conceptual designs; and productivity improvement. For process development, the Unit Process Department collaborates not only with internal parties but also with material and manufacturing machine manufacturers.

The Process Integration Department designs a process recipe to realize the structures of next-generation devices. Its role is to establish the optimum manufacturing process flow through repeated prototype experimentation and simulation. The structures of prototype devices are analyzed using state-of-the-art testing and measuring technologies compatible with new structures. The Process Integration Department is committed to process verification to establish manufacturing process flows with high reliability and productivity.

The Device Department designs devices for the next-generation products as well as the final products by integrating these devices. The electrical characteristics of evaluation devices called TEGs^*1 and products are optimized through repeated computer simulations using TCAD^*2 tools and prototype experiments. In the event of any failure being detected in the TEG or product, the Device Department identifies its causes through electrical and physical analysis and seeks solutions in cooperation with the Unit Process and Process Integration Departments. The Device Department coordinates entire development projects and establishes mass-production technologies for next-generation products.