Entegris, Imec Collaborate on 3D Wafer Development

Entegris, Inc.

, a leader in contamination control and materials handling technologies for highly demanding advanced manufacturing environments, and imec, a world-leading research center in nanoelectronics, announced they are collaborating to advance the development and broaden the adoption of 3D integrated circuits. 3D IC technology, a process by which multiple semiconductor dies are stacked into a single device, is aimed at increasing the functionality and performance of next-generation integrated circuits while reducing footprint and power consumption. It is a key technology to enable the next generation of portable electronics such as smartphones and tablets that require smaller ICs which consume less power. One of the key steps in 3D IC manufacturing process entails thinning semiconductor wafers while they are bonded to carrier substrates. Handling such thinned 3D IC wafers during the production process can result in wafer breakage, edge damage, and particle generation. A standardized, fully automated solution that supports the handling of multiple types of wafers would result in a significant cost reduction and pave the way toward further development and scaling of 3D IC technologies. Imec and Entegris are working on creating a solution to safely transfer and