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Materials
for Micro- and Optoelectronics
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Contact: Frank
Gayle
Materials
for Micro- and Optoelectronics
U.S. microelectronics and related industries are in fierce international
competition to design and produce smaller, lighter, faster, more functional,
and more reliable electronics products more quickly and economically than
ever before. At the same time, there has been a revolution in recent years
in new materials used in all aspects of microelectronics fabrication.
Since 1994, MSEL has worked closely with the U.S. semiconductor, component,
packaging, and assembly industries. These efforts led to the development
of an interdivisional MSEL program committed to addressing industry’s
most pressing materials measurement and standards issues central to the
development and utilization of advanced materials and material processes.
The vision that accompanies this program—to be the key resource
within the federal government for materials metrology development for
commercial microelectronics manufacturing—may be realized through
the following objectives:
- develop and deliver
standard measurements and data;
- develop and apply
in situ measurements on materials and material assemblies having micrometer-
and submicrometer-scale dimensions;
- quantify and
document the divergence of material properties from their bulk values
as dimensions are reduced and interfaces contribute strongly to properties;
- develop models
of small, complex structures to substitute for or provide guidance for
experimental measurement techniques; and
- develop fundamental
understanding of materials needed in future micro- and optoelectronics.
With these objectives in mind, the program now consists of projects led
by the Metallurgy, Polymers, Materials Reliability, and Ceramics Divisions
that examine and inform industry on key materials-related issues. These
projects are conducted with partners from industrial consortia, individual
companies, academia, and other government agencies. The program is strongly
coupled with other microelectronics programs within government and industry,
including the National Semiconductor Metrology Program (NSMP) at NIST.
Materials metrology needs also are identified through industry groups
and roadmaps, including the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors,
the IPC Lead-free Solder Roadmap, the National Electronics Manufacturing
Initiative Roadmap, the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association
roadmaps, and the National [Magnetic Data] Storage Industry Consortium
(NSIC).
Although there is increasing integration within various branches of
microelectronics and optoelectronics, the field can be considered in three
main areas:
- The first, microelectronics,
includes needs ranging from integrated circuit fabrication to component
packaging to final assembly. MSEL programs address materials metrology
needs in each of these areas, including lithographic polymers and electrodeposition
of interconnects, electrical, mechanical, and physical property measurement
of dielectrics (interlevel, packaging, and wireless applications), and
packaging and assembly processes (lead-free solders, solder interconnect
design, thermal stress analysis, and co-fired ceramics).
- The second major
area is optoelectronics, which includes work that often crosses over
into electronic and wireless applications. Projects currently address
residual stress measurement in optoelectronic films, optical and structural
characterization of wide bandgap semiconductors, and standards development
for III-V compound semiconductors. Cross-laboratory collaborations with
EEEL figure prominently in this work.
- The third area
is magnetic data storage, where the market potential is vast and growing,
and the technical challenges extreme. NSIC plans to demonstrate a recording
density of 1 terabit per square inch—40 times today’s level—by
2006. To reach these goals, new materials are needed that have smaller
grain structures, can be produced as thin films, and can be deposited
uniformly and economically. New lubricants are needed to prevent wear
as spacing between the disk and head becomes smaller than the mean free
path of air molecules. Some measurements require calibration of magnetometers
using certified magnetic standards in several different shapes and magnetic
strengths, and with a wide range in magnetic character. We are working
with the magnetic recording industry to develop measurement tools, modeling
software, and standards to help achieve these goals and with the Electronics
and Electrical Engineering Laboratory, the Physics Laboratory, the Information
Technology Laboratory, and the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory
as partners in this effort.
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Date
created:
August 17, 2001
Last modified:
Aug. 02, 2007
Contact: inquiries@nist.gov
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