Lam Research, a global leader in semiconductor fabrication equipment and services, and JSR Corporation, a leading materials innovation company and parent of Inpria Corporation, a pioneer in metal oxide photoresist solutions, announced a non-exclusive cross-licensing and collaboration agreement to accelerate advancements in semiconductor manufacturing.
This partnership is designed to speed the industry’s transition to next-generation patterning technologies, including dry resist solutions for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, and drive the development of innovative materials for atomic layer etching (ALE) and atomic layer deposition (ALD).
Combining Expertise to Advance EUV and AI-Era Chipmaking
The collaboration leverages JSR’s semiconductor materials leadership – including its cutting-edge metal oxide solutions – with Lam’s deep expertise in deposition, etch, and EUV patterning. This includes Lam’s Aether® dry resist equipment and process technology, a breakthrough that simplifies and reduces the cost of creating the intricate patterns required to manufacture chips for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC).
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Together, Lam and JSR/Inpria will focus on integrating JSR/Inpria’s resists and advanced films with Lam’s deposition and etch technologies. Areas of joint innovation include:
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Next-generation metal oxide resists for enhanced EUV performance
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Low-NA and high-NA EUV patterning for advanced semiconductor nodes
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Advanced thin films to improve scalability and performance in future manufacturing processes
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New precursor materials and processes for ALE and ALD, building on JSR’s recent acquisition of Yamanaka Hutech Corporation
Executive Perspectives
“By richly complementing Lam’s proven atomic layer deposition and etch capabilities with JSR’s deep expertise in advanced patterning materials, this collaboration enables us to accelerate innovation at a time of rising semiconductor complexity,” said Vahid Vahedi, chief technology and sustainability officer, Lam Research. “This includes driving new low-NA and high-NA EUV patterning materials and metal oxide resists and providing greater access to Aether dry resist technology.”
“At JSR, we are committed to advancing cutting-edge materials to enable our customers’ most demanding technology roadmaps,” said Toru Kimura, senior officer, JSR Corporation. “By combining JSR and Inpria’s materials expertise with Lam Research’s strengths in deposition, etch, and dry resist technologies, we aim to accelerate solutions for EUV lithography – including high NA – and support the industry to scale efficiently for the new AI era.”