Lam Research announced the launch of Lam Cryo 3.0, a low-temperature etching technology designed to accelerate the scaling of 3D NAND memory for the artificial intelligence era. The technology is expected to help memory manufacturers achieve 10-layer 1000D NAND memory within 3 years.
Lam Cryo 3.0 is Lam's production-proven third-generation low-temperature dielectric etching technology. It utilizes ultra-low temperature, high-power confined plasma reactor technology and innovative surface chemistry to achieve higher precision and more controllable profile etching operations.
Sesha Varadarajan, senior vice president of Lam Research's Global Products Group, said Lam Cryo 3.0 low-temperature etching technology will enable the creation of a 1000-layer 3D NAND memory technology foundation, capable of creating high aspect ratio (HAR) features with angstrom-level precision and an etch rate more than twice that of traditional dielectric layer process technologies.
In the past, 3D NAND has mainly increased capacity density by stacking storage cells vertically. Etching technology is the primary method for forming storage channels. However, tiny atomic-level errors in the etching process can affect electrical performance and, in turn, production yield. Lam Cryo 3.0's low-temperature etching technology utilizes a special high-power confined plasma reactor, process improvements, and a temperature well below -0oThe temperature characteristics of C, combined with the scalable pulsed plasma technology of the Vantex dielectric layer system developed by Colin, will significantly improve the etch depth and profile control, creating storage channels with an etch depth of up to 10 microns and a top-to-bottom critical dimension error of less than 0.1%.
Lam Cryo 3.0's low-temperature etching technology also boasts faster etching speeds, improving overall production yields, reducing overall production energy consumption by 40%, and lowering carbon emissions by up to 90%, all while enabling memory manufacturers to further increase 3D NAND memory production efficiency.
As the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology continues to drive increased demand for flash memory performance and capacity, Lam Research & Development anticipates that the application of Lam Cryo 3.0 low-temperature etching technology will accelerate memory manufacturers' launch of 1000D NAND memory products with designs up to 3 layers.
