Maskless E-Beam Delivers 65 nm Prototypes

Staff -- Semiconductor International, 5/8/2008 11:36:00 AM

Following successful 90 nm implementation, e-Shuttle Inc. (Kawasaki, Japan) is now delivering 65 nm CMOS logic ICs manufactured with electron-beam direct-write (EBDW) technology. This is the first full-scale application of EBDW techniques for complex logic chips, according to the company.

E-Shuttle was established in late 2006 by Fujitsu Ltd. and Advantest Corp. to provide prototyping services for leading-edge large-scale ICs. The company is based on a silicon shuttle service from Fujitsu designed to share development costs among its customers by using multi-project reticles. In e-Shuttle’s 300 mm wafer shuttle service, via layers are formed using direct-write e-beams, reducing the significant mask costs involved in forming via layers for ultrafine interconnects.

At 90 nm, e-Shuttle has been manufacturing structured ASICs for eASIC Inc., a fabless design company. Producing single-layer via interconnect patterns using EBDW provides a short delivery cycle with maskless production. E-Shuttle also is now working on EBDW for 40 nm process technology, with this capability expected for offer by the end of fiscal 2008, according to Haruo Tsuchikawa, e-Shuttle president.

Rather than pose a threat to maskmakers, e-Shuttle’s technology is instead complementary to mask-based lithography techniques. In fact, e-Shuttle has announced its work with design house partners, including maskmakers Dai Nippon Printing (DNP, Tokyo), Toppan Printing (Tokyo) and Hoya (Tokyo), to support customers with IC prototyping.

“The alliances between maskless proponent e-Shuttle and maskmakers can be thought of as symbolic of the direction the industry is moving in,” Tsuchikawa said. “These partnerships in Japan represent the company’s first round of alliances, and e-Shuttle will also pursue partnerships with international prototyping companies. We are now in negotiations with prototyping companies in the US, Europe and China.”

E-Shuttle also announced a capacity expansion, with rollout of a second e-beam lithography station set for later this month. The initial lithography station, for full-scale production using 300 mm wafers, went into service in November 2007.