LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.,
June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Air
Products (NYSE: APD) today introduced its new EXTREMA® STO and GST
precursors in support of continued advancements in Dynamic Random
Access Memory (DRAM) and Phase-change Random Access Memory (PRAM)
devices. The rapid growth in cell phone technology and mobile
computing continues to drive DRAM development while PRAM is viewed
as a possible solution to the increasing need for higher capacity
data storage to support growth in server computing.
Air Products' EXTREMA® STO precursors improve manufacturers'
ability to better deposit ultra-high k dielectric films using
atomic layer deposition (ALD) for use in 22 nm to 15 nm DRAM
devices. "STO is a crystalline compound, Strontium Titanium Oxide,
which has an exceptionally high dielectric constant. This
facilitates the further miniaturization of the memory element,
increasing the amount of data stored on each chip," said Dr.
Laura Matz, technical manager for
advanced memory materials at Air Products. "Air Products' EXTREMA®
Sr and EXTREMA® Ti STO precursors have been employed to deposit STO
films which exhibit high dielectric constant and low electrical
leakage. These are critical performance factors for our
customers."
Air Products' EXTREMA® GST precursors allow thermal ALD of
conformal films critical to the manufacture of PRAM devices at 22
nm and below. "GST is an alloy of Germanium, Antimony (chemical
symbol Sb) and Tellurium which can be made to change phase under
the influence of temperature. It has been the basis of optical
storage devices such as DVD-RW for some time and is now being
readied for use in solid state memory," said Matz. "Air Products'
EXTREMA® Ge, EXTREMA® Sb and EXTREMA® Te GST precursors have been
employed to deposit conformal GST films with good compositional
uniformity. This attribute is critical for fabricating the confined
contacts present in PRAM devices."
"A key feature of these precursors is that they work together to
enable compositional control of challenging new films. Until now,
semiconductor devices have generally employed simple, binary films
(such as Hafnium Oxide) which comprise only two elements (Hafnium
and Oxygen)," said Dr. Iain
Buchanan, commercial development manager for advanced memory
materials. "More recent structures have employed laminates of two
binary films (e.g. Zirconium Oxide and Aluminium Oxide) to improve
performance. However, the harmonious use of three elements to form
a single, precisely controlled ternary film has presented a
significant challenge to semiconductor manufacturers. We're pleased
to offer our customers a solution to this problem."
Air Products will be presenting these materials at the upcoming
ALD2010 Conference in Seoul, Korea
from June 20 to 23. For more
information on this conference, visit
http://ald2010.snu.ac.kr/.
For more information on the EXTREMA® STO and GST precursors,
visit www.airproducts.com/Electronics/Technologies/High-K.htm
Air Products (NYSE: APD) serves customers in industrial, energy,
technology and healthcare markets worldwide with a unique portfolio
of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance
materials, and equipment and services. Founded in 1940,
Air Products has built leading positions in key growth markets
such as semiconductor materials, refinery hydrogen, home healthcare
services, natural gas liquefaction, and advanced coatings and
adhesives. The company is recognized for its innovative culture,
operational excellence and commitment to safety and the
environment. In fiscal 2009, Air Products had revenues of
$8.3 billion, operations in over 40
countries, and 18,900 employees around the globe. For more
information, visit www.airproducts.com.
***NOTE: This release may contain forward-looking statements.
Actual results could vary materially, due to changes in current
expectations.
SOURCE Air Products