Description:

• 1306201D 3157 4801:From new automobile delivery delays5 to the overall reduction of global GDP6, the impact of the worldwide semiconductor shortage has delivered dramatic proof of just how many global industries rely on semiconductors. As integrated circuit (IC) designs become ever-more complex with each new architecture and technology node, so too does the processing of the semiconductor wafers used to fabricate those ICs.
• IC fabrication relies upon plasma deposition and etching of thin films to create ‘nano-circuits’. These techniques have become so complex that multiple radio frequency (RF) power supplies and matching networks are required to generate and control the plasma used to etch and deposit the patterns on the wafers. At the same time, IC manufacturers are under pressure to maximize throughput and keep process power consumption as low as possible.