Applied Materials, Inc. introduced new deposition, etch and materials modification systems that boost the performance of logic chips at 2nm and beyond. The technologies supercharge AI compute through atomic-scale improvements to the most fundamental electronic building block - the transistor. The transition to Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistors is a major industry inflection and a critical enabler of the energy-efficient computing needed to deliver more powerful AI chips.
As 2nm-class GAA chips ramp to volume production this year, Applied is introducing new material innovations to enhance next-generation GAA transistors for angstrom nodes. The combined impact of the new chipmaking systems contributes a significant portion of the total energy-efficient performance gains of GAA process node transitions. New Viva??
Radical Treatment System Enables Precision Engineering of GAA Transistor Nanosheets: At the heart of GAA transistors are horizontal stacks of current-carrying "nanosheets." Made of ultra-thin silicon just a few nanometers wide, the physical features of these nanosheets must be exceptionally well defined to ensure that each one acts as an efficient conducting path for charge carriers. The Viva system is being adopted by leading logic chipmakers for advanced channel engineering at 2nm and beyond process nodes. The new Viva system has additional applications across both logic and memory.
When combined with the Applied Producer Pyra?? thermal annealing process, the supplemental radical treatment further reduces the resistance of conducting copper wires, promising to extend the use of copper in the lower metal layers of the most advanced nodes. These capabilities deliver far more defined ion contacts directly to the wafer surface.
By pairing PVT2 with the system's new source technology, Sym3 Z Magnum produces clean, precise trenches that enable uniform nanosheets, faster switching, and higher-quality ion contacts - boosting transistor speed and overall chip performance. Beyond angstrom-class logic, Sym3 Z Magnum advances DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) technologies by delivering the precise profiles needed for denser arrays and taller stacks. Its broad applications drive rapid adoption among leading chipmakers and strengthen Applied's leadership in advanced etch.
New Spectral?? ALD System Lowers Contact Resistance with Selective Deposition of Molybdenum: Delivering more powerful AI requires innovation beyond the transistor device. As scaling continues below 2nm, the tiny metal contacts that link each transistor to the wiring network become ever thinner, contributing significantly to the chip's total resistance and creating a bottleneck to performance and energy efficiency.
An animation of the system's capabilities can be view ed here. A media kit with additional information on the Viva, Sym3 Z and Spectral systems is available on the Applied Materials website.
