Applied Technology

CMP Tool Delivered for Pilot Use

Recently, the Electronic design Platform and Electronic Common Technology Department, Institute of Microelectronics, CAS made significant progress in DFM research after nearly three years’ hard work. The DFM research group headed by Prof. Chen Lan, Director of the Department has accomplished the modeling for 65nm electro-copper plating (ECP) and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process. The ECP/CMP process model has been approved by the DFM Department of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and put into application in the Design Service Department of SMIC. This ECP/CMP process simulation tool includes layout processing, ECP/CMP physical model and output and display of results. It can extract super-large layout and process about 3GB GDSII layout. For a 2.4GB test layout with about 40 million polygons, the chip flatness analysis by using of single CPU hardware platform takes about 32 minutes, which is better than the speed of CMP simulation reported so far. The comparison between the results of tape-out and CMP tool simulation by the test chip independently developed by DFM research group and the test chip developed by SMIC showed that this CMP simulator has a root mean square error less than 5 nm, maximal error less than 15nm and correlation above 94%, which meet the precision standard for use in industrial production line.

New Platform for Large-Scale Optical Manufacturing

Recently, the Research Laboratory for High Density Optical Storage, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS made significant progress in the micro-nano-structure, high-speed, large-scale optical manufacturing. The Research Laboratory for High Density Optical Storage put forward a new principle of micro-nano-structure optical manufacturing based on linear materials and realized 300nm-90nm micro-nano-structure, high-speed, large-scale laser direct writing in multi-layer functional film by using the blue laser direct writing system and high speed revolution method. Its speed of direct writing can reach 6 m/s, more than several hundred times of the speed of traditional laser direct writing method. Its minimal characteristic dimension is up to 1/8 of light spot of laser direct writing system. This research result was published in Appl. Phys. Lett., J. Appl. Phys. and someother international core periodicals.

Fuel Cell Airship Has its Virgin Flight

Recently, the Zhiyuan-1 Airship powered by the 10kW proton exchange membrane fuel cells, which was developed with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University as the general assembly unit and with the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS and the Sunrise Power Co., Ltd. as fuel cell designer and provider, successfully accomplished the first test flight at the airship base in Shanghai. This is the first time that the proton exchange membrane fuel cells have ever been used as the main driving power for airships in China, and the first time that the home-made fuel cells are used on the airship. This space energy technology features unique high-energy-density, fast start-up and environmental friendly characteristics and has a vast range of prospects of application in space vehicles. Researchers are devoted to do the research in this field to promote its application in space vehicles.