Tegal Announces Continuing Discussions for Balance of Nanolayer Deposition Patent Portfolio
14 Febrero 2012 - 6:01AM
Business Wire
Tegal Corporation (NASDAQ:TGAL) today announced renewed efforts
to make available the balance of its semiconductor process-related
intellectual property portfolio. The remaining portfolio consists
of thin film structures and process technology pertaining to copper
barrier and low-k dielectric technology.
On December 30, 2011, Tegal announced that it had sold over
thirty patents from Lots 1-3 of its Nano Layer Deposition (NLD)
Patent Portfolio to multiple bidders for an aggregate consideration
of approximately $4 million. Interest in Lots 1-3 had come
primarily from capital equipment manufacturers, whereas ongoing
discussions regarding the sale of Lot 4 of the NLD Patent Portfolio
is primarily with IC device manufacturers and intellectual property
aggregators.
“As low-k dielectrics become more porous, methods for sealing
these open pores will become increasingly important for integration
with subsequent processing,” says Robert Ditizio, Tegal’s Chief
Technologist. “Tegal’s patented process solution addresses the
removal of volatile molecules from the porous material prior to the
deposition of a capping layer.”
Integrated processes of this type will be a necessary part of
any integrated processing scheme for advanced low-k dielectrics
that utilize porous low-k films. In addition, Tegal’s portfolio
contains solutions for composite barrier layers and adhesion layers
for copper metallization strategies that have become increasingly
relevant for ALD, NLD, and CVD deposition of multiple layers,
including adhesion layers, barrier layers, and seed layers, whether
these seed layers are Cu, Ru or Mo. Alternatives to currently
employed PVD deposition methods with ALD, and derivatives of ALD,
are being investigated to meet the demands for higher aspect
ratios, improved step coverage, and control of copper diffusion.
These requirements are placing increasing demands on the precise
control of advanced metallization schemes, particularly at the
lower metallization layers on advanced CMOS devices. To overcome
the step coverage limitations with PVD techniques, developers are
relying on ALD and NLD methods for constructing the barrier,
adhesion, and seed layers with atomic layer precision and control
of thickness, uniformity, and stoichiometry.
The availability of Tegal’s patents provides a unique
opportunity for IC developers and IP aggregators to expand their
patent portfolio with potentially fundamental patents for advanced
metallization schemes, particularly suitable for the transition
from PVD to ALD and other layer-by-layer techniques. More
information about these patents is available on Tegal’s website
www.tegal.com.
About Tegal
Since its founding in 1972, Tegal Corporation has been dedicated
to the development and application of emerging technologies. In
over 35 years of process development and equipment design, Tegal’s
legacy is evident in the most advanced consumer and industrial
products that incorporate microprocessors, magnetic memories, radio
frequency ID chips, acoustic wave devices, sensors, LEDs, and an
array of other semiconductor and MEMS devices fabricated by some of
the world’s leading companies, including Tegal’s one-time parent,
Motorola. Drawing on its historic technology leadership in
manufacturing process technology that incorporated
electro-magnetics, plasma physics, radio frequency control, and
materials science, Tegal is currently engaged in the sponsorship of
other related emerging technology areas, including photovoltaic
(PV)-based solar power and medical devices. Tegal‘s objective is to
employ its know-how and resources to pursue these opportunities for
growth and profitability in order to enhance its value for over
6,000 public shareholders. Tegal is headquartered in Petaluma,
California. Please visit us on the web at www.tegal.com.
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