Applied Materials unveiled materials innovation technologies to improve GAA (gate-all-around) transistor performance and energy efficiency in sub-2-nanometer processes. Applied held a media briefing in Seoul on Feb. 12 titled “materials innovation media briefing to accelerate AI performance” and unveiled for the first time next-generation GAA transistor performance improvement technologies based on angstrom-scale materials science.

Kevin Moraes (케빈 모라스), vice president of semiconductor product marketing at Applied Materials, stressed the need to improve energy efficiency as AI grows. “Over the past 15 years, energy efficiency improved 10,000-fold, and over the next 15 years we need another 10,000-fold improvement,” Moraes said. “GAA and backside power can lower operating voltage, reduce leakage and shorten the power delivery circuit to create much more energy-efficient logic devices,” he added.

The technology Applied emphasised at the briefing is atomic-level precision processing of GAA transistor nanosheets. Nanosheets are made of ultrathin silicon just a few nanometres wide, and their physical properties must be defined with high precision so each can function as an efficient path for charge movement.

The surface condition of nanosheets is important because even atomic-level roughness or contamination can significantly affect electrical characteristics and overall chip performance. Clean, highly uniform nanosheet surfaces dramatically improve electron mobility in the channel, playing a key role in determining how fast a transistor turns on and off.

Applied unveiled a “Viva” radical processing system for atomic-level precision processing of transistor nanosheets, a “Sym3 Z Magnum” etching system that enables angstrom-scale 3D trench formation, and a “Spectral” ALD system that replaces tungsten with molybdenum to cut contact resistance by up to 15 percent.

According to Applied, the systems unveiled are currently being used by multiple leading foundry and logic manufacturers. Raja said the combined effect of the new systems accounts for a very important share of the energy-efficiency improvement gained from transitioning to GAA processes.

Three key tools unveiled for the 2-nanometer race, from precision nanosheet surface processing to resistance reduction

The Viva radical processing system enables angstrom-scale precision engineering of nanosheet surfaces. Its core is a patented delivery architecture that generates ultrapure radical species. The technology filters out high-energy charged ions that can damage surface structures through Applied’s remote plasma source and other hardware innovations.

Concentrated neutral radicals create a gentle, damage-free processing environment, enabling uniform surface treatment in deeply embedded transistor structures. Applied said an industry logic chip manufacturer has already adopted the Viva system for advanced engineering at sub-2-nanometer process nodes.

The Sym3 Z Magnum etching system introduced second-generation pulsed voltage technology, PVT2. PVT2 removes the existing trade-off between ion directionality and near-wafer plasma control and supports independent adjustment of ion angle and ion energy. This delivers much more precisely controlled ion trajectories directly to the wafer surface. The company said it has secured its position as a standard tool for 2-nanometer logic manufacturing, with more than 250 chambers installed in the field worldwide.

The Centris Spectral molybdenum ALD (atomic layer deposition) system selectively deposits single-crystal molybdenum to reduce key contact resistance by up to 15 percent compared with existing tungsten systems.

At sub-2-nanometer scaling, fine metal contacts that connect each transistor to the wiring network have become thinner, becoming a major factor increasing overall chip resistance. For this reason, existing tungsten contacts saw reduced electron conduction efficiency at nanoscale dimensions. Applied said molybdenum can maintain efficient electron flow even at thinner thicknesses.

Prabu Raja (프라부 라자), president of Applied’s Semiconductor Products Group (SPG), said, “The rapid advancement of AI is pushing computing performance to its limits, and computing innovation starts with the transistor.” He added, “In step with the angstrom era, Applied is providing materials engineering innovations that strengthen energy-efficient computing.”

He added that the newly announced systems both extend Applied’s long-standing leadership in driving major innovations across key transistor and interconnect areas and help customers accelerate their roadmaps in line with the pace of AI development.