TES close to finishing development of low-k PECVD equipment
To launch in 2023
TES is close to finishing the development of a low-k material deposition equipment, which will be the first from a South Korean company.
The company is close to wrapping up its low-k plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) equipment, sources said.
Low-k material refers to materials that have lower permittivity compared to silicon oxide that is widely used as the insulator layers on semiconductors.
Lower permittivity can also reduce the delays in signal transfer, making low-k materials optimal as the insulator layers of smaller chips that have the circuits densely packed together.
TES was testing and developing its equipment with a major South Korean memory maker, the sources said.
Commercialization is expected sometime during the first half of 2023.
Fab equipment maker Applied Materials is the leader in low-k deposition equipment.
TES’ commercialization means South Korean chip companies can reduce their reliance on imports from the US fab equipment maker to diversify their supply chain.