The companies have entered a cross-licensing and collaboration agreement
JSR Corporation, a technology company focusing on material innovation and the parent company of Inpria Corporation, a provider of metal oxide photoresist solutions, and Lam Research Corp, a semiconductor fabrication equipment and services specialist, have entered into a non-exclusive cross-licensing and collaboration agreement
The partnership between JSR/Inpria and Lam intends to advance the industry's transition to next-generation patterning, including dry resist technology for EUV lithography, and enhance the development of next-generation materials for atomic layer etching and deposition processes.
The agreement will utilise JSR/Inpria's semiconductor materials, including metal oxide solutions, and leverage Lam's capabilities in deposition, etch, and EUV patterning, including Aether, as well as Lam's dry resist equipment and process technology that minimises the complexity of creating intricate patterns needed for chips for AI and high-performance computing (HPC).
They will collaborate on integrating JSR/Inpria's patterning resists and films with Lam's etch and dry resist deposition technologies and on expanding innovation in various areas to support chipmakers as they scale in the AI era, including research and development in relation to metal oxide resists, high NA EUV patterning for advanced nodes, and other advanced films for next-generation patterning.
By utilising JSR's recent acquisition of Yamanaka Hutech Corporation, Lam and JSR plan to explore new precursor materials and processes for advanced atomic layer deposition and etch solutions.
Toru Kimura, senior officer, JSR Corporation, said, “At JSR, we are committed to advancing cutting-edge materials to enable our customers’ most demanding technology roadmaps. By combining JSR and Inpria’s materials expertise with Lam’s strengths in deposition, etch, and dry resist technologies, we aim to accelerate solutions for EUV lithography, including high NA, and support the industry to scale efficiently for the new AI era."
Vahid Vahedi, chief technology and sustainability officer, Lam Research, said, “By richly complementing Lam’s proven atomic layer deposition and etch capabilities with JSR’s deep expertise in advanced patterning materials, this collaboration enables us to accelerate innovation at a time of rising semiconductor complexity. This includes driving new low-NA and high-NA EUV patterning materials and metal oxide resists and providing greater access to Aether dry resist technology."
