The technology industry in the Empire state just got some big news, albeit on a smaller scale.
German chipmaker Infineon is joining semiconductor making
equipment company Genus and New York’s technology “Center of Excellence” in
Albany to build next-generation memory devices at the nanoscale
Infineon is a major player in the market for DRAM
but is also preparing for the day that DRAM devices are eclipsed by newer
technologies, such as flash memory devices, or more efficient memory
technologies that can handle greater amounts of memory, such as beyond 64
gigabits.
In announcing the partnership, Gov. George Pataki said the groups have
signed a letter of intent to enter into the three-year, $12 million deal to
build the memory systems.
In a statement about the launch, officials said researchers and engineers
from Infineon, Genus, and Albany’s nanotech research center would work
jointly to develop and optimize atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes for
both metal electrode and high-k dielectric materials for sub-45nm DRAM
capacitors on a Genus StrataGem-300 300mm wafer bridge cluster tool.
The work would involve Genus’s StrataGem-300 300mm wafer cluster tool
platform, which, combined with the ALD process, could “provide a unique
pathway for the successful development and manufacturing of reliable
material systems for nanoscale
device architectures.”
Wilhelm Beinvogl, Ph.D, CTO of Infineon’s Memory Products Division,
called the development cooperation another milestone in advanced sub-micron
DRAM technology.