Center for Economic Growth (CEG) Notional rendering of 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI). Courtesy of DARPA.
The Capital Region is playing a leading role in taking the semiconductor industry in a new direction: vertically, as the focus of R&D shifts from shrinking chips through traditional 2D scaling to the vertical stacking of diverse chiplets to create compact, ultra-high-performance packages via a process called 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI).
Later this year, the High NA EUV Lithography Center at NY Creates’ Albany NanoTech Complex will start providing high NA EUV lithography, in addition to its existing standard NA EUV lithography capabilities. The introduction of high NA EUV lithography will enable the development of the most advanced chips that then can be assembled into a 3D package. The new facility, when combined with GlobalFoundries’ planned advanced packaging center in Saratoga County, positions the Capital Region to become a major 3DHI R&D hub.
“NY Creates facilitates the fabrication of powerful semiconductor chips with our industry partners, as well as the 3D heterogeneous integration of memory, logic, and photonics at our Albany NanoTech Complex,” said Dave Anderson, President of NY Creates. “We offer accessible standard EUV lithography—and soon High NA EUV lithography—to make those chips that are then processed and assembled into a 3D package. Our High NA EUV Lithography Center will raise the bar for New York’s Capital Region, New York State, and the U.S. by anchoring the world’s most advanced lithography resources in one cooperative ecosystem. In collaboration with industry and academic partners, these efforts are strengthening the region’s semiconductor R&D leadership, driving workforce development, and bolstering economic growth efforts.”