Key Findings
NIMS launched the Semiconductor Materials Research Co-Creation Hub in August to integrate fragmented research efforts and create a cross-disciplinary approach to semiconductor materials. The hub operates across three distinct timelines: immediate challenges for the “beyond 2nm” generation, mid-term development of silicon-surpassing materials, and long-term exploration of materials for post-2035 applications.
Technical Details
The hub’s research is divided into specific technical milestones:
- Short-term (Goal 2030): Collaborating with the Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC), NIMS focuses on gate stack and interconnect materials. In partnership with the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), researchers developed a technique to finely adjust threshold voltage by introducing new materials into the dipole layer of gate insulating films.
- Mid-term: Under a project by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) for next-generation edge AI semiconductors, NIMS is exploring 2D semiconductors, such as molybdenum disulfide, and oxide semiconductors. NIMS has established approximately 120 processes to build a manufacturing base for complementary field-effect transistors (CFET). Specifically, researchers including Yoshiki Sakuma achieved uniform single-crystal film growth on 2-inch wafers using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) for sub-1nm mass production. Additionally, Naoyuki Harada developed palladium-cobalt oxide thin films for fine interconnects.
- Long-term (Post-2035): A priority project launched in 2025 focuses on 3D structures, hetero-junctions, brain-inspired computing, and next-generation computing to redefine semiconductor operating principles.
Background and Significance
The acceleration of this roadmap is driven by the explosive growth of AI and the resulting increase in power consumption. NIMS asserts that materials must be identified now to ensure mass production is viable in ten years. By leveraging its expertise in metals, structural materials, organic materials, and computational science, NIMS intends to apply a materials-first approach—determining the material before developing the process and device structure—to enable ultra-low power AI semiconductors.
Source: https://newswitch.jp/p/50680
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