by Mat Dirjish
Partners CEA-Leti and Fraunhofer IPMS have completed the first exchange of ferroelectric memory wafers within the FAMES Pilot Line, which they claim is a milestone in establishing a European platform for embedded non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies. Starting in December 2023 and coordinated by CEA-Leti, the five-year initiative demonstrates the viability of circulating complex material stacks across some of its research fabs.
Initially, the partners focused on the processing and electrical characterization of hafnium-zirconium oxide (HZO) ferroelectric capacitor stacks. Employing 300-mm CMOS cleanroom capabilities of both institutes, they circulated the wafers in short process loops to enable joint evaluation of materials, electrode configurations, and device behavior.
The work also validated the wafer exchange and contamination-control protocols in the pilot line, demonstrating that complex material stacks are reliably processable across multiple semiconductor facilities and across all wafers. Also, the entire process adheres to standard contamination control procedures.
Initial experimental results have already yielded critical insights. The team screened various electrode materials to enhance performance, finding that titanium nitride (TiN) bottom electrodes significantly outperform tungsten. In reliability tests, TiN exhibited lower failure rates after 10⁷ field cycles at 4 MV/cm. Furthermore, observing clear cross-split effects across different electrode configurations confirmed the sensitivity of the test vehicles to process variations.
Summarily, the partner’s efforts advance the core mission of the FAMES Pilot Line, which is to provide a unified European platform for developing and validating emerging memory technologies including OxRAM, MRAM, FeRAM, and FeFET. For more details, visit the CEA-Leti and Fraunhofer IPMS websites.
Mat Dirjish Online 