As DRAM miniaturization continues to advance, companies such as SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics are focusing on the development and application of new materials.
According to TheElec, SK Hynix plans to use Inpria's next generation metal oxide photoresist (MOR) in the production of 6th generation (1c process, about 10nm) DRAM, which is the first time MOR has been applied to the DRAM mass production process.
SK Hynix's mass-produced 1c DRAM has five extreme ultraviolet (EUV) layers on it, one of which will be drawn using MOR, the sources said. "Not only SK Hynix but also Samsung Electronics will pursue such inorganic PR materials," he added.
Inpria is a subsidiary of Japanese chemical company JSR and a leader in the field of inorganic photoresist. MOR is considered the next generation of chemically amplified photoresist (CAR) currently used in advanced chip lithography.
In addition, the company has been working with SK Hynix on MOR research since 2022. SK Hynix has previously said that the use of Sn (base) oxide photoresist will help improve the performance of next-generation DRAM and reduce costs.
The TheElec report also noted that Samsung Electronics is also considering applying MOR to 1c DRAM, and currently Samsung Electronics applies six to seven EUV layers on 1c DRAM, while Micron only applies one layer.