BASF and Fraunhofer IPMS-CNT announced that they have joined forces to develop innovative solutions for the semiconductor industry. BASF has installed a modern tool for electrochemical metal deposition at the Fraunhofer IPMS Center for Nanoelectronic Technologies (CNT) in Dresden.

In pilot tests at the CNT, the latest technologies and innovative chemicals are further developed and tailored for BASF customers. BASF and Fraunhofer are using the same tool and technology used by customers, enabling customers to significantly reduce qualification effort. This saves customers development time, reduces their costs, and allows them to work more efficiently. When the pilot tests at the CNT are completed, customers will have direct access to ready-to-use processes for the production of advanced electronic materials.

“The collaboration with Fraunhofer IPMS-CNT in Dresden is further proof of BASF’s commitment to meet the growing demands of the semiconductor industry. It allows our global customers to evaluate our innovative solutions for advanced microchip technologies under production conditions”, says Dr. Lothar Laupichler, Senior Vice President, Electronic Materials at BASF. “In our global R&D network, which now includes IPMS-CNT, we will be collaborating with customers to develop products for the semiconductor industry that surpass current standards.”

Dr. Romy Liske, business unit manager at the Fraunhofer Center for Nanoelectronic Technologies, adds, “The further development of materials and processes together with BASF is an important step toward achieving the ever-growing requirements that microchips have to fulfill in terms of functionality, speed, and energy efficiency.”

Microchips are widely used in the electronics industry, for example in computers, mobile phones, and electronic components for automobiles. They are manufactured on monocrystalline silicon wafers typically 300 mm in diameter in extremely clean environments known as clean rooms. The network of conductor paths in a microchip is created by means of electrochemical deposition.