NIL | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 06 Feb 2015 00:10:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png NIL | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Toshiba and SK Hynix to jointly develop nanoimprint lithography https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sk-hynix-to-jointly-develop-nanoimprint-lithography/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sk-hynix-to-jointly-develop-nanoimprint-lithography/#respond Thu, 05 Feb 2015 23:54:06 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=234310 Toshiba Corp. and SK Hynix on Thursday signed a formal agreement under which the two companies will jointly develop a nanoimprint lithography (NIL) process technology. The two producers of chips and computer memory plan to start using NIL technology in 2017. The companies believe that the tech will allow them to make DRAM, NAND and …

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Toshiba Corp. and SK Hynix on Thursday signed a formal agreement under which the two companies will jointly develop a nanoimprint lithography (NIL) process technology. The two producers of chips and computer memory plan to start using NIL technology in 2017. The companies believe that the tech will allow them to make DRAM, NAND and other types of memory more cost-efficiently.

NIL is the one of candidate process technologies for advancing the migration to future generations of memory devices. Photolithography, the current mainstream fabrication process, uses a laser and photosensitive mask to etch circuits on a light-sensitive coating on semiconductor wafers. NIL transfers the circuit design directly, by impressing a patterned template onto the wafer. It creates patterns by mechanical deformation of imprint resist and subsequent processes. The imprint resist is typically a monomer or polymer formulation that is cured by heat or UV light during the imprinting, according to Wikipedia. Adhesion between the resist and the template is controlled to allow proper release. It is believed that NIL has the potential to achieve finer designs.

Engineers from Toshiba and SK Hynix will initiate development of basic technologies for the process at Toshiba’s Yokohama Complex in Yokohama, Japan in April, 2015, targeting practical use in 2017.

semiconductor_wafer

Toshiba has already worked with several equipment and materials companies on NIL, integrating their technologies with Toshiba’s semiconductor manufacturing process. The joint development program with SK Hynix accelerate progress towards practical use and will lower burden of Toshiba’s investment into NIL development.

Toshiba will continue drive development of next generation lithography technology, such as NIL and extreme ultraviolet lithography in a bid to keep up with increasing demand for more NAND flash memory.

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KitGuru Says: The NIL technologies look good on paper, but there are a lot of concerns about their viability too. It will be very interesting to see the results of Toshiba’s and SK Hynix’s co-work.

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Toshiba and SK Hynix settle NAND flash-related legal dispute https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sk-hynix-settle-nand-flash-related-legal-dispute/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/memory/anton-shilov/toshiba-and-sk-hynix-settle-nand-flash-related-legal-dispute/#respond Tue, 23 Dec 2014 05:02:30 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=227842 Toshiba Corp. and SK Hynix have announced that they had reached a settlement agreement in connection with a civil lawsuit that the former initiated against the latter at the Tokyo District Court earlier this year. Toshiba accused SK Hynix of stealing intellectual property related to NAND flash memory. As a result of the reached agreement, …

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Toshiba Corp. and SK Hynix have announced that they had reached a settlement agreement in connection with a civil lawsuit that the former initiated against the latter at the Tokyo District Court earlier this year. Toshiba accused SK Hynix of stealing intellectual property related to NAND flash memory.

As a result of the reached agreement, Toshiba will withdraw the lawsuit in return for a settlement fee from SK Hynix. Toshiba filed the suit after learning that a former employee of SK Hynix was arrested in Japan for alleged criminal infringement of the unfair competition prevention act. The employee previously worked for SanDisk in a NAND flash memory development project conducted in partnership with Toshiba at Yokkaichi Operations, Toshiba’s flash memory technology development and mass production base in Mie prefecture, Japan. The worker is accused of taking Toshiba’s proprietary technical information in 2008, and of providing it to SK Hynix.

Toshiba and SK Hynix are long time partners, even despite the lawsuit. SK Hynix supplies DRAM for Toshiba’s devices and the two companies are also co-developing MRAM technologies.

toshiba_nand_flash

In addition to settling the legal action, Toshiba and SK Hynix have agreed to extend their relationship by expanding existing supply agreements for DRAM and patent cross licensing, and to start collaboration in the development of nano-imprint lithography (NIL), a candidate for next-generation lithography technology.

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KitGuru Says: As expected, the two companies settled all legal disputes rather quickly; Toshiba, as projected, did not ask the court to block sales of SK Hynix’s NAND flash memory. The two companies also expanded joint research and development since this not only ensures new capabilities, but also the fact that in the future Toshiba and SK Hynix will not illegally obtain technologies from each other.

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