Lam Research and imec are expanding their joint R&D collaboration with two new directions: advancing manufacturing readiness of 3D integration and advanced packaging, and advancing Aether® dry resist applications in imec's high-NA EUV research environment.
Researchers from KAIST, TDS Innovation, Hanyang University, UNIST and other institutions published a paper in Nature proposing an etching-flux-mediated single-nucleus nucleation method for 2D semiconductors that deterministically positions a single nucleation event at a designated location. Conventional strategies can only control nucleation density and achieve area-selective growth, but cannot determine where an individual nucleus lands within the growth area. Published in October 2026, the paper is open access.
Lam Research has broken ground on a new laboratory expansion at its R&D center in Tualatin, Oregon. Once complete, the facility will add 120,000 square feet, expanding cleanroom space by more than 50%, with operation expected in 2028.
Lam Research used SEMulator3D® integrated stress modeling to predict stress non-uniformity across GAA stacked nanosheet channels before fabrication — nFET stress differences reach 400–800 MPa, while pFET stays below 200 MPa. DOE experiments show that channel thickness, fin width, and lateral etch jointly affect stress uniformity, with increasing the topmost channel thickness from 4 nm to 7 nm significantly reducing the stress difference.