Recently, Applied Materials announced the development and commercialization of the "Cold Field Emission (CFE)" technology. This groundbreaking electron beam (eBeam) imaging technology assists chip manufacturers in better detecting and imaging nanoscale buried defects, accelerating the development and manufacturing of next-generation Gate-All-Around (GAA) logic chips, higher-density DRAM, and 3D NAND flash memory.

Electron beam technology is commonly used to identify and describe small defects that cannot be seen with optical systems. However, as chip manufacturers use EUV to push the limits of 2D logic and DRAM scaling and gradually adopt complex 3D architectures such as GAA logic transistors and 3D NAND memory, the task of identifying surface and buried defects becomes increasingly challenging.

Applied Materials states that the traditional "Thermal Field Emission (TFE)" electron beam systems operate at temperatures exceeding 1500°C. For this reason, scientists have been working towards commercializing cold field emission electron beam technology that can operate at room temperature. The lower temperature allows for the generation of narrower electron beams and accommodates more electrons, achieving sub-nanometer imaging resolution and 10 times faster imaging speed.

However, until now, the accumulation of impurities within the cold field emission system on the electron beam emitter has hindered electron mobility, resulting in the lack of stability and preventing widespread adoption of cold field emission technology in commercial applications. In contrast, in thermal field emission systems, these impurities are automatically eliminated.

Today, Applied Materials has made significant breakthroughs in cold field emission electron beam technology, enabling widespread application of CFE electron beam systems in mass production. These systems can operate at room temperature and can improve nanometer-scale imaging resolution by up to 50% and imaging speed by 10 times.

It is reported that Applied Materials has exclusively developed electron beam chambers capable of accommodating the electron beam emitter and other key components. The new cold field emission chamber combines an extremely high vacuum operating environment with specially developed reaction chamber materials, significantly reducing the amount of contaminants. Special pumps contribute to achieving a vacuum level far below 1×10-11 millibar, which is two to three orders of magnitude higher than thermal field emission systems and approaching the vacuum state of outer space.

However, even in an extremely high vacuum, the electron beam chamber still produces trace amounts of residual gas. If individual atoms adhere to the electron beam source, they can partially block the emission of electrons, resulting in operational instability. To address this, Applied Materials has also developed a novel automatic cleaning mode that enables continuous removal of contaminants from the cold field emission source through a cyclic automatic cleaning process, ensuring stable and repeatable performance.

Recently, Applied Materials announced the development and commercialization of "Cold Field Emission (CFE)" technology. This groundbreaking electron beam (eBeam) imaging technology assists chip manufacturers in better detecting and imaging nanoscale buried defects, accelerating the development and manufacturing of next-generation Gate-All-Around (GAA) logic chips, higher-density DRAM, and 3D NAND flash memory.

Electron beam technology is commonly used to identify and describe small defects that cannot be seen with optical systems. However, as chip manufacturers push the limits of 2D logic and DRAM scaling using EUV and gradually introduce complex 3D architectures such as GAA logic transistors and 3D NAND memory, the task of identifying surface and buried defects becomes increasingly challenging.

Applied Materials states that traditional "Thermal Field Emission (TFE)" electron beam systems operate at temperatures exceeding 1500°C. As a result, scientists have been striving to commercialize cold field emission electron beam technology that can operate at room temperature. The lower temperature allows for the generation of narrower electron beams and the accommodation of more electrons, achieving sub-nanometer imaging resolution and 10 times faster imaging speed.

However, up to now, the accumulation of impurities within the cold field emission system on the electron beam emitter has hindered electron mobility, resulting in an unstable situation. This instability has prevented the widespread adoption of cold field emission technology in commercial applications. In contrast, in thermal field emission systems, these impurities are automatically removed.

Today, Applied Materials has made significant breakthroughs in cold field emission electron beam technology, enabling the widespread application of CFE electron beam systems in large-scale production. These systems can operate at room temperature and can improve nanometer-scale imaging resolution by up to 50% and imaging speed by 10 times.

It is reported that Applied Materials has exclusively developed electron beam chambers capable of accommodating the electron beam emitter and other key components. The new cold field emission chamber combines an extremely high vacuum operating environment with specially developed reaction chamber materials, significantly reducing the amount of contaminants. Special pumps contribute to achieving a vacuum level far below 1×10-11 millibar, which is two to three orders of magnitude higher than thermal field emission systems and approaching the vacuum state of outer space.

However, even in an extremely high vacuum, the electron beam chamber still generates trace amounts of residual gas. If individual atoms adhere to the electron beam source, they can partially block the emission of electrons, resulting in operational instability. To address this, Applied Materials has also developed a novel automatic cleaning mode that enables continuous removal of contaminants from the cold field emission source through a cyclic automatic cleaning process, ensuring stable and repeatable performance.