INDUSTRY NEWS

Applied Materials makes first diagonal X architecture test IC, consortium reports

Applied used the interconnect technology to make a multilayer copper/ low-k interconnect chip on 300-mm wafers. The successful process proves that the concept can be used with existing chipmaking methods, the consortium says. Applied says it used its wafer inspection and metrology tools to validate CD and defect levels.

"The results of this test chip demonstrate that the design rules for X architecture designs can be comparable to those of 'Manhattan' designs, which will accelerate the adoption of the architecture as a production-design option," says Jan Willis, steering group facilitator for the X Initiative and vice president of strategic third-party programs for Cadence Design Systems.

X architecture rotates the main direction of the interconnects in the fourth and fifth metal layers by 45 degrees in relation to the traditional street-grid Manhattan design. This approach reduces total wiring on a device by more than 20% and via counts by more than 30%, according to the initiative's backers. The consortium has a five-year plan to publicize and support development of the architecture as well as to track its level of usage throughout the industry's supply chain. Information: www.xinitiative.org.