SkyWater and Multibeam form partnership to deploy Multibeam’s Innovative MEBL system

The MEBL system, set to launch in 2021, will be capable of full-wafer, all-maskless patterning at 45 nm and beyond, according to a press release. “As a Trusted Foundry, we take great pride in meeting stringent security and quality criteria,” says Thomas Sonderman, president and chief executive officer of SkyWater. “We seek innovative solutions that can add high value while reducing manufacturing cost and cycle times; MEBL’s deployment will benefit all of our customers, both government and commercial. Further, this key capability will support SkyWater’s pursuit of a unique foundry offering by combining the flexibility and agility of 200 mm manufacturing with the advanced performance of 45 nm process technology.” “In product development, MEBL cuts prototyping cost and time because ‘respins’ no longer require a new set of masks. Since all e-beam columns in our MEBL system write independently and in parallel, they empower production of multi-project wafers and chips larger than the typical optical field of view. Our versatile MEBL system design has a throughput capability that extends significantly beyond single e-beam approaches to support volume manufacturing,” says David K. Lam, chairman and chief executive officer of Multibeam. As a proprietary maskless platform, MEBL can be applied to ensure “security lithography” by embedding unique security information into each IC during routine wafer fabrication. Multibeam’s Secure Chip ID enables chip traceability throughout its lifecycle as well as the confirmation of its unique identity and provenance.