NII NPO "Luch" (part of Rosatom) will develop an automated system for controlling ion implantation in semiconductor wafers, CNews reports. The state contract from the Ministry of Industry and Trade amounted to 1.348 billion rubles.
Three companies participated in the tender, but "Luch" significantly outpaced competitors in non-price criteria – experience and qualifications. The institute scored 77.6 points out of 100, while other participants received 28.2 and 4 points.
Doping is one of the key stages in microchip manufacturing: boron, phosphorus, or arsenic atoms are introduced into pure silicon to create transistors and diodes. The accuracy of this process determines the chip's performance. Special systems help control the dose of introduced impurities – these are precisely what Russian developers are tasked with creating.
The developed system is intended to replace American KLA-Tencor equipment (models ThermaProbe TP500 and TP630). There are no direct domestic analogues. The technology operates on the thermal wave method: a pump laser excites the wafer surface, and a probe laser registers the response, from which the doping dose is calculated. Artificial intelligence is used to recognize the topological pattern, build calibration curves, and calculate the implantation dose level.
Key requirement: critically important components – optical table, laser sources, photosensitive detectors, loading and positioning mechanisms – must be of Russian production. The system is designed for wafers up to 200 mm in diameter. The work must be completed by October 2029.