Careers for Physicists, Scientists, and
Engineers in the Semiconductor
Equipment Industry
Jerome Hubacek
Managing Director
Lam Research Corporation
Fremont, CA
Lam Research Corporation
Careers in the Semiconductor Equipment Industry
 Introduction to the Semiconductor Equipment Industry
 Career opportunities
 Profile of the successful
employee
 Transitioning from Graduate School to the Semiconductor Equipment
Industry
 Keys to success
(v7)
Slide - 2
Lam Research Corporation
Introduction to the Semiconductor
Equipment Industry
(v7)
Slide - 3
Lam Research Corporation
Semiconductor Technology Continues to Drive New Capabilities
Power Management
NAND Flash
Graphics Engine
Multi-core CPU
(v7)
Slide - 4
Lam Research Corporation
Market for Wafer Fabrication Equipment (WFE)
Five Major Markets
Quad Processor
“Barcelona” (AMD)
Electronic Equipment (2010)
$1,485 Billion
Computing
Automotive
Consumer
Communication
Semiconductors
$298 Billion
Industrial/
Military
16 Gbit 50 nm
NAND Flash
Buildings, Computers, and Equipment
1 Gbit 78 nm
DRAM (Micron)
Capital Spending
$57 Billion
WFE
$29B
Dry etch is ~13% of WFE spending
Lam Research has >50% etch market share
Single-wafer cleaning is ~4% of WFE
Lam Research has >25% market share
Source: Dataquest, Lam Research internal
(v7)
Slide - 5
Lam Research Corporation
Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturer Revenues
Rank
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
1
Applied Materials
Applied Materials
Applied Materials
Applied Materials
Applied Materials
2
Tokyo Electron
Tokyo Electron
ASML
ASML
ASML
3
ASML
ASML
Tokyo Electron
Tokyo Electron
Tokyo Electron
4
KLA-Tencor
KLA-Tencor
KLA-Tencor
KLA-Tencor
Lam Research
5
Lam Research
Lam Research
Lam Research*
Lam Research
KLA-Tencor
6
Nikon
Nikon
Nikon
Nikon
Dainippon Screen
7
Novellus Systems
Novellus Systems
Dainippon Screen
Dainippon Screen
Nikon
8
Dainippon Screen
Dainippon Screen
Hitachi High-Tech
Novellus Systems
Novellus Systems
9
Canon
Hitachi High-Tech
Novellus Systems
Aixtron
Aixtron
10
Hitachi High-Tech
Varian
Canon
Hitachi High-Tech
Varian
Lam acquisition of Novellus projected to close in Q2 2012
(v7)
Slide - 6
Lam Research Corporation
* Includes SEZ AG, acquired 2008
Source: Gartner Dataquest
(v7)
Slide - 7
Lam Research Corporation
Visualizing Moore’s Law
2x Shrink
Die
2x Shrink
Transistor
(v7)
Slide - 8
Lam Research Corporation
Moore’s Law Has Evolved Over Time
1010
Today: The number of transistors per die doubles every 24 months
109
Duo
Transistors per Die
108
i7
Pentium III Atom™
Pentium II
107
106
Pentium
I486™
105
104
8086
103
4004
100
I286™
I386™
8080
Intel® Microprocessors
10
1
1960
1970
1980
Source: Gordon Moore, ISSCC 2003 & Intel 2010
(v7)
Slide - 9
Lam Research Corporation
1990
2000
2010
Implications of Moore’s Law: Higher Performance, Lower Cost
$1
$0.01
Dollars
$0.001
$0.0001
$0.00001
$0.000001
1970
1980
1990
2000
DRAM Device Speed
Memory Bandwidth
Price per Transistor
$0.1
DDR3-1066
DDR2-800
DDR2-667
DDR-400
DDR2-533
DDR-333
DDR-226
2000
2002
2004
2006
As transistor size gets smaller, everything gets better
Transistor
Cost
Transistors
Power Usage
Transistor
Speed
(v7)
Slide - 10
Lam Research Corporation
Transistors
per Square Inch
2008
Equipment Solutions must be ahead of customer needs to meet roadmap
250
Critical Dimension (CD)
180
CD control required
by ITRS Roadmap
Technology Node (nm)
130
90
65
Customer A
Roadmap
45
32
Lam Research
Roadmap
22
14
1998
(v7)
Slide - 11
2001
2004
2007
Lam Research Corporation
2010
2013
2016
Predicting the End of Moore’s Law: Historical Perspective
Materials Limitations:
Device Physics Limitations:
“Copper is an intractable material.
The reason we don’t use copper is NOT
because we haven’t tried over the years.”
“…we get to 0.05 micron [50 nm]
in something like 2017…so that’s
the end of Moore’s Law!”
Lithography Limitations:
“[For lithography] to go down to
0.10 micron [100 nm]… there’s hardly
anything left at 193nm [wavelength]”
Uncertainty around the extendibility of Moore’s Law has always existed
Source: “Moore’s Law extended: The return of cleverness”, Solid State Technology, July 1997
(v7)
Slide - 12
Lam Research Corporation
Continuous Innovation Enables Continuation of Moore’s Law
1.00
W Plug
0.8
CMP
200 mm
0.5
STI
Micron
248 nm
0.35
CoSi2, SiOF
Lithography
Enablers
0.25
0.18
Copper
0.13
193 nm
300 mm
90 nm
NiSi, Strain, Low-k
65 nm
Phase shift
High-k, Metal Gate
45 nm (immersion)
0.10
Strain, SiGe
Technology
Enablers
Tri-gate (3D)
28 nm
Double/Quad
Patterning
14 nm
EUV
0.01
1980
(v7)
Slide - 13
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
Lam Research Corporation
2010
2015
2020
Technology Inflections Enabling Continuation of Moore’s Law

Logic/Foundry: 2D to 3D architecture
FinFET structures at 20-14 nm
– Additional metal layers in
back-end-of-line (BEOL)
Drain
–

Gate
Gate
Source
Planar MOSFET
FinFET
Flash: 2D to 3D architecture
–
New architectures likely introduced
at the mid-to-low 1x node
Planar NAND
Vertical NAND

Multiple patterning:
Foundry leaders: DPT starting at 22 nm
– Memory leaders: increasing DPT layers
and going beyond double patterning
–
(v7)
Slide - 14
Litho-Only
Patterning
Lam Research Corporation
Double
Patterning
(DPT)
Quadruple
Patterning
Materials Used in Semiconductor Devices in the 1980’s
IA
VIIIA
H
IIA
IIIA
IVA
VA
VIA
VIIA
He
Li
Be
B
C
N
O
F
Ne
Al
Si
P
S
Cl Ar
Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As
Se
Br Kr
Na Mg
IIIB
IVB
VB
VIB
VIIB
[------- ---VIII--- -------]
V
Cr Mn Fe Co
IA
IIA
K
Ca
Sc
Ti
Rb
Sr
Y
Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd
In
Sn
Sb
Hf
Tl
Pb
Bi Po
Cs Ba
Ta
W Re Os
Ir
Pt Au Hg
Te
I
Xe
At Rn
Fr Ra
La Ce
Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho
Ac Th Pa
U
Np Pu Am Cm Bk
Cf
Er Tm Yb Lu
Es Fm Md No Lr
Source: ITRS 2005, Lam Research
Materials used in the 80s
(v7)
Slide - 15
Lam Research Corporation
Materials Used in Semiconductor Devices in the 1990’s
IA
VIIIA
H
IIA
IIIA
IVA
VA
VIA
VIIA
He
Li
Be
B
C
N
O
F
Ne
Al
Si
P
S
Cl Ar
Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As
Se
Br Kr
Na Mg
IIIB
IVB
VB
VIB
VIIB
[------- ---VIII--- -------]
V
Cr Mn Fe Co
IA
IIA
K
Ca
Sc
Ti
Rb
Sr
Y
Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd
In
Sn
Sb
Hf
Tl
Pb
Bi Po
Cs Ba
Ta
W Re Os
Ir
Pt Au Hg
Te
I
Xe
At Rn
Fr Ra
La Ce
Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho
Ac Th Pa
U
Np Pu Am Cm Bk
Cf
Er Tm Yb Lu
Es Fm Md No Lr
Source: ITRS 2005, Lam Research
Materials in the 80s
(v7)
Slide - 16
Materials added in the 90s
Lam Research Corporation
The Next Challenge – Growth in Potential New Materials
Etching and cleaning vastly different materials
IA
VIIIA
H
IIA
IIIA
IVA
VA
VIA
VIIA
He
Li
Be
B
C
N
O
F
Ne
Al
Si
P
S
Cl Ar
Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As
Se
Br Kr
Na Mg
IIIB
IVB
VB
VIB
VIIB
[------- ---VIII--- -------]
V
Cr Mn Fe Co
IA
IIA
K
Ca
Sc
Ti
Rb
Sr
Y
Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd
In
Sn
Sb
Hf
Tl
Pb
Bi Po
Cs Ba
Ta
W Re Os
Ir
Pt Au Hg
Te
I
Xe
At Rn
Fr Ra
La Ce
Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho
Ac Th Pa
U
Np Pu Am Cm Bk
Cf
Er Tm Yb Lu
Es Fm Md No Lr
Source: ITRS 2005, Lam Research
Materials in the 80s
(v7)
Slide - 17
Materials added in the 90s
Lam Research Corporation
Materials added or evaluated since 2000
The Edge of the Wafer Plays a Critical Role in Overall Economics
~3% of chips
~10% of chips
More good chips = More $$$$$
~25% of chips
~55% of chips
outside radius
(v7)
Slide - 18
Lam Research Corporation
What variables define the available process space? - Etch Example

List of Process Variables (# different settings that can change the result on a wafer)
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

(v7)
Pressure (10mT, 20mT, … 100mT) = 10 settings
Reactant Gas #1 flow rate (0sccm, 10sccm, 100sccm) = 10
Reactant Gas #2 flow rate (0sccm, 1sccm, 10sccm) = 10
…
Reactant Gas #16 flow rate (0sccm, 100sccm, 500sccm) = 5
Power @ frequency #1 (0W, 100W, …, 3000W) = 30
Power @ frequency #2 (0W, 50W, …, 500W) = 10
Power @ frequency #3 (0W, 100W, …, 1000W) = 10
…
10 x 10 x 10 … x 5 x 30 x 10 x 10 x … = 10(really big number)
Slide - 19
Lam Research Corporation
Now add in hardware and wafer variables…
Process Variables (different settings that can change the result on a wafer)
– Pressure (10mT, 20mT, … 100mT) = 10 settings
– Reactant Gas #1 flow rate (0sccm, 10sccm, 100sccm) = 10
– Reactant Gas #2 flow rate (0sccm, 1sccm, 10sccm) = 10
– …
– Reactant Gas #16 flow rate (0sccm, 100sccm, 500sccm) = 5
– Power @ frequency #1 (0W, 100W, …, 3000W) = 30
– Power @ frequency #2 (0W, 50W, …, 500W) = 10
– Power @ frequency #3 (0W, 100W, …, 1000W) = 10
– …

Technology Node (µm)

Hardware variables
10
1
0.1
Source: Chipworks 2006, Intel Website
0.01
1972
– Chamber diameter
Moore’s Law
1982
1992
2002
2012
– Chamber temperature
– Wafer temperature
– Chamber materials chemical properties
– Chamber materials electrical properties
– …

Wafer variables
– Material being etched
– Type of mask (photoresist)
– Percent exposed area of wafer being etched
Number of Recipes
– Chamber heights
1E+14
1E+10
“Gottscho’s Law”
1E+06
1E+02
1972
– Substrate resistivity
– …
(v7)
Slide - 20
Lam Research Corporation
1982
1992
2002
2012
How Can We Possibly Pick “One in a Trillion”
(v7)

Learn from past experience (Knowledge Management).

Use modeling to help narrow the space.

Use sensors, diagnostics and “smart” software.

Hire really smart and motivated people.

Run lots of experiments.
Slide - 21
Lam Research Corporation
Semiconductor Equipment Industry
Career Opportunities
(v7)
Slide - 22
Lam Research Corporation
Semiconductor Equipment Industry Jobs
 Design/Hardware
Engineer: Creates the knobs
 Supplier Engineer: Develops suppliers to make the knobs
 Process Engineer: Determines what knobs are needed and turns the
knobs to optimize for customer applications
 Product Engineer: Optimizes the knobs
 Field Engineer: Solves problems with the knobs on site
 Technical background and industry experience
are required for many
product development functions including Technical Marketing,
Product Management, Supplier Business Management
(v7)
Slide - 23
Lam Research Corporation
Semiconductor Equipment Industry
Employee Profile
(v7)
Slide - 24
Lam Research Corporation
Semiconductor Equipment Industry: Employee Profile

Majors:
–
–
–
–
Physics
Chemistry
Engineering (Electrical, Chemical, Mechanical, Materials Science)
Computer Science

Education: PhD, MS, BS

Lam Research Statistics
–
–
–
–

Total Employees: >3800
Advanced Degrees: ~1200
PhD’s: ~400
UIUC Grads: 21 (13 PhD’s)
Advanced degrees with experimental experience are preferred
– Direct semiconductor experience is NOT required
– Strong foundation in coursework and experimental work (wafer processing, vacuum, low temp,
plasmas, metrology, transport measurements, optics, etc.)
– Design, Simulation, and Modeling experience (CAD, FEA, CFD, plasmas, etc.)
– Managing research projects (budget, plan, and build experimental setups, write proposals)

(v7)
Multi-cultural: Semiconductor Equipment is a global industry
Slide - 25
Lam Research Corporation
Lam Research Global Support – Close to Our Customers
Northwest
Idaho, Washington
Germany
Northeast
Dresden
New York
Switzerland
France
Corp. Headquarters
Arizona, Texas
Beijing, Shanghai,
Wuhan, Wuxi
Schiphol-Rijk
Dublin
Central
China
The Netherlands
Ireland
Corbeil Essonnes,
Meylan, Rousset
Neuchatel
Italy
Agrate
Austria
Villach
Israel
Korea:
Ramat Gan
Malaysia
Fremont, CA
Livermore, CA
Japan
Hiroshima, Kumamoto,
Shin-Yokohama, Toyama,
Yokkaichi
Bundang, Cheongju,
Hwaseong, Icheon
Taiwan
Singapore
(v7)
Slide - 26
Lam Research Corporation
Gueishan, Houli,
Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan
Transitioning from Grad School to the
Semiconductor Equipment Industry
(v7)
Slide - 27
Lam Research Corporation
Similarities b/w Grad School and the Semiconductor Equipment Industry

Have a passion for what you do – you are going to be doing it for a long time
– Time from entering college to graduation with a PhD: ~8-11 years
– Time in your career: >>20 years

Learn at every opportunity
– On the job, in the lab, coursework, outside reading, seminars

Communication is critical
– Good ideas can go to waste if not properly communicated
– Confront small issues before they get big

Hard work is necessary to maximize your opportunities
– “The more you practice, the luckier you get.”

You have very few customers – treat them well
– Grad School: Your advisor, your professors, colleagues
– Industry: 70% of capital equipment purchases are made by 10 customers
(v7)
Slide - 28
Lam Research Corporation
Differences b/w Grad School and the Semiconductor Equipment Industry

The product is different (How you keep score)
– Grad school: Teaching, learning (grades), papers, grants (Publish or Perish)
– Industry: Selling goods and services for profit (Profit or Perish)

The approach is different
– Grad school: Learning on the job  mistakes are expected and ok (as long as you learn
from them); nothing is “beneath” you; prove a concept
– Industry: Mistakes must be minimized; employees work on things at or above their grade
level; prove in production

The customer is different
– Grad school: Work is directed by advisors, professors, and funding agencies based on
broad guidelines; students are the primary users of experimental equipment
– Industry: Work is dictated by shareholders, markets, competition, and detailed customer
requirements; customers (operators) are the primary users of the equipment
Not allowed: “Designed by PhD’s for PhD’s”

The milestones are different
– Grad school: Milestones are based on exam dates, graduation dates, conferences
– Industry: Milestones are customer and finance driven; patents are part of development

(v7)
The money is different
Slide - 29
Lam Research Corporation
Lam Research Continues to Invest Through the Cycles



Revenue of $2.8B in CY 2011
More than $1B invested in R&D over last three years
R&D investment continues through downturns  Moore’s Lam holds through cycles
Revenue
R&D
Millions
Millions
$400
$3,000
SEA
$2,500
China
$2,000
Taiwan
$350
$300
$250
Korea
$1,500
Japan
Europe
$1,000
N. America
$500
$200
$150
$100
$50
$0
2006
(v7)
Slide - 30
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Lam Research Corporation
$0
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Keys to Success in the
Semiconductor Equipment Industry
(v7)
Slide - 31
Lam Research Corporation
Keys to Success in the Semiconductor Equipment Industry

Solve problems systematically
– Know what problem you are trying to solve (Listen carefully)
– Involve all stakeholders in the process
– Know what success looks like
– Determine the root cause and consider all solution options
– Implement the solution and make sure it sticks









(v7)
Set aggressive targets for yourself and achieve them
Make data-driven decisions
Be a leader, not a “status-er”
Be a simplifier, not a complicator  know when to focus
Communicate openly (up, down, left, and right) and ask for help before the situation
is irresolvable (no surprises)
Demonstrate Versatility, Flexibility, and Agility (if business changes, you adapt)
Demonstrate Core Values
Remember that the customer is always right**
And…..
Slide - 32
Lam Research Corporation
Be
The results…
Conductor Etch
2300® Kiyo® Product Family
MEMS & Deep Si
Etch
TCP®
9400DSiE™ Product
Family
Dielectric Etch
2300® Flex™ Product Family
Spin Wet Clean
Metal Etch
TSV Etch for 3-D IC
2300® Versys® Metal
Product Family
2300® Syndion®
Linear Wet Clean
Plasma Bevel Clean
2300® Serene®
2300® Coronus®
DV-Prime™
… technology driven products enabling Moore’s Law.
(v7)
Slide - 34
Lam Research Corporation
Acknowledgements





(v7)
Professor Lance Cooper for giving me the opportunity to speak today
Dave Hemker, Lam VP of R&D, for many of the introductory slides
Jim Bagley, Lam Chairman, for excerpts from his “Top 10 things a manager should
do” presentation
Steve Newberry and Martin Anstice, former and current Lam CEO’s, for excerpts from
the “Lam Problem Solving and Decision Making Process”
Lam Corporate Marketing Team for Lam and industry overview slides
Slide - 35
Lam Research Corporation
Lam Research at a Glance

Major supplier of wafer fab equipment and services
– Headquartered in Fremont, California, with
facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America
– ~3,850 Employees worldwide
– Revenue of $2.8B in CY 2011

Etch and Clean product lines offer leading
technologies for performance and extendibility
– Conductor, dielectric, MEMS, deep silicon,
and through-silicon via (TSV) etch
– Wet and plasma-based single-wafer clean

(v7)
Customer Support Business Group (CSBG)
dedicated to optimizing installed equipment
performance and operational efficiency
Slide - 37
Lam Research Corporation
Lam Research: Mission, Vision, and Core Values
Mission:
Lam Research is dedicated to the success of our customers by being a world-class
provider of innovative productivity solutions to the semiconductor industry.
Vision Objectives:

#1 in customer trust

Achievement

#1 in market share

Ownership and accountability

A company where successful
people want to work

Mutual trust and respect

Honesty and integrity

A multi-product company

Innovation and continuous improvement

Financial performance appropriate to:

Open communication

Teamwork

Think: customer, company, individual
– Support the productivity solutions
our customers require
– What our shareholders expect
(v7)
Core Values:
Slide - 38
Lam Research Corporation
Rainbow®
Etch Series
Invented spin
technology for
single-wafer clean
Transformer Coupled
Plasma™ based products
for silicon and metal etch
Alliance® cluster tool
platform for etch
Slide - 39
2015
2010
2005
Shipped 7,500th etch process
module for the 2300® platform
Dual Frequency
Confined™
technology for
dielectric etch
First product,
AutoEtch
(v7)
2000
1995
1990
1985
1980
Lam Research Product & Technology Milestones
Shipped 3,000th single-wafer
spin clean process module
2300® platform offers
first 200 mm/300 mm
capability
Da Vinci®
spin clean platform
2300® Exelan® Flex™ &
2300® Versys® Kiyo® for
dielectric & conductor etch
2300® Flex™ D Series
dielectric etch system
2300® Kiyo® C Series
conductor etch system
DV-Prime® next-generation
spin clean system
2300® Coronus® plasma
bevel clean system
2300® Syndion® system,
first 300 mm TSV etch
Lam Research Corporation
Next-generation
2300e4® & 2300e5®
platforms
Lam Research – Where Successful People Want to Work
Company
Leadership
Advancing semiconductor manufacturing
for more than 30 years




Market share leader
Financially sound
Operations excellence
Open and collaborative environment
that fosters innovation
Experienced management team with
proven record of success

Lam’s senior management recognized
among the best leaders in the industry

Technology experts in Etch and Clean

Local management in each region
Employees
Community
Experienced, talented, and dedicated
global workforce




(v7)
Extension of the Company’s Core Values
into our employees’ communities
Multi-cultural and diverse
Actively demonstrate Lam’s Core Values
Cross-functional teams work in collaborative
environment
75% of promotions from within the Company
Slide - 40




Lam Research Foundation grants
Core Values Scholarship program
Employee gift/volunteer time matching
Food drive, toy drive, blood drives, and
other outreach activities
Lam Research Corporation
Lam Research Is #1 in Etch Shipped Market Share
60%
2007
2008
2009
2010
Lam
Research
Lam
Research
Lam
Research
Lam
Research
2
Tokyo
Electron
Tokyo
Electron
Tokyo
Electron
Tokyo
Electron
3
Applied
Materials
Applied
Materials
Applied
Materials
Applied
Materials
1
4
Hitachi
Hitachi
Hitachi
Hitachi
50%
Shipped Market Share
Rank
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2008
2009
2010
Lam Research surpassed 50% market share in 2010
Source: Lam Research Corp.
(v7)
Slide - 41
Lam Research Corporation