Atomic layer processing for Ångström-scale precision in 3D-integrated semiconductor manufacturing

Abstract

For decades, conventional geometric scaling has driven performance improvements in the semiconductor industry. However, the continued reduction in technology nodes has increasingly become decoupled from simple dimensional shrinkage, instead reflecting transitions toward new device architectures, shifts in established process paradigms, and demands for unprecedented process precision. In this context, critical functional layers—such as insulators, metal interconnects, and interfaces—now require atomic- and sub-nanometer-scale control over film profiles and material properties. From this process-centric perspective, the semiconductor industry can be defined as entering an era of Ångström-scale precision. Atomic layer processing (ALP), a unified framework integrating atomic layer deposition, atomic layer etching, and area-selective deposition, has emerged as a key enabling technology for this transition. By leveraging self-limiting surface reactions, ALP enables atomic- and sub-nanometer-scale control over thickness, composition, and selectivity, facilitating void-free film formation in complex three-dimensional architectures, high-precision selective patterning, and atomic-scale engineering of materials and interfaces. Moreover, by bridging deposition, etching, and selectivity within a single chemistry-driven framework, ALP provides a scalable process pathway that extends beyond the limits of conventional geometric and material scaling. Ultimately, ALP represents not merely an incremental process innovation but a paradigm shift toward atomically precise manufacturing, fundamentally redefining how materials, interfaces, and device architectures are realized beyond nanometer-scale control.