Implementing advanced lithography technology: A 100 MHz, 1 V digital signal processor fabricated with phase shifted gates

To demonstrate the effectiveness of alternating aperture phase shift lithog raphy for integrated circuit manufacturing, a demonstration device was desi gned and processed. A 2 million transistor integrated circuit was processed with a phase shifted gate level using 248 nm wavelength lithography. The l ithographic results were confirmed by careful feature size measurements thr oughout the process sequence and finally by the performance of the devices themselves, Gate lengths were reduced from 240 to 120 nm, resulting in full y functional chips with 100 MHz circuit speed at 1.0 V operation, more than a two-fold speed improvement and a record for communication circuits of th is type at a low supply voltage. (C) 2000 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-2 11X(00)19306-0].