NUS, Kyoto, KAIST, UNIST Develop Advanced Materials for Chips - News and Statistics - Alo Japan

Sep 8, 2026

Scientists at the National University of Singapore have created an ultra-thin amorphous carbon coating intended to shield ever-narrower copper interconnect lines. This layer held a dielectric constant of 1.35 as its thickness ranged from 0.8 to 2.7 nanometers, enduring intense electric fields and blocking the migration of copper ions. Toh Chee Tat, affiliated with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at NUS CDE and the NUS Centre for Advanced 2D Materials, noted in a release that while carbon often conducts electricity, the random atomic structure of this film limits electron mobility, preserving a low k-value even at minimal thickness. The coating was synthesized via chemical vapor deposition at under 300 degrees Celsius onto silicon dioxide, copper, and cobalt, achieving consistent coverage across a four-inch wafer and along the sidewalls and corners of patterned features. Beyond its low dielectric constant, the 0.8-nanometer version stopped copper penetration and resisted fields of 28 to 31 megavolts per centimeter before failing as an insulator. Artem Grebenko, a senior research fellow in NUS’s Department of Physics and a CA2DM researcher, explained that this material merges low-k insulation with a copper barrier in one layer, potentially freeing additional space for the metal line at such tiny scales. The group intends to work with TSMC to evaluate long-term reliability, scalability, and process compatibility.

Kyoto University researchers have built silicon carbide (SiC) complementary junction field-effect transistors (JFETs) capable of functioning at 600 degrees Celsius. Mitsuaki Kaneko, an associate professor at Kyoto University, remarked that progress may have stalled because the field has relied on silicon-era approaches for a distinct material, and their objective is to forge a new direction with complementary JFETs that exploit SiC’s inherent traits. The device employs a bottom-gate configuration to enhance threshold voltage control and uses well-based isolation rather than a semi-insulating substrate to curb high-temperature leakage. These measures brought leakage current near the theoretical minimum for SiC. Future work includes developing more intricate circuits, advancing to wafer-scale fabrication, and confirming that the full package can withstand harsh conditions.

Investigators from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have devised a multilayer interlayer dielectric that cuts defects and boosts the performance of oxide vertical channel transistors (VCTs), which are promising for compute-in-memory applications. The silicon nitride/silicon dioxide/silicon nitride (SiN/SiO2/SiN) stack functions as an oxygen tunnel, allowing steady correction of oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor while curbing unwanted oxidation at the electrode, thereby raising current density and data retention. Following over ten million stress cycles, the threshold voltage drift stayed under 50 millivolts. The team also merged the oxide semiconductor with standard silicon CMOS technology. Hyeonho Gu, a KAIST researcher, said the work extends past memory density gains by tackling the persistent instability in 3D devices via a novel oxygen-migration-control strategy, and he anticipates the technology will hasten the rollout of ultra-low-power, high-performance compute-in-memory systems suited to the AI era.

1. INTRODUCTION

Making Data-Driven Decisions to Grow Your Business

REPORT DESCRIPTION
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND THE AI PLATFORM
DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS
GLOSSARY AND SPECIFIC TERMS

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A Quick Overview of Market Performance

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3. MARKET OVERVIEW

Understanding the Current State of The Market and its Prospects

MARKET SIZE: HISTORICAL DATA (2012–2025) AND FORECAST (2026–2035)
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MARKET FORECAST TO 2035

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BEST-SELLING PRODUCTS
MOST CONSUMED PRODUCTS
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8. IMPORTS

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10. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS

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11. COUNTRY PROFILES

The Largest Markets And Their Profiles

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11.1

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