Sep. 20, 2005 – Applied Materials Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif., supplier of equipment and services to the semiconductor industry, announced a key advancement in nanoscale interface engineering with its new Applied Siconi Preclean process for fabricating leading-edge transistor contacts.

The Siconi Preclean is intended to replace conventional plasma-based sputter etch technology with a dry, chemical process that gently removes oxidized silicon under high vacuum. The company says the process prepares the wafer’s surface prior to the formation of the critical nickel silicide layer to create an interface with minimal damage, and that it reduces interface defects.