CEA-Leti and Fraunhofer IPMS have successfully completed the first exchange of ferroelectric memory wafers within the FAMES pilot line, marking a pivotal milestone in establishing a shared European platform for advanced embedded non-volatile memory technologies. Launched in December 2023 and coordinated by CEA-Leti, the five-year initiative has demonstrated the viability of circulating complex material stacks across some of its leading research fabs.
“The successful wafer exchange marks an important step toward a joint European material testing platform for ferroelectric memories,” said Dr Wenke Weinreich, Division Director of Fraunhofer IPMS’s Centre Nanoelectronic Technologies. “By combining our processing expertise with CEA-Leti’s CMOS integration capabilities, the pilot line provides a powerful environment for evaluating new ferroelectric stacks and accelerating their path toward system-level applications.”
The collaboration has first achieved the processing and electrical characterisation of hafnium-zirconium oxide (HZO) ferroelectric capacitor stacks. Combining the 300mm CMOS cleanroom capabilities of both institutes, the wafers were circulated in short process loops to enable joint evaluation of materials, electrode configurations and device behaviour.
The work also validated the wafer exchange and contamination-control protocols implemented in the pilot line, demonstrating that complex material stacks can be processed reliably across multiple advanced semiconductor facilities, on all wafers.
Initial experimental results have already yielded critical insights. The team screened various electrode materials to enhance performance, finding that titanium nitride (TiN) bottom electrodes significantly outperform tungsten (W). In reliability tests, TiN exhibited lower failure rates after 10⁷ field cycles at 4MV/cm. Furthermore, clear cross-split effects were observed across different electrode configurations, confirming the sensitivity of the test vehicles to process variations.
Looking ahead, the wafer loops lay the groundwork for broader collaborative development. Upcoming phases will integrate HfO₂-based ferroelectric stacks from Fraunhofer IPMS into CEA-Leti CMOS processes, followed by array-level evaluations of state-of-the-art memory technologies embedded in the upcoming GlobalFoundries’ 22nm FDX Memory Advanced Demonstrator Multi Project Wafers shuttle prepared by CEA-Leti. The roadmap also includes studies on electrode process variations, long-term reliability, and back-end-of-line integration approaches.
The aim of the FAMES pilot line is to provide a unified European platform for developing and validating emerging memory technologies, such as OxRAM, MRAM, FeRAM and FeFET. By enabling collaborative material development and standardised characterisation, the initiative aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity to design and manufacture the low-power, next-generation chip architectures required for the future of computing.
