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Millennium Research for Advanced Information
Technology
Advanced Semiconductor Research Center (ASRC) of the
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Association of Super-Advanced Electronics Technologies (ASET)
Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies, Inc.(Selete)
Until today, developments in semiconductor technology have followed Moore's
empirical law, which states that major advances in the integration density
of transistors on a single large-scale integrated circuit (LSI) occur about
every three years. Advancements in fine fabrication technologies have contributed
not only to reductions in the cost per function of LSIs, but also to enhanced
performance in the form of reduced power consumption and improved processing
speeds. The result has been a significant expansion in the scope of semiconductor
usage, as can be seen in the development of mobile and personal-use digital
equipment. For these reasons, semiconductors will remain at the core of
the IT industry for the foreseeable future.
On the other hand, if alternatives are not found for materials used in semiconductor
LSIs, the industry will face a major barrier in raising LSI performance,
no matter how many advances are made in fabrication technologies. For example,
with materials in use today, thickness reduction will create the problem
of increased electricity "leakage" through insulating films, which will
increase power consumption. Further breakthroughs are also being called for in the
fields of fine patterning technologies for semiconductors, transistor structures
and measuring technologies with extreme resolution. In addition, LSI data-processing signal delay
caused by wiring is becoming a major issue facing the industry, raising
the demand for the development of new interconnect materials and such innovative methods as optical interconnect.
With an eye to clearing such technological barriers, the seven-year MIRAI
project (consisting of a three-year first phase, two-year second phase and five-year third phase)
comprises R&D in new insulating materials, which will be indispensable for
semiconductors of the future, and development of the processing technologies
necessary for their practical realization. As a result of these activities,
the project will develop and demonstrate the feasibility of semiconductor
technologies to markedly improve such basic performance features as the
power consumption and data processing speed of LSIs in the 45 nm and future
technological generations.
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| (1) |
Total governmental fund scheduled: |
¥25.2 billion |
| (2) |
Site: |
16-1, Onogawa, Tsukuba |
| (3) |
Super Clean Room: |
3,000 m2(Clean level: class 1) |
| Clean room for research use: |
1,500 m2(Clean level: class 100) |
| Laboratory building: |
Five floors aboveground, one basement floor |
| Shed for outdoor facilities: |
Two floors aboveground, one basement floor |
| Total floor space: |
Approximately 22,000 m2(including various
facilities and laboratory office rooms) |
| Site area: |
Approximately 9,700 m2 |
| (4) |
Besides the MIRAI project, the ASUKA project
is collaboratively using this clean room. |
| (5) |
Building completed in March, 2002. |
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ASRC,
an ad hoc organization established within AIST to deal with major subjects
in semiconductor technology, is expected to remain in existence for a limited
period of seven years. 11 researchers at ASRC (plus three from universities
who hold concurrent offices in their respective universities) are participating
in the MIRAI project. ASRC has a clerical staff of four people.
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ASET
was officially established in February 1996 under the Research Association for Mining and Manufacturing Technology Law.
ASET has a research division committed to the MIRAI project, and currently
30 researchers from the following 12 companies are participating in intensive
research efforts by the division:
FUJITSU LIMITED; Hitachi Kokusai Electric Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.;
NEC Corporation; Oki Electric industry Co., Ltd.; Renesas Technology Corp.; ROHM CO., LTD.;
Seiko Epson Corporation; SHARP CORPORATION; Sony Corporation; TOKYO ELECTRON LTD;
and TOSHIBA CORPORATION (in alphabetical order)
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Selete was founded in 1996 as a consortium for development of 300mm-wafer based production technologies with an equal capital investment from 10 semiconductor manufacturers. Selete joins the private funded project, Asuka II, and the government funded project, MIRAI-3 in 2006, to promote R&D activities, and will contribute to the Japanese semiconductor industry competitiveness.
Selete has a research division committed to the MIRAI project, and currently 50 researchers from the following 11 companies are participating in intensive research efforts by the division:
FUJITSU LIMITED; Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation; Jedat Inc.; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.; NEC Corporation; NEC Electronics Corporation; Renesas Technology Corp.; SHARP CORPORATION; Sony Corporation; TOSHIBA CORPORATION, and ULVAC, Inc. (in alphabetical order)
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