The restructuring is to optimize the performance and production capacity of its new 10nm DRAM.
According to Korean vernacular IT daily Electronics Times, SK Hynix plans to choose new Zr-containing precursor suppliers in 2nd quarter.
The new precursors will be used in the Korean chip maker’s 10nm geometry DRAM mass-production scheduled to start in the 3rd quarter of 2017.
Currently, five companies- Mecaro Co., Ltd., Soulbrain Co., Ltd., SK Tri-Chem Co., Ltd., Hansol Chemical Co., Ltd., and UP Chemical Co., Ltd. – joined the bidding race.
SK Hynix annually purchases approximately US$43.95million worth Zr-containing precursors on average.
Zr-containing precursor is a chip processing material that has high dielectric constants or high-K.
Scaling of semiconductor requires higher-k insulators to keep capacitance on finer circuitry.
Thinly coated on the DRAM capacitors using deposition technology, it helps lower leakage currents and thus ensures stability during processing, preventing undesired noises and insulating gates from channels in transistors.