Podcasts · The Hardware Podcast with Fexingo: Chips, Devices, and Electronics Engineering Conversations
How Chips Are Printing Their Own Interconnects
· 6:53 · S2 E71
Episode How Chips Are Printing Their Own Interconnects
In this episode of The Hardware Podcast with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore how chipmakers are turning to additive manufacturing — essentially 3D printing — to build the microscopic copper interconnects that connect transistors on a die. We focus on a specific breakthrough from a company called Applied Nanotools, which demonstrated a process called 'superconformal electrodeposition' that deposits copper in trenches just 10 nanometers wide without voids. Lucas explains why traditional subtractive etching hits a wall below 7 nanometers, and how printed interconnects could reduce resistance by 40 percent compared to conventional damascene processes. Luna asks whether this technique is production-ready or still a lab curiosity, and Lucas points to early adoption by a major memory manufacturer in 2025. We also touch on the implications for chip yield, power density, and the roadmap beyond 2-nanometer nodes. If this episode gives you a concrete insight you can share, listener support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo keeps the show ad-free.
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Transcript
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