Applied Materials Launches Three New Deposition and Etch Systems for 2nm GAA Transistors

By NineScrolls Team · 2026-03-19 · 2 min read · Industry

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The Announcement

At SEMICON Korea on February 10, 2026, Applied Materials unveiled three new semiconductor manufacturing systems engineered for 2nm gate-all-around (GAA) nanosheet transistors and advanced back-end interconnects. The trio addresses the most demanding thin film deposition and plasma processing challenges at the leading edge of chipmaking.

Viva Pure Radical Treatment

The Producer Viva system performs ultra-pure radical channel treatments that reduce atomic-scale surface roughness on GAA silicon nanosheets. By smoothing the nanosheet surface with atomic-level precision, the system maximizes electron mobility and boosts transistor performance. Leading logic chipmakers are already adopting Viva for advanced channel engineering at 2nm and beyond.

GAA transistors wrap the gate around the channel on all four sides, giving manufacturers more control over current flow but also exposing more surface area to roughness-related performance loss. Viva directly addresses this by delivering radicals without the energetic ion bombardment that damages delicate nanosheet surfaces.

Sym3 Z Magnum Etch System

The Sym3 Z Magnum conductor etch system delivers angstrom-level 3D trench profile control using a breakthrough second-generation pulsed voltage technology (PVT2). PVT2 eliminates the traditional tradeoff between ion directionality and near-wafer plasma control by enabling independent tuning of ion angle and ion energy.

The platform has achieved tool-of-record status in 2nm logic manufacturing, with more than 250 chambers deployed in the field. This level of adoption makes the Sym3 Z one of the most widely installed advanced etch platforms in the industry.

Spectral ALD System

The Spectral atomic layer deposition system deposits molybdenum contacts to replace tungsten at the critical interface between transistors and the copper wiring network. Molybdenum offers lower electrical resistance at nanoscale dimensions, and the Spectral system reduces critical contact resistance by up to 15 percent compared to current industry benchmarks.

The tungsten-to-molybdenum transition has become one of the defining material changes at the 2nm node. Both Applied Materials and Lam Research (with its ALTUS Halo system) are competing for this growing market segment.

Industry Adoption

Applied Materials reports that all three systems are now being used by multiple leading foundry-logic manufacturers as GAA devices ramp to volume production. TSMC, Samsung, and Intel are all developing or producing GAA-based transistors, creating a broad and immediate customer base for these tools.

Why It Matters for Equipment Suppliers

GAA transistor architectures require significantly more process steps than their FinFET predecessors. Industry estimates indicate that ALD steps per wafer have increased over 20 percent at the 2nm node. Every additional deposition or etch step represents incremental demand for plasma sources, chamber components, gas delivery systems, and process monitoring hardware throughout the supply chain.

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