<p>➀ Imec fabricated Ruthenium (Ru) interconnects at a 16nm pitch using a semi-damascene process, achieving record-low resistance of 656Ω/µm; </p><p>➁ The integration flow combined EUV-based SADP and optimized Ru etching to enhance cost-effectiveness and yield, with 90%+ yields at 18-22nm pitches; </p><p>➂ Imec is advancing pillar-based self-aligned vias and epitaxial Ru films to further reduce resistance and expand multi-layer interconnect scalability.</p>