(July 24, 2006) MUNICH, Germany — A prototype wafer-bonding system designed for high-vacuum applications debuted at SEMICON West 2006, billed as a MEMS-centric wafer bonder. SUSS MicroTec’s M-Lock, expected in production in Q’03 2006, is a load-locked system developed for the specific challenges presented by advanced MEMS devices (silicon gyros, resonators, radio frequency (RF) MEMS, etc.). The machine, though MEMS-centric, will also suit ICs, such as copper-to-copper wafer bonding for 3-D interconnect.