April 13, 2007 – Aviza Technology Inc. is touting its suite of low-k patents, including a new one for making low-k dielectric SiOC films, and is “pursuing active licensing programs,” the company said today in a statement.

The company says the new US patent it received in December 2006, US Patent #7,153,580 entitled “Low-k dielectric inorganic/organic hybrid films and method of making,” covers dielectric films for structures comprised substantially of cyclic Si-O-Si groups and chains as well as organic side groups attached to the structures. The films may be formed in thermal- or plasma-based systems, which utilize organosilicon precursors. Aviza plans to utilize the technology for organosilicon-based silicon-organic-carbon (SiOC) films targeted at intermetal dielectric films containing very low dielectric constant values.

“We believe that the suite of low-k patents granted to Aviza will be of significant interest and benefit to chipmakers and semiconductor equipment manufacturers focusing on low-k deposition technologies, as Aviza’s patented processes related to this technology virtually spans the entire spectrum of low-k manufacturing,” said Nitin Shah, Aviza’s VP of business development, in a statement.