10/16/2007 ; IMEC and the Packaging Research Center (PRC) at Georgia Tech have put out the call for interested parties to join in their advanced research program on next-generation flip chip and substrate technology. The program addresses key IC-to-package-to-board packaging interconnect issues for 32nm ICs and beyond.
10/16/2007 Attendees at last week's International Symposium on Immersion Lithography in Keystone, CO, heard that three types of 193nm water immersion exposure tools are being used for 55nm/~50nm/<50nm mass production, with solutions for the few remaining difficulties at hand, and machines achieving the maximum resolution possible with water are being delivered in time for the 45nm node. However, the course beyond 45nm seems murky, and decisions must be made soon about deploying high-index technology.
10/16/2007 In what it claims is validation for imprint lithography for 22nm CMOS, Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII) is touting results from Toshiba, reported at the 33rd International Conference on Micro-and Nano-Engineering (MNE, Copenhagen, Denmark, Sept. 23-26), which show defect levels "very similar" to those seen in the early days of immersion lithography.
10/16/2007 E-Shuttle, the joint venture of Fujitsu Ltd. and Advantest Corp., aims to bring down ASIC development costs by using e-beam direct write instead of masks for some critical layers in its prototyping service for 65nm chips starting this month, company president Haruo Tsuchikawa tells SST partner Nikkei Microdevices.
10/16/2007 A new performance test developed by IBM involves observing the interaction of vibration and light. The technique has helped researchers better measure the suitability of carbon nanotubes as wires and semiconductors.
10/16/2007 Alcatel Micro Machining Systems, manufacturer of deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) equipment for the MEMS and semiconductor industries, says it has received an order for its new AMS 4200 DRIE multi-chamber production tool from Boehringer Ingelheim microParts GmbH, which plans to increase production of MEMS nozzles for its Respimat inhaler.
10/16/2007 October 15, 2007 - Researchers at SEMATECH and University College London (UCL) say they may have figured out why novel dielectric materials capture electrons and holes, and that the phenomenon which degrades device performance may be more common than thought.
10/16/2007 October 15, 2007 - IMEC and Georgia Tech's Microsystems Packaging Research Center (PRC) say they want more help to research next-generation flip-chip and substrates to address "IC-to-package-to-board" packaging interconnect issues for ICs at the 32nm node and beyond.
10/16/2007 October 15, 2007 - The first of four planned 300mm fabs from Rexchip Electronics Corp., the JV between PowerChip Semiconductor Corp. and Japan's Elpida Memory Inc., is open for business. And while providing good business for tool suppliers and other partners, the new DRAM operation is causing some to worry about opening the floodgates and causing further slumps in DRAM pricing.
10/15/2007 October 15, 2007 - IMEC has launched a research effort into DRAM metal-insulator-metal capacitor (MIMCAP) process technology to address the material and integration requirements to scale DRAM MIMCAP to 50nm and beyond technology nodes.
10/15/2007 October 15, 2007 - Pureplay foundry Silterra Malaysia says it has completed a first $100 million phase of expansion at its existing fab, bringing capacity up to between 35,000-40,000 wafers/month, mainly targeting 0.13-micron and also some 90nm capabilities.
10/15/2007 October 15, 2007 - The Open NAND Flash Interface (ONFI) coalition of memory suppliers, formed in mid-2006 to develop a chip-level standard interface for NAND flash memory, has added another specification -- a block abstraction to simplify host controller design.
10/15/2007 October 15, 2007 - Toshiba Corp. and Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corp. have opened a new 200mm semiconductor production fab in Ishikawa Prefecture targeting devices that control current flow and voltage conversion in end-use products such as TVs, mobile electronic products, and even hybrid vehicles.
10/15/2007 The Mini Reflow Solder System (RSS) was developed for prototype manufacturing, process development and evaluation, and small series or pre-series production. The system consists of a process chamber with external controller featuring a manually adjustable flow meter.
10/15/2007 Intended for a Shinko 12-mm package size, the high-performance BGA ZIF socket for 0.4mm pitch BGA operates at bandwidths up to 10 GHz with reportedly less than 1dB of insertion loss. The socket is designed to dissipate up to several watts without additional heatsinking, and can handle up to 100 watts with custom heatsink.
10/15/2007 ElectroSperse X-120, X-122 and X-126, are silver-based conductor pastes designed for firing at temperatures as low as 380° C, and adhere to indium tin oxide (ITO) or fluorine-doped tin oxide (F-doped TO) coated glass when fired at 380°-500° C.
10/15/2007 The 300-mm Multiple Film Frame Shipper is designed to help high-volume device manufacturers increase wafer protection in the test, assembly, and packaging process. An alternative to cassettes, it is reportedly ideal for high-volume shipping between back-end assembly operations.
10/15/2007 Companies spanning the spectrum of the back-end semiconductor manufacturing industry announced strategic promotions, appointments and new hires in the past week. Among them are STATS ChipPAC, Henkel Corporation, J.P. Sercel Associates, Cobar Europe BV, and Hesse & Knipps, Inc.
10/15/2007 At the Fab Manager's Forum, held at SEMICON Europa, representatives of Europe's semiconductor fabs gathered to discuss relevant topics to operating primarily mature fabs. On the agenda were the importance of yield improvements in mature fabs, and the benefits derived from fault detection besides yield improvement; how to manage APC in worldwide DRAM fabs; and the dynamics of the used equipment market.
10/15/2007 By Happy Holden, Mentor Graphics, Inc.
3D packaging technology is evolving rapidly to improve functionality and performance while maintaining a compact form-factor. Embedded passive components (EP) will play a major role in all of these 3D schemes.
A new performance test developed by IBM involves observing the interaction of vibration and light. The technique has helped researchers better measure the suitability of carbon nanotubes as wires and semiconductors.