Category Archives: Materials and Equipment

August 13, 2007 – Hynix Semiconductor Inc. will use Innovative Silicon Inc.’s (ISi) ZRAM high-density memory IP for its ZRAM chips, the first company to license the ZRAM technology for DRAMs. The “eight-figure deal” gives Hynix the right to use the technology to build memories, with royalties upon production. The two firms also will work together and “invest significant engineering resources” to extend Z-RAM into DRAM-based process technology, ensuring manufacturability in extraordinarily high volumes that is also cost-effective in the competitive DRAM market.

ISi’s zero-capacitor floating-body “ZRAM” technology is based on a standard silicon-on-insulator (SOI) logic process with a similar one-transistor bit-cell, that the company says is faster and 1.5-2.0x denser than DRAM with similar power, and requires no exotic process changes unlike DRAM or other novel memory technologies. For DRAMs, the smaller bitcells translate into smaller, cheaper die — and eliminating the need to form capacitors translates to faster work integration and node migration, simplified manufacturing flow, and thus lower capital/manufacturing costs and reduced WIP and “at-risk” wafers.

With standalone DRAMs being so sensitive to costs, this deal to use ZRAM suggests that Hynix has determined costs are equal or cheaper to go with SOI vs. forming capacitor structures, despite the significant increased cost of SOI wafers vs. bulk silicon. A Hynix spokesperson told WaferNEWS that the company is currently “at the early stage of looking for possibilities and practicality of ZRAM technology” with production plans to be determined “after assessing its marketability,” and claiming that at this early stage “we cannot compare or assess exact production cost.” But the spokesperson added that “if using SOI wafers becomes a trend in the semiconductor industry, we expect its cost to be gradually reduced and ZRAM technology will gain more merits.”

An ISi spokesperson explained that because the capacitor accounts for 20%-30% of the cost of the process, removing the capacitor altogether results in significant savings. And the simple single-transistor bitcell is much easier to scale to smaller processing nodes, each of which can save 30% from the node before it. The company showed data culled from analysts plotting DRAM cost reduction slowing from a 26%/year historical average to 19%/year, and with DRAM bits/PC surging 40%+/year now — suggesting that falling behind the Moore’s Law curve can add up to $200 to the memory cost in the average PC.

An upgraded “Gen2” version of ZRAM released in Dec. 2006 allows more charge to be stored with a greater programming window, with different trade-offs between speed, power, and density depending upon the application. AMD is using the Gen2 ZRAM for its microprocessors.

“Z-RAM promises to provide an elegant approach to manufacture dense DRAMs on nanometer processes,” according to Sung-Joo Hong, VP of Hynix’s R&D division, in a statement, adding that the chipmaker could end up creating “a new platform of products based on ISi’s innovation.”

Mark-Eric Jones, ISi CEO, explained in a statement that “memory chips built using ISi’s Z-RAM technology will be much smaller and cheaper to manufacture,” and will offer tremendous performance and usability advantages to end-users.” — J.M.

August 8, 2007 — FEI Company has introduced what it calls its “latest and most powerful scanning electron microscope (SEM),” the Nova NanoSEM 30. This high-end, versatile field emission SEM series, which consists of three instruments, features new low kV performance for enhanced surface characterization, high current for compositional analysis capabilities and, according to FEI, the world’s only high-resolution operation in low vacuum to characterize uncoated and even insulating samples.

The Nova NanoSEM 30 enables the characterization and analysis of a large range of samples, including demanding ones such as nanoparticles; insulating substrates such as glass; or polymers, porous materials, metals and composites.

Beyond its new imaging and analytical performance, the NOVA NanoSEM 30 series also enables novel prototyping capabilities based on electron beam lithography, electron beam induced deposition, and in-situ experimentation for manipulation and testing.

The three instruments of the Nova NanoSEM 30 Series owe their performance to newly introduced Schottky gun and beam deceleration technologies. The 230 and 430 systems feature 50 x 50 mm and 100 x 100 mm 5-axis motorized stages, respectively. The 630 system is equipped with a 5-axis high precision and stability 150 x 150 mm piezo stage.

“The Nova NanoSEM 30 series “brings unprecedented capabilities to researchers in the nanotechnology space, delivering best performance in characterization and prototyping tasks for a wide variety of nanomaterials and devices,” said Dominique Hubert, vice president of FEI’s NanoResearch division.

August 8, 2007 — Arrowhead Research Corp. and Paragon Intellectual Properties LCC have announced that Arrowhead’s majority-owned subsidiary, Unidym Inc., has signed an exclusive license agreement with Paragon’s majority-owned subsidiary, Nanotech Catheter Solutions, LLC (NCS). NCS will use Unidym’s carbon nanotube technology in the development of medical devices for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Under the terms of the agreement, Unidym will receive a 20% equity stake in NCS, and the parties will negotiate a supply agreement or royalty.

According to Unidym’s new CEO, Art Swift, “This agreement marks the launch of Unidym’s licensing program. Our goal is to license our intellectual property and/or supply nanotubes to third parties commercializing products incorporating carbon nanotubes outside of our focus of electronics. We intend to replicate this model in other areas such as nanotube-based therapeutics, diagnostics, field emission displays, nonvolatile memory, and composite materials.”

July 30, 2007 — /PRNewswire/ — BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI — Ecology Coatings, Inc., the global leader in the development of nano-enabled, ultraviolet (UV)-curable, clean technology coatings, today announced that it completed its reverse merger with OCIS Corporation on July 26, 2007.

As previously announced on April 30, 2007, OCIS Corp. and Ecology Coatings entered into a merger agreement, which called for OCIS to acquire Ecology Coatings in a statutory merger with Ecology Coatings becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of OCIS. On July 26, 2007, Ecology Coatings merged with OCIS and became the surviving corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of OCIS, which then changed its name to Ecology Coatings, Inc.

“The successful completion of this transaction coupled with Ecology Coatings’ common stock listing on the OTC Bulletin Board(R) are both major milestones for us. Our listing on the OTCBB will provide us with access to new investors, new sources of capital with which to grow our company, and greatly enhance our visibility and market awareness of our outstanding line of leading-edge, clean technology coating products,” states Richard D. Stromback, chairman of the board of directors for Ecology Coatings.

Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, the board of directors and executive officers of OCIS Corp. resigned and were replaced by the board and officers of Ecology Coatings, who have become the new board and executive officers of the surviving entity.

The company also announced the addition of the following individuals to the executive team:

  • David W. Morgan — vice president, chief financial officer, and treasurer. Prior to joining Ecology Coatings, Morgan served as the vice president of finance and corporate development, chief financial officer, and treasurer of TechTeam Global, Inc. a publicly traded, worldwide provider of information technology and business process outsourcing services. He has also served as the CFO of two other public and private technology companies addressing the industrial manufacturing sector. Morgan holds a B.A. degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan.
  • Tim Tanner — vice president of business development. Tanner joined Ecology Coatings with more than 19 years of experience in the development and marketing of UV-curable coatings for Redspot Paint and Varnish and North American Lighting. Tanner was instrumental in developing both domestic and global automotive lighting applications for UV products and in establishing strategic relationships with Japanese and European partners. Tanner holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from Murray State University.

“Dave’s extensive experience as the CFO of multiple high-tech public and private companies and Tim’s long term experience with UV-curable coatings are perfectly suited to meet our organizational needs and growth expectations for Ecology Coatings. They are welcome additions to our executive team,” states F. Thomas Krotine, president and chief executive officer of Ecology Coatings.

About Ecology Coatings, Inc.
Ecology Coatings, Inc. is the global leader in the development of nano-enabled, ultraviolet-curable, clean technology coatings that are designed to drive efficiencies and clean processes in manufacturing. The company creates proprietary coatings with unique performance attributes by leveraging its platform of integrated nano-material technologies. Ecology Coatings collaborates with industry leaders to develop high-value, high-performance coatings for applications in the specialty paper, automotive, general industrial, electronic, and medical sectors of the economy. For information about Ecology Coatings and its product offerings, call (248) 723-2223 or visit www.ecologycoatings.com. Ecology Coatings’ common stock is traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “ECOC”. Founded in March 1990 and headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, MI, Ecology Coatings also maintains a product development facility in Akron, OH.

Source: Ecology Coatings, Inc.

August 6, 2007 – Nanometrics Inc. has appointed Timothy Stultz, former president/CEO of Imago Scientific Instruments, as its new CEO, taking over for Bruce Rhine who held the spot since March and move to the position of chairman, in a culmination of moves in what the company admits has been a year of “challenges.”

Stultz, who had led Imago since June 2003, also was VP and GM with Veeco Instruments from 1994-1999, and founder/CEO of Peak Systems Inc., a developer of rapid thermal processing equipment. In between those stints and Imago he served as president/CEO for ThauMDx, a provider of diagnostics systems for bio/chem applications.

In a statement, Rhine hinted at the company’s recent activities and shakeups which apparently haven’t gone as smoothly as hoped, areas Stultz will presumably address as he attempts to “implement business processes to focus on profitability, cash flow and predictability.” Nanometrics founder Vincent Coates noted that Rhine “has guided Nanometrics through some of the most challenging tasks we have faced as a company,” most notably “turning around a troubled business integration,” and Rhine himself remarked on “a number of challenges in integrating and consolidating its operations worldwide.”

It’s been a tumultuous year for Nanometrics, with a number of executive shuffles, selling off certain product assets, and moving other product lines overseas. Since last summer’s acquisition of metrology firms Soluris Inc. and Accent Optical Technologies (AOI), the firm has watched former CEO John Heaton leave the company with little explanation, followed a month later by CFO Dave McCutcheon “to pursue other interests”. More recently Nanometrics has announced it will consolidate all its overlay metrology production in Korea (and close the Soluris site in Concord, MA), where it already makes its Orion and Caliper systems. And weeks ago Nanometrics sold off the Yosemite CD-SEM technology originally developed by Soluris and AOI’s DiVA series of IV instruments primarily for use in the RF microwave industry, both for undisclosed amounts.

August 3, 2007 — Oncor Electric Delivery, a business that provides power to more than three million homes and businesses in Texas, says it will implement nanotechnology this summer that will both discourage would-be criminals from stealing copper from the company’s substations and switchyards and help law enforcement personnel find and prosecute thieves.

The technology marks Oncor equipment and particularly copper wire so that it can be identified after it has been stolen. Oncor says it will work closely with law enforcement in this effort. Areas protected with the technology will also have signs warning that material has been marked with a traceable technology.

“This is a traceable technology that will enable us to not only identify our stolen goods, but also to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” said Rob Trimble, president and chief operating officer of Oncor. “Substations and switchyards have been the main targets for copper theft. Thieves are literally taking their lives in their hands for some spending money when they remove metal from a high-voltage area.”

Not only is safety an issue for thieves, but also for Oncor employees. When protective ground wires are stolen from substations and switchyards, employees may be shocked or injured.

August 2, 2007 — BASF Corp. and CogniTek Management Systems Inc. have signed a cooperation agreement to examine whether the combined use of supercritical carbon dioxide and ionic liquids enables particularly efficient use of low-temperature heat sources for power generation. The attraction for this effort is belief that a process employing the unique properties of supercritical carbon dioxide and ionic liquids could transform low-quality heat having comparatively low temperatures — including solar, geothermal, combustion waste heat, and bottom cycling of existing power plants — into high-value power generation. The result would be a combined power generation system with integral heating and cooling co-products capable of saving substantial amounts of energy.

“Today’s rising energy costs dramatically increase the importance of energy conversion efficiency and thermal waste heat recovery, said Michael Gurin, founder of CogniTek and president of Rexorce Thermionics, Inc. Rexorce is commercializing the Thermafficient thermal engine, which is based on the NASA licensed absorption heat pump. “By taking advantage of the unique properties of ionic liquids and supercritical carbon dioxide, we believe that with the next-generation system we will be able to achieve higher power generation efficiencies and/or superior returns on capital.”

“Ionic liquids are the perfect partner for super-critical carbon dioxide as the working fluid for high efficiency heat transfer, said Dr. Megan Turner, Business Development Manager of the BASF Intermediates New Business Development unit in North America. “Non-volatile, ionic liquids possess extraordinary physical properties that provide great efficiency.”

Ionic liquids are a relatively new class of attractive high performance liquids that typically are not flammable, do not evaporate, and exhibit high thermal stability. BASF says it is the first company to use ionic liquids in a commercial scale operation; the company is pursuing technology solutions to exploit the unique characteristics of ionic liquids, including providing access to its proprietary commercial scale Basil technology that can be used for cellulose (Cellionic) and metal processing, metal plating, extractive distillation, liquid-liquid extraction, acid scavenging and acid catalysis. BASF provides ionic liquids in gram to ton quantities with its Basionic portfolio.

CogniTek is an advanced materials technology firm specializing in applications benefiting from superior conductivity. CogniTek’s materials expertise is in the conversion of nano-scale materials into enhanced fluids, phase change materials, and polymeric composites into respectively nanofluids, nano-PCMs and nano-composites. Novel application methods promise conversion of the resulting materials into optimal thermal management and high conductivity solutions.

August 2, 2007 — Cnano Technology Ltd. has received $6 million in venture funding co-led by CMEA Ventures and Pangaea Ventures, and including WI Harper. Cnano is focused on manufacturing carbon nanotubes and the development of applications associated with the nanotubes.

Cnano has pioneered a novel hybrid technology that promises significantly reduced manufacturing costs compared to any other carbon nanotube production methods to date. “Since the discovery of carbon nanotubes, the applications have been limited due to high costs. With our patented mass-production technology, Cnano is strategically positioned to provide high quality nanotube products at good prices for our customers,” noted Xindi Wu, Cnano president and CEO.

“Cnano’s unique technology and manufacturing in China will enable it to compete effectively in the global market place,” said Peter Liu, Chairman of WI Harper Group. “Cnano is expected to target several large high growth carbon nanotubes applications.”

RoHS compliant, aluminum silicon carbide (AlSiC) metal-matrix composite lids target system-in-package (SiP) applications. The heat spreaders are said to reduce bowing and flexing with a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between die and packaging.

Heated Chuck


July 31, 2007

The HPR-90 heated work holder suits photoresist, epoxy resin, and adhesives annealing; manual wire bonding; device heating; and other packaging processes. It offers a 90-mm heated area and 360&#176 rotation. The heated area can be changed without moving the equipment.