Category Archives: Materials and Equipment


Researchers are using carbon nanotubes to help block the HIV virus. (Image: piperreport.com)

Feb. 21, 2007&#8212Researchers led by Hongjie Dai at Stanford University are using carbon nanotubes to solve the challenge of efficient and targeted delivery of RNA into cells. Solving the problem promises a new type of gene therapy that involves binding short DNA fragments (interfering RNA) to specific genes to block their “translation” into the corresponding, disease-related protein.

The use of carbon nanotubes has allowed the researchers to successfully introduce RNA fragments that “switch off” the genes for special HIV-specific receptors and co-receptors on the cells’ surface into human T-cells and primary blood cells. This leaves few entry points for the HIV viruses. The researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie that this allows for much better silencing effect to the cells than current transport systems based on liposomes.

T-cells are one of the types of white blood cells important for a good immune defense; they detect and destroy virus-affected cells. However, they themselves are among the targets attacked by HIV. In order to enter into a T-cell, the virus must first dock to a receptor known as CD4. Also involved is the co-receptor CXCR4. The use of short interfering RNA strands allows the CD4 and CXCR4 genes of the T-cell to be shut off. The T-cell then strops producing these receptors and the virus cannot find any points of attack on the surface of the cell. This could significantly slow down an HIV infection, as previous work has shown.

But how to get the RNA fragments into the T-cells? The shells of nonpathogenic viruses can be used to smuggle genetic material into cells, but this is dangerous in therapeutic applications because they can trigger allergies. Liposomes, tiny bubbles of fat, are safe but have proven to be ineffective for use in T-cells.

Carbon nanotubes are known for their abilities to be absorbed by cells and to smuggle other molecules in at the same time. The researchers attached phospholipids—molecules from which cell membranes are also made—to chains of polyethylene glycol. The phospholipids nestle securely onto the outer wall of the carbon nanotubes while the polyethylene glycol chains protrude into the surrounding solution. The required RNA molecules were fastened to the ends of these chains. Once inside the cell, the RNA could easily be split off by means of a sulfur–sulfur bridge.

by Debra Vogler

The proliferation of DFM start-ups has set the stage for a plethora of announcements in the months leading up to the SPIE Microlithography Conference. Another entrant trying to alter the DFM landscape is Clear Shape Technologies, backed by several venture capital supporters (including the VC arms of Intel and KLA-Tencor), which announced two products last November: InShape and OutPerform. InShape uses a nonlinear optical transformation algorithm to detect potential manufacturing failures during physical design to predict full-chip contour shape predictions across the process window. Using output from InShape, OutPerform takes timing, and place/route data together with encrypted fab technology files to identify timing and leakage parametric hotspots for violations due to systematic violations. The resulting timing optimization directive drives place/route tools.

While all fabs have their own DFM kit, what Clear Shape does, according to VP of marketing and business development, Nitin Deo, is to predict during the design stage how the ideal GDS shapes will print as contours in silicon. From that, designers can predict hot spots and parameter variations. “Most of our work is in creating those models and calibrating them to a particular silicon manufacturer’s backend process,” he noted.

The company claims that full-chip prediction of silicon contours across the process window can be done within eight hours for an 18mm x 18mm chip. Deo maintains that the company’s technologies are manufacturing/OPC tool agnostic, and that the contour predictions are >90% accurate between the ideal GDS shapes and silicon, regardless of which “in-between” OPC tool might have been used.

The company has been working with TSMC, UMC, IBM, Samsung, Chartered, NEC, and others to correlate its contour predictions to a specific fab’s silicon (i.e., calibrating the models). Deo told WaferNews that contour prediction calibration and hot spot detection correlation has been accomplished for several customers: TSMC (65nm and 55nm nodes done, 45nm to be released soon); IBM/Chartered/Samsung (65nm), and NEC (90nm is done; 65nm will be completed soon). STARC recently became a customer, and Deo said he can publicly identify ATI as a customer as well.

Making contour prediction the company’s mission arises from the reality that no matter what, as ideal GDS shapes go through post-GDS manipulations, contours on silicon are the end result, and they change with respect to process conditions. “Manufacturability involves predicting how those ideal GDS shapes will change into contours and how those contours will impact the chip performance,” he noted. Some of the problems encountered could result in either catastrophic failure or compromised chip performance (e.g., electrical, timing, power).

Deo also described for WaferNEWS what he calls the “variability challenge” — i.e., with each technology generation the variability in device performance increases, and the difference in variability is quite dramatic when going from 65nm to 45nm. “If you look at that 65nm and 45nm performance variation, there is overlap between the two — so if the best performance ‘corner’ of 65nm is the same as the worst performance ‘corner’ of 45nm, why would you go to 45nm?” he asked. “That means you are not getting the maximum value out of your process technology.” The answer is to control the variations, but that first requires that one can predict their causes, Deo said. “Then you can put some preventive measures into your design.” — D.V.

February 16, 2007 – Honeywell Electronic Materials, Tempe, AZ, says it will invest >$1 million to expand its advanced packaging materials R&D center in Spokane, WA.

The expansion, to be completed by the end of this year, involves adding ~85 new pieces of equipment for more work on thermal interface materials, including material mixing and characterization, analytical and application testing, thermal and reliability testing, and failure analysis.

Also planned is a new metrology lab to replicate customer manufacturing obstacles and test for solutions, the company said.

February 16, 2007 – The Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA) has released the first tool in a planned “ecosystem” of IP deliverables that aims to address pain points of IP integration by enabling more effective communication between IP vendors, fabless companies, IDMs, and foundries.

The Hard IP Quality Risk Assessment Tool v1.2, first in FSA’s “IP ecosystem” tool suite, collects information about an IP vendor, including design methodology and IP under evaluation, to enable risk assessment across seven criteria: IP design, integration, verification, process technology, product documentation, reliability, and test.

Developed by the FSA’s Hard IP Working Group with participation from foundries including Chartered, IBM, Samsung, SMIC, TSMC and UMC, the tool is aimed for use as third-party IP evaluation and comparison for integrators, evaluation of IP quality within IP repositories such as foundry IP programs, and internal IP reuse evaluation for fabless companies or vendors that create their own IP, the FSA stated.

“Streamlined and effective metrics at IP hand-off is an intelligent and cost-effective way to understand and minimize ‘hidden’ costs,” said Raminderpal Singh, chair of the Hard IP Working Group, from IBM’s systems and technology group, in a statement. “This effort has brought together vendors and integrators from across the industry to create an ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison of hard IP cores.”

“This tool presents a baseline for discussion between IP vendors and IP integrators that enables focus to be drawn quickly to resolving any areas of concern. This is a win/win for the industry,” added Norbert Diesing, director of technology forecasting at PMC-Sierra.

Development work on a second tool in the “ecosystem,” focusing on intangible aspects of third-party IP licensing, is expected to be released in 3Q07, followed by two more tools addressing IP technology and manufacturability slated for release in 2008.

February 16, 2007 – Researchers at the U. of California-Riverside have designed the building blocks for a memory device that uses telescoping binary or three-stage carbon nanotubes as high-speed, low-power microswitches.

The design, from Qing Jiang, professor of mechanical engineering at the Bourns College of Engineering, and co-author Jeong Won Kang, involves inserting a hollow nanotube closed at both ends inside a larger one that is open at both ends — creating a telescoping motion using an electrostatic charge. Contact between the nanotube and electrodes creates a conduction pathway with three possible positions (see image, below).

“One of the biggest problems for the current non-volatile memories (such as flash memory) is their low speeds,” said Jiang, in a statement, adding that this new device has been simulated with switching times of around 10-11 se, and data erasing times of around 10-12 sec.

Future research is needed to select the proper electrode materials, and address the “rebound” of the nanotube actuator on the electrode. The research is presented in the March 7 issue of the journal Nanotechnology.

Photo: General design of the multi-walled carbon nanotube-based nonvolatile memory device in its neutral position (a); position 1 (b); position 2 (c). (Source: U. of California-Riverside)

(February 15, 2007) TEMPE, AZ &#151 Honeywell Electronic Materials will expand its Spokane, WA, R&D center for advanced packaging materials, investing more than $1 million and adding about 85 pieces of equipment. The company plans to develop thermal management, electrical interconnect, and burn-in materials. The construction project is expected to finish by the end of 2007.

By Sarah Fister Gale
Small Times Contributing Editor

Feb. 12, 2007 — Mark Field, president of Ford Motor Company of the Americas, recognizes the huge potential nanotech research holds for the future of automotive manufacturing. “The breadth of possibilities for new materials are endless,” he said at a press conference on February 7 during the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, where Ford unveiled its latest investment in nanotech research at Northwestern University.

In a drive to ramp up development of lighter weight metals, more durable plastics and other revolutionary materials, the company invested $2 million in Imago’s Local Electrode Atom Probe tomograph (LEAP), that is now housed at the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The LEAP, one of only four such tools in North America, uses a high electric field to remove individual atoms from material surfaces and a position-sensitive detector to record information that reveals the atom’s position and identity. The incorporation of a local electrode eliminates or mitigates many of the performance limitations of traditional atomic probe tomographs (ATPs). It can rapidly analyze the molecular make-up of metals and plastics down to their atomic structure, and projects statistically relevant 3D image of the nanostructure. The resulting data breaks down the primary elements in the composition and defines the make-up and location of trace elements and unusual clusters that could have implications for material improvements.


Ford has invested $2 million in Imago’s LEAP (Photo: Imago)

The device is exciting, both in that in delivers information in a fraction of the time that conventional ATPs require, and that it enables researchers to gather data not previously attainable, says Erica Perry Murray, Ford on-campus manager for the Ford Boeing Northwestern Alliance. “Experiments that used to take 10 months to complete, can now be conducted in less than 16 hours,” she says. “With that speed and statistical relevance, the LEAP eliminates much of the trial and error of developing new materials.”
Ford anticipates that the work being done with the LEAP will lead to new materials being incorporated into vehicle design faster than previously imagined. “We are at the early stages of nanotechnology research but our research is solutions-based and we are excited about the potential applications,” says Fields.

While none of the nanotech materials projects being conducted through the Alliance have come to market yet, Ford anticipates developments in the areas of lighter weight metals, more durable plastics, scratch and ding resistant paint, light sensitive window tints and stain resistant upholstery. Initially the coatings and paints have the most near term potential because they will not have to go through the rigorous safety testing that the structural materials must complete, Murray says. Ford predicts that it will be using durable nano-based paints and some coating technologies on several vehicles by 2010.
Fields notes that all of these potential materials will translate into value-adds for consumers and have potential for greater fuel economy through the reduction of vehicle weight. “Weight savings is going to be very important in the future of vehicle design.”

February 9, 2007 – Significant overcapacity problems for flat-panels contributed to a double-digit decline in sales of manufacturing equipment for TFT-LCDs in 2006 — and the situation will only get worse this year, according to data from The Information Network.

The worldwide market for array processing equipment for thin-film transistor liquid-crystal displays (TFT-LCD) dropped 11% in 2006 to roughly $4.64 billion, and will sink another 14.5% in 2007, as many manufacturers cut back on tool purchases to offset bloated capacity. The LCD litho equipment sector will drop about 15% in 2007 to $1.04 billion after a 12% decline in 2006, as rapidly rising average selling prices are more than offset by strong competition between Nikon and Canon, according to Robert Castellano, president of the market research firm. He projects a much better environment for the overall LCD equipment sector in 2008, with a 28.8% rebound, followed by 8% growth in 2009.

Attempts to minimize the marketplace damage, including cutting back utilization rates to as low as 80% (from 95% in late 2006) don’t seem to be working, noted Castellano. Manufacturers are still getting hammered by plunging prices — a 37-in. TV panel now costs roughly 30% less (<$500) than it did six months ago, he said.

As a next step, panel makers also are reportedly cutting back planned expenditures, including Samsung and LG.Philips, as well as Taiwan panel producers AU Optronics Corp., Chi Mei Optoelectronics, and Chungwa Picture Tubes Ltd.

Consolidation is another strategy being eyed to control capacity, noted Castellano, pointing to AU Optronics’ merger with Quanta Display and rumors that Philips is shopping its 33% stake in LG.Philips LCD, as well as possible mergers among second-tier panel suppliers (e.g. CPT and HannStar) to not just manage inventories but also compete against the bigger players.

By Barbara G. Goode
Small Times Staff

Feb. 9, 2007 — “Nanotechnology,” said National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) director William Jeffrey, “promises to redefine 21st century manufacturing just as the assembly line redefined 20th century manufacturing.” But, Jeffrey pointed out, “there are definite ‘minefields’ that must be crossed and technical barriers that must be scaled before nanotechnology can reach its full potential.”

Nanotech was a major focus of Jeffrey’s a press briefing this week in which he discussed NIST’s fiscal-year 2008 plans.

Jeffrey began by pointing out that President Bush’s 2008 budget request calls for an 11% increase in funding for the NIST core (research and facilities) over the 2007 request. That is a 21% increase over the funding as specified in the joint resolution passed by the House of Representatives last week and sent on to the Senate. The proposed increases are part of the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), a long-term plan to not just maintain but to enhance the U.S.’s global economic competitiveness. Under the ACI, funding for NIST’s core, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science is slated to double by 2016.

The 2007 and 2008 budget requests include a total of $26 million in initiatives for NIST research in nanotechnology. This includes funding for the NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, a partnership among NIST, industry, and universities that combines a “world-class” nanofabrication and nanometrology user facility with a strong research program. The Center’s emphasis will be on overcoming technical barriers for nanotechnology development and adoption.

“For example,” Jeffrey said, “products built from nanoscale components require entirely new ways to accurately quantify their properties and determine their sizes, shapes, and chemical composition. And there is an urgent need to improve understanding and measurement of nanomaterials to ensure safe handling and protection against potential health or environmental hazards that may be posed by specific types of these materials.” NIST says it has already made substantial contributions on these two fronts for the carbon nanotube, which may one day be the critical elements in the strongest of fibers, the fastest of circuits, and the most sensitive of sensors. “But first we must learn how to make them consistently in the same sizes and shapes, with reliable properties,” said Jeffrey.

He also said that the unusual properties of carbon nanotubes have raised questions about possible health and environmental effects. “Recent NIST measurements have shown that typical nanotube samples are far from uniform and often contain large amounts of impurities that arise as a byproduct of the manufacturing process,” said Jeffrey, adding that we don’t yet know whether possible adverse effects of nanotube samples are caused by the nanotubes themselves, by impurities, by size variation, or by some other factor. “But we do know that for health and environmental researchers to draw valid conclusions they need accurate ways to measure, analyze, and purify nanotube samples,” Jeffrey noted. “NIST will use a portion of its funding to develop the measurement techniques required to better characterize potential nanotechnology impacts to our health, safety, and environment.”

Among NIST’s proposed 2008 research initiatives is an additional $4 million in funding for quantum science to help provide the fundamental physics methods needed to manipulate individual atoms and light particles.

NIST’s 2008 facilities budget is designed to ensure that staff and guest researchers have the laboratory capabilities they need to continually advance measurement’s cutting edge, said Jeffrey. So, the 2008 budget will start construction of state-of-the-art laboratory space that will meet the stringent environmental conditions. Likewise, the capacity and capability enhancements at the NIST Center for Neutron Research is critical for promoting innovation. This initiative begun in 2007 is in the second year of a planned five-year program to expand significantly the capacity and capabilities of the center. “With the 2008 funding, we will complete construction of a new guide hall which will ultimately house five new state-of-the-art instruments and allow an additional 500 researchers per year to study advanced materials and biological systems at the smallest spatial scales,” Jeffrey explained.

According to Jeffrey, the proposed NIST increases and the fact that the House joint resolution provided a $60 million increase in NIST’s core ¿ despite a severe budget climate ¿ demonstrates broad recognition of the important role that NIST plays in supporting innovation. “Research universities are the wellspring of American scientific creativity and new knowledge. Industry uses that knowledge to build the products that allow a pilot to find her way in a snowstorm or a teenager to carry thousands of songs, a phone, and a photo album in one pocket-sized device. NIST is the glue that holds the two together. The results of NIST research are found in virtually every manufacturing and service industry,” he said.

(February 9, 2007) RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC &#151 Nextreme Thermal Solutions appointed Seri Lee, Ph.D., as chief technology officer. Bringing Lee to Nextreme is part of a corporate plan to focus on electronic and optoelectronic packaging, and thermal management, said Jesko von Windheim, CEO, adding that Lee will also advance the company’s efforts in thermoelectric power generation.