Category Archives: Materials and Equipment

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Small Times NanoCon International is being held September 20-22, 2006 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The NanoCon Newswire is a micro-site built specifically to cover the show. It features news and announcements about speakers and events taking place at NanoCon International, and it features a newswire where sponsors and exhibitors can publish their press releases.

Check back often for the latest news about the show — and direct from the show floor.


The latest from NanoCon International, its sponsors and exhibitors.
NanoCon will be held in Las Vegas September 20-22, 2006

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NanoCon Newswire

Sept. 25, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — NanoCon wraps up with talks on biotech, funding
Small Times NanoCon International in Las Vegas came to a close on Friday with a keynote address by a veteran of the biotech industry and a second keynote on how the Sarbanes-Oxley act affects nanotech, as well as a trio of panels that covered the life sciences, what it takes to go public, and how to get early stage funding for a nanotech startup.

Sept. 25, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — Small Times NanoCon International Photo Gallery 2
The photos included here are from Friday, Sept. 22, the final day of Small Times NanoCon International. Legendary biotech financier Steven Burrill delivered the morning’s keynote address, which explored lessons that people in the nanotech industry could learn from the history of the biotech sector.

Sept. 22, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — Small Times announces 2006 Best of Small Tech Awards winners at luncheon
Attendees of NanoCon 2006 witnessed the announcement of Small Times’ Best of Small Tech Awards on Thursday in Las Vegas. The current issue of Small Times magazine presents a list of winners and runners-up, as well as descriptions of their products and contributions.

Sept. 22, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — Afternoon sessions touch on energy, telecom applications
Two of Thursday’s afternoon sessions at NanoCon 2006 featured lively discussions on nanotechnology as it is currently being applied to and thought of in the areas of energy and telecommunications.

Sept. 22, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — NanoCon all about production and applications
If Wednesday’s opening day of NanoCon 2006 was primarily about the overall picture for nanotechnology in the near-term future, Thursday turned greater attention to specific instances of nanotech applications and developments today.

Sept. 21, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — Morning keynotes describe a nano-enabled future
David Soane only has to look in the mirror to see how central nanotech has become in his life. Soane, a self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur” who has founded companies such as Aclara, Nano-Tex, Innovative Construction and Building Materials and Cosmetica, addressed NanoCon 2006 in Las Vegas on Wednesday with a personal anecdote about his graying hair and the development of a new nano-based commercial hair coloring system he is developing.

Sept. 21, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — Afternoon sessions cover funding, policy, transpo, materials
The afternoon conference sessions at NanoCon 2006 in Las Vegas on Wednesday addressed current U.S. funding levels for nanotech, American and international nanotech policy considerations, the use of nanotech in the transportation industry and the development of nanomaterials.

Sept. 21, 2006 (NanoCon Show Daily) — NanoCon 2006 exhibit floor features novel products and applications
Concurrent with the educational sessions of NanoCon 2006 in Las Vegas, several companies and organizations are displaying their wares and demonstrating new products and technology. Magforce Nanotechnologies AG, for instance, is providing information on using iron oxide nanoparticles to fight cancer.

Sept. 21, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Michael Lefenfeld, a three-time entrepreneur, founded SiGNa Chemistry in late 2004 based on a process that stabilizes reactive metals. This technology enables companies to safely harness the legendary powers of alkali materials.

As President and CEO of SiGNa, Mr. Lefenfeld is applying his science and materials expertise to drive the adoption of these advanced materials into the mainstream of chemical reactivity and hydrogen fuel markets. Under Mr. Lefenfeld’s leadership, SiGNa will achieve profitability in its second full year of operation and has secured industry veterans such as BASF, DuPont, ExxonMobil, Motorola, Pfizer, and Shell Chemical as customers.

Prior to SiGNa, Mr. Lefenfeld independently commercialized several biomedical and chemical technologies, starting at the age of 19. Additionally, he has been employed as a Member of the Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories and a researcher at DuPont. In addition to over 12 scientific publications, he holds several patents and patent applications in areas ranging from controlled release to organic electronics to chemical reactivity. He will be moderating the Intellectual Property Issues panel at NanoCon International on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Sept. 20, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — NanoCon International 2006 opens in Las Vegas!

Sept. 20, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — John Howard is the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

Prior to his appointment as Director of NIOSH, Dr. Howard served as Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the California Department of Industrial Relations from 1991 through 2002.

Dr. Howard received his Doctor of Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago in 1974, his Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1982, his Doctor of Law from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1986, and his Master of Law in Administrative Law from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1987.

Dr. Howard is board-certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine. He is admitted to the practice of medicine and law in the State of California and in the District of Columbia, and he is a member U.S. Supreme Court bar. He has written numerous articles on occupational health law and policy. He will be appearing at NanoCon International on the nano policy panel at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sept. 19, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Richard Russell was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2002 as Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. In that capacity he is OSTP’s Deputy Director for Technology. In addition to his role at OSTP, Mr. Russell serves as the Senior Director for Technology and Telecommunications for the National Economic Council.

Prior to being chosen by the President for his current position, Mr. Russell served as OSTP’s Chief of Staff. Mr. Russell also worked on the Presidential Transition Teams for the Department of Commerce, National Science Foundation and OSTP.

From 1995-2001, Mr. Russell worked for the House of Representatives Committee on Science and has a strong background in technology policy. The Committee has oversight responsibilities for all Federal civilian research and development and authorizing responsibilities for most civilian science and technology programs.

During his time on the Committee, Mr. Russell was charged with overseeing the Committee’s technology policy, coordinating its oversight agenda, and helping manage the Committee’s majority staff. He also helped draft a wide variety of legislation, including efforts to expand and improve coordination of federal information technology research, improve computer security, and authorize budgets for science and technology related agencies.

He will be speaking at NanoCon International at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sept. 18, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — David Gusdorf is director of development for Washington Technology Center, an economic development organization whose mission is to spark ideas, form connections between people and resources, and foster job growth to position Washington State as a national technology leader. In this role, Mr. Gusdorf oversees the organization’s external development and public relations activities.

Mr. Gusdorf has over 25 years of biomedical industry experience, leading U.S. and international market development, and comprehensive product launches. He was most recently the vice president of marketing & sales and led the commercialization of the CLAIRSONIC Skin Care brush.

Previously, Mr. Gusdorf was vice president and general manager of Japan at SonoSite Inc., where he led the market development and rapid sales growth of hand-carried ultrasound products. He also worked at Chiron Corp. and LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson company, where he orchestrated the introductions of two market-leading diabetes blood glucose-monitoring brands. Mr. Gusdorf has a bachelor of arts degree in marketing and advertising and a master’s degree in business administration from San Jose University. He will be speaking at NanoCon International at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Sept. 15, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Scott Livingston is a managing director of Axiom Capital Management and head of the Livingston Group, an investment and corporate advisory group within Axiom focused on nanotechnology and its impact on our markets and society.

He has had a seventeen year career on Wall Street working in wealth management and banking with corporations, startups, institutional and individual investors and governments on emerging technologies.

Prior to Axiom, Scott served as a senior vice resident at Lehman Brothers, director at Cowen & Co. and senior vice president at Smith Barney. He began his career at Drexel Burnham in 1989. He will be appearing at NanoCon International at 10:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sept. 14, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Scott Mize is an entrepreneur, advisor, and speaker in the field of high technology. He has 20 years of experience in the information technology, new media and Internet industries, and has worked in the nanotechnology field for more than five years. He currently provides business and venture development services to early-stage technology companies and established corporations.

Scott was recently president of Foresight Nanotech Institute, the leading nanotechnology think tank. Prior to joining Foresight Nanotech Institute, he co-founded AngstroVision, Inc., a research-stage nanotechnology tools company focused on creating a breakthrough imaging and metrology instrument, and raised its seed round of capital. Scott was the originator and chairman of the advisory board of the Nanotechnology Opportunity Report, the first comprehensive global report on the near-term commercial opportunities in nanotechnology, published by Cientifica. He will be moderating the nano policy panel at NanoCon International at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sept. 13, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — David Macdonald is president and chief executive of Nanomix, a leading nanoelectronic detection company launching a portfolio of devices based on its Sensation technology.

He provides Nanomix with 25 years of product development and commercialization experience. Mr. Macdonald has cultivated several high performance teams that achieve aggressive goals in technical product and service environments. These teams have developed and launched hundreds of medical device and diagnostic products sold directly in the United States and Western Europe, as well as through independent distribution relationships worldwide.

Mr. Macdonald served as President and COO of Nichols Institute Diagnostics, a division of Quest Diagnostics, as President and CEO of Progeny Systems and Medical Electronic Systems, in operational roles at Behring Diagnostics and Nova Biomedical, and most recently as the Senior Vice President Global Operations and Business Development at Nanogen. Mr. Macdonald holds a BSBA degree from Northeastern University, a MBA degree from Babson College and is originally from the Boston area. He will be appearing on the nanobio panel at NanoCon International at 9:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22.

Sept. 12, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Joseph Cross is president and CEO of nanomaterials company Nanophase Technologies and a member of the board of directors. He has served as president & CEO of APTECH Inc., an OEM of electrical metering and control devices; as president of Aegis Technologies, an interactive telecommunications company; and held executive positions with DEC, HADCO, and ITT.

He holds a BS in Chemistry and attended the MBA program at Missouri State University. Mr. Cross has a background of successfully directing several high technology start-ups. He will be appearing on the nanomaterials panel at NanoCon International at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sept. 11, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — John Roy is a senior research analyst/nanotechnology analyst at W.R. Hambrecht + Co., an investment bank providing underwriting and financial advisory services to emerging growth companies, as well as equity research, sales and trading services to institutions and full-service brokerage for individuals.

Dr. Roy joined WRH+Co from Merrill Lynch where he focused on nanotechnology and technology strategy. Dr. Roy has also worked at JPMorgan and Neuron Data. Dr. Roy has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California and a MSEE from the University of Southern California. He will be appearing on the “Going Public?” panel at NanoCon International at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22.

Sept. 7, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Morinobu Endo to accept lifetime achievement award at NanoCon

Nanotube manufacturing pioneer Morinobu Endo has won Small Times’ fifth annual Best of Small Tech Lifetime Achievement award. A professor at Shinshu University in Nagano, Japan, Endo will accept the award in person at NanoCon International in Las Vegas at an awards luncheon on Thursday, September 21 at 12:15 p.m.

A preview of the September/October issue of Small Times with the story about Dr. Endo is available online.

The lifetime achievement award is given to only one recipient a year and recognizes an individual who has made a lasting and foundational contribution to commercial micro and nanotechnology, including inventing critical tools, materials and manufacturing methods that help others create new products and build businesses. Professor Endo’s work developing manufacturing methods for carbon nanotubes has led directly to commercial applications, has enabled others to use the materials in their work, and has inspired other scientists to explore and harness nanoscale processes.

Awards in six other categories will be presented at the luncheon to individual winners and four runners-up in each category. They will also be unveiled in the September/October issue of Small Times Magazine. The other categories are product, company, business leader, researcher, innovator and advocate.

Sept. 6, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Edward Moran is director of product innovation and leader of the nanotech industry practice at Deloitte Services LP. He provides companies with consultative assistance in securing financing, strategic planning, product innovation, market segmentation, competitive positioning, and industry analysis.

An active member of the nanotech business community, Moran is a member of the National Academies’ National Nanotech Initiative (NNI) Review Committee and the Nanotech Working Group of the US Council for International Business, among other activities.

He will be moderating the nano transportation (aerospace, automotive, military) panel at NanoCon International on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Sept. 5, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Going public?

Thomas Mino has served as chief executive officer, president and a director of nanomaterials company Lumera since September 2001. Lumera went public in 2004.

From November 1999 to September 2001, he served as vice president and general manager of the high-speed long-haul business unit of Agere Systems Inc., an optical components supplier. From 1991 to October 1998, he was president and chief executive officer of Synergy Semiconductor Corp., a specialty high-speed semiconductor manufacturer. Mr. Mino has a B.S.E.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

He will be on the “Going Public?” panel at NanoCon International at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 22.

Sept. 1, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Of material concern

Peter Krueger is head of the working group on nanotechnology at Bayer MaterialScience AG, where since 2004 he has been head of the physics department within the coatings, adhesives and sealants business unit.

Krueger joined the department of polymer physics at Bayer Central Research in 1993, focused on structure-property-relationships of thermoplastics, especially of blends and rubber modification. He became head of the polymer physics department in 2000, focused on thermoplastics, synthetic rubber, polyurethanes, coatings and adhesives.

Krueger will be speaking on the materials panel at NanoCon International at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 20.

Aug. 31, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — The best defense is a good…technology

Sharon Smith is director of advanced technology at Lockheed Martin’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. She is responsible for research and technology initiatives, including independent research and development projects, university involvement, and various other R&D activities.

The prior chair of the company’s steering group on microsystems and MEMS, she is currently the chair of the steering group on nanotechnology. Smith has twenty-five years of experience in management, program management, engineering, and research and development at Eli Lilly and Co., IBM Corp., Loral, and Lockheed Martin.

She will be speaking at NanoCon International on the nano transportation (aerospace, automotive, military) panel at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Aug. 30, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Shining a light on nanoelectronics

Jia Chen is a research staff member of Nanoscale Science and Technology at IBM’s T. J. Watson Research Center. She received her Ph.D. in physics in 2000 from Yale University where she pioneered breakthroughs in molecular memories and circuits.

Her work was recognized as part of the “Breakthrough of the Year” in Science in 2001. In 2003, she joined the Watson Research Center in the area of nanotechnology. Recently she has found novel methods to drastically improve the electronic properties of high performance carbon nanotube devices, and new ways to generate intense light from an ultra-small source. Her current research focuses on carbon nanotubes and nanoscale materials-based electronic and optoelectronic devices and technologies.

She will be speaking on the nanoelectronics panel at NanoCon International at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Aug. 29, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Living in a nanomaterial world

Ralf Anselmann is head of exploration and validation at Creavis, the strategic research and development and corporate venturing arm of Degussa AG.

Creavis is charged with enhancing Degussa’s portfolio by building high-value businesses in specialty chemistry through new technologies and markets — hence, nanotechnology. Prior to joining Creavis, Anselmann was head of R&D for cosmetic pigments at Merck, where he had worked since 1986. Anselmann will appear on the nanomaterials panel at NanoCon International, to be held at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Aug. 28, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Tech transfer techniques?

Mike Slessor is the assistant director in the Office of Technology Transfer at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Slessor is part of a team that manages the Caltech intellectual property portfolio (along with that of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory), directs outside counsel in patent prosecution, and negotiates agreements to license intellectual property from JPL and Caltech to outside companies. He is a member of the board of directors of Micromanipulator Corporation, and a member of the scientific advisory board of Oraxion Corporation.

Slessor, a former Honeywell process engineer, will be on the intellectual property panel, speaking at NanoCon International at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Aug. 25, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — What does it take to raise funding?

Ask Vinie Zhang, vice president of Hitachi’s corporate venture capital group responsible for strategic investment in IT, biotech, telecommunications and material sciences.

Prior to joining Hitachi, she was a vice president at Asiatech Ventures, an early-stage cross pacific venture fund, where she made numerous investments in enterprise software, wireless, and communications. She is appearing on the early stage funding panel at NanoCon International, to be held on Friday, Sept. 22 at 11 a.m.

Aug. 24, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Nanotech for aerospace, automotive and military use.

Leonard Chen has been with Raytheon for more than 15 years and is based out of Raytheon Vision Systems in Goleta, Calif.. As a Director of EO Strategic Components on a Contracted R&D (CRAD) team, his primary role is starting new CRAD programs that give key leverage for larger systems throughout Raytheon.

He will be participating in the Nano Transportation (Aerospace, Automotive, Military) panel to be held at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at NanoCon International.

Aug. 23, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — You must remember this.

Greg Schmergel heads one of the most innovative efforts to commercialize new memory technology. Nantero, the Woburn, Mass., startup of which he is president and CEO, is using carbon nanotubes to build fast, non-volatile memory chips.

The company has made significant strides in developing the technology, including developing procedures for using carbon nanotubes in a standard fab environment. Get the inside scoop on how he has pushed Nantero to the forefront of nanoelectronics innovation. Schmergel will be participating in the nanoelectronics panel at NanoCon International, being held at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sep. 21.

Aug. 22, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Can you hear me now?

Nanotechnology has a variety of applications in telecommunications, and Motorola’s Iwona Turlik knows where they are. Turlik, corporate vice president at Motorola, has led Motorola’s technology acquisition office, its advanced technology center and other divisions — a unique perch from which to gauge nanotech’s impact on telecommunications technologies.

She will be speaking at NanoCon International at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Aug. 21, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Expert explains innovation management

Battelle CEO Carl Kohrt knows a thing or two about managing technology innovation. His organization oversees 20,000 staff members and conduct $3.4 billion in annual research and development.

Battelle sees its commitment to nanotechnology as a logical extension of its research and development experience and its history of innovation. Kohrt will discuss how his organization fosters and manages science- and technology-based innovation, and how it helps bring emerging technologies to the marketplace. The complete cycle of innovation — from concept to commercialization — and the practical decisions necessary along the way will also be explored. His keynote address will take place at NanoCon International on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 9 a.m.

Aug. 18, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — The life of a serial entrepreneur

There are the entrepreneurs, and then there are the serial entrepreneurs, those who found new startups on innovation after innovation. They are rare enough, and even more so in nanotech. But David Soane is one of them.

The founder of companies including Aclara, Nano-Tex, Innovative Construction and Building Materials, Soane Labs and Cosmetica, Soane will discuss his latest efforts at Alnis Biosciences and share his thoughts on what it takes to be a successful nano entrepreneur. His keynote presentation at NanoCon International is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20.

Aug. 14, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Automotive nanoapplications driving future

Nanotechnologies in cars and trucks are not just about new paints and composites. They will most likely also be the driving technology behind higher fuel efficiency and improved performance. Mark Verbrugge, director of General Motors’ materials and processes laboratory, will overview recent developments and open questions associated with current nanotechnology-based materials for body subsystems and promising electronic materials for energy storage and transfer.

Mr. Verbrugge will be a keynote speaker at NanoCon International at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 21, as well as a panelist on the Transportation panel at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, September 20.

Aug. 9, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Achieving nano success through partnership

What’s the hottest trend in nano? It’s all about partnering. Learn from Dr. Thomas Sawitowski, entrepreneur and corporate nanotechnology leader, how ALTANA/BYK Chemie has partnered with a nano company to shorten innovation cycles and time-to-market. Strategic relationships are essential in an age when there aren’t enough resources or time to build all the necessary capabilities internally.

Dr. Sawitowski’s keynote presentation will discuss how ALTANA Chemie entered into a strategic, global alliance with Nanophase Technology Corporation more than 2 years ago. This partnership has strengthened both companies in their position as leading companies for specialty chemicals, as well as tailor-made nanomaterials and nanomaterials dispersions. During this case study, Dr. Sawitowski will give insights into the strategic relationship, lessons learned, and opportunities that the partnership created.

Aug. 4, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — Leading researcher from PNNL joins nanoenergy panel

Dr. Paul Burrows, laboratory fellow at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the energy science and technology division, will be participating as a panelist on the energy panel at Small Times NanoCon International on September 21.

With more than 71 U.S. patents and 45 international patents, Burrows is an innovator whose work has been instrumental in the creation of two new companies: Universal Display Corp., a developer of flat panel display technology, and Vitex Systems, a company spun off from Battelle to develop flexible encapsulation technology for organic light emitting displays. Prior to PNNL, Burrows held positions at Battelle, Princeton University, University of Southern California, and the Riken Institute in Japan.

Aug. 1, 2006 (NanoCon Update) — How is SOX impacting nano IPO’s?

Come hear Doug Jamison, president, CFO and COO of Harris & Harris, provide insight into this vexing question facing the nanotechnology sector.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), mandates, among other things, that all publicly held companies listing in the United States establish and attest to the effectiveness of their internal controls surrounding financial reporting.

The resulting cost related to the preparation and auditing of these internal controls far exceeded was first predicted, and has caused a backlash related to whether the Act makes it too burdensome for young companies to become public entities in the United States. This presentation will provide a brief introduction into what SOX requires, the expenses related to complying with SOX, and the potential impact it may have on the funding and emergence of nanotech companies. Mr. Jamison’s presentation is scheduled for 10:45am PST, September 22.

September 26, 2006 – Electroglas Inc. has suspended its efforts in the strip test market, and is putting its hopes for future growth in its EG6000 300mm prober.

In a conference call with press and analysts announcing the company’s fiscal 1Q06 results, Thomas Rohrs, Electroglas chairman and CEO, noted that there had been “zero revenues” for the company’s Sidewinder strip test business during the past two quarters and only two tool sales since development began five years ago — just for a niche market that VLSI Research pegs as only a $17 million market. “We can’t see continuing to invest in the Sidewinder product line when the 300mm market is flush with opportunities,” Rohrs said.

Instead, Rohrs cited several examples where the company believes its future lies — its new EG6000 prober — citing customer wins at the Hynix/STMicroelectronics JV in China, Amkor, and Taiwan wafer test company KYEC. EGLS will ship 10-12 of the 300mm probers next quarter (likely including several large orders), and should see 30%-40% sales growth/quarter thereafter, he noted.

The company took a $3.4 million writeoff in 1Q06 (shaving about $300-$400K off quarterly run rates) and will reallocate some software and engineering resources to the company’s EG6000 efforts, where it sees significant future growth. Rohrs noted the company will narrow its focus and finances to gain 300mm market share and “get back a key position in the prober market, which Electroglas helped to create.”

Initial efforts will be penetration into SoC markets, with another version to come in the next six months or so targeting memory customers, who make up ~40% of the total prober market, according to Rohrs. He noted that “while we have spectacular indexing times” for probing SoCs, memory customers instead require much faster loading times, an area in which “we have some improvement to do.”

Rohrs also noted that Electroglas’ 200mm probers are still seeing some new sales and upgrades, and demand is holding steady despite an anticipated slowdown in semiconductor equipment investments and a trend toward 300mm wafer processing. “The 200mm family, service/spares, are what’s sustaining the company,” he said, but gaining share in the 300mm market, “that’s the growth engine for the company.”

In the conference call, Electroglas CFO Tom Brunton projected fiscal 2Q06 revenues would be flattish with 1Q06 in a range of $12.5-$15.0 million, with gross margins improving to around 35%, up from just 14.6% in 1Q. The company posted a $5.8 million net loss in 1Q06 on sales of $13.5 million, vs. a $3.9 million loss a year ago on $9.7 million in sales.

By Phil LoPiccolo, Editor-in-Chief

Researchers investigating the intersection of biology and electronics will share their latest findings at the 52nd annual International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), Dec. 11-13 in San Francisco. Several of the presentations exploring this new frontier, from a total of than 225 papers from corporate, university, and government labs worldwide, will examine the innovative use of biologically directed self-assembly and patterning techniques to enhance nanodevice fabrication.

One novel technique, described in a paper from Matsushita in Japan, proposes fabricating nanoelectronic devices using self-assembling protein molecules. This approach takes advantage of several traits of proteins that make them ideal tools for forming precise nanostructures — they can self-assemble into complex and orderly arrangements, sequester inorganic materials useful in device manufacturing, and can be selectively removed from substrates while leaving the inorganic materials in place.

Specifically, the researchers employed apoferritin, a cage-shaped protein that permits ions to pass through its outer shell and “biomineralize” in its core, to synthesize such materials as ferrihydrite, chromium hydroxide, indium oxide, and other compounds (see figure below). After a layer of ferrihydrite-carrying apoferritin is placed directly on a silicon substrate, it self-assembles into a hexagonally close-packed array. When the protein is eliminated by heat or a UV/ozone treatment, an array of high-density nodes remains to form a floating nanogate memory. Matsushita claims that this new “bio nano process” opens up new pathways to bottom-up nano-structure fabrication.

Another paper, from CEA Saclay in France, describes a different biologically directed self-assembly approach, in this case to address the challenge of precisely arranging carbon nanotubes (CNT) onto integrated circuits. The technique makes use of DNA templates to pattern areas in a substrate to which the CNTs suspended in a solvent are selectively attracted. The researchers developed an e-beam lithography process to form patterned monolayers of a silane compound onto a SiO2 substrate. The method reportedly yields highly selective deposition of single- or multiwalled CNTs onto the substrate. FET devices built with the nanotubes demonstrated high-frequency (8GHz) performance and the ability to perform frequency mixing at rates up to 40GHz. The devices can be controlled electronically as well as optically, when coated with an optically active polymer, the researchers note, adding that the device could be used as a new type of multilevel memory.

Several other presentations will also look at bio-assisted techniques. For example, a paper out of Duke U. describes recent progress the university has made on several bio-nanotech fronts, including using DNA tiles as building blocks to study self-assembly nanofabrication, fabricating highly conductive metallic nanowires templated on DNA molecules, and building DNA-based nanotubes and nanoarrays. In addition, a paper from IBM researchers describes a biochemically driven polymer self-assembly method for patterning sublithographic features and ICs. Target applications include patterning nanocrystal floating gates for flash memories, defining dense FET channel arrays, and roughening capacitor surfaces to increase area and improve the efficiency of shallow-trench array devices.

DNA-based nanofabrication

IEDM presenters describing research in DNA-driven self-assembly contend that the technique holds enormous prospects for manufacturers of future generations of semiconductor devices. One advocate of this vision is Thom LaBean, of Duke U.’s computer science and chemistry department, and author of an IEDM paper on self-assembling DNA nanostructures and DNA-based nanofabrication.

“DNA is well known as the predominant chemical for duplication and storage of genetic information,” LaBean explains. “Properly designed synthetic DNA can be used as programmable building blocks that, via specific hybridization of complementary sequences, will reliably self-organize to form desired structures and superstructures.”

Such engineered nanostructures are suitable for use as templates and scaffolds for imposing specific patterns on various other materials, including metal and semiconductor nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and biomolecules, notes LaBean. And given the diverse mechanical, chemical, catalytic, and electronic properties of these specifically patterned heteromaterials, DNA is rapidly becoming a vital engineering material for the bottom-up nanofabrication of micron-scale objects with nanometer-scale feature resolution. — P.L.

Next week WaferNEWS will review more IEDM paper proposals that show how fabricated devices made by these biological processes are poised to return the favor, by advancing biological and medical research.

September 25, 2006 – In an effort to address two related problems — declining energy supplies, and increasing CO2 emissions — the Taiwan government has proposed a plan to infuse its photovoltaic industry with more than $6 billion over the next ten years, according to the Taiwan Economic News.

The project of the Bureau of Energy, under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), targets expanding the industry’s annual output value to roughly $6.66 billion by 2015 — about 30x the projected 2006 production value of $219 million, according to the report. The nation aims to boost total output of photovoltaic power to 21MW by 2010, up from 1.2MW in 2004.

The plan has four major strategies, according to the report: assist supplies of local polysilicon to PV firms; recruit foreign polysilicon suppliers to set up factories in Taiwan (and provide subsidies for firms developing high-efficiency, low-cost polysilicon solar cells); assist development of next-generation solar cells; and collaborate with industry to develop test and inspection techniques for photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic area networks, and photovoltaic production equipment.

In addition, the Bureau of Energy is encouraging city governments to build solar-energy-related structures and demonstration buildings at transportation hubs, provide subsidies for households installing solar roofs, and establish emergency solar-power-generating facilities in more remote locations including mountain villages and on offshore islands, according to the report. The government is also working to enact a Statute for the Development of Renewable Energy with the aim of boosting the development of solar and other renewable forms of energy.

Taiwan aims to leverage its IC industry to use production technology similar to what is needed to make solar cells. Motech, Taiwan’s top solar-cell producer, was ninth in global market share in 2005 with 4.3% share, up from 2.9% and 10th place in 2004, noted the report.

Sept. 25, 2006 — Synopsys, Inc., a maker of semiconductor design software, and Nikon Corp., a supplier of lithography equipment for microelectronics manufacturing announced that they are collaborating on the development and delivery of advanced lithography software models and DFM enabled lithography manufacturing solutions for 45 nm and below.

The Synopsys-Nikon collaboration brings together EDA design and optical lithography imaging system expertise to focus on building next generation “manufacturing-aware” lithography simulation models. At 45 nm and below, critical dimension control will be at the single nanometer levels pushing current models and optical lithography system performance to the extreme limits.

Book-to-Bill Even in August


September 22, 2006

(September 22, 2006) SAN JOSE, CA &#151 North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers posted $1.73B worth of orders in August, based on a three-month average; they recorded $1.73B in bookings. The figures create a 1.00 book-to-bill ratio for August, 2006, according to SEMI’s report.

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Small Times NanoCon International is being held September 20-22, 2006 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The photos included here are from the Best of Small Tech Awards luncheon held on Thursday, Sept. 21. It was the fifth annual edition of the awards, which honor achievements in the categories of product, company, business leader, researcher, innovator, advocate and lifetime achievement.

The winners were written about in the September/October issue of Small Times magazine.

Sept. 22, 2006 — Attendees of NanoCon 2006 witnessed the announcement of Small Times’ Best of Small Tech Awards on Thursday in Las Vegas. The current issue of Small Times magazine presents a list of winners and runners-up, as well as descriptions of their products and contributions.

Sean Murdock, executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance, received the award for Advocate of the Year, and hit a particularly relevant note with comments to the attendees. “These awards are not about ‘I’,” Murdock said. “They are about ‘we,’ about the industry as a whole. It is due to the support of many people both in this room and outside of it that nanotechnology has grown to the level it is now at.”

For a list of the winners, check out the press release.

Professor Morinobu Endo of Shinshu University in Japan accepted the 2006 Best of Small Tech lifetime achievement award.

After accepting his award, Dr. Endo gave a brief presentation about the history of carbon nanotubes, his research into manufacturing processes, and some of the current and future products that take advantage of carbon nanotubes.

Greg Schmergel, chief executive of Nantero, poses with Patti Glaza, vice president and group publisher of Small Times. Nantero, which is developing nanotube-based memory, was a finalist in the company of the year category.

Sean Murdock, executive director of the NanoBusiness Alliance, accepts the advocate of the year award.

Tim Jenks, chief executive of NeoPhotonics, speaks briefly after accepting the business leader of the year award.

Jie Zhang, principal staff engineer at Motorola, and Patti Glaza, vice president and group publisher of Small Times. Zhang was a finalist in the researcher category.

Top micro and nanotechnology people, products and companies honored

Las Vegas, Nev., September 21, 2006 — Small Times (TM) Magazine presented its highly respected Best of Small Tech Awards at the Small Times NanoCon International conference and trade show today in Las Vegas. This is the fifth annual Small Times (TM) Magazine Best of Small Tech Awards, which spotlight the top leaders and the biggest successes in nanotechnology, MEMS, and microsystems during the past year.

“The award winners and finalists this year truly reflect the diversity of companies and people that are shaping the MEMS and nanotechnology communities – from tools innovators to fabs to companies bringing commercial applications to a wide range of markets,” said Patti Glaza, Vice President and Group Publisher of Small Times (TM).

Best of Small Tech Award: Product
The Small Times (TM) Magazine 2006 Best of Small Tech Product of the Year award goes to an electron microscope that provides critical data for research and development on a highly stable, easy-to-use platform: FEI Titan.

Runners-up are Acrymed’s SilvaGard, Fiberstars’ EFO, Oxonica’s SERS Nanotags, and SiTimes’ SiRes Product Family.

Best of Small Tech Award: Company
CardioMEMS, Inc., captured the 2006 Best of Small Tech Company of the Year award for its new, FDA-approved implantable wireless pressure sensors, which measure pressure changes in the abdominal aorta, promising a relatively inexpensive means of managing patients with congestive heart failure by allowing healthcare providers to adjust patient medication before a crisis occurs.

Runners-up are FEI Company, Micralyne, Nantero, Inc., and SiGNa Chemistry.

Best of Small Tech Award: Business Leader
Chairman, President, and CEO of NeoPhotonics Corporation, Tim Jenks, earned the 2006 Small Times (TM) Magazine Business Leader of the Year award for the successful merger of California-based NeoPhotonics Corp. with Photon Technology, Co. Ltd., in Shenzhen China. The newly merged company has continued to thrive, with $50 million in annual sales, new product launches, European distribution, and additional acquisitions.

Runners-up are Bob Gelfond (MagiQ Technologies), Michael Natan (Oxonica, Inc.), James Rock (Akustica, Inc.), Billy Stanbery (HelioVolt Corp.).

Best of Small Tech Award: Researcher
IBM Research’s Jia Chen discovered a new way to make carbon nanotubes into light sources much brighter than large area Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Her photon-emitting nanotubes have the potential to be produced with the same processes as conventional electronic components. Chen’s breakthrough research in this area earned her the Small Times (TM) Magazine Best of Small Tech Researcher of the Year award in 2006.

Runners-up are Russell Cowburn (Imperial College, London), James Tour (Rice University), Huikai Xie (University of Florida), and Jie Zhang (Motorola).

Best of Small Tech Awards: Innovator
James M. Tour, Rice University, developed the world’s first nanocar, a single-molecule gadget with a chassis, freely rotating axles, and wheels, measuring in total just three to four nanometers across. Tour’s ultimate goal is the development of nanomachines for bottom-up manufacturing, and it is this vision that earned him the Small Times (TM) Magazine 2006 Best of Small Tech Innovator of the Year award.

Runners-up are James Balcom (Polyfuel), Dan Gamota (Motorola), Magnus Gittins (Advance Nanotech), and Pradeep Haldar (University at Albany).

Best of Small Tech Awards: Advocate
Sean Murdock’s tireless work as the face of nanotechnology earned the Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Alliance our Best of Small Tech Advocate award for 2006. His efforts to educate representatives and senators about the importance of developing commercial nanotechnology helped push forward at least two bills promoting nanotech investment.

Runners-up are Roger Grace (Roger Grace Associates), Matthew Laudon (Nano Science and Technology Institute), Ellen McDevitt (MEMS Industry Group), and Robert D. “Skip” Rung (Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute).

Best of Small Tech Awards: Lifetime Achievement

Morinobu Endo, professor of engineering at Shinshu University, captured the 2006 Small Times (TM) Magazine Best of Small Tech Lifetime Achievement award. This award is in recognition of his contributions as an innovator and researcher with carbon nanotubes. He has devoted a lifetime of research in how to manufacture nanotubes more rapidly and cheaply and how to integrate them into useful objects, such as extended-life batteries. Endo has authored or co-authored more than 40 textbooks and 250 papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Nature and Science. He has received a long list of awards and honors, including the 2004 American Carbon Society Medal.

About the Awards
This is the fifth year of the prestigious Small Times (TM) Magazine Best of Small Tech Awards. Small Times staff evaluates the nominees along with seven panels of industry experts. Awards are based on accomplishments between June 1, 2005, and June 1, 2006. More details can be found in the September/October issue or online at www.smalltimes.com.

About Small Times
Small Times (TM) Media was purchased in September 2005 by PennWell Corporation, a diversified global media and information company. Small Times (TM) Magazine remains the leading source of business news and analysis about the small tech industry, which includes nanotechnology, MEMS and microsystems. Its circulation is now free to qualified subscribers around the world in both print and digital form. In addition to its news services (Small Times (TM) magazine, SmallTimes.com, Small Times Direct, Small Tech Advantage), Small Times (TM) organizes the leading nanotechnology business conference and trade show in North America, Small Times (TM) NanoCon International. Our annual Small Tech Business Directory is free to all subscribers and provided online as an industry service at SmallTechDirectory.com. For more information, visit www.smalltimes.com.

About PennWell
PennWell Corp. is a diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries: Oil and gas, electric power, water, electronics, nanotechnology, semiconductor, contamination control, optoelectronics, fiber optics, computer graphics, enterprise storage, fire, emergency services and dental. Founded in 1910, PennWell publishes 75 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, web sites, research and database services. In addition to PennWell’s headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma the Company has major offices in Nashua, New Hampshire, Houston, Texas, Campbell, California, Fairlawn, New Jersey, London, England, Moscow, Russia, Schwabisch Gmund, Germany, and Hong Kong, China.

Contact
Deborah Rodriguez
Marketing Communications Manager
Small Times Media Group
PennWell Corp.
Tel: 603.891.9482
[email protected]

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by Debra Vogler, Senior Editor

Hot-spots resulting from nonuniform power dissipation over a chip are the bane of manufacturers of high-performance ICs such as CPUs, graphics chips, and DSPs — and as CMOS devices continue to scale and total power dissipation increases, these hot-spots will only become more pronounced. Nextreme Thermal Solutions is readying its nanoengineered films for embedded thermoelectric coolers to help the industry meet the challenges associated with the International Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), which projects high-end CPUs dissipating 200W five years from now.

“Multi-core processors exacerbate the hot-spot issue,” making thermal management more challenging and requiring cooling solutions closer to the die, noted Bob Conner, VP of marketing and business development at Nextreme Thermal Solutions, a 2004 spin-off of RTI International that manufactures nanoengineered films for embedded thermoelectric coolers (eTECs). Cooling close to the die is necessary to handle nonuniform power dissipation, he told WaferNEWS, because there is significant spreading resistance within the IC package itself. Cooling close to the source of the heat keeps that problem to a minimum.

TECs, whether bulk or embedded nanoengineered films, are based on the Peltier effect: when current is applied to two dissimilar materials (e.g., p- and n-type), heat is absorbed at one junction and released at the other junction 1. Typically, CMOS device manufacturers want to keep junction temperatures below 100°C. Nextreme is targeting the hottest hot-spots — those that are typically 5-10°C above the average die temperature (see figure, below).

Strategically placing an eTEC between the backside of the die and the heat spreader creates a temperature inversion at the site of the hot spot. “Essentially, we are moving heat from a low thermal conductivity material, the Si die and the thermal interface material [“TIM1″ in the figure below, between the die and heat spreader] to high thermal conductivity materials — the spreader and heat sink,” explained Conner. “So we’re cooling the hot spot by 5-10°C, which impacts reliability, performance, yield, and leakage power.” Conner maintains that this small amount of cooling of the hottest hot spots enables CPUs to bin out at slightly higher chip speeds, thus earning more money for the IC manufacturer.

The eTECs are thin (5-10µm thick) nanoengineered films, typically from bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and antimony telluride (both p-type and n-type materials), using a modified MOCVD reactor and proprietary processes. After processing, these films have the property of retaining their electrical conductivity while incurring a decrease in their thermal conductivity, vs. the more typical situation where a good electrical conductor is a good thermal conductor. “What you want for a TEC is a very good electrical conductor, so you can move a lot of electrons and holes from the heat absorbing side to the heat releasing side, but a very poor thermal conductor to prevent the hot side from heating up the cold side,” explained Conner.

The company believes it is positioned to help the industry meet the challenges associated with the International Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), which projects high-end CPUs dissipating 200W five years from now. Conner added that the eTEC approach complements uniform cooling techniques that apply to the entire chip, such as liquid cooling, refrigeration, and improving existing thermal components (e.g., heat sinks, fans, heat pipes, and heat spreaders). Specifically, eTECs enable designers to avoid over-engineering chip scale thermal solutions by targeting the hot spots. He further maintains that alternative hot-spot cooling approaches such as thermal plugs and bulk TECs in combination with thermal plugs are either too costly, or have CTE mismatch issues. Additionally, jet spray impingement is only in the research stage.

Initially, Nextreme plans to target low-volume/high-value products such as electronics used in oil wells, military applications, and communications infrastructure — basically, high ambient temperature environments. The company is not yet in production but is sampling some early products. “Next year, we’re going to have samples to start product qualification,” said Conner. “There’s an extensive customer qualification process so we’re probably 2-3 years away from starting a production ramp for niche applications, and 3-5 years to move into volume PC applications.” — D.V.

1 G. Snyder, M. Soto, R. Alley, D. Koester, B. Conner, Hot Spot Cooling using Embedded Thermoelectric Coolers, 22nd IEEE SEMI-THERM Symposium, 2006.

Sept. 15, 2006 — NIL Technology, a Denmark-based provider of stamps for nanoimprint lithography and nanoimprint services, announced the launch of nanoimprint stamps with standard nanostructure down to 100 nm at a price of 1,950 Euros, or a little under $2,500.

The company said it believes the product will provide private companies and universities access to a technology which was previously reserved for the largest conglomerates.

“By making a stamp with standard structures which are ideal for test, development and education we make it possible to utilize the benefits from producing many identical stamps,” said managing director of NIL Technology, Theodor Nielsen, in a prepared statement, “and this allows us to provide stamps to the market with standard structures down to as little as 100 nm at a very low price,”

Nanoimprint lithography has been shown to produce structures smaller than 10 nm. NIL Technology specialized in the production of stamps which define the structures of the NIL process. The company says it has received orders over the last six months from countries such as the United States, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Germany, and Denmark.