Category Archives: LEDs

August 4, 2008 — Successful convictions in the fight against rising gun crime could be given a boost thanks to new DNA tagging technology developed by scientists at the University of Surrey. The breakthrough uses nanotechnology to coat gun cartridges which captures the user’s DNA. These nanotags are also easily transferred to the user’s hands and clothing and are difficult to wash off, making it harder for gun criminals to cover their tracks.

The technology was developed by a conglomerate of UK universities (Brighton, Cranfield, York and Brunel), and led by the University of Surrey. The results could be a significant step forward in the fight against gun crime as current forensic testing is limited and often unreliable as DNA evidence is easily destroyed and gun residue cannot always be traced on the user. The work was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) .

The tags are created by coating naturally occurring pollen grains with nanotechnology particles. They are then coated onto the gun cartridge creating an abrasive surface much better suited to retaining skin cells than the cartridge’s smooth finish. Currently the majority of DNA is destroyed by the heat created when a gun is fired, but the chemical coating can withstand these temperatures which means the evidence survives, leaving a trail of clues for police.

Additionally, the composition of the coating can be chemically manufactured to make each batch of cartridges unique, allowing police to establish a clear link between the user and a fired cartridge.

“This technology has the potential to become a key tool for police in the fight against gun crime,” commented research leader Professor Paul Sermon, from the University of Surrey. “The use of nanotechnology means we have at our disposal a much more reliable way of linking the gun, cartridge and user which has not been available before. The increased chances of being caught could therefore also deter criminals from using guns in the first place.”

FORT WASHINGTON PA — In a strategic move to further capitalize on its strengths as an equipment manufacturer, Kulicke & Soffa Industries announced that the company will acquire the assets of Orthodyne Electronics Corp, while also divesting its wire business unit to W.C. Heraeus GmbH. Orthodyne, a privately held company based in Irvine, CA, supplies wedge bonders and wedges to the power management and hybrid module markets. Heraeus, whose core competencies focus on precious metals and related technologies, reportedly has the resources needed to support K&S’s wire business.

According to Maurice Carson, CFO, K&S, under the terms of the Orthodyne agreement, K&S will fund the acquisition of Orthodyne with approximately 7.1M shares of K&S common stock, plus $80M in cash. However, he said that if the transaction isn’t completed by October 31, 2008, the purchase price will be 19.6M shares and no cash.

With regard to the sale of the wire business, Carson disclosed that Heraeus will pay $155M in cash to K&S for these assets.

Scott Kulicke, CEO, K&S, expressed the company’s excitement about both transactions. “They are examples of the steps we are taking to execute our goals of expanding our product portfolios, focusing on profitable growth and strengthening our balance sheet,” he said.

Acquiring Orthodyne

““Orthodyne isn’t very well known because it’s a privately owned company, but it has a great story,” explained Kulicke, referring to Orthodyne as the undisputed leader ultrasonic wedge bonding. Kulicke says the company brings a different market segment into the K&S portfolio, as it is focused on power semiconductors and power hybrid applications, both of which have forecasted growth rates of 10 and 13% respectively, according to IMS Research. Orthodyne maintains a strong position in the automotive sector, which has a slightly different cycle than the semiconductor market, Kulicke said he expects some of the semiconductor down cycle to be muted for K&S. “However, neither can withstand macro-effects,” he noted. The company’s executive team, led by Gregg Kelly, and all 280 employees will be retained.

Hereaus’ Role

“We’ve been considering divesting the wire business for some time, and have had discussions with multiple parties. In the end, Hereaus made the most compelling offer during a robust bidding process, and we are confident that they will continue the success,” said Carson. K&S and Hereaus have entered into a collaboration agreement that provides reciprocal access to research and technical expertise. Carson stated that the strategic alliance will allow both companies to exploit the technical synergies that come from approaching wire bond process as a system that includes the bonder, tools, and wire. “Wire has been profitable, but unfortunately increases in market share or even servicing industry growth would require considerable investment in working capital; something the company is uncomfortable in doing,” explained Carson. “Hereaus has resources and capital to realize the potential of our wire business.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unveiled its Food Protection Plan just months ago with the intention of maintaining a safe food supply for Americans.

FDA’s Food Protection Plan Progress Report, released on July 2 in conjunction with the Interagency Working Group on Import Safety Action Plan Update, demonstrates areas of activity to further improve the safety of the nation’s food supply (see “Food safety plan emphasizes ‘effective action’ to prevent food supply contamination,” CleanRooms, December 2007, page 8).

The FDA Food Protection Plan focuses on prevention (building safety in from the start), intervention (using targeted risk-based inspections and testing), and response (responding rapidly when problems are identified). FDA has been working with federal, state, and local partners as well as foreign governments to execute a number of the action steps laid out in the plan.

Activity progress in report

Prevention. FDA’s prevention activities highlighted in the progress report include implementing FDA’s landmark China Memoranda of Agreement (MOA). FDA has provided registration materials to the Chinese government, identified points of contact for the MOA, and drafted the first five-year work plan. FDA held its first bilateral meeting in March 2008 in Beijing, China. The meeting solidified the relationship with the General Administration of Quality, Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ). Verbal agreements were made to focus the present efforts in fulfilling the MOA to aquaculture (five species plus Tilapia) and ingredients (wheat gluten, corn gluten, and rice protein). FDA is moving forward to establish an FDA presence in China.

An FDA delegation has also visited Indian counterparts to discuss requirements for an FDA presence in India. In addition, the agency is exploring current existing third-party certification programs.

In 2007, FDA began working in collaboration with the State Health and Agriculture departments in Virginia and Florida, several universities, and the produce industry on a multi-year Tomato Safety Initiative. As part of the initiative, FDA says, it has led assessments of grower practices focusing on the factors believed to be associated with contamination of tomatoes with Salmonella. FDA has conducted assessments in Virginia and began assessments in Florida in April.

The agency is also developing ingredient, processing, and labeling standards for pet food, as well as developing ingredient and processing standards for animal feed.

Intervention. Activities that have begun to take place include working with New Mexico State University to develop a prototype system for improving electronic screening, using open-source intelligence, of imported products offered for entry into the U.S. The evaluation of the prototype system, PREDICT (Predictive Risk-Based Evaluation of Dynamic Import Compliance Targeting) has been completed and the final pilot evaluation document is under review.

A rapid detection method has been developed using flow cytometry to identify E. coli and Salmonella in food. This system is being used in poultry processing facilities to detect and prevent bacterial contamination during food processing.

FDA has completed a three-year plan to increase state inspections and will hire at least an additional 130 employees to conduct food field exams, inspections, and sample collections using FY08 appropriated dollars. It also plans to conduct an additional 327 state contract food inspections in FY09 over the FY08 estimate. In FY09, the agency plans to conduct an additional 20,000 food import field exams above the FY08 performance goal.

Response. FDA is collaborating with other federal agencies; state, local, tribal, and foreign governments; and industry to develop the science and tools necessary to better understand the current risks of the food supply and to develop new detection technologies and improved response systems that rapidly react to food safety threats, including traceability.

The agency issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for funding to establish state Rapid Response Teams to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks, perform tracebacks of implicated foods, and evaluate data from investigations to identify trends.

FDA says it is currently exploring the use of multiple and targeted channels to quickly alert consumers of a threat to food safety.

For additional information on the Food Protection Plan Progress Report, visit www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food/progressreport.html.

Particles


August 1, 2008

compiled by Carrie Meadows

MicroWorks expands lab and manufacturing facility

MicroWorks Inc., a microbiology consulting and training firm, plans to expand its laboratory, manufacturing, and distribution center in Crown Point, IN, creating up to 19 new jobs by 2011. The firm, which provides its training and consulting services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers across the country, will invest $1.6 million to purchase an existing 10,000-sq.-ft. facility to house its expanded operations. The expansion comes less than three months after the company launched its MicroWorks swab sampling system, which replaces traditional swab methods and contact plates typically used in recovering microorganisms from environmentally controlled cleanrooms.

M+W Zander lands nano center design gig

M+W Zander, an architecture, engineering, and construction management firm for high-tech facilities, has been selected by the international Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) to design its new nanotechnology center in Braga, Portugal. Located on the campus of the University of Minho in Braga, the 230,000-sq.-ft. project will feature Class 100 and Class 1000 cleanrooms; central characterization, including electron and scanning-probe microscopy; and labs suited for a wide range of scientific disciplines.

Microtest Labs doubles microbial ID and analytical services

Agawam, MA-based Microtest Laboratories has doubled its microbial identification and analytical services with the purchase of an additional MicroSeq® microbial identification system from Applera Corp. The MicroSeq is a state-of-the-art DNA sequence-based system that enables Microtest technicians to more quickly and accurately identify bacteria isolates that are not viable or easily identified. Using the MicroSeq system, Microtest technicians can provide precise and reliable bacteria, mycoplasma, and mold identification in a 24-hour time period. The MicroSeq system is 99 percent reliable with repeatable results and is especially beneficial for companies with pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing applications.

HDR, CUH2A to form comprehensive science and tech design firm

HDR Architecture and CUH2A, a science and technology design firm, have announced their intent to merge to create a “comprehensive S+T design firm.” The merged company will assemble design expertise across the life sciences research, physical sciences research, and health care fields. As a result of the merger, HDR and CUH2A will be able to create sustainable facilities in the Northeastern and Southeastern U.S., as well as the Middle East and “other critical global locations,” according to HDR’s Merle Bachman. Executives from HDR and CUH2A will form an integrated management team for the combined science and technology unit, which will be led by CUH2A’s Scott Butler.

July 31, 2008 — A new report from Yole Développement criticizes MEMS-based sensor and actuator firms for not figuring out how tap into what it says is the largest growth opportunity for MEMS devices over the next five years: wireless handsets.

Twelve MEMS devices have potential application in this field, including silicon microphones and FBAR/BAW filters, which have seen impressive growth since their introduction in 2003 and are now entering a maturity stage, led by Knowles Acoustics (microphones and Avago Technologies (filters), respectively, according to Mathieu Potin, Yole project manager. MEMS accelerometers are in a development stage, with other MEMS products just now emerging (e.g., gyroscopes, microdisplays, micro-autofocus, micro-zoom) and others still being tinkered with (e.g., pressure sensors, micromirrors, RF switch/varicaps, oscillators, micro-fuel cells). A list of such technologies is below.

Status of various MEMS technologies for use in cell phones. (Source: Yole Développement)

“The cell phone industry represents a complex challenge for MEMS,” he says, in a statement discussing Yole’s new report. “On one hand, MEMS manufacturers are focused on finding the appropriate price, power, and size to enter the cell phone market. At the same time, they face the challenge of meeting the implementation rate of their MEMS products in their business plans.”

Moreover, product development cycles for MEMS devices in wireless handsets are not the same as in the IC industry, so developing good ties to MEMS suppliers with “a precise and reliable product roadmap” is key, he added.

The stakes are high in the MEMS cell phone market. Yole projects a 40% CAGR to $2.5B in 2012, vs. just $440M in 2007 for just three types of MEMS products (silicon microphones, FBAR/BAW filters, and accelerometers). Growth will come from both replacement phones as well as new functionalities, with new features expected to account for ~60% of the total MEMS market by 2012.

The Health Protection Agency’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) at Chilton, Oxfordshire, UK is to be the site of a new center for experimental toxicology research examining possible health effects of human exposure to nanoparticles: the National Nanotoxicology Research Centre (NNRC). The Agency is collaborating with five United Kingdom universities and the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Toxicology Unit to develop the centre and its research programme. The Agency is adapting its existing aerosol inhalation research facilities, at a cost of more than £300,000, to allow a programme of experimental work on nanomaterials.

Knowledge of the possible interactions between nanomaterials and the human body is developing rapidly . NNRC will focus, initially, on the physical chemistry of nanoparticles and the behaviour of nanomaterials that enter the body via the lung and skin. Methods for producing aerosols of nanomaterials and measuring their properties, such as size distribution and concentration in air, will be developed and subsequent work will examine biological pathways taken by nanomaterials within the body.
A CRCE paper presented to the HPA Board in June described some of the industrial and toxicological developments underpinning the new centre’s creation. On the one hand, the CRCE paper explains, nanotechnology is likely to be one of the most important technological developments of the present century, yielding materials with physico-chemical properties that are valuable in electronics, in optoelectronics , in imaging systems used for medical diagnostic work, in cosmetics and in food preparations. While questions about the safety of these materials has led to the rapid growth of the new discipline of nanotoxicology, “& nanomaterials do not have entirely new toxicological properties,” the paper points out. “The key discoveries [of nanotoxicology research] have been that nanomaterials may reach parts of the body inaccessible to larger particles and that they tend to be more active than larger particles when activity is expressed on a ‘per unit mass’ basis.”

On the other hand, “The problem is not quite as simple as this”, the paper states. “The effort needed to characterize adequately nanomaterials under investigation and to identify the most appropriate measurement to express dose should not be underestimated. & Nano-materials may be able to gain access to parts of the body which larger particles cannot reach and thus might produce novel effects”. Experimental work involving injection of carbon nano-tubes into the peritoneal cavity of rats, for example, has already given rise to speculation that long, thin, insoluble carbon nano-tubes that are biopersistant may have toxicological properties similar to those of asbestos fibers, the CRCE paper notes.

A programme of international collaborative work on the safety of manufactured nanomaterials, being carried out as part of the OECD Chemicals Programme, is being coordinated in the UK by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with input from other agencies including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Environment Agency (EA) and the HPA.

(July 24, 2008) MANCHESTER, NH &#151 J P Sercel Associates (JPSA) and DynTest Technologies of Grassau, Germany, have entered into a collaborative partnership reportedly to develop and manufacture high-precision scriber / breaker solutions for wafer singulation. DynTest specializes in precise, accurate, and efficient breaking systems, while JPSA specializes in high-speed, high-accuracy laser workstations for wafer scribing.

According to Rick Slagle, sales and marketing director of JPSA, the synergies between the two companies technologies are the driving force behind the collaboration. JPSA’s laser scribing systems reportedly deliver a narrow kerf of 2.5 µm at high speed, which, when combined with Dynatest’s breaking capabilities is expected to allow thicker material to be singulated accurately. Slagle says this means less scribing time, higher throughput and higher yields.

“These systems can break very small, relatively thick VCSEL and HB-LED dies” Slagle added. Wafers with backside metallization, III-V wafers, ceramic substrates and comparable brittle materials can also be processed.

“This provides the industry new opportunities for traceable device singulation in high volume manufacturing.” noted Joerg Lindner and Helge Luesebrink, managing directors of DynTest Technologies.

by Katherine Derbyshire, Contributing Editor, Solid State Technology

Given the excitement surrounding the solar sector, it seems unlikely that a major solar cell supplier could remain below the radar, but Global Solar has. Part of the company’s low profile may have to do with its location in Tucson, far from the nurturing environs of Silicon Valley and Austin, TX, and the venture capitalists that have poured funds into companies like NanoSolar and HelioVolt. Part may stem from its longevity: the company was incorporated in 1996. By the time the current boom began, it was already old news.

And yet, unlike its flashier competitors, Global Solar’s products are fully commercialized and readily available. The company deposits CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) films on stainless steel foil, and supplies portable chargers for military, expedition, and other outdoor applications. When a climber on Mt. Everest calls home, there’s a good chance his satellite phone is powered by a Global Solar charger. For permanent installations, the company supplies “stringers,” square cells connected by silver tape that can be dropped directly into modules designed for crystalline silicon.

According to Tim Teich, VP for sales and marketing, such products taught the company a lot about durability and encapsulation. Barrier layers that work for amorphous silicon solar cells won’t work for CIGS, which is much less tolerant of water vapor. Adhesion on polyimide films tends to be poor, and is the reason why Global Solar uses steel foil substrates instead. With both problems nearing resolution, the company is now focusing on throughput and efficiency.

Global Solar aims to improve efficiency by 1%/year, and hopes to reach 14% average efficiency within five years. (Teich is highly skeptical of NanoSolar’s claim to have achieved that mark already.) To increase throughput, Global Solar is scaling up production. The Tucson plant should reach 40MW of capacity this year, with 30MW coming online in Berlin in 2009. For 2010, an additional building in Tucson can accommodate up to 100MW of production. Scaling up production will help bring costs down, Teich noted.

Though utility-driven solar farms consume large numbers of cells, Teich believes the rooftop solar market is more promising. Solar farms are a relatively unproductive use of land; economic considerations suggest they should be sited in remote areas where land is inexpensive. Yet transmission losses are one of the largest consumers of electrical power — fully 40% of all power generated is lost in the grid. Rooftop locations minimize transmission losses by putting the source of electricity close to the end user, and take advantage of space that would otherwise be wasted.

Teich also emphasized that installed cost matters more than cell cost. The current landscape, littered with custom module assemblers and small system installers, contributes enormous overhead to the total system cost. Reducing cell cost means nothing as long as the installed cost stays near $7/W. Development of standard building-integrateable products, such as architectural glass and solar roofing shingles, is one goal of Global’s recently announced partnership with Dow Chemical’s building solutions division. — K.D.

by Pete Singer, Editor-in-Chief

July 14 — Speaking at the SEMInvest forum on Monday, Aviza’s CEO Jerry Cutini said that the MEMS and through-silicon-via/3D IC markets are finally starting to buy equipment in production quantities.

“We’ve heard about this for years. We’ve heard about the promise of MEMS, but we’re starting to see multimillion dollar orders come through for high-volume manufacturing of these devices,” he said. “The time has finally come for those companies to start increasing their purchases and it’s all driven by the consumer devices,” he said.

Aviza, which manufactures systems for etch, deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD), is particularly focused on these areas, the exception being ALD which is really related to device performance and device speed, he said. “We believe those to be the fastest growing markets in the process equipment area.” He said these markets represent a billion-dollar TAM (total available market) by 2011 for all products, with a compound annual growth rate of approximately 18% CAGR.

Cutini also talked about some negative and positive trends presently impacting the semiconductor industry and which are “causing a lot of confusion” among investors. The global economy is a big problem, he said, noting that oil is consuming discretionary spending. “On the plus and minus side, the dollar weakness does help us overseas. We have some successes in the overseas markets, we’re certain because of the dollar effect. However, almost 40% of our costs are in the European region and UK. That is a problem that the global economy is going to have to deal with for everyone. We all know the customer base is declining and that’s a little bit of an issue for everyone in our industry.”

Cutini also noted that the prolonged memory market is an issue for everyone, and the timing of its recovery will likely be a common discussion touchpoint at SEMICON West this week. He believes that later in the year and the early part of next year, DRAM capacity will start to come into balance. “There is still consolidation happening in that sector and I think the pain will end,” he said.

On the positive side, Cutini pointed to emerging markets outgrowing the rest of the industry. “As handheld devices proliferate, the demand for smaller form factor and increased functionality will continue to put pressure on device manufacturers to deliver more performance in a smaller footprint,” he said. He believes Aviza to be one of the leading providers of deep silicon etching, “which is the enabling technology when you look at this 3D form factor,” he said. “We have through silicon via devices, we have high-brightness LED customers that are starting to grow, MEMS, and lastly, in the mainstream IC area, we’re starting to get some real traction in ALD in high performance devices. What we see is those markets are growing at a different rate than the overall market. What’s good about those is that we are not memory demand specific. Those are just consumer demand specific.” — P.S.

July 11, 2008 — NexPlanar Corporation recently completed a $14.5 million round of funding to commercialize the next generation of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) pad technology for semiconductor devices.
NexPlanar uses proprietary “nano-domain” technology which improves planarity and across wafer uniformity and can be utilized to customize the pads for specific applications. The application specific CMP pads can be tuned, for example, for sensitive structures on the device by varying the hard and soft domains of the pad. NexPlanar’s “nano-lubricants” and patented molded groove technologies allow for low stress CMP (required for the most advanced CMP applications), result in an order of magnitude fewer defects, and allow the use of low slurry consumption processing.

InterWest Partners led the round of investment. Other existing investors participated, including BlueRun Ventures, Smart Forest Ventures, Fina Ventures, Intel Capital and Entegris.

“As device geometries shrink, there must be a paradigm shift in the CMP process. Our proprietary pad technology enables advanced processes while offering significantly improved yields in existing processes,” commented Jim LaCasse, CEO and president of NexPlanar. “Our mandate is to improve the CMP yields by improving the planarity and reducing defects, while at the same time lowering cost of ownership by increasing the pad life and lowering slurry consumption.”