Category Archives: Semicon West

July 14, 2011 — Dick James, ElectroIQ blogger and senior technology analyst at ChipWorks, speaks about Intel’s presentations on strain engineering and lithography masks for trigate transistors, and the industry split between FDSOI and trigates.

He also covers 28nm and 450mm news (both are moving into real world semiconductor manufacturing).

 

Read James’ blog here: http://www.electroiq.com/blogs/chipworks_real_chips_blog.html
And check out more news, blogs, and interviews from SEMICON West here: http://www.electroiq.com/semicon_west_2011.html

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July 13, 2011 — SEMI’s Dan Tracy expects 12.1% growth in equipment spending overall for the semiconductor manufacturing sector in 2011. SEMI projects 2011 semiconductor equipment sales to reach $44.33 billion according to the mid-year edition of the SEMI Capital Equipment Forecast. Tracy discusses the forecast with Debra Vogler, senior technical editor.

Fab equipment spending will grow 19% to $35.1 billion, but assembly and packaging expenditures will drop: SEMI predicts -18% to $3.18 billion. Test equipment spending will also dip, down 5.5% (to $3.92 billion) from 2011.

The investments are going to upgrades to advanced technology in wafer processing and packaging. Some of the growth also results from investments in existing fabs, adding capacity. SEMI notes that 2011 will be one of the biggest spending years ever for semiconductor manufacturing equipment; a record in the wafer fab sector particularly.

Taiwan is expected to be the largest market for equipment spending in both 2011 and 2012. In 2011, North America will be the second largest market in equipment spending ($9.25 billion), with an almost 61% increase in spending over the previous year. Korea will be third in terms of equipment spending ($7.98 billion). All regions should experience growth.

Region

2010

(all amounts are in US$ billions)

 2011 forecast % Change 2012 forecast % Change
Europe 2.33 3.64 56.2 3.94 8.2
Japan 4.44 5.12 15.3 5.15 0.6
North America 5.76 9.25 60.6 8.26 -10.7
Korea 8.33 7.98 -4.2 8.08 1.3
Taiwan 11.19 10.62 -5.1 10.66 0.4
China 3.63 3.89 7.2 3.99 2.6
Rest of world (ROW) 3.85 3.83 -0.5 3.71 -3.1
TOTAL 38.54 44.33 12.1 43.79 -1.2

Look for 2012 spending to be basically flat, adds Tracy, with single-digit dips in wafer fab and bumps packaging and test.

Equipment type

2010

(all amounts are in US$ billions)

 2011 forecast % Change 2012 forecast % Change
wafer processing 29.54 35.10 18.8 34.39 -2.0
Semiconductor test 4.15 3.92 -5.5 4.06 3.6
Assembly and packaging 3.88 3.18 -18.0 3.26 2.5
Other 1.98 2.13 7.6 2.08 -2.3
TOTAL 39.55 44.33 12.1 43.79 -1.2

Want a second opinion? Check out the 2011-2012 semiconductor fab capex forecasts from Needham, Credit Suisse, RBC Capital, and Barclays. And more data from Gartner, VLSI, and IC Insights.

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July 13, 2011 — SUSS MicroTec unveiled MaskTrack Pro InSync, a holistic in-fab extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) mask management product that synchronizes mask cleaning, handling, inspection, and storage. The tasks are performed in a single- or cluster-style controlled environment. MTP InSync operates in a zero particle regime to maintain mask integrity when entering the EUV lithography scanner vacuum environment.

The MaskTrack Pro InSync interfaces directly with the specific EUV Dual Pod in a fully controlled environment, allowing direct transfer of the Dual Pod from the scanner to the MaskTrack Pro reticle cleaning tool. It is designed to cluster mask cleaning, transfer and storage of the inner pod in a pristine environment, with optional particle detection and inner pod cleaning.

The first MTP InSync will go to imec in August 2011. In February, imec installed ASML’s pre-production EUVL scanner, the NXE:3100. The installation marked imec’s EUVL research program’s move to the preproduction stage, shifting the focus from mainly an infrastructure study to include now also a manufacturability study. Check out imec president and CEO Luc Van den hove’s remarks on imec’s EUVL program here.

Visit SUSS MicroTec as SEMICON West booth 1707, through July 14 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center. More new SEMICON West products and news from Moscone’s halls here.
 
For further information, go to www.suss.com

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July 13, 2011 — Packaging materials supplier Henkel worked with STMicroelectronics (STM) to qualify Henkel’s Ablestik C100 conductive die attach film materials for production of very small package configurations in a process called ScalPack, which incorporates die with extremely small dimensions into leadframe packages.  

The die placement process was developed with Henkel to increase workability in leadframe packaging (over die attach pastes), said Laura Ceriati, STMicroelectronics corporate package development director for leaded package platforms. STMicro expects to use the conductive die attach tape for medium-power applications. With the Ablestik product, one leadframe design to be used for multiple package types.  

The 15 and 30

July 13, 2011 — Nigel Farrar, VP of marketing and lithography technology at Cymer, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYMI), provides a status report on EUV lithography source technology, extensions to argon fluoride (ArF) lithography, and the laser crystallization process from the company’s TCZ display equipment product division. This laser process is used in OLED and LCD display manufacture. He discusses Cymer’s newest DUV source product as well: the OnPulse Plus data monitoring system that enables correlation of light source performance to wafer process performance.

With respect to the current EUV source technology (HVM I source) performance, Farrar said that the source has achieved <0/2% dose stability at 11W average exposure power (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. <0.2% dose stability at 11W average exposure power. SOURCE: Cymer

The current dose stability target is <1.0%, 3s in >90% of fields. The second generation (HVM II) source architecture is complete and detailed design is in progress for ASML’s NXE 3300B scanners. The company has also demonstrated 200hr collector lifetime (Fig. 2) — which is more than double since last year, said Farrar.

Figure 2. 200hr collector lifetime demonstration at Cymer. Collector coating and vessel environment control improves lifetime. SOURCE: Cymer

The company’s TCZ display equipment product division offers a laser crystallization tool that is used for both LCD and OLED displays (Fig. 3). In the podcast, Farrar notes that the company recently received multiple orders for its product.

Figure 3. Process uniformity is critical for high production yield for advanced displays. SOURCE: Cymer

OnPulse Plus, paired with ArF and krypton fluoride (KrF) light sources, provides real-time light source monitoring to help improve fab productivity and wafer quality.

OnPulse Plus will display, in real-time, light source performance data in a new user interface. Future enhancements will improve the data resolution and correlation of light source performance indicators at the wafer and die level. The product, and subsequent developments for light source monitoring, result from Cymer’s recent acquisition of eDiag Solutions.

OnPulse Plus is now available for Cymer ArF and KrF light sources.

SEMICON West 2011 is held from July 12-14 at Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Visit our SEMICON West center for news, products, and live blogs.

Cymer Inc. makes light sources used by chipmakers as the essential light source for DUV lithography systems. Visit www.cymer.com

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July 13, 2011 — Stanley T. Myers will retire as SEMI president and CEO later this year. At SEMICON West 2011, he tells Debra Vogler, senior technical editor, what moments stand out for him as "historic" advances in semiconductor fab and the evolution of SEMI. He also shares advice for young engineers entering the semiconductor industry.

In the early days, silicon engineers were finally able to make floats on crystal 1" in diameter. This led to the development of the 0 dislocation crystal, Myers says, which in turn prompted the semiconductor industry’s scale-up from 200 to 300mm wafers. The chip industry advances in this way, Myers notes, with one breakthrough building on another.

3D IC and through silicon vias (TSV) are fascinating technologies that will propel the continuation of Moore’s Law, Myers adds, looking to the semiconductor manufacturing industry’s future.

At SEMI, he considers most important the organization’s ability to bring together all members on global action items that matter to the semiconductor and adjacent markets. It was a historic moment for SEMI when the association created regional presidents and boards to focus on issues important to specific geographies, said Myers.

Advice for young engineers? "You’re going to do things and you’re going to fail…Fail well, fail fast, and move on," Myers advises, saying that this mindset allows you to accomplish anything. 

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July 13, 2011 — Stefan Wurm, SEMATECH, discusses his presentation on EUV lithography’s infrastructure (July 13, SEMICON West TechXPOT) in this video interview with Debra Vogler, senior technical editor.

He covers the last 2 years of development in EUV lithography mask tools, including how partnerships with industry evolve, and where the significant milestones fall.

The first EUV litho beta tools have been delivered, and now the motivation is increasing throughput and reducing defects. Resists are "almost there," he adds.


Gap Suppliers Building Solution? HVM Solution Funded? Time to HVM Solution
Mask Blank Actinic Inspection Yes (1 supplier) Funded by Japanese Consortium (EIDEC) 2013
Mask Defect Review  Yes (1 supplier) Funded by SEMATECH EMI Partnership 2014
Patterned Mask Inspection Yes (4 suppliers) Supplier/customer funded 2013-15

SEMATECH EMI initiative was successful in leading the industry to close the EUV mask infrastructure gaps:

  • Commercial actinic blank inspection solution meeting memory manufacturer needs through EIDEC

July 13, 2011 — At SEMICON West 2011, Phil Bryson, SEMATECH, covers the top challenges in semiconductor metrology at advanced nodes.

FINFet metrology, defect inspection at design rule size, EUV mask defects are on his mind.

Right now, SEMATECH is zeroing in on legacy and replacement techniques — which can be continued to enable high-volume manufacturing, and which need to make the transition to new processes.

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July 13, 2011 – ASML has added three extensions to its Twinscan NXT 1950i immersion lithography tool, to improve imaging, overlay, and system throughput.

Just as the company’s FlexRay freeform illumination system (released at SEMICON West in 2009) offers better tuning of the source, so a new FlexWave technology allows application-specific wavefront correction within the lens, offering control to reduce both aberration fingerprint of the projection optics and lens heating effects.

Also, to compensate for reticle heating typically found in high dose layers with low transmission reticles, a new Reticle Control technology incorporates a sensor to measure reticle temperature profile through the first production lot, then predict thermal expansion per exposure, and calculate feed-forward corrections to lens and stage parameters.

Thirdly, ASML is offering a "performance enhancement package" (PEP) of hardware and software upgrades — faster metrology cycle, stiffer position module, and immersion hood to improve dynamic and thermal behaviors for faster speed scans — that it says improves throughput from 175 wafers/hour to 200 WPH at 125 shots, and up to 230 WPH at 96 shots.

All are available as field upgrades, and are available now or will be later this quarter.