Category Archives: Semicon West

May 8, 2006 – SEMI has announced additional details about its backend technology-themed content pavilion at this year’s SEMICON West, developed in conjunction with leading industry associations and companies including FSA, the International Electronic Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), the Microelectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council (MEPTEC), and TechSearch International.

The test, assembly, and packaging technologies “TechXPOT” will incorporate exhibits, displays, and exhibitor presentations, along with two detailed roadmap sessions, and presentations from select winners of the show’s fourth annual Technology Innovation Showcase (TIS) awards.

Sessions include test roadmaps and design for test, organized by SEMI; user packaging roadmaps, organized by MEPTEC; fabless roadmaps, organized by FSA; and a lead- free seminar, organized by iNEMI and TechSearch International.

The first of two sessions on test, assembly, and packaging technologies will address several topics, including “Drivers and Challenges for Packaging of Next Generation FPGAs,” an “ASICs Packaging Roadmap,” “Critical Package Requirements for Advanced Manufacturing Flow,” and “Mil-Aero Electronics.” A second session will cover “Modeling for Material Sets in Semiconductor Packaging Assembly,” the “Impact of Application Surface on the Development of TIMs,” “Electronic Packaging Materials,” and a “Global Semiconductor Packaging Materials Outlook led by SEMI’s Dan Tracy.

This year’s TiS winners for test, assembly, and packaging will also be on display and giving presentations in the TechXPOT. They include: Advanced Material Sciences Inc. (AMS), Aguila Technologies, Deep Photonics, ICOS Vision Systems, Microbonds Inc., Segin Semiconductor Solutions, Synova SA, and Xradia Inc.

SEMI test assembly packaging SEMICON West FPGA ASIC

To help bring the TechXPOT concept to fruition, SEMI partnered with industry associations and companies, including the Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA), the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), the Microelectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council (MEPTEC), and TechSearch International.

(May 8, 2006) Scottsdale, AZ &#8212 China is emerging as the epicenter for semiconductor manufacturing and consumption, according to a report by In-Stat, a high-tech market research firm, titled “Semiconductor Supply Chain in China” (#IN0602551CSM). In 2004, China utilized about 20% of total global semiconductor products &#8212 by 2010, In-Stat forecasts one-third consumption, making it the world’s largest semiconductor consumer.

(May 3, 2006) San Jose, CA &#8212 Worldwide semiconductor sales of $59.1 billion in Q1 2006 showed 7.3% growth over Q1 2005’s $55.1 billion, reports the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). However, Q1 sales declined 1.3% from Q4 2005’s $59.9 billion in sales, reflecting normal seasonal patterns, according to the SIA.

(May 4, 2006) San Jose, CA &#8212 SEMICON West, to take place July 11–13, 2006, in San Francisco, CA, will feature a Test, Assembly, and Packaging TechXPOT exhibit area, located in the Moscone Center’s West Hall, Level 2. The Test, Assembly, and Packaging TechXPOT will focus on strides in test, assembly, and packaging, with exhibits, displays, and exhibitor presentations. Presentations from select winners of the fourth annual Technology Innovation Showcase (TIS), as well as two detailed roadmap sessions, will highlight the exhibit.

January 30, 2006 – A new program launched by the International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative aims to establish an “incremental” approach toward improving 300mm production and ease the eventual migration to the 450mm new wafer size.

The program, 300mm Prime, will incorporate studies on how to improve equipment, automation, and factory integration to meet the challenges of high product mix, fast cycle time, and flexibility. Elements of the program will include: member-driven collaboration on development of industry guidance for both 300 Prime and 450mm manufacturing; use of ISMI’s Industry Economic Model (IEM) and other modeling tools to provide fiscal guidelines for 300mm Prime development and 450mm insertion; and assessment of industry readiness for wafer-size transition.

“Looking ahead at productivity assumptions, we realize that we must be very aggressive in pushing for improvements in manufacturing productivity,” said Scott Kramer, ISMI director. “Part of the productivity formula includes serious preparation for larger wafer sizes.” He added that goals for improving productivity are applicable at existing 300mm fabs and those coming in the future, as well as at next-wafer-size facilities — all fabs will need to incorporate e-manufacturing, for example. “We want to help make the wafer-size transition as efficient and cost-effective as possible, by involving a wide range of industry players-especially the equipment supplier community.”

“We view this transition as a multi-year effort that will involve a great deal of dialogue, compromise, and consensus-building” Kramer said. “Above all, it should be a gradual and economical process, well planned and well executed. This is a marathon, not a sprint.”

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) calls for implementation of 450mm manufacturing in 2012, Kramer noted. “If we are to have any chance of meeting that timeline, we must begin serious planning now and develop an industry consensus that will work for all committed parties,” he said.

ISMI will provide more data and seek supplier input on the 350 Prime program at upcoming events this year, including Semicon Europa’s Fab Managers Forum (April, in Germany); The Confab (May, Las Vegas); Semicon West (July, San Francisco); and ISMI Symposium (October, Austin TX).

August 10, 2005 – Feinfocus, a Comet business unit and manufacturer of x-ray inspection systems, has entered into a technology alliance with Innov-X Systems, a Woburn, MA manufacturer of high-performance, portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers. The two companies are cooperating to introduce electronics assembly and semiconductor packaging products to the global market.

At SEMICON West, Comet exhibited Innov-X’s Hawk-i solder paste analyzer, which uses an air-cooled microfocus x-ray tube with a spot size of 0.2-6mm for precise analysis. Jon Dupree, Feinfocus business unit manager for Comet North America, said that the joint venture would allow Feinfocus to offer its customers advanced technology for solder composition analysis.

Semicon West attendees have chosen the winners of Solid State Technology’s 3rd Annual Attendees’ Choice Award competition. The winners are products from SEZ Group, Applied Materials Inc., Pall Corp., Micro Control Co., Newport Corp., and Ultrasonic Systems Inc.

ACA Winners for Semicon West:

Wafer Processing Products:

Best Solution to a Problem: SEZ Group’s Da Vinci Series single-wafer processing tools

Most Innovative Product: Applied Materials Inc. Etch Products Business Group’s Centura AdvantEdge Etch system

Best Cost-of-Ownership: Pall Corp.’s Ultipleat ME etch process filter

Final Manufacturing Products:

Best Solution to a Problem: Micro Control Co.’s HPB-5B burn-in system

Most Innovative Product: Newport Corp.’s MRSI-M5 assembly cell

Best Cost-of-Ownership: Ultrasonic Systems Inc.’s Prism Ultra-Coat spray system

Thank you to all attendees for voting and making this a successful competition.

July 15, 2005 – SEMI has appointed Ed Segal, senior advisor to Metron Technology, as chairman of the industry association’s International Board of Directors. The association’s membership also elected Michael Splinter, president and CEO of Applied Materials, to the board of directors.

Segal succeeds Tetsuro (Terry) Higashi, chairman and CEO of Tokyo Electron Ltd., who served as chairman for the past year. The results of the association’s annual elections were announced at the annual SEMI membership meeting, held during the SEMICON West 2005 exposition in San Francisco. Archie Hwang, chairman and CEO of Hermes Epitek, succeeds Segal as vice chairman of the board.

“SEMI is pleased to welcome Ed Segal as chairman and Mike Splinter as a new board member,” said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “Their industry experience and counsel will be of great value to SEMI as the organization move forward during a time of great change in the industry.”

Segal served as CEO of Metron from July 1995 until Applied Materials acquired it in December 2004. Prior to joining Metron, he served as president and CEO of Transpacific Technology Corporation, a company he founded in 1982, which later merged with Metron.

“SEMI is a unique global trade organization. In a period when the needs of members are shifting, I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve as chairman of the organization,” said Segal.

In accordance with the association’s by-laws, the following board members were re-elected: Higashi; Hwang; Doug Neugold, president and CEO of ATMI; Mary Puma, chairman and CEO of Axcelis Technologies; Stephen Schwartz, chairman, president, and CEO of Asyst Technologies; and Akira Yamamura, president of Ferrotec.

Brad Mattson, chairman of Tegal; Ed Segal, senior advisor of Metron Technology; and Duane Wadsworth, director of Micro-Mechanics, were elected as second-term ex-officio directors. Michael Parodi, president of Isel Robotek USA, and Arthur Zafiropoulo, chairman, CEO and president of Ultratech, were re-elected as ex-officio directors for a third term.

July 14, 2005 – A panel of leading executives from the semiconductor equipment and materials industry engaged in a spirited debate over the future direction of the industry on the opening day of SEMICON West Tuesday night. Among the questions addressed is whether the center of the industry will inevitably shift away from North America toward Asia, reflecting the growing size and importance of the Asia-Pacific market.

Panel moderator George Scalise, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), said there is no question that a major migration of chip manufacturing activities toward Asia is under way. “More than two-thirds of all the state-of-the-art chip making facilities now under construction are being built in Asia,” said Scalise. “This trend reflects both the rapid growth of electronics manufacturing in Asia and the effectiveness of tax incentives and other assistance programs offered to attract high-tech investment in the region.”

Scalise said one of the top priorities of the SIA is to improve the investment climate for high-tech manufacturing and R&D and design centers in the US.

The panel responded on the issue of globalization and a number of other growth topics:

— Mary Puma, chairman and CEO of Axcelis Technologies, Beverly, MA, said, “A good analogy for Moore’s Law is to think of it as an evolutionary process, and frankly I’m not sure that we can slow down evolution. There is zero likelihood of us slowing down the pace of development to benefit the economic health of the industry. As long as the electronics industry benefits in terms of functionality with shrinks, the shrinks will occur. At the end of the day, those of us who will survive are those who have better, leaned-out, efficient business models.”

— Michael Wright, president and COO of Entegris in Chaska, MN, argued that “With few exceptions, customers are opting for economic solutions that are shorter term in payback and sustainable cost reductions in the longer term. They buy if the benefit is traceable and tangible. If co-locating delivers this, suppliers are compelled to follow.” Wright explained how the challenges of delivering the quality, delivery, and cost levels that customers demand can only be met by those suppliers with the global and market efficiencies expected not only of a mature market, but any market in the new business norm.

— Ray Thompson, CEO and chairman of the board of Semitool, Kalispell, MT, expressed difficulty in viewing the industry as “maturing,” stating that “now more than ever, this industry infuses itself into new applications. To me, industry forefather Bob Graham’s description of this business is still true: ‘an industry characterized by an unlimited amount of insurmountable opportunities.’ As new opportunities, based on new enabling products, continue to present themselves, some will go to Asia and some will encourage growth right here at home in the US, for example, Texas Instrument’s new 300mm fab and the latest buzzword: in-sourcing.”

— Sven Lofquist, president and CEO of Sweden-based Micronic Laser Systems, noted, “We all know the business is moving to Asia, and there’s no question suppliers will follow. Although the opportunities China holds for this industry are great, the supplier community must not lose sight of other important regions: Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Moreover, it’s not only a question of cost. Suppliers still must be able to deliver the technology.”

Other panelists included Martin van den Brink, executive VP, marketing & technology, ASML, in the Netherlands, and Rick Hazard, co-founder, president and CEO of Lightwind in San Francisco, who spoke about new process-driven opportunities, noted that “Material changes are being driven by design rules falling below 0.1 micron. This creates a great opportunity for advanced process control to help address the resulting pressure on yields.”

Recent market forecasts from the SIA see a slowing of the chip industry’s compound annual growth rate to 10%, down from the 17% CAGR the industry had enjoyed in recent decades.

“This lower growth rate reflects both the maturation of the industry and a much larger base for future growth. After all, a 10% compound annual growth rate for a $213 billion industry offers huge opportunities for innovative companies,” Scalise said. “The big challenge is how chipmakers and suppliers will pay for advances in technology without bankrupting each other. New materials, new device structures and new assembly methods will require both evolutionary and revolutionary changes in our industry. The wafer fab of 2020 is unlikely to look anything like the fab of 2005.”

The panel discussion was sponsored by Loomis Group during the semiconductor equipment and materials industry’s annual SEMICON West trade show.

AE also showcasing Litmas(TM) RPS 1501 and 3001 remote plasma source platform, Summit(TM) specialized DC power system and Navigator(TM) digital matching network

FORT COLLINS, Colo., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEISE) today announced that it will debut its Aera(R) PI-980(TM) series pressure-insensitive mass flow controller (MFC) during SEMICON West 2005. The company also will feature its Litmas(TM) RPS 1501 and 3001 remote plasma source platform, the Summit(TM) specialized DC power system and Navigator(TM) digital matching network at the exposition, held July 12-14 at San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

The new Aera PI-980 series pressure-insensitive MFC delivers greater flow stability, faster response, higher accuracy and superior real-time process control than previous technologies or competitive products. The PI-980 series is especially well-suited for etch, CVD, PVD and diffusion applications. Its superior gas-flow stability delivers greater chamber-to-chamber process repeatability for improved production yields. The advanced design integrates traditional thermal flow architecture with a pressure sensor, pressure display, temperature sensor, and NeuralStep(TM) control technology, creating a single delivery package and eliminating the need for the costly gas-panel components traditionally used to perform the same function.

Also showcased this year in AE’s booth #2202 will be the Litmas RPS integrated plasma source and power-delivery system. The Litmas RPS is well- suited to deliver reactive gas specie fluxes for process applications such as wafer pre-clean, photoresist strip and thin-film deposition. Its small footprint, high performance, ease of use and low cost of ownership allow process engineers to focus on developing critical plasma-based processes with lower device damage, higher throughput and higher yields.

In addition, AE will feature the newly-introduced Summit DC power supply that enables higher yields, increased throughput and a new level of process flexibility for sub-65 nm semiconductor, including the most demanding Generation 7 and 8 flat panel display (FPD) applications. The Summit power system delivers state-of-the-science arc management as well as exceptional power repeatability and precision to achieve the tight plasma process control for consistently high yields.

Also exhibited at the show will be the Navigator digital matching network, which provides advanced match technology for rapid, accurate and reliable matching across a wide range of load impedances. Equipped with microprocessor-controlled stepper motor circuitry and digital, user-selectable tuning algorithms, the Navigator matching network minimizes reflected power by automatically tuning the complex impedance of a coupled plasma. An optional, internal Z’Scan(R) RF sensor allows real-time measurement and analysis of process power and impendence, providing the ability to identify and significantly reduce process variability.

To learn more about AE’s products during SEMICON West, July 12-14, visit their booth #2202 in the south hall at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. Editors interested in meeting with AE during the show may contact Angie Kellen by phone at: (650) 968-8900 x120, or email: [email protected].

About Advanced Energy

Advanced Energy is a global leader in the development and support of technologies critical to high-technology manufacturing processes used in the production of semiconductors, flat panel displays, data storage products, compact discs, digital video discs, architectural glass and other advanced product applications.

Leveraging a diverse product portfolio and technology leadership, AE creates solutions that maximize process impact, improve productivity and lower cost of ownership for its customers. This portfolio includes a comprehensive line of technology solutions in power, flow management, thermal instrumentation and plasma and ion beam sources for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users around the world.

AE operates in regional centers in North America, Asia and Europe and offers global sales and support through direct offices, representatives and distributors. Founded in 1981, AE is a publicly held company traded on Nasdaq National Market under the symbol AEISE. More information can be found at www.advanced-energy.com

Advanced Energy, AE, Aera, PI-980, NeuralStep, Litmas and Navigator are trademarks of Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
Visit AE at SEMICON West South Hall Booth #2202

CONTACTS:
Marna Shillman Angie Kellen
Corporate Communication Manager Sr. Account Manager
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. MCA
970.407.6280 650.968.8900
[email protected] [email protected]

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030825/AEISLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, [email protected]

Source: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.

CONTACT: Marna Shillman, Corporate Communication Manager, of Advanced
Energy Industries, Inc., +1-970-407-6280, [email protected]; or Angie
Kellen of MCA, +1-650-968-8900, [email protected], for Advanced Energy
Industries, Inc.

Web site: http://www.advanced-energy.com