Incam Solutions expands global infrastructure
10/01/2002
GRENOBLE, FRANCE—Incam Solutions announced the opening of Incam America to provide direct service and support for the company's growing installed base in North America. Claude Doche, chairman and CEO of Incam Solutions, says "The expansion allows us to strengthen our closely aligned partnerships with key customers among chipmakers and equipment manufacturers in North America and sets the stage for future expansions to meet industry demand throughout North America." —LBJ
Asyst lands multimillion-dollar order from Grace
FREMONT, CA—Asyst Technologies Inc., a provider of integrated automation solutions that aim to maximize the productivity of semiconductor manufacturing, has received a multimillion-dollar order from Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (GSMC; Shanghai, China).
"GSMC is committed to being among the most efficient and competitive manufacturers of semiconductors.
We selected Asyst because of their proven market-share leadership in 200mm isolation and work-in-process management products and their strong record of support and service throughout Asia," says Winston Wong, chief executive of GSMC. —MAD
Praxair building in Taiwan, forming chip division
DANBURY, CT—Praxair Chemax Semiconductor Materials Co., Ltd., Praxair's joint venture with China Petrochemical Development Co. (Taiwan), has commissioned the first silane (SiH4) transfill facility in Taiwan.
The facility began operation June 1. This fully automated facility will house an industry leading analytical lab and will transfill high-grade SiH4 for Praxair Chemax's customers in Taiwan and all over Asia.
Thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) manufacturers use silane throughout the array process. In addition, silane is used in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of silicon dioxide, silicon nitride insulating layer or amorphous semiconductor layer. —MAD
TSMC Fab 12 gets risk management and ISO certifications
HSIN-CHU, TAIWAN—Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) 300 mm Fab 12 has been certified in risk, environmental and safety management by completing the AAA Damage Prevention and Fire Safety, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certification protocols.
The AAA is a risk assessment certification system developed by ACE Insurance, while the ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 standards address environmental management as well as occupational health and safety.
TSMC officials say the certifications took 14 months. —MAD
Intel to open service center in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA—Intel Corp. announced plans to open an operations service center in Malaysia, one of the first outside the United States for the world's leading maker of computer chips.
Malaysia's northern island of Penang was selected as the location of the center because of its "readily available infrastructure, the depth of its technically skilled work force and excellent government support,'' says Craig Barrett, Intel's chief executive.
"The center ... creates new jobs and continues our commitment to share technology and management knowledge with Malaysia,'' he adds.
The center is also expected to provide support services for the company's internal communications and computing systems.
Barrett, speaking at a seminar during a visit to Penang, urged Malaysia to boost its competitiveness by encouraging more university graduates in engineering and information technology and increasing spending for research and development.—MAD
Ionics acquires EnChem
WATERTOWN, MA —Ionics Inc., a manufacture of separations technology, has acquired the business and assets, including patents and know-how, of the EnChem wastewater treatment process of Sunnyvale, CA-based Microbar Inc., a chemical management systems maker.
A primary application for the EnChem process is in the removal of dissolved and suspended contaminants from various semiconductor-manufacturing process waste streams to meet the microelectronics industry's current and anticipated regulatory requirements for wastewater discharge. —MAD
IInternational Sematech wins EPA award
AUSTIN, TX—International Sematech (ISMT) has won this year's Climate Protection Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its work in reducing perfluorocarbons (PFCs) emissions. In granting the award to ISMT, Kathleen Hogan, EPA's director of the Climate Protection Partnership said, "International Sematech has been a semiconductor industry leader in developing and mapping a comprehensive response to the issue of PFC emissions. It has provided focused leadership and technical guidance to the global semiconductor community on all facets of PFC emission characterization and reduction."
With the help of ISMT, the World Semiconductor Council, made up of chipmakers from around the world, set a goal of 10 percent emissions reduction. "That goal would not have been possible without the leadership of critical data provided by International Sematech," states Hogan.—LJB
Wyoming health director to head FSIS
WASHINGTON—Garry L. McKee, director of the Wyoming Department of Health since 1999, has been named administrator of the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service. McKee's selection was announced four days after the ConAgra Beef Co. recalled 19 million pounds of ground beef because of possible contamination with E. coli bacteria. The recall, by the Greeley, CO-based company, was the second largest meat recall in U.S. history. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said McKee's more than three decades of public health experience will be of help to the department as it tries to tighten its food safety programs.
For 18 years, McKee was chief of the Oklahoma State Department of Health's public health laboratory and he has been a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Reserve since 1992. He also serves on a national public health anti-terrorism preparedness task force run by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.—MAD