Attendees choose ‘best-in-show’ products
09/01/2007
Solid State Technology and sister magazine Advanced Packaging have named the winners of the fifth annual Attendees’ Choice Awards competition at SEMICON West 2007. These awards spotlight companies’ technologies on both the wafer processing and final manufacturing sides of the fab. Show attendees voted for the industry’s top products in terms of innovation, best solution to a problem, and cost-of-ownership.
Wafer Processing Winners
Most innovative product:
 |
FEI Company’s Expida 1255S defect characterization system
The Expida 1255S system for applications including defect characterization, failure analysis, and transmission electron microscope (TEM) sample preparation, extends the capabilities of the Expida family through improvements to the Sirion electron column and the addition of an integrated 14-segment scanning TEM (STEM) detector for 30kV STEM imaging. The system integrates sample lift-out and handling, reportedly shortening the time required to go from full-wafer samples to high-contrast, high-resolution images and analysis. FEI Company, Hillsboro, OR, United States; ph 503/726-7500, www.feico.com.
Best solution to a problem:
 |
Olympus Integrated Technologies America Inc.’s FR3200 broadband UV defect review system
The FR3200 broadband UV defect review system has BF, DF, DIC, and confocal visible observation modes. The integration of new multiband UV optics provides high-resolution observation at four UV wavelengths through a single high-power microscope objective. This design allows observation using any single UV band or any combination of UV bands that can penetrate surface layers to see subsurface defects in pseudo color. Olympus Integrated Technologies America Inc., San Jose, CA, United States; ph 408/514-3900, www.olympus-ita.com.
Best cost-of-ownership:
 |
Olympus Micro-Imaging’s LEXT OLS-3100 laser scanning microscope
The LEXT OLS-3100 laser scanning microscope is a 408nm laser-based confocal microscope for nondestructive imaging and measurements of submicron surface structures. No sample preparation or complicated training is required to achieve high-resolution images with magnifications as high as 14,400×. The system has submicron imaging with 3D measurement capability. The LEXT provides resolution of 120nm laterally and 20nm in z. Olympus Micro-Imaging, Orangeburg, NY, United States; ph 866/642-4725, www.olympusindustrial.com.
Final Manufacturing Winners
null
Most innovative product:
 |
Tessera Technologies Inc.’s Shellcase RT wafer-level CSP technology
Shellcase RT, a wafer-level chip-scale packaging (WLCSP) technology, incorporates polymeric-encapsulated glass-silicon structures, wherein the wafer is encapsulated with a glass cover at the initial stage of processing; electrical contacts are routed to the wafer backside where solder bumps are formed. The wafer is singulated into individually packaged dice in both cavity and noncavity formats. Tessera Technologies Inc., San Jose, CA, United States; ph 408/369-4600, www.tessera.com.
Best solution to a problem:
 |
FormFactor Inc.’s PH150XP wafer probe card
The PH150XP wafer probe card targets cost-effective testing of smaller-sized, smaller-density (512MB and below) DRAM devices, which necessitate four or more touchdowns per wafer. It features MicroSpring contact design that can accommodate more than 25,000 contacts on high-pin-count mobile DRAM devices. Architectural enhancements enable tighter planarity and higher positional accuracy during probing. FormFactor Inc., Livermore, CA, United States; ph 925/290-4000, www.formfactor.com.
Best cost-of-ownership:
 |
SUSS MicroTec S.A.S.’s KADETT high-accuracy placement and bonding system
The KADETT high-accuracy placement and bonding system fits R&D laboratories and pre-production environments with semi-automatic operation and a flexible platform accepting a range of substrates. The machine comprises a pick-and-place function and bonding processes including in situ reflow, thermo-compression, and thermo-sonic and adhesive bonding with forces up to 75N. The ±3μm alignment is directed by a vision system with independent, high-resolution video microscopes on the chip and substrate, and a 0.1µm resolution x/y alignment stage. SUSS MicroTec S.A.S., Saint-Jeoire, France; ph 33/45035-8392, www.suss.com.