SEMATECH COO hopes to go global soon:post-optical litho consensus sought
09/01/1997
A special report by the Solid State Technology editorial staff
The following items highlight important news from SEMICON/West `97, held July 14-18 in San Francisco, and San Jose, CA.
SEMATECH COO hopes to go global soon; post-optical litho consensus sought
If all goes according to plan, the traditionally all-American SEMATECH consortium of chipmakers will admit offshore members within the next few quarters, with likely candidates including the seven European and Asian firms taking part in the International 300mm Initiative (I300I).
In addition, SEMATECH will sponsor a November lithography workshop that will take stock of technology options for the post-193-nm generation, with an eye toward building consensus on which one of the many options should be pursued jointly to ensure readiness for sub-0.1-micron use.
Mark Melliar-Smith, president and COO of SEMATECH, said during an interview at SEMICON/West that I300I`s success in expediting 300-mm development, despite trans-global management issues, indicates that an expansion of SEMATECH itself could be valuable. Samsung, Hyundai, LG Semicon, SGS-Thomson, Siemens, Philips, and Taiwan Semiconductor joined the ten SEMATECH companies in I300I.
"Based on that, we`ve considered whether to expand to a larger program, adding lithography and a couple of other programs, including standards and environmental, safety, and health. It`s still in the planning phase, and no papers have been signed, but we`re hopeful," said Melliar-Smith, who took over the consortium`s top post about six months ago. Noting that the chip industry has become much more global since SEMATECH`s founding, with all major firms having customers and suppliers abroad, he said, "under that model, it makes sense to think that a global consortium could add value to the world industry."
Many discontinuities are looming for fab operators, including post-optical lithography, new metal and dielectric materials, and new forms of chip packaging. Ensuring that these go smoothly, said Melliar-Smith, will require not only some R&D money, but intellectual resources as well. "The seven companies (who are in I300I) were chosen carefully - they all have individual strengths, and bring a lot to the work," he explained.
He noted, "There has been some concern, as we started I300I, that the US equipment industry felt we were reducing our commitment to US industry. That`s not true - our senior managers are all committed to a strong US equipment industry, based on performance, not preference. We`ve been talking to a lot of CEOs to ask about their problems and see how we can support them."
The November lithography workshop (which will include representatives from all parts of the globe) will seek to sum up work conducted at a series of sessions over the last year or so, at which competing post-optical technologies like x-ray, extreme UV (EUV), projection e-beam, and others have been examined. "The key issue is consensus. We will use the industry`s best minds, and best experience, including people from the equipment vendors and their peripheral support companies. It really isn`t a case of three or four alternate approaches all going to war. It`s not a win-lose. It`s a technology decision, just a building block," explained Melliar-Smith.
Melliar-Smith said he doubts that enough data will emerge at the workshop to make a decision on which option to pursue, and that it will not be a forum for decision-making. "We will see where we stand," he said. "If a strong center of gravity appeared, it would color how we work in 1998. At the end of the session, we will look for a select group to write up the status. I`ll take a look at it, and make a recommendation to the (SEMATECH) board."
Karen Brown, SEMATECH director of lithography, commented, "It`s not an apples-to-apples thing. To get a database (for decision-making) would require funding all the options until you have data on something that looks like 100 nm. But each is a billion-dollar program. It`s real interesting." - P.N.D.
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Off to a good start - opening ceremonies for SEMICON/West "97 at San Francisco`s Moscone Center on Monday, July 14. (Photo courtesy of SEMI)