Forty years running and millennium bound

05/01/1997

Forty years running and millennium bound

Welcome to Solid State Technology`s 40th birthday issue. Solid State Technology began life with the January-February issue of 1958, under the title Semiconductor Products, with Sam Marshall as editor. It was an excellent first issue, with 72 pages. The cover showed a 4-layer diode superimposed over a model of the silicon crystal structure.

The cover article, "Introduction to the Four-Layer Diode," was written by none other than William Shockley, co-inventor of the transistor, and James Gibbons. Features discussed basic transistor physics, transistor heat sinks, diode protection from voltage surges, and the effect of temperature on transistor parameters.

A graph in an article on marketing and production trends showed that only 27 companies used transistors for "computer data processing equipment." In a futuristic editorial comment, the following question appears: "What will competition from foreign countries do to us?" I think we now know the answer to that one.

The magazine, as pointed out in the first editorial by SST founder Sam Marshall, was to be a publication that spoke with the voice of authority on the industry. Further, it was to be a forum where ideas could be given audience. Lastly, it would be a source for "facts, figures, and information."

We have stayed with these tenets for 40 years, fashioning our magazine for the semiconductor fabrication professionals and covering the latest process, equipment, and materials technologies.

The editorial also prognosticated the future of transistors, giving the most likely uses as medicine and citing an instance of a photocell and transistor amplifier being used in conjunction with a brain implant to help a blind woman see. Also mentioned was a low-powered strobe for a flashgun. No future for computer-related applications seemed to come into the spotlight at that time.

Since then, the technology has advanced tremendously. The modern fab facility where we deal with 0.25-micron feature sizes and deposition in the 15-angstrom range would have seemed like science fiction to readers of the first issue. To commemorate this trek, we have brought together in this issue an array of technologies and insights.

President Clinton`s congratulatory letter starts our issue celebration (page 25), while Selma Uslaner`s Industry Insights (page 208) caps it off with an excellent panorama of the industry. Selma, who has been with the magazine since the first issue, takes a trip down memory lane, sharing with you the times and personalities. Another historical article is Industry Links (page 74), which details the history of SEMI from its initial organization and first show in 1971 to the present robust association looking to tackle the 300-mm wave.

We review the progress made in ion implantation, post-etch cleaning, the history of the DRAM, the evolution of Applied`s P5000 CVD tool, minienvironments, and the history of vacuum technology.

We look to the future with VLSI`s Dan Hutcheson`s 10 industry trends in Market Watch - a real eye-opener (page 67). You`ll find things here that lend insight into not only technology, but issues of labor, productivity, and human resources. Also, Art Zafiropoulo of Ultratech Stepper (page 188) leads us into the next 40 years and discusses the factors that will impact the industry.

We tie all this together with the SST timeline of milestones in semiconductor technology (page 26), which graphically highlights our 40-year journey.

Also, be sure to click on our 40th Anniversary logos on our web page at http://www.solid-state.com, where you can celebrate with us the industry`s history and our birthday.

The staff of Solid State Technology worked hard on this issue, and we hope you enjoy it. Further, you should celebrate yourselves. For it is really the scientists, engineers, and managers who deserve the applause for contributing to one of the most significant technologies of our time. Congratulations!