Particles
03/01/2001
Emcore expands in New Mexico
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on January 19, Emcore Corporation opened its expanded facility at its Sandia Technology Park site in Albuquerque, NM. The expansion triples the company's cleanroom manufacturing capacity, adding 36,000 square feet to the existing 50,000-square-foot building. The building houses the company's solar cell, optical components and networking products.—LJB
IPIW slated for 2002
International Pharmaceutical Industry Week (IPIW) will be held April 15-17, 2002 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. In conjunction with the 2002 meeting, Interphex will fall under this event and will co-locate with the newly launched ePharmaceutical Solutions Exposition (ePharma Expo) and the Pharmaceutical Contract Services & Outsourcing Exposition. According to organizers, this reorganization gives a greater presence to the evolving changes within the pharmaceutical industry. Interphex 2001 is scheduled for March 20-22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.—LJB
Swagelok acquires Jensen Fittings
To expand its offering of fluid system components to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical, food and beverage, and dairy industries, Swagelok (Solon, OH) has acquired Jensen Fittings Corp. (North Tonawanda, NY). According to the company, the high-quality sanitary fittings made by Jensen complement its product line, which includes sanitary valves and fittings, hoses, plug and ball valves and orbital welding equipment.—LJB
Joint venture forms IR technology company
Thermometrics Global Business, a manufacturer of sensors for medical, automotive and industrial applications, has entered into a joint venture with Lucky Goldstar Electronics of Korea to form Thermometrics Technologies, an infrared technology-based company. The company will offer noncontact temperature sensing, using state-of-the-art IR technology. The manufacturing facility, located in Seoul, South Korea, will produce IR devices for all world markets in the automotive, industrial, medical and consumer sectors. The new company is 80 percent owned by Thermometrics Global Business and 20 percent owned by Lucky Goldstar Electronics.—LJB
DuPont increases prices
DuPont Tyvek Protective Apparel (Wilmington, DE) has announced an increase in price for the Tyvek and Tychem garments it manufactures. According to the manufacturer, the average increase of six to nine percent reflects the increased energy and raw material costs for these high-quality garments, including the increased cost of Tyvek and Tychem fabrics. The price increase became effective February 5, 2001.—LJB
Joint venture to produce polishing materials
DuPont (Wilmington, DE) and Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (Allentown, PA) have formed a joint venture—DuPont Air Products NanoMaterials L.L.C. The new company will develop, manufacture and market colloidal silica-based slurries for electronic precision polishing or planarization applications such as silicon wafer polishing and chemical mechanical planarization processes used in the manufacture of semiconductors. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.—LJB
Gas Tech changes name to Thermo GasTech
Gas Tech Inc. (Newark, CA) has changed its name to Thermo GasTech. According to the company, the name reflects a new vision and a new role for the company as a leader in manufacturing gas detection instruments. Gas Tech's parent company is Thermo Electron. To link globally recognized brands such as Gas Tech with Thermo Electron, the prefix "Thermo" has been added.—LJB
IMAPS moves
The Intenational Microelectronics and Packaging Society (IMAPS) has moved from its Reston, VA, headquarters to a new facility in Washington, DC. Reportedly, the new offices are located nearer to airports and mass transit and offer the organization a number of advantages that make it a suitable permanent location for the society. IMAPS is dedicated to the advancement and growth of the use of microelectronics and electronic packaging through professional and public education. The new address is 611 2nd Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. E-mail: [email protected]; Tel. (202) 548-4001; or visit www.imaps.org.—LJB
Entegris forms R&D company
Entegris Inc. (Chaska, MN) has formed OregonLabs, a specialized research and development company that will initially focus its research efforts on the semiconductor industry.
OregonLabs will serve as a think-tank for Entegris, a materials integrity management company. The newly formed company will develop break-through product concepts and create new technology for license or sale to the open market.
"Combining the research and development power of Entegris and OregonLabs will help ensure our continued technology and leadership by strengthening our core competencies," says John Goodman, chief technology officer of Entegris. "The new company will help Entegris lay the foundation for the next technology cycle in the semiconductor industry, and give us the muscle to extend our technological reach by exploring new product concepts for use in multiple industries."
Future priorities include the development of intellectual property for license or sale, working on research and development priorities for clients in multiple industries, and creating inventions. — JVP
Los Alamos scientists clean up chip making process
An otherwise clean industry—chip making—could soon get a little cleaner thanks to scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos, NM) who have developed a new technology that eliminates the use of hazardous corrosives and the production of wastewater.
The new technology, called SCORR, focuses on photoresist removal, where high-intensity light is combined with acids and corrosives to help create a chip's integrated circuits.
The average chip-making plant produces 4 million gallons of wastewater and uses thousands of gallons of corrosive hazardous materials every day, according to U.S. Department of Energy statistics. Using carbon dioxide at high temperatures and pressure in place of the hazardous materials, scientists at the Lab have inexpensively replaced the solvents and the ultra-pure water needed to wash the solvents away. The closed-loop system reuses the carbon dioxide in the process, which adds no greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.—JVP
Communicant launches; Plans $1.5B facility
Communicant Semiconductor Technologies AG (Frankfurt, Germany), an integrated circuits foundry serving the wireless, broadband and high-performance markets, was recently launched, and plans are underway for a $1.5 billion facility.
Both Innovations for High Performance microelectronics and Intel are strategic investors and have penned technology-licensing agreements with Communicant. IHP will provide silicon-germanium-carbon technology. Intel will provide 0.18-micron technology.
"The agreements with IHP and Intel are key advantages," says Dr. Klaus Weimer, CEO of Communicant. "Our proprietary technologies and IP will position Communicant as the world's leading communication-focused foundry serving fabless design and system houses, as well as the integrated device manufacture community."
The proposed Frankfurt facility is expected to be operational by third quarter 2002 with production planned for the beginning of 2003.
At full capacity, the facility will produce 30,000 200-mm wafers per month. —JVP
British watchdog group warns about irradiated food
A British consumer watchdog group is warning shoppers to be on the lookout for irradiated food products on the shelves of grocery stores.
In an article published in Food Magazine, published by the Food Commission, author Kath Dalmeny urges readers to be aware of irradiated food, which might be labeled as 'electronically pasteurized' or 'ion-beam sterilized.'
"Ten years ago, consumers voted with their purses and rejected irradiated food," author Kath Dalmeny writes in the article. "The industry must not be allowed to sneak their unwanted products onto supermarket shelves in disguise."
The process of irradiation, which kills microorganisms in food, was promoted in the 1980s. However, the Food Commission is concerned that the process will encourage poor hygiene and reduce the food's nutritional value, or as the article states, "The food industry is keen on irradiation because it can extend the shelf-life of produce and cover up bad food or hygiene practices."—JVP
Photronics opens manufacturing facility, cleanroom
Photronics Inc. (Phoenix, AZ), a leading supplier of photomasks, recently started manufacturing operations at its new Phoenix facility, which includes 11,000 square feet of ISO Class 3 (Class 1) cleanroom space.
The 30,000-square-foot facility, which cost more than $30 million, also houses customer support activities for the company. Part of the cleanroom space has been reserved for future expansion of the site's technological capabilities. The site has been designed to accommodate the technology and capacity requirements of semiconductor manufacturers using 0.25-micron technologies.
"The Southwestern United States processes more silicon than any other region in North America, and Arizona is considered to be one of the fastest growing semiconductor-producing states," says Photronics president James L. MacDonald. "Photronics is committed to serving the semiconductor manufacturers in this region, insuring that we have both the capability and capacity to meet their technology and volume requirements."
Officials say that more than 130 will be employed at the Arizona site within the next five years.—JVP
Report: Medical plastics market to grow
A number of recent studies say the U.S. medical plastics market is expected to grow five to seven percent over the next several years.
According to a recent report published by Plastics News, several different companies, including Business Communications Co., Dow Chemical and Fredonia have forecast moderate growth in the industry between now and 2004.
Business Communications Co. says that demand for resins will lead to an annual growth of 5.8 percent, while the Freedonia Group Inc. expects a 5.3 percent annual growth rate for disposable medical products. GW Plastics is projecting that its medical custom injection molding operations will see a 15 percent increase, and the company is currently in the process of building cleanroom molding facilities in Arizona and Vermont.
According to the report, the miniaturization of medical components is likely to be an area of key growth. — JVP
Ford relocates Dagenham cleanroom
Ford (Dagenham, England) has decided to move the location of its proposed diesel engine cleanroom, although it will still be located on the Dagenham Estate.
In October, Ford announced the 323,000-square-foot (30,000-square-meter) state-of-the-art facility would be located on the site formerly occupied by the Ford Foundry. The Cleanroom Assembly Hall will now be located on the site currently used for the preparation of 'knock-down' vehicle kits for export markets.
Ford officials say the new site will be more cost effective because it utilizes existing building foundations and services.
"This new proposal for the Dagenham Estate builds upon the October plan in that it will result in an even better facility than originally announced. The new Cleanroom Assembly Hall location is more cost-effective, has improved logistical synergies with the existing Dagenham Engine Plant facility and provides for greater opportunities for future volume expansion."
The cleanroom is part of a $600-million, five-year investment plan to maintain Dagenham as London's largest industrial center. Ford hopes to employ more than 5,000 by Q1 2002. — JVP
UMC's 300 mm project gets support from Singapore's EDB
The investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board—EDB Investments Pte. Ltd. (EBDI)—has been added as a 15 percent shareholder to the United Microelectronics Corp. (Taiwan) advanced 300mm fab project in Singapore's Pasir Ris Wafer Fab Park.
"This strategic partnership will propel Singapore into the next phase of advanced semiconductor fabrication and help us to remain at the forefront of technology," says Liow Voon Kheong, general manager of EBDI. "The number and types of jobs to be created, extent of knowledge transfer, and the numerous other economic spin-offs from this venture will significantly add to the existing solid infrastructure of more than a dozen advanced semiconductor wafer fab projects in Singapore."
The fab will be built in two phases, with a planned capacity of 40,000 wafers per month. Ground is expected to be broken later this quarter, and officials hope to begin moving equipment in 2002.
EBDI joins Infineon Technologies AG, which has a minority stake in the $3.6-billion project.—JVP
Servitex Cleanroom Services acquired by Steiner Corp.
American Cleanroom Garment's parent company Steiner Corporation (Portland, OR) recently
purchased Servitex Cleanroom Services, which provides cleanroom garments, laundry services and cleanroom supplies to microelectronics and pharmaceutical industries.
Servitex will continue to operate under its present name, and officials say no immediate operational changes are expected.
"The acquisition of Servitex enhances our geographic coverage of the U.S. and increases our ability to provide high service levels to key customers. Servitex has an excellent staff which will fit perfectly with our customer service philosophy," says David Harris, general manager of American Cleanroom Garments.
Sevitex was founded in 1984. An 11,000-square-foot facility dedicated to cleanroom operations was constructed in 1998. — JVP
Cleanroom facilities help bring Bookham Technology to Maryland
Bookham Technology (Columbia, MD), which provides integrated optical circuits and modules to telecommunications and network system providers, opened the doors of its American headquarters and newest manufacturing facility—a former Honeywell International building—last month.
According to company officials, the decision to open shop in Howard County was facilitated by the site's cleanroom facilities.
The 150,000-square-foot facility is located in the Oakland Ridge Industrial Park in Howard County.
Officals say they expected to begin manufacturing test products by mid-February and silicon technology by the end of the third fiscal quarter.
There are currently 30 employees at the building. That number is expected to rise to 1,000. — JVP
New York launches high-tech initiative
New York Gov. George Pataki recently kicked off a $1-billion high-tech initiative to fund advanced university research and development and economic outreach.
As a result, ground will be broken early this year at the University of Albany-NY for a state-of-the-art microchip prototyping laboratory capable of processing 300 mm wafers. The facility will be known as the Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics at Albany.
Leading semiconductor industry companies have already expressed interest in collaborating with the university to find cost-effective solutions to key scientific and 300 mm manufacturing problems, and to train a skilled workforce.
The center will be led by IBM Corp., in collaboration with the University of Albany and will help meet the workforce training needs of IBM's $2.5-billion 300 mm fab in East Fishkill.
Also under the initiative, $27.5 million is being invested to support construction of a 300 mm computer wafer pilot prototyping facility at SUNY Albany's Center for Environmental Services and Technology Management and $5 million is being invested annually to support the joint SUNY and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 'Focus Center New York' semiconductor research program.—JVP