Table of Contents
Solid State Technology
Year 1998
Issue 5
 | DEPARTMENTS
News
Planergy creates custom template for energy usage
Independent energy services company Planergy, Austin, TX, has developed a custom template for assessing energy usage patterns in working semiconductor fabs. The set of energy assessment services is designed to evaluate usage at several different levels, ranging from the operation of individual equipment to large systems and processes. They identify potential energy efficiency measures that can reportedly result in cost savings with little impact on production. The assessments, which cover a fab`
News
Electro-Graph
As part of an effort to meet cleanroom standards, subassembly and replacement parts supplier Electro-Graph has completed work on a Class 10,000 cleanroom at its Carlsbad, CA, facility. In addition, the firm conducts final packaging and sealing of parts at Class 100-certified bench stations, with employees following cleanroom gowning procedures. Electro-Graph president and CEO Dan Hacker said he believes his company is the only subassembly provider to take this step. "Inevitably, the standards in
News
Ion Systems
In its efforts to bolster contamination control research and education, Ion Systems, Berkeley, CA, has donated and installed a room ionization system in the newly opened Class 10 cleanroom at Brevard Community College in Palm Bay, FL. Designed as a world-class flat panel display material handling test facility, the Brevard cleanroom was built in conjunction with the United States Display Consortium (USDC), which plans to use the new cleanroom to provide its member firms with a test facility for
News
Motorola / Black & Veach / Ehrlich-Rominger
Motorola has selected Black & Veach and Ehrlich-Rominger to design the expansion of its MOS 12 wafer fab in Chandler, AZ. The $1.1 billion expansion will include a 260,000-ft2 Class 1 fab area; a central utility plant with mechanical, electrical, and process utilities; expansion of an industrial waste treatment facility; fit-up of the existing 90,000-ft2 shell with a Class 1 fab; and 50,000 ft2 of office space. Comprehensive pollution controls and water recycling systems will also be incorporate
News
GaSonics International / Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing
GaSonics International, San Jose, CA, has received an order from Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (CSM), Woodlands, Singapore, for a performance enhancement platform 3600 system, which features two residue removal/isotropic etch process chambers. The system, which will be installed at CSM and Lucent Technologies` joint venture Silicon Manufacturing Partners, will be used to manufacture devices with 0.25-?m design rules.
News
MEGA Systems & Chemicals, Inc. / National Semiconductor
MEGA Systems & Chemicals Inc., Chandler, AZ, has shipped a total CMP system to National Semiconductor`s South Portland, ME, facility. The order includes two MEGAflow IIIC high-flow systems, which minimizes slurry hardening through continuous recirculation; a MEGApure 100, which provides submicron particle filtration and dispense; a MEGAview monitor system; and a MEGAlink process equipment interface system.
News
Lepco Inc.
Lepco Inc., Houston, TX, has been awarded the 1997 Design/Build of the Year Award for its design, construction, and service of Input/Output`s new 110,000-ft2 micro-electromechanical systems manufacturing facility. The facility contains 19,000 ft2 of Class 100-100,000 cleanroom space, which is maintained at 68? ?2?F, humidity controlled at 45% ?5%RH, and houses a complete 150-mm wafer fab. The complete group up design and construction was complete in a record 335 days. The cleanrooms are supporte
News
Cintas Cleanroom Services
Cintas Cleanroom Services, Cincinnati, OH, has opened a Class 1 laundry facility in Greenville, SC, expanding its cleanroom apparel service operations to the southeastern US. The new facility, which employs process isolation and particle management technology, will help serve Cintas` diverse customer base of semiconductor, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device manufacturers. The company specializes in apparel rental, precision laundering, and consumable and disposable products for cr
News
Metron Technology / Extraxtion Systems, Inc.
Metron Technology, Burlingame, CA, will be the exclusive sales and service organization for Franklin, MA-based Extraction Systems Inc. (ESI) in Europe. Metron will provide ESI`s airborne molecular contamination measurement and control technology to customers involved in wafer fabrication and data storage. Metron has over 300 sales and service professionals in Europe. ESI offers a total molecular base real time monitor that provides quantitative analysis of the total airborne molecular base load
News
VERTEQ / YieldUP International Corp.
VERTEQ, a supplier of wet processing systems, has entered into an OEM contract with YieldUP International Corp., Mountain View, CA, a maker of cleaning, rinsing, and drying equipment. VERTEQ will offer the YieldUP Omega series of motionless dryers and the CleanPOINT point-of-use filtration system, which removes all particles in DI water down to 0.065 ?m.
News
Brewer Science Inc.
Brewer Science Inc., Rolla, MO, will add 33,000 ft2 of space to its current facility. The expansion will include more manufacturing and office space, and a Class 10 cleanroom. The cleanroom will house R&D and new product development, and will be furnished with equipment that will enable the duplication of customer processes, such as wafer cleaning, photolithography, etch, and wafer inspection.
News
Koch Spechialty Chemical Co.
Koch Specialty Chemical Co., Wichita, KS, will construct a multichemical manufacturing and purification facility to serve the microelectronics industry. The plant will initially manufacture isopropyl alcohol, hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, and ammonium hydroxide. Eventually it will produce hydrogen peroxide and other large-volume process chemicals. Koch will produce discreet purity grades from one ppb to one ppt.
News
Microbar, Inc.
Microbar Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, a safe chemical management equipment supplier, has moved into new facilities. Microbar now occupies a 50,000-ft2 complex, which triples the size of its previous facility, and includes a 20,000-ft2 cleanroom.
News
Olin Microelectronic Materials
Olin Microelectronic Materials, Norwalk, CT, will provide chemical management services to Motorola`s AISL fab in Tempe, AZ. Olin`s on-site team will be responsible for inventory management, analytical sampling, just-in-time delivery, purity of chemicals to the point of use, and chemical waste disposal.n
News
News roundup: Asian financial woes affect 300-mm plans
The Asian financial crisis is evolving on several fronts. The advent of 300-mm technology is proceeding more slowly than had been anticipated earlier in the year, and analysts from a variety of organizations expect semiconductor capital spending plans in Japan and South Korea to come under heavy pressure. Japanese firms are expected to cut about 10% from their budgets; Korea`s chip companies are seen slashing their 1998 spending by 50-60% off 1997 levels. As a result, there is a possibility that
New Products
Filter Media
PurePerm is a new line of ULPA filter media which was developed to address the chemical contamination issues of next-generation semiconductor fabs. It is made with microfiberglass that has been specifically formulated to reduce its boron content to levels 25 to 100 times less than traditional media. PurePerm also incorporates a binder system designed to minimize organic off-gassing of known volatile contaminants like organic phosphates and amines. It is available at various efficiencies from 99.
New Products
Cleanroom actuator
The ISCR Series of cleanroom actuators are ideal for use by systems integrators, machine builders and OEMs. They include special design features that allow them to achieve a Class 10 cleanroom level. The actuators are available in three sizes, ranging from small to large. They also incorporate a series of paired holes that run along the entire length of the internal base structure and empty into a main venting chamber connected to a single standard vacuum fitting, which allows users either to dr
New Products
Cleanroom robot
The new six-axis SV3CR robot is designed specifically for use in a Class 1 cleanroom environment. It is ideal for high-speed maching loading, including the handling of disk drive media, flat panel displays (FPDs) and wafers up to 300 mm. The robot can also be used for cassette handling in interbay applications and is integrated with a vision or laser-sensing package for wafer mapping functions. Features include a 3-kg payload capacity, a reach of 677 mm, a repeatability of ?0.03 mm and reliable
New Products
Ionization bar
The new CleanTrac Ultra-Clean Ionization Bar features (non-metallic) germanium emitters that provide particle-free ionization. CleanTrac is specifically designed for use in Class 1 areas such as minienvironments and laminar flow benches where particle contamination and control of electrostatic charges are critical concerns. It comes in six lengths, ranging from one to six feet and is compatible with several controllers. A detachable seven-foot power cable, air flow gauge, air filter, air tubing
New Products
Gas diffuser
The new Chamberguard FV-50K Diffuser provides gentle laminar flow for wafers during venting of loadlock, cooling and transfer, while protecting wafers from particles inside and outside the chamber. The gas diffuser allows clean venting of chambers in as little as 10 seconds and includes a highly retentive nickel membrane that removes particles greater than 0.003 microns from incoming gas and prevents particle contamination from being introduced to the wafer chamber or onto the wafer surface. It
New Products
Cleanroom tripod
The new Rigid-Damped Tripod is designed to provide cost-effective vibration isolation of semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing and metrology equipment in raised-floor cleanroom environments. The tripod is lightweight and easily moved to other locations as fab requirements change. Its open-frame design allows maximum airflow and space for under floor conduit, cable and pipe routing. Tool foot attachment clamps are available to prevent accidental tripod movement. The tripod is useful
New Products
Imaging Tool
The new SEM-based XL850 defect review and inspection tool is engineered specifically for evaluation, yield management and failure analysis applications supporting design rules to 0.18 microns and beyond. Featuring dual cassette robotics for Class 1 cleanrooms, it provides instant in-line access to critical semiconductor process information. The XL850 offers low voltage operation, with 3 nm resolution from 1 to 30 kV. An electron column provides balanced-field, in-lens detection of both back-scat
New Products
Microfiltration technology
Exxflow is a microfiltration technology that builds a dynamic filtration layer from the natural precipitate of solids present in the process solution on a fabric membrane. The system is well suited to treating and recycling wastewater that contains suspended particles present in wafer manufacturing processes. Systems can be installed on wafer dicing saws reclaim, backgrind, polishing, CMP and other slurry waste streams. Kinetico Inc., Newbury, OH; ph 800/633-5530, www.kinetico.com/esd.htm, e-mai
New Products
Recirculating etch bath filter
The Ulti-Etch filter provides high flow rates and rapid bath turnover in new-generation etch baths, while ensuring high-efficiency particulate removal and low extractable levels. It uses the crescent-shaped Ultipleat filter design, which combines high voids volume with increased filter area. Constructed from a hydrophilic PVDF medium, Ulti-Etch has a 0.1-?m removal rating in recirculation mode. PVDF, a naturally hydrophobic medium, is hydrophilized by chemically surface modifying the medium surf
New Products
CMP slurry filtration
Due to their tangential flow, Spiraltek filters meet the special requirements of CMP slurries. Unlike conventional filters, they retain gelatinous material and prevent premature plugging. Agglomerations are swept from the filtering surface and held inside the filter, leaving the surface free for more filtration. The filters have very high dirt-holding capacity, providing up to six times the life of standard pleated cartridge filtration. Osmonics, Minnetonka, MN; ph 800/848-1750, fax 612/933-0141
New Products
Clean bench
The Heraguard workbench ensures a particulate-free environment for the testing and packaging of electronic components. A horizontally conducted flow of extremely pure, multifiltered air prevents particles from entering the work area, through the use of a pre-filter and Hosch filter with a retaining power of 99.999% of 0.3-?m particulates. The bench is available in widths ranging from 1-1.9 meters, two interior heights, and two depths. Heraeus Instruments GmbH, Hanau, Germany; ph 49/6181-35300, f
New Products
Liquid particle counters
The PLCA-700 series liquid particle counters provide 0.1-?m sensitivity in all types of liquid with 100% counting efficiency. Operating on-line, the counters give high-sensitivity measurements from 0.1-1.0 ?m. High flow measurements cover a range of 0.2-5.0 ?m at rates to 150 ml/min. As many as six channels of data can be displayed in real time. Compact sampling units permit off-line batch measurement. Both a suction-type module and a pressurized version handle a 0.2-10-?m range, and both sampli
Editorial
Its good to be back where the action all begins
Glad to be back with you all again, after a two-year stint with Computer Design, PennWell`s magazine for design managers and senior engineers, covering the fabrication of processor-based electronic systems. It was enlightening to see the world of semiconductor manufacturing from the other side of the fence (and indeed there does appear to be quite a high fence between circuit designers and the fabrication community). Design engineers cobble together their creations - whether application-specific
Eurofocus
SEMICON Europa News
ASM Lithography (ASML), Veldhoven, the Netherlands, will create a Special Applications division. This new business unit will pursue silicon applications outside the domain of its mainstream sub-0.45-micron business. The move was announced at SEMICON Europa in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 31.
Eurofocus
Korean LG Group Semicon Wales Product upgrades facility to 0.20 micron
The Korean LG Group, Newport, Wales, recently announced plans to upgrade its working technology at its LG Semicon Wales (LGSW) facility, currently under construction, to work in a 0.20-micron technology environment. The plans for the upgraded technology have been drawn up and will position the facility as one of the first locations in the world to be working at this level.
Eurofocus
ASM International sees 4Q sales rise, but initiates small reorganization
Still adjusting to the end of its long-running patent litigation with Applied Materials, ASM International, Bilthoven, The Netherlands, has cut about 35 engineers from its Phoenix, AZ, operation. After years of litigation over epitaxial and CVD-related technologies, the two companies settled their disputes with joint cross-licensing agreements in November. The settlement left ASM with "an overabundance" of engineers who had previously been working on designing workarounds for newer models of ASM
Letters
After reading Ed Korczynski`s editorial, "A few bad apples," (March, p. 14), I must agree with you on the safety level in the US semiconductor industry. Having been a part of this industry for 18 years, I feel that the focus has dramatically improved as we have become more sensitive to our environment.
Letters
The blurring of generations
I just read your editorial, titled "The blurring generations" (February, p. 12), and enjoyed it because my memory about my generation has become blurred after 25 years. Would you please let me know where I could get a copy of the 1997 NTRS?
Letters
Address clarification
I was delighted to see my joint article with Jon Goldman ("Input parameter SPC for diffusion furnaces," February, p. 69). I met up with Jon in Scotland for the first time in five years this week just as the article was published. That was good timing. Note, however, that the URL for the web site that publicizes our results is incorrect. The page is at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stephen_munley/.
Product News
Globalization to be reality at SEMATECH
Five non-US chipmakers will join the 10 American members of SEMATECH to form a new international consortium for development of lithography infrastructure; industry standards; environmental, safety, and health technology; and manufacturing methods. The new group, known as International SEMATECH, was scheduled for startup on April 2 and will be an independent subsidiary of SEMATECH. The existing International 300-mm Initiative will become a division of International SEMATECH.
Product News
FPD/300-mm interstep cleaning
The Microclean 960 series tools clean large substrates, including flat panel displays up to 1000 ? 1000 mm, and 300-mm wafers. The fully automatic tools are available in both ultrasonic and megasonic configurations. Process baths can be fabricated in quartz, PFA, ECTFE, PVDF, or 316 stainless steel. High-temperature piezo bonding technology provides continuous processing temperatures to 120?C. The megasonic system deploys a higher operating frequency, translating into oscillation of the liquid c
Product News
FPD stepper
Model 6700 PanelPrinter provides high-performance, wide-area lithography capability for Gen 3 and Gen 3.5 flat panel production. Using the field-proven Model 5200 tool architecture and the new AccuStep x-y stage motions, the 6700 meets a wide range of high-performance production lithography goals. The system is particularly suited to FED and low-temperature polysilicon display production applications. When equipped with an i-line lens, the 6700 is also suitable for patterning photo-definable die
Product News
Microwave curing
The MicroCure 5100 is a variable-frequency microwave system that cures standard polymeric adhesives and encapsulants. Proprietary variable-frequency technology greatly improves cure rates over forced convection systems, with a smaller footprint and with energy savings. Uniform energy distribution eliminates hot spots, while selective frequency targeting reduces stress due to thermal mismatch, resulting in improved interconnect reliability and increased yields. Applications include cavity dam and
Product News
Multihead dispensing
XYFLEX is a flexible liquid-dispensing system that dispenses up to 140,000 dots/hr and can therefore keep pace with chip shooters that place components at rates of 40,000-90,000 pph. The system, consisting of four heads and up to eight pumps, can dispense solder paste, adhesives, conductive epoxies, encapsulants, and flip chip underfill - at the same time and at different programmable speeds. It can be installed as an in-line system with the ability to meet the throughput requirements of high-vo
Product News
Flip chip bonder
Model CB-5w semiautomated flip chip bonder is a granite-based tool designed to perform high-accuracy, low-force flip chip bonding (5 g to 2 kg) in both prototype and pre-production modes. The system handles chips as small as 20 ?m in size and can place various die from different types of die carriers onto substrates up to 10 ? 10 in. The system incorporates user-friendly pictorial software; it consists of this company`s patented optical probe, with high-resolution for precise alignment and bondi
Product News
Multipurpose bond tester
Series 4000 multipurpose bond testers feature ergonomic design and frictionless load cartridge technology, providing accurate and reliable wire pull testing up to 10 Kg, tweezer pull/peel testing up to 5 Kg, and ball and die shear testing at 250 g, 5 Kg, and 100 Kg. The tester`s monocoque frame design gives rigidity in the vertical axis of better than 1 ?m/kgf. The machines are available with a range of work surfaces, including shuffle base, manual x with y Chessman, and motorized x and y. Each
Product News
Vacuum/controlled atmosphere processing
Mark-14, a heavy-duty vacuum/controlled atmosphere processing facility for high-purity and closely controlled R&D and production applications, can perform more than 14 materials processing functions without duplicating major system components. Capabilities include: vacuum to 10-7 torr; pressure to 10 bar; furnace temperatures from ambient to 900?C and to 3000?C with furnace working volumes up to 3 cu ft; gas quenching to 10 bar; vacuum to liquid quenching; diffusion bonding; coating/deposition
Product News
Aluminum UHV flanges
The Atlas Flange is made from 6061 T-6 aluminum and 316L stainless steel; it has been developed to allow sealing of aluminum UHV systems with stainless steel knife-edge flanges. The aluminum side welds to the chamber and the stainless side has the knife-edge seal. The flange is qualified to 10-10 torr and can be repeatedly baked to 250?C. Compatible with standard CF flanges, the Atlas is available in sizes from 1.33 to 16.5 in. Atlas Technologies, Port Townsend, WA; ph 360/385-3123, fax 360/379-
Product News
Vacuum process cold traps
The CT-Series cold traps provide solutions for pumping condensables such as the products of TEOS deposition. The systems are available with -60 or -110?C minimum temperatures, and cooling powers of 62 W at -45?C and 60 W at-90?C, respectively. Capacity is 1.5 kg of ice. Four trap systems are available, varying in automation and regeneration downtime. Automated units are programmable for regeneration frequency and interface with system controls for process and alarm interactions. ATRInc., Laurel,
Product News
KrF excimer laser
The ELS-5010 KrF excimer laser is a light source targeted at the scanner platform for DUV lithography systems. Key features of the system - which improves upon its predecessor, the ELS-5000 - are spectral purity bandwidth for greater resolution capability, and energy stability for critical dimension control. Cymer Inc., San Diego, CA; ph 619/451-7149, fax 619/618-3035.
Product News
High-resolution ICP-MS
The VG Axiom is a compact, high-power, high-resolution ICP-MS system that provides the analyst with the power to resolve spectral interference from potential contaminants in fab processes; it is available in two configurations. Axiom SC (single collector) provides fast, unambiguous, high-resolution elemental analysis. Very high ion transmission at all resolutions (>4%at 10,000 RP) coupled with background count rates of <0.2 counts/sec ensures unparalleled limits of detection in all matrices on
Product News
Multifilm deposition controller
The TM-350 and TM-400 thin-film deposition monitors are designed for reliability and ease of use, and provide all the capabilities necessary for manual control of the deposition process. TM-350 is a multifilm monitor that is suitable for all but the most demanding applications. TM-400 has all the features of the 350, but with 16 times better measurement resolution and dual sensor head capability, making it suitable for critical applications that require greater accuracy and the added security of
Product News
Scan controller
The CX-2R ion implanter beam scan controller upgrade compensates beam motion to improve nonuniformity for each of two end stations. It reduces channeling up to 5?, eliminates micro nonuniformity of 3% at 400-?m scale, and cuts time to 5 sec. Features include a double image compensator and auto switch. The CX-2R upgrades the Varian 300XP to 0.3 ?m and also fits the 350D. Fab-m Corp., SanFrancisco, CA; ph 415/567-8504, [email protected].
Product News
F-HDP/PECVD process
This high-volume production implementation of a CVD low-k fluorinated high-density plasma (F-HDP) film for 0.25-?m logic devices is offered for use on the existing customer base of SPEED HDP systems. The integration sequence combines an F-HDP gapfill process with an in situ PECVD capping layer, reducing cost of ownership by as much as 50%. A typical 2-?m IMD stack using F-HDP and PECVD can be deposited in the integrated SPEED system at throughputs of >30 wafers/hour. Novellus Systems Inc., San J
Product News
Wafer/mask microscope
The INM 100 modular microscope, for wafers and masks, features fingertip operation, an 8-in. stage, a tilting viewing head, a motorized objective nosepiece, an aperture diaphragm, and Class 1 compatibility. Its HCS optical system produces the highest resolution and contrast images in all illumination modes, with improved TV imaging for digital recording applications. A retrofitable confocal module with improved brightness and contrast is also available. The INM 100 features a high-precision, mot
Product News
Surface profiler
The WYKO SP3000 surface profiler expedites process control of large-format samples with accurate, noncontact 3-D data. Designed to enhance yield and improve in-line process monitoring of flip-chip packaging, the gauge-capable profiler enables users to control critical dimensions and determine the electrical/mechanical performance and reliability of advanced packaging substrates. Combining vertical scanning interference microscopy with proven, extensive analysis software, the system measures surf
Product News
300-mm wafer inspection
Constellation is a fully automated inspection tool for both 200- and 300-mm wafers. Its inspection station employs advanced optical scanning hardware and sophisticated data analysis software to analyze and characterize multiple classes of surface defects on both polished and epi wafers. Wafers are handled and inspected in the horizontal orientation, using a high-speed, multiple-axis robot to transfer wafers from their cassettes to the inspection gauge and back. Constellation`s modular design all
Product News
300-mm wafer shipper
Voyager is a reusable 300-mm wafer shipper that has compact dimensions (7 ? 13.1 ? 12.7 in.) and features a cushion design consisting of top and bottom covers to hold the wafers securely during shipping, with no need for tape. Each reuseable shipper includes secondary packaging and has a kinematic coupling for equipment interface. The shipper body is made of transparent polycarbonate material, allowing visual inspection of wafers inside the carrier; the covers are made of a durable PBT material
Product News
Wafer inspection after dicing
The KIS2000 inspects wafers after dicing to monitor the dicing machines using statistical process control (SPC). The tool automatically scans the front and back sides of the wafer and monitors kerf (cut) chipping sizes, kerf width, misalignment, and kerf offset, as well as chipping proximity to the die edge. Chipping is automatically differentiated from other shapes, making the kerf inspection accurate and reliable. A powerful SPC package provides wafer maps and charts for visualization of resul
Product News
Vacuum abatement system
The VAS combines a vacuum system and waste gas incineration system with integrated scrubber, a neutralization and washing cycle, and a monitoring and control unit (compatible with any vacuum pump model). It abates Cl2/BCl3 and CF4/SF6 effluent from a metal dry etch process at efficiencies of >99% and 98%, respectively. Using DAS ESCAPE NET software, multiple VAS can be networked for centralized administration/control. DAS GmbH, Dresden, Germany; ph 49/351-871-8688, fax 49/351-871-8726, e-mail in
Product News
Residual gas analyzer
The HPQ2 is a high-pressure residual gas analyzer (RGA) that does not require a support pumping package and offers a high level of performance and control. It is provided with Process Eye software, an advanced Windows-based PC package dedicated to process monitoring, vacuum maintenance, and RGA applications such as photoresist detection. Spectra International, Morgan Hill, CA; ph 408/778-6060, fax 408/776-8575.
Product News
Lithography simulation software
Version 6 of PROLITH/3D and PROLITH 2 includes new lithography models, such as the step-and-scan exposure tool model, the notch resist development model, and a chemically amplified resist model. The user interface has been rewritten as a native Windows product on the PC platform (PROLITH is also available on the Sun Workstation and the DEC Alpha). Version 6 also features OptiPRO technology, which increases the problem-solving speed of the software by taking advantage of the capabilities of each
Literature
Literature Update
Adding another piece to its inspection and metrology framework, KLA-Tencor will acquire scanning electron microscope manufacturer Amray Inc., Bedford, MA, in a stock swap deal. KLA-Tencor sees the acquisition as a fast-track way of bringing additional defect review and classification capabilities to its stable, said senior VP of strategic business development Sam Harrell. "After you collect defect data on an optical system, some of the defects can be reviewed optically, and some require a SEM. T
People
People Update
ShellCase Ltd., Jerusalem, Israel, has named Shlomo Oren managing director and CEO. He has 25 years of management experience in the US and Israel, including 17 years with Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc. as corporate VP and managing director of its Israeli facility.
People
1998 SPIE Lithography Symposium
The recent SPIE International Symposium on Microlithography showed the maturation of the lithography field. The presentations had a more practical view than in previous years, with even the "Emerging Lithographic Technologies" conference focusing on progress toward implementing actual systems. Even though the focus of the conference was nominally on the future, it proved that, in the semiconductor industry, the future is now.
Asiafocus
Koreas DRAM Inc. meets reality
At the beginning of July 1997, the South Korean won stood at the then low of 888 to the US dollar. By mid-December the won stood at 1710 won to the dollar: a spectacular fall of 52 percent in less than six months. The repercussions of this collapse are enormous. Not only has the world`s 11th largest economy been brought to its knees, but the world`s lender of last resort, the IMF, is undertaking its biggest rescue ever with a $57 billion effort. Korea`s high-flying semiconductor companies - Hyun
Asiafocus
ERSO re-invented for .18 micron
Taiwan`s Electronics Research & Service Organization (ERSO) within the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has a new general director with Dr. Genda J. Hu. Formerly VP of Information Storage Devices, San Jose, CA, Hu takes charge of ERSO as the organization sets off with a new charter for the development of 0.18-micron processes.
Asiafocus
Fire at Winbond fab in Taiwan will cause unknown startup delay
Work on Winbond Electronics Corp.`s Fab 3 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, has been disrupted by a fire that caused significant damage to the fab building and some process equipment. Taiwanese newspaper accounts estimated damage at up to NT$1.2 billion (US$43.63 million), but Winbond officials in the US could not confirm this.
Market Watch
The inevitable shakeout in the CMP equipment market
As more and more manufacturers discover the benefits of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) for smaller and smaller design rules, an increasing number of CMP equipment suppliers are entering the field. As these new companies compete with early, more entrenched entrants, a shakeout is looming ahead.
World News
Worldwide highlights
January equipment book-to-bill softens. January market indicators for the capital equipment and IC markets are showing definite softness, reflecting difficult market conditions sparked by Asian financial problems and continued DRAM price declines. SEMI`s North American capital equipment bookings and sales for January were $1.382 billion, down 10% from December`s $1.531 billion, but up 24% from a year ago. Shipments were $1.465 billion, down 5% from December`s $1.536 billion and up 42% from last
World News
USA
ATMI Inc., Danbury, CT, is planning to acquire NOW Technologies, a Bloomington, MN, semiconductor materials packaging systems supplier, in a deal valued at $44 million. Under the agreement, NOW will become a subsidiary of ATMI once shareholder and regulatory approval is received. A maximum of 1.86 million shares and a minimum of 1.35 million shares of ATMI will be issued to NOW shareholders. NOW`s primary products are based on its patented NOWPak systems, used for packaging advanced photoresist
World News
Japan
Mitsubishi Materials Silicon Corp. has entered into discussions of a possible licensing agreement related to exclusive Japanese and Asian rights for Ibis Technology Corp.`s Advantox SIMOX wafer production process. The two firms have collaborated on sales and development of the SOI technology, and Mitsubishi recently signed a letter of intent to purchase an Ibis 1000 oxygen implanter. The Japanese firm is also planning an expansion of its Asian supply lines, with MSA set to cooperate on market de
World News
Asia/Pacific
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is reportedly scheduled to break ground on its first 300-mm wafer fab in 2Q98, following in line with plans the company announced last year to build a manufacturing center in the Tainan Science-based Industrial Park. The 300-mm fab will cost more than $2 billion, according to reports by Taiwan`s Central News Agency. The company has already begun construction on its sixth wafer fab; its fourth and fifth fabs came online last year.
World News
Europe
CVD system supplier AIXTRON AG, Aachen, Germany, has logged an order for its first multiwafer MOCVD system to the Research Centre Julich. Delivery is scheduled for 2H98. The barium strontium titanate AIX 2600G3 system will be used in the production of advanced DRAM memory test structures.
World News
Rest of World
In a deal valued at $225 million, Mitel Corp., Kanata, Ontario, Canada, has acquired all shares of Plessey Semiconductors Ltd., Swindon, UK, from parent company General Electric Co. The combined unit is expected to rank Mitel among the top ten networking and telecommunications chip companies; the deal gives Mitel additional design capabilities and manufacturing capacity, as well as additional expertise in RF and mixed signal design and system level integration. Plessey currently has annual sales
Tech News
193-nm development hampered by contamination
As the world lithography research community congregated at the SPIE Microlithography Symposium in Santa Clara, CA, the aggressive drive to commercialize 193-nm technology has reached some new milestones, but also turned up some thorny problems that could affect plans to bring it into manufacturing in 2001.
Tech News
CMP-MIC: 3Ms no-slurry pads, Lams polisher
The CMP-MIC conference held in Santa Clara, CA, saw the introduction of 3M Laboratories` new slurry-free oxide planarization technique, and the long-awaited linear CMP polisher from Lam Research`s OnTrak subsidiary.
Tech News
Significant role seen for selective epi and Si3N4 CMP
Selective epitaxial silicon-germanium deposition and Si3N4 CMP could be significant processes for 4-Gbit DRAM technology. These processes were used at NEC`s ULSI Device Development Lab in Kanagawa, Japan, to fabricate a contact pad structure characterized by large 70-nm (0.07-?m) alignment tolerances for both DRAM word line and isolation regions. The final structure is a 135-nm2 folded-bit-line memory cell in one of NEC`s 4-Gbit DRAM designs, using a 120-nm design rule (see figure).
Tech News
Value added from backend drives assembly automation
Today`s semiconductor manufacturing backend is a linear extrapolation of technology in place for 25 years. C. Scott Kulicke, chairman and CEO of Kulicke & Soffa Industries, stated that it has been "predictable progress. We`ve worked hard because, obviously, it is more complex to build a quad flat pack than a dual in-line package. But, while today`s factories may be bigger and more efficient, most still run the same old way - discrete lots of a few hundred or a few thousand units carried from sta
Tech News
Laser system personalizes 0.35-um gate array
A newly upgraded laser micromachining system provides rapid personalization of 0.35-?m gate array devices, with improvements of throughput and accuracy.
Tech News
Two SEMI groups discuss 9-in. reticle carriers
As the maskmaking industry works to implement standards for the transition to 9-in. reticles, two SEMI task forces charged with designing carriers for the larger glass substrates have taken divergent paths on their box designs. The North American group is placing minienvironments at the core of its design, while the Japanese group is opting for optimized containers for specific functions. As a result, four very different carriers are now being proposed for adoption. "We`re working under differen
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