12/01/2005  December 2, 2005 - NanoDynamics Inc. and New Zealand-based partner Nano Cluster Devices Ltd. (NCD) say they will commercialize new nanowire fabrication technology, for use in semiconductors and nanoscale electronic devices.

11/30/2005 

11/04/2005 

11/02/2005  November 2, 2005 - At International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative's (ISMI) 2nd Symposium on Manufacturing Effectiveness, Austin, TX, TSMC's VP of operations Mark Liu told participants he believes that the consumer electronics era may drive IC manufacturers to build more flexible "gigafabs" and persuade equipment makers to double tool productivity.

11/01/2005  A 2,600-square-foot cleanroom, previously occupied by Infineon, is the new site of research and development of emerging wafer-lithography technologies being conducted by Fraunhofer Center for Nanoelectronic Technologies.

10/20/2005 

10/18/2005  Molecular Imprints Inc., a maker of nanoimprint lithography tools, announced that it has appointed Mark Melliar-Smith as chief executive officer. Melliar-Smith was previously COO.

10/14/2005  October 13, 2005 - Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) has published eight new technical standards for the semiconductor, flat-panel display (FPD), and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing industries.

10/12/2005  Utica, N.Y. — In efforts to provide enhanced customer service, Indium Corp. has expanded its sales team in the western U.S. Bill Macartney IV is the new U.S. Rocky Mountain regional sales manager, Tony Przano is the new Southwest regional sales manager, and Karthik Vijayamadhavan is the new area sales manager for the West Coast.

10/06/2005  October 6, 2005 - Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), a Chinese semiconductor foundry, and Luminescent Technologies Inc., a provider of lithography enhancement systems, have announced a joint development program to evaluate Luminescent's inverse lithography technology (ILT) products in SMIC's production environment for its 65nm and below process nodes.

10/05/2005  October 5, 2005 - KLA-Tencor has formally unveiled DesignScan, the industry's first full-chip process window inspection system for post-RET (resolution enhancement technology) reticle design layout inspection. DesignScan enables chipmakers to reduce the number of mask design respins needed to achieve a high-yielding design, resulting in better parametric design performance and faster time-to-market.

10/05/2005  October 5, 2005 - Synopsys Inc. and SEMATECH will jointly develop advanced optical proximity correction (OPC) models for the extension of optical lithography. A key goal of the program, part of SEMATECH's 193nm Immersion Lithography Extendibility Project, is to facilitate better understanding of the challenges in process nodes beyond 45nm so participants can develop appropriate software and manufacturing processes. Synopsys will provide its Proteus mask synthesis stoftware.

10/03/2005  October 3, 2005 - Brion Technologies has announced a joint development agreement with STMicroelectronics, Philips Semiconductors, and Freescale Semiconductor, R&D partners in the Crolles2 Alliance. Brion has delivered RET/OPC process window-enabled applications that run on the company's hardware-accelerated Tachyon platform.

09/29/2005  September 29, 2005 - IBM Corp., Applied Materials, and Albany NanoTech in New York have agreed to begin a five-year, $300 million R&D and economic outreach program, bringing in more than 100 engineers to work on six areas of next-generation chip technology: 300mm epitaxial substrates, ultralow-k dielectrics, atomic-layer deposition, chemical-mechanical polishing, copper plating, and ultrafine ion implantation technology for nanoscale semiconductor devices (e.g. ultrashallow junctions).

09/21/2005  Two large nanotech-related private financings were announced on Tuesday. Molecular Imprints raised $17 million in the first closing of a Series C round. Kereos announced a $19.5 million Series B.

09/20/2005  September 20, 2005 - ASML Holding NV today announced that electronics giant Toshiba Corp. purchased a license for its patented lithography technology that helps manufacturers increase their chip yields. Toshiba joins more than 20 chipmakers and foundries in adopting ASML's Scattering Bar Technology. Toshiba will use the technology in the production of semiconductor devices.

09/16/2005  September 16, 2005 - At the recent 2nd International Symposium on Immersion Lithography, held in Brugges, Belgium, the Interuniversity MicroElectronics Center (IMEC) presented the first conclusive exposure results on its newly upgraded ASML XT:1250i immersion lithography tool.

09/02/2005  September 2, 2005 - SEMATECH has received a key tool for exploring the extension of immersion lithography to produce advanced semiconductors at the 45 nm half-pitch lithography generation and beyond. The tool, an interference immersion exposure system from Amphibian Systems, will be placed in the Immersion Technology Center, which focuses on extending immersion lithography beyond pure water-based approaches.

08/31/2005  Molecular Imprints Inc., a provider of nanoimprint lithography technology, announces the filing of the 300th patent application worldwide related to its S-FIL, or step-and-flash imprint lithography, technology.

08/30/2005  Taby, Sweden — Micronic Laser Systems AB has received an order from Phoenix Precision Technology Corp. (PPt), an IC packaging photomask supplier and PBGA substrate producer, for Micronic's MP80+ multi-purpose, laser pattern generation system.