01/01/2005  Extraction (www.extraction.com) has unveiled technology designed to both detect and measure molecular contamination for 193-nm lithography processes.

12/22/2004  December 22, 2004 - Renesas Technologies Corp., the world's fifth-largest chipmaker, said Tuesday it will merge its wholly-owned unit, Trecenti Technologies Inc., into its parent entity in March 2005, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun America.

12/21/2004  December 21, 2004 - Micronic Laser Systems AB, Taby, Sweden, has agreed to license its patents relating to spatial light modulator (SLM) and datapath technologies to ASML Netherlands BV for use in optical maskless lithography for semiconductor applications.

12/21/2004  December 21, 2004 - Researchers at SEMATECH North have reached a milestone in reducing deposition tool-generated defects in mask blanks used for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). They have deposited EUV multilayers with as few as one defect/mask at 80nm resolution, which translates into 0.005 defects/square centimeter.

12/21/2004  December 21, 2004 - Synopsys Inc. and UMC have announced that UMC is using Synopsys' alternating aperture phase-shift mask (AA-PSM) technology to enhance manufacturability for its 90nm process.

12/16/2004  December 16, 2004 - Coherent Inc. today announced its Lambda Physik subsidiary would discontinue future product development and investments in the semiconductor lithography market due to market conditions. Lambda will continue to support its installed lithography base.

12/16/2004  (December 16, 2004) Scharding, Austria — EV Group (EVG) says that it will install the first example of a new fully automated UV step-and-repeat nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) system at non-profit research organization, AMO GmbH in Germany, during the first quarter of 2005. AMO has been participating in joint-development programs with EVG in the area of UV-NIL since 1997.

12/15/2004  (December 15, 2004) Santa Clara, Calif. — Applied Materials announces that it has signed an agreement with AmberWave Systems Corp., based in Salem, N.H., to license AmberWave's strained silicon intellectual property for Applied's use on its Centura RP Epi system. Applied Materials has already sampled 300-mm strained silicon epi wafers to a chip maker for development work.

12/15/2004  But there also is a growing concern that a shortage of a trained workforce could slow this booming industry. A number of centers and institutes are being created to meet the demand for research and training. Restructuring traditional curricula can be a major step toward providing trained professionals.

12/13/2004  December 13, 2004 - At today's IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco, IMEC is expected to announce that it has achieved the smallest triple-gate device SRAM cell reported to date. IMEC's device is a fully working 6-transistor SRAM cell with an area of only 0.314 x 0.314 mm.

12/07/2004  December 7, 2004 - EV Group today announced the launch of a global consortium, NILCom, dedicated to commercializing advanced nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technologies. The consortium will have a technology platform supported by an established infrastructure and qualified processes, including leading technology companies and research centers.

12/03/2004  December 3, 2004 - EV Group (EVG) has said that it has signed an agreement with Komag Inc. to develop, license, and sell a high-volume nanoimprint lithography (NIL) application for mass data storage.

12/02/2004  December 2, 2004 - Applied Materials Inc. and ASML intend to collaborate to speed the development of 65nm and below process equipment technology for the semiconductor industry, the companies said.

12/02/2004  December 2, 2004 - Applied Materials Inc. and DuPont Photomasks Inc. have agreed to a joint development program (JDP) for advanced photomasks supporting 90nm and 65nm technology.

12/02/2004 

11/24/2004 

11/17/2004 

11/16/2004  There's good news for nano center builders. New construction in the U.S. and the world at universities and national labs is adding more business to the economy. Building nano center facilities is a tricky job. Much of the complexity stems from the fact that the new or remodeled labs are often in the middle of existing campuses.

11/15/2004  The accomplishments of Molecular Imprints and its CEO led it to one top honor and a runner-up award in the 2004 Small Times' Best of Small Tech Awards. Molecular Imprints received the Company of the Year title. Norman Schumaker, president and CEO, won a runner-up award in the business leader category.

11/04/2004  November 4, 2004 - Scientists from Royal Philips Electronics and the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft U., The Netherlands, claim they've achieved the first successful integration of III-V nanowires on germanium and silicon substrates.