07/03/2003  July 3, 2003 - International Sematech (ISMT) and Asahi Glass Co. have signed an agreement to co-develop advanced mask technology and materials for use in EUV lithography.

06/23/2003  June 23, 2003 - SUSS Microtec, a supplier of production, process, and test technologies, has introduced a new line of lithography technologies for use in wafer-level packaging, MEMS, and optoelectronics.

06/20/2003  June 20, 2003 - Irvine, CA - Newport Corp. has unveiled a new refractive beam shaper that it claims converts Gaussian laser beam input to produce a collimated, flat-top beam with nearly 100% efficiency.

06/20/2003 

06/17/2003  June 17, 2003 - Veeco Instruments, Woodbury, NY, and Schott Lithotech, Jena, Germany, have signed an agreement to develop advanced photomask technologies.

06/01/2003  A chip scale package (CSP) is defined as any IC package with an area less than 1.5x in die area, a package width less than 1.2x in die width, or any fine-pitch (0.5 mm or less) area-array package.

05/13/2003  MAY 13--NOGALES, Ariz.--Alpha Pro Tech, a developer, manufacturer and marketer of disposable protective apparel for the medical, dental, industrial safety, cleanroom and food service markets, has seen a $2 million increase in orders for its N-95 respirator mask and eye shields.

04/21/2003  APRIL 21--TAIPEI--The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) reported yesterday the successful development of an "anti-virus" mask.

04/07/2003  APRIL 7--HENDERSON, Nevada--Emergency Filtration Products, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement with Taiwan-based Weise Labs, Inc., which will distribute and sell EFP's new 2H Nano-Enhanced Environmental Mask to the Asian markets.

04/07/2003  April 7, 2003 - San Jose, CA - The Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA), a semiconductor trade organization, has announced the results of a joint research effort focused on identifying supply chain issues impacting fabless success. The Fabless Supply Chain Study was commissioned by the FSA and conducted by Lions Peak LLC and Santa Clara U.'s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

04/02/2003  MEMS manufacturers are generally still years behind their colleagues in the conventional integrated circuit industry when it comes to feature size. While everybody seems to be focusing on next-generation lithography tools that enable nanometer-size resolution, ASML has a new tool targeted at MEMS.

03/31/2003  Experts generally agree that if another way isn't found to make computer chips, the industry will soon show Moore's Law the door. While clever engineers have found ways to push the limits of what is physically possible with optical lithography, companies like Mapper Lithography in the Netherlands are experimenting with new methods.

03/26/2003  March 26, 2003 - Brookfield, CT - Photronics Inc. will cut its work force by between 10 and 12% and cease manufacturing operations in Phoenix, in an effort to return to profitability by July.

03/17/2003  March 17, 2003 - Minneapolis, MN - FSI International Inc., a manufacturer of capital equipment for the microelectronics industry, said that it intends to discontinue its microlithography business operations and focus exclusively on its surface conditioning business.

03/07/2003  MARCH 7--SAN DIEGO, Calif.--Cymer, Inc., a supplier of excimer light sources used in semiconductor manufacturing, has opened a chamber refurbishment facility in South Korea's Eoyeon-Hansan Industrial Park.

03/05/2003  History has been harsh on the German city of Dresden. Allied firebombing nearly wiped it off the map during World War II. And like the rest of the area that once was East Germany, it has suffered great economic hardship since German reunification. But the new century is giving Dresden another chance, and small tech is playing no small part in the city's rise from the ashes.

03/04/2003  Buy low. It's a time-honored strategy being followed by NeoPhotonics, a California-based nano-optics firm that is taking advantage of the optical components slump to buy up good technology on the cheap. Its latest quarry is Lightwave Systems. “This gives us both the broadest and deepest photonic capability in the industry for making optical circuits,” says NeoPhotonics' CEO.

02/27/2003  Feb. 27, 2003 - Santa Clara, CA - Numerical Technologies Inc. has signed a joint development agreement with Applied Materials Inc. to address resolution enhancement technologies (RETs) for 193nm lithography processes.

02/25/2003  From the Love Boat to the kids' aquarium, two small tech companies are sinking money into waterborne nanomaterials that can sponge away everything from annoying algae to harmful bacteria. EnviroSystems' EcoTru cleans cruise ships, while Altair's NanoCheck prevents algae growth.

Automated micro-defect monitoring for 300mm lithography

02/24/2003  By: Kay Lederer, Infineon Technologies SC300, Dresden, Germany
Barry Saville, Ingrid Peterson, KLA-Tencor, San Jose, CA

As the semiconductor industry continues to push toward the 90nm node, controlling defect density in the lithography cell becomes ever more critical to the success of the overall manufacturing process. MORE