02/23/2012 

As semis are manufactured at the 2X and 1Xnm nodes, new metrology technologies must evolve to fill the gaps. In Part 3 of this 3-part metrology series, SEMATECH discusses the inspection/metrology options for advanced semiconductors.

02/23/2012 

SEMI’s International Strategy Symposium (ISS) meets for its Europe session February 26-28 in Munich, Germany. Following are some of the 450mm wafer presentations scheduled to take place.

02/21/2012 

The IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS) is set for April 15, 2012 – April 19, 2012, in Anaheim, CA.

02/16/2012 

The 22nm node marks the beginning of a major transition from conventional scaling of planar memory devices to complex 3D architectures. SEMATECH authors examine the metrology needs of 3D memory device architectures in Part 2 of this three-part series.

02/15/2012 

IC manufacturers closed 49 wafer fabs between 2009 and 2011, according to IC Insights. Smaller wafer fabs (?200mm) suffered the most closures, and Japan and North America led the way.

02/15/2012 

Tool obsolescence is increasingly important to semiconductor manufacturers running 200mm wafer fab lines, reports ISMI, which has chartered an Equipment Obsolescence Forum for alternative sourcing.

02/14/2012 

Lita Shon-Roy and Michael Fury, PhD, Techcet will present "CMP Market Outlook & New Technology - Dynamic Slurry Metrology," a free webinar at 2 times on February 22.

02/13/2012 

RAVE N.P. Inc. established a new division, Advanced Technical Instruments or ATI, comprising SEM, AFM, and other analysis tools, as well as custom semiconductor and photomask services such as haze generation systems.

02/13/2012 

Tektronix donated semiconductor test and measurement equipment to Washington State University Vancouver: arbitrary/function generations, a real-time spectrum analyzer, digital phosphor and mixed signal oscilloscopes, Keithley's semiconductor parameter analyzers, and Fluke's True-rms multimeters.

02/10/2012 

The March 2012 issue of Solid State Technology will feature "450mm wafer transition" from Dr. Brian Trafas, chief marketing officer at KLA-Tencor. The following is a sneak preview of Dr. Trafas' article.

02/09/2012 

SEMATECH authors discuss semiconductor metrology solutions currently being investigated to address the challenges of future nodes. FinFETs raise new metrology complexities, as the entire 3D structure becomes critical for process control, including fin and gate dimensions, profiles and roughness, and metal gate undercuts.

02/09/2012 

Theta Delta will incorporate Core Wafer Systems technologies into its burn-in test and long-term reliability test systems for semiconductors. Core Wafer Systems provides parallel measurement schema for semiconductor test.

02/08/2012 

The 2011 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) has been publicly released. Several areas of advancement are highlighted in the 2011 ITRS: DRAM and Flash memory, and MEMS.

02/07/2012 

The electronics industry will edge out coal-fired boilers as the biggest purchaser of ultrapure water systems and consumables in 2012, according to the McIlvaine report: Ultrapure Water World Markets.

02/07/2012 

Worldwide silicon wafer revenues improved 2% YOY, shows the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group. Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments, however, decreased 3%, indicating a loss of momentum in H2 2011, said Kazuyo Heinink, SEMI SMG.

02/06/2012 

Rudolph Technologies (NASDAQ:RTEC) delivered the first MetaPULSE metrology system to measure under bump metallization (UBM) and redistribution layers (RDL) in advanced package manufacturing.

01/31/2012 

The global semiconductor market will see a slow 2012, reports IHS, with economic uncertainty and semiconductor inventory not moving enough to stimulate new production. Expect negative growth in Q1 2012, a nascent rebound in Q2, and strong growth in Q3 2012, IHS reports.

01/27/2012 

Texas Instruments (TI, NASDAQ:TXN) will close 2 older semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Hiji, Japan and Houston, TX over the course of the next 18 months. Production from these analog chip sites will be moved to more advanced TI facilities.

01/27/2012 

President Barack Obama visited the Intel Ocotillo campus in Chandler, AZ. The President spoke about Intel's technological innovation, and manufacturing jobs in America.

01/26/2012 

NIST materials scientists modified a standard SEM for a roughly 10-fold improvement in measuring the crystal structure of nanoparticles and extremely thin films. It enables crystal structure study of particles as small as 10nm.