02/26/2008  by M. David Levenson, Editor-in-Chief, Microlithography World
Feb. 26, 2008 - Have you ever wished that computational lithography could be more like a videogame? Gauda, a Sunnyvale, CA, startup decloaking at this week's SPIE's Advanced Lithography Symposium is offering to make it so, at least for optical proximity correction and verification (OPC and OPV).

02/26/2008  Feb. 26, 2008 - Carl Zeiss and SEMATECH say they have completed final design for a next-generation photomask registration and overlay metrology system, dubbed "Prove," that will enable production of advanced photomasks "with substantially improved image placement accuracy," eyeing in particular the tighter placement control required for double-patterning technology.

02/26/2008  Feb. 26, 2008 - The war between two rival international lithography source providers has reached US shores. Gigaphoton says it is expanding its presence in the US with a new subsidiary in Beaverton, OR, following recent customer wins in the US region that represents one-fifth of the worldwide market.

02/26/2008  Feb. 26, 2008 - HamaTech says its advanced modular processing platform, MaskTrack, has achieved "all critical SEMATECH roadmap milestones" for cleaning EUV mask blanks, with demonstrated successful removal of all particles at 30nm and greater, as well as "a number of" 10nm defects, seen as necessary for 22nm semiconductor manufacturing processes.

02/25/2008  Feb. 25, 2008 - Toshiba America Electronic Components says it has expanded its family of power multi-chip modules (MCM) with a synchronous step-down converter switching module, targeting applications such as mobile computers, servers, and network equipment.

02/25/2008  by M. David Levenson, Editor-in-Chief, Microlithography World
Feb. 25, 2008 - Molecular Imprints CEO Mark Melliar-Smith tells WaferNEWS why its Imprio 300 imprint lithography tool is the "only game in town" for semiconductor prototyping and process development in the <30nm realm, capable of printing 32nm, 28nm and 22nm features at 4WPH with 35nm overlay.

02/25/2008  by James Montgomery, News Editor, Solid State Technology
Feb. 25, 2008 - Dow Corning exec Jeff Bremmer talks with WaferNEWS about how his company has turned to a new business model, development partnerships with litho materials suppliers, for its push into the world of photoresist resins.

02/25/2008  by Debra Vogler, Senior Technical Editor, Solid State Technology
Feb. 25, 2008 - At the opening of this week's SPIE Advanced Lithography Symposium, Brion Technologies unveiled a more powerful version of its Tachyon Computational Lithography platform, and the release of Tachyon DPT, software that allows chipmakers to meet the low k₁ requirements for memory and logic devices at 32nm and below.

02/25/2008  EV Group, which supplies MEMS and nanotech manufacturing equipment has received a multiple system order from Colibrys, a Swiss MEMS sensor supplier.

02/25/2008  Steinmeyer Inc.'s new high precision micro manipulator stage, MT 130-50-DC is geared to nanotechnology, metrology, biomedical, and robotics applications.

02/23/2008  Feb. 22, 2008 - Demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment is still below levels from early 2007, reflecting what chipmakers have been saying about a soft investment environment, but the numbers are showing slow improvement from their lowest points in 2007, according to data from SEMI.

02/22/2008  ; Antares Advanced Test Technologies and an undisclosed IC test lab in the Silicon Valley have partnered to configure a burn-in chamber at the test lab with Antares' iSocket thermal-management technology to allow semiconductor engineers in the region to conduct off-site qualification burn-in of 50W devices and below with individual DUT-level temperature controls.

02/21/2008  Feb. 21, 2008 - The latest move in metrology industry consolidation has occurred with KLA-Tencor's proposed "friendly" acquisition of Belgium firm ICOS Vision Systems in a proposed €316.9M (US $465.8M) cash transaction.

02/21/2008  by Ed Korczynski, Senior Technical Editor, Solid State Technology
A new report from TechSearch International forecasts millions of silicon wafers will be made with through-silicon vias (TSV) in the year 2014. With TSV technology now moving past the feasibility (R&D) phase and into the commercialization phase, the question isn't whether this 3D interconnect will be adopted, but how soon it will balance cost/performance vs. existing technologies to break into real mainstream use.

02/21/2008  ; Rudolph Technologies Inc. and SEMATECH, have announced that Rudolph has become the first semiconductor equipment supplier company to join SEMATECH's Metrology Program headquartered at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany.

02/20/2008  Feb. 20, 2008 - Sony and Toshiba are disclosing more details about their semiconductor JV, including PlayStation chips, following preliminary agreements last fall.

02/20/2008  Feb. 20, 2008 - Nikon Corp. says it will have an "enhanced" version of its NSR-S610C ArF immersion scanner, optimized for double-patterning lithography process, ready for customers by 4Q08, billing the upgrade as a "low-risk solution" for developing double-patterning technology for use at the 32nm node.

02/20/2008  Feb. 20, 2008 - Rudolph Technologies and SEMATECH are establishing an international process characterization program to develop process, analysis, and characterization technology targeting 32nm and beyond semiconductor manufacturing. Work will be headquartered at the U. of Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE). Rudolph says it is the first semiconductor equipment supplier to join SEMATECH's metrology program at Albany.

02/20/2008  Feb. 20, 2008 - New data from SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) fuels continued concerns of a soft investment climate among global chipmakers.

02/20/2008  ; Techcet Group LLC reports the market for interconnect metals and dielectric materials, totaling $350 million in 2007, is maintaining its lead as the highest growth area compared to other semiconductor process materials. The latest edition of the Techcet report "Advanced Interconnect Materials for the 65 through 32nm Nodes" discusses the materials used and likely to be used in subsequent technology generations for logic and memory products.