07/12/2006  July 12, 2006 - European research consortium IMEC has extended its research program for 193nm immersion lithography to include double-patterning techniques to address needs of leading-edge process technologies, particularly for flash memory devices. The program now runs parallel to IMEC's other lithography efforts targeting hyper-NA immersion and extreme-ultraviolet lithography (EUV).

07/12/2006 

07/11/2006  July 11, 2006 - Semiconductor growth has been very strong in 2006 so far, with "tremendous" demand for tools, particularly in North America, according to SEMI's Stanley Myers, discussing the group's midyear outlook for semiconductor equipment and materials during a lunch panel presentation during the first day of SEMICON West on Monday, July 10.

07/11/2006  July 11, 2006 - ASM America, a subsidiary of ASM International NV, and CEA-Leti are forming a joint development research program (JDP) to develop sub-45nm epitaxy and epitaxy pre-clean technologies, with the goal of finding alternative processing schemes for new front-end-of-line CMOS processing technologies.

07/11/2006  Ansoft Corporation announced that their circuit-simulation software for high-performance IC design — Nexxim — was accepted into the Cadence Design Systems, Inc., Connections Program. Cadence's Virtuoso Analog Design Environment already integrates other Ansoft software, including their Q3-D Extractor and TPA package analysis tools.

07/11/2006  In what should be the last roundup of water-based 193nm immersion lithography systems, two of the big lithography tool vendors are coming out with their latest tools targeting 45nm (logic) and 32nm (memory) semiconductor manufacturing. Nikon's NSR-S610C ArF immersion scanner (1.30NA) is scheduled for deliveries by year's end, while ASML's Twinscan XT:1900i with 1.35NA optics, is being prepped for deliveries sometime in mid-2007.

07/11/2006  An infusion of new fresh investments from chipmakers, particularly memory firms, has caused Gartner Inc. to hike its outlook for capital spending in 2006 -- but better growth this year will come at a steep price for the near future of the equipment industry.

07/11/2006  July 10, 2006 -- /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Toppan Photomasks, Inc. today announced plans to expand its Shanghai facility, adding capacity to produce photomasks used to manufacture semiconductor devices with 180nm design rules, and additional lithography and inspection capacity for 250nm-and-above products.

07/11/2006  Freescale Semiconductor has broken away from the pack in the race to commercialize magnetoresistive random access memory, or MRAM. The Austin, Texas-based company announced on Monday that it is in volume production of the world's first commercially available MRAM chip. The chip is intended to combine at least three qualities that previously had been unavailable together.

07/11/2006  Tessera Technologies Inc., a provider of miniaturization technologies for the electronics industry, unveiled Shellcase CF, a wafer-level technology for optical components integrated into electronic products such as miniaturized cameras in camera phones, digital still cameras and video camcorders.

07/11/2006 

07/10/2006  July 10, 2006 - Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials Microelectronic Technologies and Dow Corning Corp. have renewed a joint development agreement to work on novel spin-on silicon hardmask antireflective coatings for sub-65nm lithography in flash, DRAM, and logic IC devices.

07/10/2006  July 10, 2006 - OnWafer Technologies, Pleasanton, CA, has acquired the plasma management division of Advanced Energy Industries Inc., including IP and technology-related assets, in a move to extend its position in plasma process control and diagnostics wireless metrology technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

07/10/2006  July 10, 2006 - BlueShift Technologies Inc., a manufacturer of a wafer-processing platform utilizing vacuum and automation technologies founded by former Brooks Automation execs, has secured a Series B round of financing totaling $12 million, to accelerate product launch activities and fuel expansion into international markets.

07/10/2006  July 11, 2006 - Freescale Semiconductor says it has ramped to volume production of its 4Mbit, 0.18µm-based magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) devices.

07/10/2006  July 7, 2006 -- Fremont, Calif. -- Balazs Analytical Services, a division of Air Liquide Electronics U.S. LP, announces three new tests for Total Oxidizable Carbon (TOC) speciation in ultrapure water (UPW).

07/10/2006  July 7, 2006 -- /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Olympus Integrated Technologies America (Olympus-ITA), a subsidiary of Olympus Corporation of Japan, introduces the Model AL3300 optical inspection and defect review system for full top, edge, bevel and back side inspection of 300 millimeter wafers.

07/10/2006  July 10, 2006 -- /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Applied Materials, Inc. today announced its Applied Endura(R) iLB(TM) II (integrated liner/barrier) system, which combines major advances in PVD(1) titanium (Ti) and preclean technologies to reduce resistance in critical contact structures by up to 40%.

07/10/2006  July 6, 2006 -- /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- CHASKA, Minn. -- Entegris, Inc. (Nasdaq:ENTG) announced today that it will introduce its LiquidLens(TM) UPW (ultrapure water) purification system next week at the semiconductor global trade show SEMICON West 2006 in San Francisco.

07/10/2006  Micralyne, a MEMS components manufacturer, announced it has purchased SB6e wafer bonder and BA6 aligner systems from SUSS MicroTec, Inc.