01/01/1997  Without a steady supply of gloves, masks, wipers and other consumables, the cleanroom as we know it would not exist. Consumables are vital to operating and maintaining a cleanroom, and in some industries, they have an even greater impact on the product being manufactured.

01/01/1997  Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA--NASA is proposing to coat quartz-crystal microbalances (QCM) with a zeolite to increase the QCM`s sensitivity as a contamination monitor.

01/01/1997  Round Rock, TX--DuPont Photomasks, Inc. (DPI) has announced a technology venture with three key semiconductor manufacturers: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Micron Technology, Inc., and Motorola, Inc. The purpose of the venture is advanced photomask technology development and pilot line fabrication of leading-edge photomasks, the high purity quartz plates with precision images of ICs used as masters to optically transfer circuit images onto wafers. The venture, a limited liability company called

01/01/1997  Booties, hoods and face masks are basic items for any contamination-controlled area. Here?s a sampling of different types of productsfor your needs.

01/01/1997  Upper Saddle River, NJ--The Texwipe Company announced the availability fo a videocassette, "A Systematic Approach to Cleaning," which demonstrates the proper use of cleanroom wipers in the semiconductor, disk drive, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing industries. The 12-minute instructional video is designed to be used as an employee training tool for thsoe who work in cleanrooms and their managers. Viewers are alerted to the high cost of contamination in the various industries and h

01/01/1997  Fort Worth, TX--Intel`s plans to build a $1.5 billion advanced logic wafer fab in Fort Worth have spawned an advanced technology center to be built around Intel`s 532-acre site. Alliance Development Company (Fort Worth, TX) is building an 8,300-acre, master-planned international business and transportation center, of which 1,277 acres has been known as the "Alliance Advanced Technology Center." Alliance`s Technology Center is targeting the following user groups: manufacturers of computers, semic

01/01/1997  Billerica, MA--PRI Automation, Inc.`s Intra-Tool Buffering (ITB) system meets new material handling guidelines from the International 300 mm Initiative--an international consortium formed to facilitate the semiconductor industry`s transition to 300 mm wafer processing. Known as I300I, the consortium issued a recommendation for Lot Buffering in 300 mm wafer semiconductor fabs to ensure continuous operation of fab equipment. According to Frank Robertson, vice president and general manager of the I

12/01/1996  Minneapolis, MN--FSI International, Inc.`s new, Class 1 automated Material Handling System, designed for its Mercury Surface Conditioning System, is a customizable workcell package that expands and improves production capabilities by automating the handling of 6-in. (150 mm) and 8-in. (200 mm) wafer cassettes. The new MHS system transfers wafer and wafer cassettes to and from the Mercury process chamber and helps to ensure maximum process tool utilization via optimized throughput, reduced extern

12/01/1996  Millipore has developed point-of-use chemical purification technology for wet chemical cleans in semiconductor manufacturing. The Chempure DHF purifier is the first of a family of chemical purifiers to meet the specific performance requirements for point-of-use purification of metallic contamination in wafer clean processes. The new device is designed to help maintain the purity and stability of DHF baths. Used in the recirculation loop of the baths, Chempure is installed upstream of the partic

11/01/1996  As I read Associate Editor Susan English`s article "Cost, Comfort and Contamination Control Drive Cleanroom Garment Trends" ( Sept. 1996, p. 39), I could not help but marvel at the progress that has been made since I first became involved in that segment of the apparel (uniform) market more than 35 years ago.

11/01/1996  Danbury, CT--In late September, Praxair, Inc. and Iwatani International Corp. (Osaka, Japan) formed a new joint venture, Praxair Iwatani Electronic Gases Co., Ltd. The new joint venture will be dedicated to providing electronics gases, services and systems to the semiconductor manufacturing industry in Japan. Praxair will hold 51 percent ownership in the new venture, which will be headquartered in Tokyo. The Praxair Iwatani joint venture is targeting the environmental concerns of the Japanese se

10/01/1996  Mesa-Tek Instruments introduces its "Fluid Scanner" series of fast (3 mns/cycle for an 8-in. wafer scan) machines, designed for contamination extraction at wafer geometries of ( 0.25 microns. The Fluid Scanner replaces the vapor phase dissolution process, providing fast, programmable (PLC-controlled) 100 percent wafer surface coverage. The FS-500 is designed to monitor cleanroom ambient conditions, identifying contaminants and their sources. It can also be used as an "ultra-cleaner" for wafer s

10/01/1996  CFM Technologies has developed a new version of its Full-Flow wet processing system. The Full-Flow 8100 system offers users the capability of doubling throughput by processing 100 200-mm wafers in a single chamber. A dual vessel 8100 expands throughput capacity by processing two wafer vessels simultaneously, using one core system. A more efficient use of water, chemicals and floor space are added features. The company says the Full-Flow 8100 system is also its platform for development of 300-mm

10/01/1996  Colorado Springs, CO--Empak, Inc. has agreed to share its leading-edge, 300-mm technology to the extent that its use is required by provisional SEMI standards 2470, 2471, 2472 and 2502. "In the spirit of cooperation and industry standardization," Empak is conforming to SEMI regulation 14.3.3.1. In a statement issued in August, Empak said it "believes that it is increasingly in the interest of material suppliers, tool suppliers, and IC manufacturers to share technology to minimize overall IC manu

10/01/1996  Chandler, AZ--SpeedFam Corp. has developed "Capella," a wafer cleaner for post-chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) applications. Typically, semiconductor manufacturers utilize one post-CMP wafer cleaner system for every three CMP heads. SpeedFam claims the figure can be increased to between five to six CMP heads per system by using the new tool`s dual-cassette load/unload stations, dual non-contact hydroplaned rinse rings and dual high-speed spin dryers within a 21-ft2 footprint. The Capella wa

10/01/1996  N. Billerica, MA--Bruce Technologies International, a provider of furnaces and process control software to semiconductor manufacturers, announced it has received a $4 million order from Mitel Semiconductor (Kanta, Canada). Mitel has purchased six BDF-41 horizontal furnaces and Bruce`s APEX process management software for 150 mm wafer processing at its Canadian facility in Bromont, Quebec. Mitel will utilize Bruce`s BDF-41 furnaces and APEX software for 150 mm atmospheric and LPCVD (low pressure

09/01/1996  The Wafer Surface Particle Measuring System (WM-3) from Topcon Technologies, Inc. detects particles on a wafer surface and transfers data to a host computer for expanded analysis. The WM-3`s mean-time-between failures exceeds 10,000 hours and the product offers particle size classification up to 60 precalibrated size settings with numerical and defect map display. It uses the scattered laser light detection method and has a footprint of 3 ft2. Key applications include: process, equipment and cle

09/01/1996  Sakai, Osaka, Japan--After seven deaths and more than 9,000 people struck ill by the deadly E.coli 0157:H7 virus, the Japanese government has mandated new contamination control precautions in its food handling systems to stop the spread of the pathogen.

09/01/1996  These were the words of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, first British Governor of Singapore when he set foot on the tiny island of 150 people in 1819. Today, as an independent nation, Raffles` hope and vision for Singapore appears to have been achieved. The McIlvaine research company (Northbrook, IL), now identifies Singapore as one of three possible "regional centers" in Asia for marketing cleanroom products and services--(the others being Japan and Hong Kong). Today, Singapore`s "Merlion" symbol

08/01/1996  Mountain View, CA--On June 26, YieldUP International Corporation announced the U.S. Patent Office has allowed a patent for its CleanPOINT particle removal system, a water filtration method based on the principle of electrostatic attraction. Using electrostatically charged filters, the point-of-use water cleaning technology removes microscopic particles down to less than 0.1 µm. YieldUP, founded in 1993, develops, manufactures and markets wafer cleaning, rinsing and drying equipment for the s