Issue

The process tool requirements for different types of semiconductor fabs are increasingly diverging.

Software success; Some materials have lower surface resistance; Product line clarified

Worldwide highlights; USA; Taiwan; Asia/Pacific; Japan; Europe; Rest of World.

Cleanroom airflow swirling in controversy; Wacker Siltronic introduces fLASH wafer; SC300 achieves functional 256Mb on 300mm wafers; and more.

The total value of the worldwide sputtering target market will increase at an 8.8% average annual growth rate (AAGR) during the next five years, climbing from an estimated $720 million in 1999 to $1.1 billion in 2004, according to the recently published Business Communications Co. (BCC) report Sputtering Targets and Sputtered Films: Technology and Markets.

Robotic sorting platform; Large-area wire bonder; Reduced particle clean process; Activated implant monitoring; and more.

Three changes jump out of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors 1999 Edition — "international" in the title, a transition back to a less aggressive three-year technology-node cycle, and a "red-box" wall for conventional CMOS technology beyond the 100nm technology node in 2005.

Special Section - Technology Outlook: Significantly better productivity and improved cycle times are two aspects of our vision for the future of semiconductor manufacturing.

Special Section - Technology Outlook: Silicon germanium (SiGe) is the latest semiconductor-manufacturing buzzword as new applications and announcements appear in wireless and high-performance wired markets.

Special Section - Technology Outlook: As we enter 2000, it is important to look at the future of gas and chemical technologies from a clear perspective of our accomplishments and present status.

Special Section - Technology Outlook: Increasingly, various forms of "nanotechnology" are being envisioned for a broad range of new frontiers in high technology disciplines and manufacturing, including microelectronics.

Czochralski silicon-crystal-growth development work targets the alleviation of crystal-originated particles in silicon wafers that adversely affect IC yield and performance.

Moore's Law currently states that the number of circuit functions on the surface of a chip doubles approximately every two years.