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Table of Contents Solid State Technology Year 1998 Issue 1	FEATURES Feature Products Reticle inspection system The Orbot RT-8000ES reticle inspection system is designed to meet the needs of the 0.25-?m, 256-Mbit device generation. Defects can be detected on the most advanced reticles, including those using optical proximity correction and phase-shift technologies. The system combines new image acquisition technology with new detection algorithms to resolve smaller defects and minimize false defect detection. With the DataExpress module, pattern data conversion time is reduced and high throughput is maint Feature Products High-yield flip chip bonder The FC250 production flip chip bonder offers precise bonding capabilities, with good alignment and leveling accuracy better than 2 ?m. Throughput is >200 units/hour. Designed to level, align, and bond even nonreflective components, the FC250 supports the complete range of bonding applications, including multichip modules, focal plane arrays, laser diodes, chip-on glass, and flat panel displays. Flexibility is maximized through features such as multiformat feed capability, hands-off operation in Feature Products Fpd surface profiler DEKTAK OSP-1100 is a stylus-based profiler with the capacity to handle flat panel displays measuring up to 1100 ? 1100 mm. The Overhead Scanning Profiler design gives highly repeatable measurements for monitoring etch and deposition process steps over the entire surface of 1100-mm substrates. The system accurately measures RGB color filters to help control and monitor film thickness uniformity during the AMLCD manufacturing process. Long scan capabilities make possible 1100-mm edge-to-edge scann Feature Products Process Furnaces Series 6000 furnaces are designed for such processes as diffusion, oxidation, annealing, and LPCVD, on wafers up to 300 mm. Features include operational temperatures to 1300?C; closed tube processing for high-purity and reproducible environments; moving furnace elements for fast heat-up and cool-down; cantilevered (noncontact) automatic loading; cascade temperature control using external (furnace) and internal (process) thermocouples for real-time, in-situ control of temperature profile; better Industry Insights Managing customer loyalty Keeping customers is easier and more profitable than finding new ones. Not only a well-known adage, it is the primary driving force behind customer satisfaction programs. However, while companies try to instill product loyalty by keeping customers happy, the actual relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty can be very difficult to determine.

DEPARTMENTS Letters European exposure Thank you for the excellent article, "ESPRIT`s Semiconductor Equipment Assessment Initiative," (October, p. 90). It is often difficult for European equipment companies to get exposure to the global marketplace, and Solid State Technology is seen as an important way of achieving this. Thanks for your efforts. Letters Article advice I have three suggestions about topics for future articles in Solid State Technology: cleaning techniques for x-ray mask manufacturing process; cleaning techniques for deep narrow trench; and dry front-end processes, such as dry resist, development, etching, and cleaning. These topics are important for future semiconductor processing. I hope SST can invite experts on these topics to present their results or technology. Letters Asia clarifications In reference to "China`s bid to join the submicron era," (October, p. 78), Tony Liu has not been VP of Hua Hong Microelectronics since June 1997. He left Hua Hong after China announced a joint venture project with NEC in May. Also, Mitsubishi-Stone`s fab in China is not a wafer fab but an assembly plant only. Product News Thru-transmission scanning This high-frequency thru-transmission scanning kit provides high-speed inspection that reveals delaminations at all interfaces. It uses a small beam spot to generate sharp, high-resolution images. These images show small defects, making the kit suitable for use with thicker packages such as BGAs. Sonix, Springfield, VA; ph 703/440-0222, fax 703/440-9512, e-mail [email protected]. Product News Taping System The TMBU-3D Tube automatic tape and reel system places into tape semiconductor components that are delivered in tubes, such as SOIC, TSSOP, SOJ, and PLCC. It can tape at a rate of 5000 parts/hour while inspecting the lead coplanarity and laser markings of each component, and automatically rejects any part that fails inspection. The system comes standard with an ESFA tube loader, vacuum pickup system, and all tooling necessary for the customer-specified component. An ICOS-3D coplanarity inspectio Product News Gas diffuser The Chambergard FV-50K diffuser provides gentle laminar flow for wafers during venting of loadlock, cooling, and transfer chambers while protecting wafers from particles inside and outside the chamber. It allows clean venting of chambers in as little as 10 sec, and it can cut by up to 90% the time taken for controlled vent-up procedures of standard-size chambers using VCR fittings. Chambergard is easy to install or retrofit using Product News Hazardous gas monitoring SmartMaxII is a digital control monitor that can handle readings from up to four types of sensors. A unit includes sensors for combustible gas, oxygen, and such toxic gases as hydrogen sulfide, and comes equipped with a 4-20mA analog output as well as an RS-485 serial port, plus three on-board, programmable relays. SmartMaxII is available in general-purpose or explosion-proof packages for use in Class 1/Division 1 areas. Control Instruments Corp., Fairfield, NJ; ph 973/575-9114, fax 973/575-0013 Product News Pressure transducers The Micro-Baratron 870 and 872 pressure transducers are designed specifically for use in process gas delivery systems. All wetted surfaces are constructed from chromium- and nickel-rich Inconel and Incaloy to minimize the effects of corrosive gases. Pressure ranges include 0-100, 0-250, 0-1000, and 0-3000 psi absolute. A hard vacuum reference cavity (<10-7 torr) assures no output signal variations due to changes in barometric pressure. Accuracy is based on percentage of reading, not full scale, Product News Nitrogen generators The 4000 series of cabinet-enclosed nitrogen generators can deliver gaseous nitrogen - on site - at purities of 95-99.5%, producing an uninterrupted supply from a compressed air source using air separation membrane technology. Typical flow rates are 85 scfh (2.2 Nm3H) at 99.5% purity, to a maximum flow of >625 scfh (14.7 Nm3/h) at 95% N2 purity based maximum rated feed air pressure and temperature. MG Generon, Malvern, PA; ph 610/695-7667, fax 610/695-7766, www.generon.com. Product News Zoom beam expander This 2? - 10? zoom beam expander for CO2 lasers is used for laser marking and drilling applications. The diffraction limited design allows active spot size variation and can easily be motor driven. Standard output aperture is 25 mm; custom designs up to 75 mm are available. Special Optics, Wharton, NJ; ph 973/366-7289, www.special-optics.com. Product News Pulse preamplifier-discriminator F-100T Version 7 is a fast pulse amplifier-discriminator that processes pulses from a photomultiplier tube or electron multiplier and replaces a preamplifier, a linear amplifier, and a lower level discriminator. It is compatible with virtually any ratemeter or counter/timer. Sensitivity is 100 ?V-200mV, for TTL output pulses with a maximum pulse repetition rate for equally spaced pulses of >50MHz. Applications include photon, electron, and ion counting; fast PMT pulse processing; SIMS; ISS; and Product News Semiconductor components EPI Teflon semiconductor components (for use in such equipment as valve plugs, aspirator nozzles, wafer carriers, and tanks) are molded and machined from PTFE and PTFM to customer specifications in sizes ranging from 0.5- to 60-in dia. ? 8-in. thickness. Unaffected by photoresists, acids, and corrosives, they can be cleaned with DI water, and their low coefficient of friction virtually eliminates particle shedding. Chemically inert, impervious to moisture, and free of microvoids and microporosit Product News Integrated Z and Theta stage Incorporating servo feedback technology, this high-performance Z-Theta stage is completely noncontact via an air bearing system that virtually eliminates all wearing surfaces. Position performance does not degrade with usage. The stage is well suited to such operations as pick-and-place, staking, and dispensing; and with a compact size and total weight below 2 lbs., it can be mounted on conventional xy stages or used as a stand-alone unit. Several sizes are available, with strokes ranging from 2 Product News High-precision x-y stages Suitable for such applications as wafer inspection, the AA12 and AA15 x-y stages are based on low mass and high stiffness by incorporating the MRC 15 series monorail guideways. The tables are manufactured from aluminum. The stages are driven by a 5-mm pitch ballscrew with a low-profile flange nut and very stiff axial bearings to hold the screw in place. The drive interface is the motor coupling and coupling housing, which has a standard size of 60 ? 60 mm. The AA12 and AA15 are equipped with lin Product News Water/nitrogen guns These PFA Teflon spray guns are suitable for either deionized water or nitrogen control in semiconductor production or laboratory applications. Benefits include: all wetted, high-purity components made from 440 HP resin and PTFE Teflon; a design that reduces dead volume; availability of 1/4- and 3/8-in. female and flare connections; and a standard 0.5-?m filter. Also available are optional tube and fitting assemblies. Parker Hannifin Corp./PARTEK Prod-ucts, Tucson, AZ; ph 520/296-6223, fax520/29 Product News Double brush scrubbing system Used in the Evergreen series of wafer cleaners/processors (which support processes including post-CMP oxide and tungsten cleaning), this double brush system simultaneously scrubs both top and bottom of the wafer without spin chuck surface contact or marking. The wafer rides on air bearings during cleaning. The system incorporates advanced robotics and computer control; dual sets of contra-rotating scrub brushes, programmable for motion and pressure, both scrub the surface and drive the rotation Product News Wafer cleaning system Model UH 117 wafer cleaning system removes debris from sawing operations. It can clean wafers of diameters up to 150-mm, mounted on film frames. Fully programmable automatic microprocessor control and a completely encased washing, rinsing, and drying chamber eliminate all operator and external variables. Drying is accomplished using the system`s programmer to control a choice of hot or cold nitrogen (or air), blown through an air knife onto the wafer. Ultron Systems Inc., Moorpark, CA; ph 805/52 Product News Stepper with machine vision system Model 1500MVS is a compact sub-?m stepper with machine vision system (MVS) alignment. As a pattern recognition alignment system, MVS eliminates the need for larger scribe lines between each die to hold dedicated alignment targets. The 1500`s MVS capability allows it to identify targets produced for any other lithography tool, obviating the need for dedicated targets and accelerating mix-and-match implementation. The tool allows resolution down to 0.8 ?m and offers 175-nm, 3-s alignment, and a 2. Product News UHV gate valve Series 10 all-stainless-steel UHV gate valves incorporate smooth, camless sealing to distribute pressure evenly around the plate for minimal closing shock and wear. Incorporating a vulcanized seal rather than an O-ring, the mechanism is bellows-sealed with no lubricants. Fully bakeable to 250?C open and 200?C closed, the valves can be equipped with manual or pneumatic actuators and can be mounted in any position. Available in sizes from 2.5 to 16 in. I.D., they are offered with CF, ISO, and ASA Product News TOC analysis sytem The A-1000XP TOC analyzer is designed for demanding TOC measurements in ultrapure water. The instrument`s stability and repeatability allow changes as small as 0.001 ppb TOC to be reported. Typical data show repeatability to 0.001 ppb over a range of 0.05 ppb during 24 hours on a typical water system. The A-1000XP performs equally well on normal and low dissolved oxygen (<5 ppb) water systems. Analysis times are 70 ? 5 sec (typ.) at 1 ppb TOC. Anatel Corp., Boulder, CO; ph 800/373-0531, fax 30 Product News Corrosive liquid sampling system The CLS-900 system, which samples contaminants in hot process chemicals in wet benches, is a modular system consisting of Windows-based software and three hardware subsystems (a base control unit and up to six pairs of chemical control and fluidic modules). Fluidic modules containing liquid particle counters are dedicated to individual chemical baths in order to eliminate cross-contamination and can be physically integrated into the wet station. The base control unit synchronizes system sampling Product News HEPA filter HEPAir is a single unit that fits into a standard 2 ? 4-ft T-bar ceiling and combines all the features of the fan-powered filter module with a completely self-contained air conditioner. This delivers the conditioned air needed for cleanroom applications, including positive or negative pressurization and humidity control. In one unitary package, HEPAir contains filter, blower, cooling coil, cooling (make-up air) fan, condenser coil, condenser fan, compresser, refrigerant piping, controls, and wir Product News Particle measurement Models WM-1500/1700 automatically detect particles on a wafer`s surface at 0.1-?m sensitivity, using scattered laser light detection technology. The systems provide a dynamic measurement range of 0.1-5.0 ?m and high repeatability in a compact footprint of 750 mm2. Output options include x-y coordinates for relocating detected particles for analysis on other systems. The WM-1700 is designed to improve particle detection precision on coated wafers such as metal films; it provides numerous individu Product News Secondary ion mass spectrometry The shrinking of the lateral dimensions of semiconductor devices to =0.25 ?m is accompanied by an even greater reduction of the junction depth, to <100 nm. The energy of the SIMS 4500`s analyzing beam is low enough for ultrashallow-junction depth profiling. Depth capabilities include fast profiling of conventional dopant profiles, as well as profiling of small test structures. Atomika Instruments GmbH, Munich, Germany; ph 49/89/315-89141, fax 49/89/315-5921, e-mail [email protected]. Product News Backside thinning system Chip UnZip, the system that thins backside silicon in flip chips and other face-down designs to permit emission imaging of defects, has been enhanced so that the speed with which the die is thinned has increased by more than 100%. The system removes epoxy or ceramic packaging and backside silicon in a window precisely defined to give access to the active area of the die, while leaving the leads intact. When the thinned chip is biased, defects emit light through the thinned silicon. Hypervision I Product News Ultrapure water systems Clear Series ultrapure water systems (for IC manufacturing) use a single multifunctional cartridge containing an active carbon stage, a high-performance mixed-bed ion exchanger, and a scavenger stage (containing a mixture of macroporous adsorptive resins). They provide 18.2 MW cm resistivity and 0.2-?m particle removal with a final filter. UV lamps give effective photo-oxidation on organic compounds, resulting in TOC values of <3 ppb, and the ultrafiltration units guarantee pyrogen-free water. S Product News Bulk Silane-- a potential hazard or a potential hazard reducer The semiconductor industry has long sought to reduce the hazards involved in silane handling by using very low concentrations in inert carriers or by eliminating silane from processes. A new approach, bulk silane, may reduce both hazards and costs for manufacturers. Spurred on by potential savings, gas suppliers, silane users, and Sematech are investigating how the use of bulk silane can be safely implemented. People People J.C. Park has been appointed chairman of Genus Korea Co. Ltd., Korean subsidiary of Genus Inc., Sunnyvale, CA. He was president and chairman of Aju Exim. In addtion, two other team members from Aju Exim have joined Genus Korea. J.K.Youm has been named field service manager, and Y.M. Chung has been appointed to sales. Editorial Chip industry workers deserve world-class fire safety Any time a fire or other emergency erupts in a wafer fab, it`s potentially deadly. Fabs are, by design, tightly contained environments, usually without direct access to the outdoors, and dependent on electrical and mechanical systems for light, air, and control of the chemicals used in production. Editorial Commentary: The EUV-LLC and the systems integration question After a half-year or more of searching for partners to develop extreme UV lithography, Intel Corp. has signed up Motorola and Advanced Micro Devices to take part in the private EUV Limited Liability Corp. (EUV-LLC), which will spend about $250 million over three years to fund development work at three Department of Energy (DoE) laboratories. Eurofocus European Unions Media Program The European Union (EU) recently released details of a research program to focus European chipmaking skills in areas where EU companies are already competitive with Japan and the US. The Microelectronics Development for European Applications program, Medea, includes 45 projects and is budgeted at 2 billion Ecus (US$2.3 billion). Medea is targeted at six core areas where Europe is strong. Three are application areas - multimedia, communications, and automotive - and three cover the technologies n Eurofocus Siemens British Fab opens Siemens Microelectronics has opened its 16-Mbit DRAM facility in N.E. England, going from ground-breaking to production-ready in 17 months, and to full qualification in 21 months - four months ahead of schedule. A major factor in the rapid ramp-up was the use of minienvironment-based automation, the first use of this technology in any Siemens fab. Jenoptic Infab was the automation integrator for the facility, which was designed and built by Meissner + Wurst. Eurofocus Newport Water-Fab Opens Facility Newport Wafer-Fab (NWL), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based QPL International Holdings Ltd., will open a 20,000-m2 facility in Newport (Duffryn), Wales, UK. The 230 million-pound ($360 million) project will complement NWL`s existing fab and test and assembly division, also located in Wales. The project, which incorporates Fabs 2 and 3, is scheduled for completion in 1998. This will result in the creation of one of Europe`s most advanced wafer fabrication facilities. Asiafocus Fire Destroys Equipment at UICC fab in Hsinchu, taiwan; Production help up United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), Hsinchu, Taiwan, said production at its UICC joint venture has been shifted to its other sites after a fire destroyed the fab`s chipmaking equipment and suspended operations there. Asiafocus Winbond rebuilds Fab 3 One year after a fire ripped through Winbond Electronics Corp.`s Fab III, the company said it has started to rebuild the Hsinchu, Taiwan, facility, and expects operations to begin by 1999. Asiafocus Komatsu begins pilot 300-mm wafer production Under two separate projects, Komatsu Electronic Metals Co., Hiratsuka, Japan, is planning to expand its 200-mm epitaxial wafer line, and its 300-mm wafer pilot production line. Market Watch Impact of low temperature polysilicon on the AMLCD Market Producing higher-performance displays at lower cost is a constant challenge for LCD manufacturers. In the 1980s, market demand forced a transition from passive twisted nematic displays to passive supertwisted nematic displays, and then to today`s amorphous silicon and low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) active-matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). LTPS technology has drawn the attention of many display manufacturers, because it has several potential advantages over amorphous and high-temperatu Market Watch Icreasing The value of semiconductor plant assests with MES The value of a semiconductor manufacturing plant asset is directly related to its contribution to process repeatability and efficiency. A relatively small investment in manufacturing execution system (MES) software linked with business management systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) can dramatically increase this value. With the information obtained from these tools, manufacturers can increase profitability by optimizing both physical assets, such as plant and equipment, and intang Market Watch The Impact of the 300-mm transition on silicon wafer suppliers In the 300-mm transition, silicon wafer suppliers face challenges similar to those faced by their customers, the device makers. They must develop high-yielding, simplified processes that produce a superior product at a competitive cost; develop or procure increasingly sophisticated process equipment with a lower cost of ownership; and design factories with automated material handling systems (AMHS) and computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) to improve product quality and human productivity. In Market Watch Flat panel impact on CRT monitor markets Many non-CRT flat panel technologies came about as a result of concepts and fabrication techniques that were developed for the semiconductor industry. Prime examples are high density photolithography and thin-film deposition techniques, originally refined for semiconductor and IC manufacturing. These developments allowed an ever increasing number of pixels concurrent with decreasing pixel pitch in the dot matrix arrays, used by virtually all of the non-CRT technologies since 1975. Tech News Sematech litho meeting: Good talk, no selections An elite, worldwide group of researchers from semiconductor and equipment companies convened under SEMATECH auspices in Colorado Springs, CO, from Nov. 4-6 to discuss options for post-optical lithography. All major companies and nations were represented, including a delegation from the ASET consortium in Japan.While there was no real chance of anointing a single best technology for production of 100-nm (0.10-?m) CD chips in 2004 (and 70-nm CD chips in 2007), some had hoped that the five leading Tech News Acoustic Imaging finds Acoustic imaging has identified a flip chip defect in which underfill material flows around but does not come in contact with solder bumps (Fig. 1). The defect was found by researchers at Sonoscan`s applications laboratory, Bensenville, IL. Tech News Samsung Revs 64-mbit production in austin Silicon has begun to flow through the new Samsung Austin Semiconductor (SAS) DRAM fab, for a 0.3-?m second generation 64-Mbit DRAM design - a market-driven step forward from the fourth-generation 16-Mbit that had originally been envisioned for initial output. Tech News Intel: 300-mm fabs will not arive for 0.18-um gemeration of devices Microprocessor giant Intel is taking a less aggressive path toward adoption of 300-mm wafers than earlier planned, with the larger substrates not coming into play until after the 0.18-?m generation. Tech News Sematech achieves low-K plus coppers SEMATECH`s interconnect program has integrated spin-on low-k dielectric materials into its copper metal process some two months ahead of schedule, and an exploration of CVD low-k materials is set to begin. Tech News Efficient new vuv light source The search for short wavelength radiation sources for lithography has recently concentrated on pulsed lasers and laser-produced plasmas. Now, researchers at Rutgers University and Munich Technical University have demonstrated an efficient and bright UV and VUV excimer (CW) light source, based on continuous e-beam excitation. The enabling technology for this source (see figure) is an e-beam window made of SiNx, which is both thinner and stronger than conventional titanium foil windows. The window Tech News Mitsubishi, IBM Move on X-ray plans, Medea to study IPL Work at Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and IBM Corp. indicates continued development of an infrastructure for x-ray lithography, with Mitsubishi emerging as a likely test bed for production use. Meanwhile, a public-private group in Europe is addressing ion-projection lithography. Tech News IBM plans 300-mm fab at east fishkill site IBM will build a new developmental 300-mm wafer fab in East Fishkill, NY, and plans to begin producing DRAMs with 0.18-?m design rules by the end of 1999. The computer giant also plans to upgrade its x-ray lithography development program to handle 300-mm wafers. Tech News national technology roadmap for flat panel displays Following decades of research, the flat panel display (FPD) industry has expanded rapidly in the past decade, primarily through the development of manufacturing techniques for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and courageous investments at the multibillion dollar level by Japanese companies. The growth of this $10B industry has been mainly driven by one product, the laptop computer screen. Much of the financial reward for this invention has accrued to the US companies, such as IBM and Compaq, that News Sia update Environmental, safety, and health (ESH) technology improvements are necessary to ensure that the semiconductor industry protects its most valuable resource, people, as well as the environment itself. The semiconductor industry has an enviable ESH track record and needs to continue to maintain this reputation. Working in concert with government at all levels is an everyday reality. The major challenge is improvement in environmental impact concurrent with manufacturing cost reduction. World News CMP to see healthy annual growth CMP to see healthy annual growth. Global sales of slurry abrasives used in CMP are projected to increase at a rate of 25-30% a year through 2002, with annual growth extending five to 10 years beyond that, according to Fairfield, NJ-based Kline & Company Inc.`s study, Outlook for CMP Technology and Materials, 1997-2002. Many industry sources report that sales of consumable products used in CMP, including slurries and pads, are expected to reach $1 billion globally in the next 10 years, with sales World News USA Intel has agreed to purchase a Digital Equipment Corp. wafer fab for $700 million, delayed startup of its Fab 16 in Fort Worth, TX, and decided to switch the output of its forthcoming Fab 18 in Israel to logic from flash memory as a result of softness in the flash market. The Digital purchase is part of a settlement of a patent dispute between the two firms. Intel intends to bring a new set of Intel-approved equipment into the Hudson, MA, facility. The $1.3 billion Fort Worth facility, originall World News Japan The Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan reported that Japanese equipment makers logged orders of 133 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in August, some 137% better than year-ago levels and the seventh consecutive monthly increase. Sales of front-end tools dipped year-to-year, by 7.3%, but back-end sales were up over 40% each, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. Total equipment orders in the Japanese market (including orders placed by Japanese firms at home and abroad) were 57.8 billion yen ( World News Asia/pacific Taiwan chip exports. Officials from Taiwan`s Ministry of Economic Affairs said recently that Taiwan chipmakers will export some $28 billion worth of chips in 2005, but at the same time the region will import $20 billion worth of IC products and manufacturing equipment. Taiwan companies will continue to rely on foreign sources for key components and equipment, however, top executives from TSMC, UMC, and other chipmaking firms and government officials are working to change the future. The two grou World News Europe Air Liquide, Paris, France, is building an 8000-m3/hour plant at its Rousset facility. The company will supply high-purity nitrogen to SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics and Atmel`s plants in Rousset. The plant will include a 25-m high distillation column, two compressors, and storage tanks to supply a 3-km underground pipeline system. The installation, which represents a 50 million FRF investment for Air Liquide, will begin production in spring 1998. In addition, Air Liquide has purchased a majority

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