07/14/2010 

Techcet's Michael Fury reports from Day 1 of SEMICON West, from keynotes to CMP to thermal characterization, and the continued use of “zombie” semiconductor manufacturing technologies.

07/14/2010 

Imec and ASML collaborated to qualify ASML’s Tachyon Source Mask Optimization and programmable illuminator system FlexRay, proving its potential with the demonstration of a 22nm SRAM memory cell. In October 2010, the ASML XT:1900i lithography scanner at imec will be equipped with FlexRay, enabling imec to explore the ultimate frontiers of immersion lithography.

07/14/2010 

Gary Green, co-chair of the yield enhancement/methodologies sessions at this week’s Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (colocated with SEMICON West), reviews key themes discussed, including techniques aimed at faster root cause analysis, new methods in analyzing contact failures using e-beam and TEM tools, and increasing test coverage while reducing the number of test wafers.

07/14/2010 

Entegris entered into a worldwide patent license agreement with 3S Korea, covering a suite of Entegris patents for 300mm front opening shipping box (FOSB) products used to transport silicon wafers for semiconductor manufacturing.

07/14/2010 

Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) is fielding interest from packaging companies in the Primo D-RIE tool, which can be used to etch wafers for through-silicon via (TSV) interconnects.

07/13/2010 

ASML Holding NV (ASML) announced broad customer adoption of holistic lithography products that optimize semiconductor scanner performance and provide a faster start to chip production. All of ASML’s leading-edge scanners are now sold with one or more holistic lithography components.

07/13/2010 

MicroProbe Inc., supplier of wafer test technology to the global semiconductor industry, released the MEMS-based Mx-FinePitch (Mx-FP) probe card. The test card series targets ultra-fine-pitch testing of leading-edge SoC and logic devices found in applications like digital cameras, set-top boxes and digital TVs.

07/13/2010 

Unit shipments of key semiconductor materials are already back to record levels just a year after the most punishing period in the industry's history, but the growth will slow in 2011 for several reasons, according to the latest forecast data presented at SEMICON West.

07/12/2010 

Applied Materials etch VP Thorsten Lill explains how the company’s AdvantEdge Mesa etch tool, debuting at this year’s SEMICON West, uses synchronizing plasma pulsing to tackle problems inherent with advanced conductor etch.

07/12/2010 

Renewed demand for consumer oriented electronics products requiring (generally speaking) more advanced semiconductor devices has caused iSuppli to upwardly adjust its two-month-old revenue forecast for pure-play semiconductor foundries.

07/12/2010 

Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: RTEC), provider of process characterization equipment and software for wafer fabs and advanced packaging facilities, announced that the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT) in Germany has placed an order for an NSX® Series Macro Inspection System for advanced MEMS processing. The system will be installed this summer in the state-of-the-art 200mm MEMS pilot production line at ISIT.

07/12/2010 

Unisem Advanced Technologies (UAT) is expanding wafer bumping capacity in its factory in Ipoh, Malaysia. The bumping facility’s floor space will be increased by 100% and the increased capacity will be three times that of UAT’s current bumping capacity.

07/12/2010 

Following are some of the highlights of the SEMICON West exhibit halls, open July 13-15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Products on display include TSV technology, ALD systems, vacuum and wafer transport tools, and more for semiconductor and package manufacturing.

07/12/2010 

With continued device geometry and new process steps comes increasing use and variety of CMP steps, and an increasing need to learn more about (and ultimately manage/eliminate) particles in the slurry that can wafer defects and yield losses. Enter Vantage Technology, which is debuting a new slurry particle measurement technology, SlurryScope (patented in the US and internationally), to provide undiluted real-time measurement of industry-standard production slurries.

07/09/2010 

In addition to market analysis, recent IP activity and supply chain issues,  “Quartz for Semicon-ductor Applications, A Critical Materials Report 2010,” includes profiles and updates for base material and crucible suppliers and an update on 450mm preparedness. The rate of implementation of 450mm wafer fabrication will impact the near-term prospects for the quartz industry.

07/02/2010 

There is often a direct relationship between PECVD chambers failing first-pass film checks and the gapping method used to examine the gap between a heater and gas showerhead. Craig Ramsey from CyberOptics Semiconductor describes an automated gap measurement method used in a 300mm fab's thin-film production that uses a wireless gapping device.

07/01/2010  A pyrolyzer-electrochemical cell-based sensor can detect COS (as H₂S) from tens of ppm up to 100ppm. Dan Chase, et al, Matheson Tri-Gas Inc.

07/01/2010 

The latest advances in HRXRD technology to allow true in-line monitoring, are described. Paul Ryan, et al, Jordan Valley Semiconductors UK Ltd.

07/01/2010  Layout-aware scan diagnosis combined with dedicated statistical analysis is an effective diagnosis-driven yield analysis flow. Geir Eide, Mentor Graphics Corp.

07/01/2010  Richard A. Gottscho, Lam Research Corp.,