11/10/2009 

After losing a court case, Chinese flagship foundry SMIC is giving 8% ownership to rival foundry TSMC and installing a new CEO -- changes that might suggest bigger changes ahead for both companies.

11/10/2009 

Microbubbles in leading-edge photoresist materials can distort the exposure pattern and affect yield, sometimes even if proper steps are taken. Entegris' Jennifer Braggin discusses results of a study in which positive pressure applied on the chemistry before the dispense nozzle reduces microbubbles in top anti-reflective coating (TARC).

11/05/2009 

Hitachi Via Mechanics says it has developed new processes for microhole drilling cast polyimide wafers and multilayered materials used in high density electronics packaging, that can produce ≤100μm-dia. holes in high-volume manufacturing.

11/04/2009 

A new study suggests that through-silicon vias (TSV) with higher aspect ratios (20:1 or 10:1, vs. 5:1) offer a significant payback by saving space on a die, up to $700 per wafer.

11/02/2009 

Novellus VP/GM Sesha Varadarajan explains how the company's new Sabre Excel tool uses "state-of-the-art" millisecond control, dynamic current modulation, a low-corrosion electrolyte, and redesigned wafer handling to provide fill and defect density performance for the 22nm technology node.

10/27/2009 

A Delaware bankruptcy court has approved the sale of Electroglas' wafer probe assets, including name and trademarks, to private financial group EG Systems -- formed specifically for this purpose.

10/26/2009 

Microstaq, a developer of silicon MEMS-based fluid control technology, has qualified its Ventilum MEMS-based chip at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), billed as both an advancement in electronic valve technology and a new facet to the Chinese foundry's MEMS capabilities.

10/23/2009 

A DARPA-backed program to develop graphene-based RF circuits with "game-changing" potential for electronics systems has achieved a new milestone: development of graphene-on-silicon FETs at full wafer scale.

10/21/2009 

French R&D organization Leti says its work with SOI-based planar CMOS meets requirements for low-power (LP) 22nm node device requirements, e.g. consumer electronic devices such as 4G mobile phones.

10/14/2009 

After a two-year slump, silicon wafer shipments to semiconductor makers are expected spike to new record levels within the next two years, according to new forecast data from SEMI.

10/13/2009 

GlobalFoundries has signed a &euro550M contract with M+W Zander to engineer and build its Fab 2 wafer facility in New York State.

10/09/2009 

Top global foundries TSMC and UMC saw September sales go in different directions in September, but the market is bracing for what might be slower times in the near future.

10/09/2009 

Growth might be returning to the semiconductor industry, including the foundry sector -- but the landscape emerging from the horrid downturn is about to change dramatically, according to a recent analysis from iSuppli.

10/07/2009 

IQE plc has agreed to acquire UK compatriot NanoGaN, which offers processes and IP related to gallium nitride (GaN) materials and devices, in a deal worth up to £3.6M.

10/06/2009 

The deep downturn in the semiconductor industry has claimed another casualty -- Electroglas, following a recent bankruptcy filing, has auctioned off its motion control automation assets to FormFactor, and reportedly is poised to sell its prober biz for an unidentified bidder.

10/05/2009 

Semiconductor, flat-panel display, solar manufacturing, and scientific instrumentation industries have driven recent developments in vacuum pumping technology and are likely to continue to do so. Edwards CTO Stephen Ormrod describes the future of vacuum technology and summarizes the design changes that will likely be needed.

09/28/2009 

Süss MicroTec's Stojan Kanev tells SST/AP about the company's new addition to its toolset for 3D integration: a probe station targeting 300mm wafer-level 3D stacked structures.

09/25/2009 

NIST materials scientist Mariona Coll Bau gives Small Times more insight into recent work with molecular switches and organic-silicon/metal "sandwiches," utilizing a flip-chip lamination process.

09/25/2009 

Silicon wafer demand bounced back significantly (79%) in 2Q09 thanks to inventory rebuilds, but will soften in 4Q with "moderate production cutbacks" before gradually upshifting to an expansion mode again, according to a Gartner analyst note.

09/18/2009 

Reporting exclusively for SST, Toppan Photomasks' Franklin Kalk reviews papers from the SPIE/BACUS Symposium that mapped nanoimprint lithography's intersection with patterned hard-disk media, and discussed how to resolve the key technical issues that have prevented its traction in semiconductor manufacturing.