05/01/1998  The semiconductor industry`s first factory-wide, back-end auto mation system could have a far-reaching impact on cleanroom manufacturing, according to its developers, PRI Automation, Inc. and Kulicke & Soffa Industries.

05/01/1998  Micronova Manufacturing Inc. recently introduced a decontaminating procedure that the company says drastically reduces the ionic contaminant levels in its vinyl and polyethylene cleanroom tape. Testing, which was validated over several months through the Balazs Analytical Laboratory, resulted in sodium counts on processed vinyl tape as low as 3 parts per billion, and chloride counts as low as 5.6 parts per billion. An unprocessed roll of vinyl tape may have sodium and chloride readings as high a

04/01/1998  Spiraltek rolled filters from Osmonics are designed to reduce chip failure by removing agglomerations from chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) slurry, making polishing slurries more effective. Unlike conventional filters, Spiraltek filters utilize tangential flow and retain gelatinous material to prevent premature plugging. Agglomerations cause destructive scratches and gouges on wafer surfaces, resulting in failed chips. These agglomerations are swept from the filtering surface and held ins

04/01/1998  Micronova Manufacturing Inc. recently introduced a decontaminating procedure that the company says drastically reduces the ionic contaminant levels in its vinyl and polyethylene cleanroom tape. Testing, which was validated over several months through the Balazs Analytical Laboratory, resulted in sodium counts on processed vinyl tape as low as 3 parts per billion, and chloride counts as low as 5.6 parts per billion. An unprocessed roll of vinyl tape may have sodium and chloride readings as high a

03/01/1998  Two contracts to design and build new cleanroom facilities have been awarded to Lepco Inc. MicroDisplay Corp. is adding 3,500 square feet of cleanroom space from Class 10 through Class 10,000 where it will manufacture miniature information displays for portable consumer electronics devices. It will be humidity controlled at 45 percent RH ± 5 percent, and maintained at 68 degrees Fahrenheit ± 3 degrees. A second facility will be constructed at Millipore Corp. This facility will house 20,0

02/01/1998  American Cleanroom Garments will provide its cleanroom laundry service to TriQuint Semiconductor`s new wafer fab in Hillsboro, OR. TriQuint designs, develops, and markets high performance GaAs analog and mixed signal integrated circuits for the wireless communications, telecommunications, and computing markets. -- KES

02/01/1998  IPEC-Planar and OnTrak Systems Inc., have partnered allowing for the integration of IPEC`s AvantGaard 776 Integrated Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) Process Capsule with OnTrak`s Synergy Integra wafer cleaning system. The combined system will be called AvantGaard 776-T. The system, which provides semiconductor manufacturers with a complete dry-wafer-in, dry-wafer-out solution for CMP, provides optimized cleanroom space, among other features. -- KES

01/01/1998  Baltimore -- Like its keynote speaker, Astronaut Jim Lovell -- commander of the widely-heralded Apollo 13 space flight to the moon -- CleanRooms East `98 is in a class by itself.

01/01/1998  Polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon or poly-Si) has been an important material in integrated circuit (IC) technology for nearly two decades. It is widely used in MOS devices and bipolar ICs. Some of the recent applications of poly-Si include trench isolation, thin film transistors and micromachining. In many applications, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) of polysilicon material is utilized to achieve surface smoothing or global planarization.

01/01/1998  As the critical Othird dimensionO ? line width ? shrinks, the inroads of airborne molecular contamination are becoming more and more apparent in 0.25-micron and next-generation devices, adding yet another layer of contamination control to the cleanrooms of the future.

01/01/1998  Earlier this year, eight of the top 10 Japanese integrated circuit (IC) companies indicated that they would break with Japan`s long-standing practice of open cassettes and tight cleanroom protocols in favor of the front-opening unified pods (FOUPs) that are gaining wide acceptance elsewhere in the semiconductor manufacturing world. NEC and Mitsubishi were reported to be the only holdouts.

01/01/1998  Fujitsu Ltd. is planning on introducing SMIF-type minienvironments into a new 200 mm wafer fab in Mie, Japan. This is the first time a Japanese manufacturer has used this technology in a full production environment, according to Jenoptik Infab, the fab automation contractor. Says Toshihko Osada, Fujitsu`s general manager in its Manufacturing Engineering Division: "Minienvironments are not being used in Japan, but the concept makes sense to us. We are not even considering open cassettes when it c

01/01/1998  Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. recently authorized a multimillion-dollar upgrade of its electronics specialty gas facility in Hometown, PA. Scheduled for completion by the end of 1998, the upgrade will enhance procedures for manufacturing five ultra high-purity semiconductor processing gases -- hydrogen chloride, boron trichloride, ammonia, hydrogen bromide and chlorine. Facility improvements are being made in key areas such as residual gas treatment, cylinder reconditioning and the comprehens

01/01/1998  The robotic front-end buffer systems manufactured by Equipe Technologies, Inc. has earned users certification from the International 300 mm Initiative (I300I), a global consortium directing the semiconductor industry`s shift to larger wafers. Three companies, whose 300 mm wafer processing tools incorporate the components, achieved I300I compliance using Equipe`s ABM400 series robotic arm, its PRE300 series wafer pre-aligner and TRA series single-axis tracks with ESC series controllers. I300I tes

12/01/1997  AIO Corp. (Fremont, CA) was awarded three patents for its Sonic Fog IPA substrate drying technology, a liquid phase IPA drying system. The semiconductor, disk drive and flat panel display industries use the system to completely dry substrates from sizes ranging from 50 mm wafers to 0.5 sq. m. glass panels. -- LAK

11/01/1997  Mesa, AZ -- A "virtual fab" computer-based training course is now available for interactive training of semiconductor fab personnel in cleanroom protocols and wafer fab technology.

11/01/1997  300 mm technology is changing the industry. While it`s not necessarily causing an Industrial Revolution in semiconductor wafer manufacturing, it`s a historical event. But it brings with it a set of challenges to be borne by everyone in the industry.

11/01/1997  The new KA300 from Fluoroware is a light 300 mm wafer cassette that is designed to be a transport cassette in Japan and a transitional cassette for other chip manufacturers worldwide. It incorporates all SEMI standard 2471 automation interface criteria including, ± 0.5 mm wafer plane precision, kinematic coupling as the primary equipment interface, 10 mm wafer spacing and a 6 mm wafer lift zone. It weighs 980 grams without wafers and 2605 grams when it is at full capacity of 13 wafers. The K

10/01/1997  The last major construction phase of Hyundai Electronics America`s wafer fab, hard drive manufacturing, and office facilities for its MaxMedia Division, located in San Jose, is underway. Begun in August, 1996, the project proceeded on a highly accelerated, ten-month schedule, which is being executed by McCarthy, the design/build firm on the project. The facility houses three buildings for manufacturing 3 1/2-inch computer disks. Building A is a 75,000-sq. ft. computer disk fabrication facility h

10/01/1997  SpeedFam International, Inc.`s new 136,000-sq. ft., state-of-the-art corporate headquarters is now open. A major feature is a laboratory to support CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) development, semiconductor device cleaning, disk polishing, silicon wafer processing, and applied R&D. Class 10,000, 1,000 and 10 cleanroom labs, a dedicated software development lab, reliability testing, and training areas for tools have also been incorporated into the facility. Also included are five tool bays fo