Solid State Technology articles from April 2005

Solid State Technology archives from April 2005

Narrow-gap ICP etcher.(Exclusive feature)(Integrated circuit )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Highly selective Si[O.sub.2] etching plasma processes are increasingly required in manufacturing ultralarge-scale ICs, where deep etching of silicon oxide (oxide) layers involves fluorocarbon deposition. Such processes, based on unsaturated...

The yuan, the dollar, and the future.(EDITORIAL)
April 1, 2005... China is on the verge of becoming the world's largest consumer of semiconductor products, but several dark sides of this economic boom exist, and most have been examined in detail. But one issue has not received the attention it deserves, and...

SIA toasts record 2004, stays modest about early '05.(BUSINESS TRENDS)(Semiconductor Industry Association )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Worldwide chip sales posted a record $213 billion in sales, 28% growth from 2003 and surpassing the previous mark of $205 billion in 2000, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Sales in December dropped 3.5% sequentially to...

Nine semiconductor makers, representing 500,000 200mm-equivalent wafers/month capacity and $7 billion in combined annual revenues, have formed the Fab Owners Association (FOA) to identify problems and potential solutions for common manufacturing issues.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Nine semiconductor makers, representing 500,000 200mm-equivalent wafers/month capacity and $7 billion in combined annual revenues, have formed the Fab Owners Association (FOA) to identify problems and potential solutions for common...

EV Group, Scharding, Austria, and Korean partners Jinsan Scientific Co. Ltd. and Jinsan Micro-Engineering Ltd., are opening a joint cleanroom facility at the Technology Innovation Center of Sung Kyun Kwan U. in Suwon, in the northwestern Kyonggi Province near Seoul.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(EV Group E. Thallner GmbH)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... EV Group, Scharding, Austria, and Korean partners Jinsan Scientific Co. Ltd. and Jinsan Micro-Engineering Ltd., are opening a joint cleanroom facility at the Technology Innovation Center of Sung Kyun Kwan U. in Suwon, in the northwestern...

Intel Corp.(USA)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Intel Corp. is reforming its product lines into three pillars targeting business and consumer applications, as well as two groups serving a vertical market and the distribution channel. The five groups, each with autonomy to allocate computing...

Semiconductor International Manufacturing Corp.(China)(spending plans)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Semiconductor International Manufacturing Corp. (SMIC) has lowered its spending plans for 2005 from $1.37 billion to $1.0 billion, according to a Reuters report. SMIC also has adjusted its planned production ramp for the year to a range of...

Fujitsu Ltd. plans to sell the semiconductor and LCD manufacturing operations of subsidiary Fujitsu VLSI to vacuum-equipment maker Ulvac Inc. for an undisclosed amount, according to several Japanese news sources.(Japan)
April 1, 2005... Fujitsu Ltd. plans to sell the semiconductor and LCD manufacturing operations of subsidiary Fujitsu VLSI to vacuum-equipment maker Ulvac Inc. for an undisclosed amount, according to several Japanese news sources. Fujitsu VLSI will focus on...

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing.(Singapore)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has begun prototyping at its Fab 7 300mm facility for customers including AMD and PDF Solutions. The ramp-up involves 0.13[micro]m and 90nm technology codeveloped with IBM, as well as a 90nm...

Micro & Nano UK SMEs Together.(EUROFOCUS)(Small and Medium sized Enterprises)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... A new group has been formed in the UK to represent small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) involved in micro- and nanotechnologies. Micro & Nano UK SMEs Together (MUST) seeks to fill a niche between a perceived lack of representation compared...

Crolles2 Alliance partners Freescale Semiconductor, Philips, and STMicroelectronics are adding a backend program to their sub-100nm CMOS process technology R&D.(EUROFOCUS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Crolles2 Alliance partners Freescale Semiconductor, Philips, and STMicroelectronics are adding a backend program to their sub-100nm CMOS process technology R&D. A new lab will be established in Grenoble, France, targeting post-fabrication 300mm...

STEAG HamaTech and Sematech will work with material suppliers, research institutes, and other equipment suppliers.(EUROFOCUS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... STEAG HamaTech and Sematech will work with material suppliers, research institutes, and other equipment suppliers to develop cleaning technology for 30nm soft defect removal, concentrating on EUV masks and advanced phase-shift masks for 193nm...

Selete outlines damage-control roadmap for porous low-k.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
April 1, 2005... Selete has developed methodology for reducing chemical and mechanical damage to ultralow-k films. By using low-pressure CMP and dummy patterns in the dielectric, an interconnect module with a dielectric constant of 1.8 was produced. Beyond...

Enabling concepts for low-energy ion implantation.(FRONT END OF LINE)
April 1, 2005... Significant improvements in the mid-1990s, including advances in ion source technology and the introduction of reduced path-length beamlines, enabled production-worthy beam currents as low as the 5-10keV range of energies. It was not until one...

Advanced process technology interconnect integration challenges.(COPPER/LOW-K)
April 1, 2005... One of the main challenges of 65nm and 45nm Cu/low-k interconnect integration is the development of processes to accommodate low-k dielectrics with k = 2.5-3.0. Key issues include dual-damascene patterning, line resistance, low-k integrity,...

Mask metrology using OCD for profiling.(COVER FEATURE: METROLOGY SERIES: PART II)(Optical critical-dimension metrology to determine linewidths)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Optical critical-dimension (OCD) metrology or "scatterometry" has experienced rapid growth in sub-0.1[micro]m wafer processes for both CD measurements and line profiling. The technology provides information not available from CD-...

Beyond AEC and APC: wafer quality control.(AUTOMATION/ROBOTICS/WAFER HANDLING)(Advanced Process Control, Automatic Equipment Control )
April 1, 2005... OVERVIEW In semiconductor processing, the final yield is often a result of intensive interactions between process recipe parameters and manufacturing tool health. An approach using model-based process control, along with neural network...

3D packaging issues for ultrasmall systems-in-a-cube.(PACKAGING/ASSEMBLY)(Three Dimensional)
April 1, 2005... OVERVIEW The intriguing concept of ultrasmall, autonomous, intelligent computing devices for wireless sensor networks could open up a wide range of applications, from human-health monitoring to highly distributed tiny systems for safety...

High-end mask manufacturing using spatial light modulators.(PHOTOMASKS)
April 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Optical and electron-beam maskwriters using raster-scanning beams have been workhorses in the semiconductor industry for a long time. Today, e-beam writers using vector-scanning beams with small virtual address grids combine high...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2005... * MAY 2005 4-6--SEMICON Singapore--Singapore. SEMI's exposition and symposium offer a forum for the examination of topics surrounding the semiconductor, flat-panel display, and related industries. Info: Contact Cindy Chan, SEMI...

WN/W deposition system reduces contact resistance.(PRODUCT NEWS)
April 1, 2005... The Altus DirectFill tungsten nitride/tungsten (WN/ W) deposition system is designed for contact and via fill at 65nm and below technology nodes. DirectFill reportedly eliminates the need for conventional titanium/titanium nitride toolsets,...

Portable counter offers desktop-to-cleanroom operation.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... The Lasair II 310B airborne particle counter, weighing only 15.5 lb., counts particles from 0.3-25.0[micro]m and is suitable for verifying ASHRAE regulations. Data collection and communication features include the ability to control the counter...

CD metrology tool can measure up to 1000 sites/hr.(PRODUCT NEWS)
April 1, 2005... The Yosemite SP-1000 critical-dimension scanning electron microscope (CD-SEM) provides measurement throughput as high as 1000 sites/hr and clear imaging of the bottom of high aspect-ratio contact holes for the 65nm node. The tool uses landing...

Laser mask writer can maintain 2-hr write time.(PRODUCT NEWS)
April 1, 2005... The Alta 4700 mask-pattern generation system is a laser-based, deep-ultraviolet system for volume manufacturing of all 90nm and most 65nm critical mask layers. A 42x, 0.9NA objective lens reportedly boosts mask resolution, pattern fidelity, CD...

High reliability turbo pumps.(LITERATURE showcase)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2005... Pfeiffer Vacuum offers best-in-class 1000 and 2000 I/s turbo pumps for high particulate generating CVD and PVD semiconductor processes. With a MTTF of over 250,000 hours per SEMI E-10, these compact pumps utilize integrated electronics and...

Free brochure: automation solutions for semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing.(LITERATURE showcase)
April 1, 2005... Aerotech's new brochure presents solutions including planar air-bear- ing mechanics for smooth velocity control and superior dynamic geo- metric characteristics; linear, rotary, lift, and goniometric stages; and mechanics for clean room,...

The future of ULK dielectrics: Solid State Technology asked industry experts to discuss ramifications and issues concerning ULK dielectrics development.(PERSPECTIVES)
April 1, 2005... A case study: Highly porous ULK dielectrics Neil Hendricks, Advanced Wafer Fab Materials, Santa Cruz, California The solid, consensus across a panel of R&D researchers at last Octobers SEMATECH-Sponsored Low-k Workshop was that...