Solid State Technology articles from August 2008

Solid State Technology archives from August 2008

SST on the scene at SEMICON West.(Web Exclusives)
August 1, 2008... SST editors were all over this year's SEMICON West show: daily interviews, including exclusive video, extensive coverage of sessions and presentations, and all the breaking news and product debuts. On the right, Pete Singer, SST's...

VLSI Symposium: panelists, interviews about the need (or not) for SOI.(Web Exclusives)(Discussion)
August 1, 2008... John O. Borland, SST editorial advisory board member, discusses various technologies presented at this year's VLSI Symposium in Hawaii. A Web Exclusive report details his interviews with executives from IMEC (Luc Van den hove, executive VP and...

NIST: good news, bad news in EUV resist sensitivity study.(Web Exclusives)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Good news: Results presented earlier this year at a SEMATECH workshop indicate that photoresists being developed for use in EUV lithography are twice as sensitive as previously measured. Bad news: Exposure times haven't changed, so that means...

Extending/complementing optical litho using S-FIL for memory applications.(Web Exclusives)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... New technologies are needed to keep the semiconductor industry on track with Moore's Law. While the industry continues to wrestle with technical challenges associated with EUV, another litho technology called step-and-fl ash imprint lithography...

PV and IC industries converge.(Editorial)
August 1, 2008... I had the good fortune to tour a solar cell manufacturing plant in East Germany earlier this year, and it was an eye-opening experience. I wouldn't use the word "crude," but it was a relatively simple operation, at least compared to an advanced...

Caution, uncertainty extend 2008 capex slump, cloud 2009 recovery.(BUSINESS TRENDS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Things are looking bleaker by the month for companies serving semiconductor makers. Gartner has lowered its capex forecast yet again, down to -22.5%, amid a bursting memory industry bubble, global economic uncertainties, and "little upside...

SEMI.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
August 1, 2008... SEMI said semiconductor equipment demand slumped to three-year lows in May, to levels not seen since mid-2005.

Unexpected strength in the PC market is good news for microprocessor (MPU) suppliers.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Unexpected strength in the PC market is good news for microprocessor (MPU) suppliers, with both AMD and Intel touting gains from different perspective, according to the latest data from iSuppli.

Israeli firm Orbotech, a supplier of automated optical inspection equipment for printed circuit boards and flat-panel displays.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Orbotech purchased Photon Dynamics)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Israeli firm Orbotech, a supplier of automated optical inspection equipment for printed circuit boards and flat-panel displays, has agreed to purchase Photon Dynamics for $290M in cash.

Wincroft Inc. has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Apollo Solar Energy Inc.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Wincroft Inc. has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire Apollo Solar Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation that indirectly owns 100% of the equity of Sichuan Apollo Solar Science and Technology Co. Ltd., a wholly foreign-owned enterprise organized...

IBM and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo have agreed to jointly develop processes.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
August 1, 2008... IBM and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo have agreed to jointly develop processes, materials, and equipment for producing CIGS solar cell modules.

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. and Tainergy Tech Co. Ltd. of Taiwan have executed a definitive agreement for MEMC to supply solar wafers to Tainergy.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. and Tainergy Tech Co. Ltd. of Taiwan have executed a definitive agreement for MEMC to supply solar wafers to Tainergy. MEMC will supply solar wafers to Tainergy over a 10-year period, with pre-determined pricing,...

Nichia Corp. filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Germany against a Korean company, Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
August 1, 2008... Nichia Corp. filed a patent infringement lawsuit in Germany against a Korean company, Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd., a German subsidiary of Seoul Semiconductor, Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH, and its German distributor, Conrad Electronic SE....

Solar Semiconductor has a strategic partnership with AS Solar GmbH.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Solar Semiconductor has a strategic partnership with AS Solar GmbH, a reseller of Solar PV products in Europe. This multi-year partnership is valued at about US$695M. Celerity Inc. has reached an agreement with Fujikin Inc., a Japan-based...

Automated test equipment providers Credence and LTX say they have agreed to merge their companies.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Automated test equipment providers Credence and LTX say they have agreed to uproject will save them ~$25M.

Spansion.(USA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Spansion says it is extending its plan to hand off manufacturing and technology work to external partners to focus on its MirrorBit flash memory technology and its SP1300mm flash memory fab in Japan.

Entegris (Chaska, MN) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Poco Graphite Inc.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Entegris (Chaska, MN) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Poco Graphite Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at $158M.

Aviza Technology Inc. has licensed its VTR Vertical Furnace product line to Expertech Inc.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Aviza Technology Inc. has licensed its VTR Vertical Furnace product line to Expertech Inc., a manufacturer of diffusion and LPCVD furnaces for large-scale production.

Mattson Technology Inc. and Synopsys Inc. have a collaboration to offer calibrated process models for flash annealing equipment.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Mattson Technology Inc. and Synopsys Inc. have a collaboration to offer calibrated process models for flash annealing equipment used on the 45nm node and beyond.

SVTC Technologies.(USA)
August 1, 2008... SVTC Technologies has officially opened its Silicon Valley Photovoltaic Development Center in San Jose, CA.

Dow Chemical is acquiring Rohm & Haas in a cash deal worth about $15.3m.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Dow Chemical is acquiring Rohm & Haas in a cash deal worth about $15.3M. The deal will also require a $3B equity investment from Berkshire Hathaway (becoming Dow's largest shareholder) and $1B from the Kuwait Investment Authority.

ATMI Inc., which provides specialty materials to semiconductor makers.(USA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... ATMI Inc., which provides specialty materials to semiconductor makers, has agreed to settle a legal dispute with industrial gas producer Praxair Inc., resolving patent infringement litigation going back to 2003.

Aviza Technology Inc. has licensed its VTR Vertical Furnace product line to Expertech Inc.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Aviza Technology Inc. has licensed its VTR Vertical Furnace product line to Expertech Inc., a manufacturer of diffusion and LPCVD furnaces for large-scale production

Microsemi Corp., a manufacturer of high-performance analog mixed signal integrated circuits and high-reliability semiconductors.(USA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Microsemi Corp., a manufacturer of high-performance analog mixed signal integrated circuits and high-reliability semiconductors, has acquired most of the assets of SEMICOA, a military/aerospace IC firm.

Electro Scientific Industries Inc. announced receipt of a purchase order from STMicroelectronics, a producer of system-on-chip (SoC) technology, for the Cignis laser singulation system.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Electro Scientific Industries Inc. announced receipt of a purchase order from STMicroelectronics, a producer of system-on-chip (SoC) technology, for the Cignis laser singulation system. The formal introduction of the Cignis system was announced...

Evergreen Solar Inc. has signed a new, long-term contract with IBC Solar AG valued at about $1.2B.(USA)
August 1, 2008... Evergreen Solar Inc. has signed a new, long-term contract with IBC Solar AG valued at about $1.2B. The contract extends through 2013 and brings Evergreen's total contractual backlog to nearly $3B with five customers.

The Fab Owners Association (FOA), the association of semiconductor/MEMS manufacturing executives and suppliers.(USA)(SVTC Technologies)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Fab Owners Association (FOA), the association of semiconductor/MEMS manufacturing executives and suppliers, has announced the addition of it newest device-maker members: Infineon Technologies, Maxim Integrated Products, SVTC Technologies,...

Air Liquide.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Air Liquide is investing ~35m [euro] to expand gas capabilities at the Hynix-Numonyx 300mm NAND memory JV in Wuxi.

Toshiba and SanDisk are scaling back.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Toshiba and SanDisk are scaling back their joint 200mm NAND work.

Toppan Printing Co. Ltd.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. says it has developed the first 32nm-generation photomask manufacturing process, for 193nm immersion (water) lithography.

SMIC.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... SMIC has received core 45nm equipment and plans to ramp up by year-end.

Sharp and Renesas.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Sharp and Renesas are using nanobubbles to remove perfluorooctane sulfonate from wastewater generated in semiconductor manufacturing.

Industrial Technology Research Institution.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institution (ITRI) hopes to be manufacturing improved dye-sensitized solar cells in three to five years.

Organo.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Organo is hiking capacity for ion exchange resin beads used in its pure water production systems, used as a cleaning solvent in semiconductor manufacturing.

Japan's Probe Inc. plans to start subcontracting semiconductor testing in Taiwan by establishing a joint venture.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Japan's Probe Inc. plans to start subcontracting semiconductor testing in Taiwan by establishing a joint venture there with local chipmaker Powertech Technology Inc.

Applied Materials.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Applied Materials has broken ground for a new facility in Singapore that will serve as a hub for the company's business activities throughout Asia.

Toshiba will include Cymer's krypton fluoride (KrF) and argon fluoride (ArF).(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Toshiba will include Cymer's krypton fluoride (KrF) and argon fluoride (ArF) light sources in its 300mm memory fab in Japan.

DC Chemical Co., a South Korea-based polysilicon manufacturer, has signed an 833.2b won (US$795M) deal with Taiwan's Green Energy Technology Inc.(ASIAFOCUS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... DC Chemical Co., a South Korea-based polysilicon manufacturer, has signed an 833.2B won (US$795M) deal with Taiwan's Green Energy Technology Inc. to supply polysilicon between 2010 and 2016.

The Woongjin Holdings Co. is spending 100 B won (US$95.9m) to establish a subsidiary to produce and sell a key raw material used for making solar cells.(ASIAFOCUS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Woongjin Holdings Co. is spending 100 B won (US$95.9M) to establish a subsidiary to produce and sell a key raw material used for making solar cells. Woongjin Holdings, the holding company of Woongjin Group, will own the entire stake in the...

Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies, has opened its Asia Technical Center (ATC) in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Advantest has agreed to buy Credence's operation.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Advantest has agreed to buy Credence's operation in Amerang, Germany, for $5M.

Intel Capital, Intel's global investment firm, has led a group of investors that injected 85M euros of fresh capital.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... Intel Capital, Intel's global investment firm, has led a group of investors that injected 85M euros of fresh capital into Germany's Sulfurcell Solartechnik GmbH for the latter's investments to expand production.

Pevafersa Group has chosen Praxair Inc. as the supplier of gases, gas equipment, and gas management services for Pevafersa's solar cell manufacturing facility in Toro, Spain.(ASIAFOCUS)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Pevafersa Group has chosen Praxair Inc. as the supplier of gases, gas equipment, and gas management services for Pevafersa's solar cell manufacturing facility in Toro, Spain. Praxair will provide on-site supply of gases as well as gas delivery...

The EU is opening an inquiry into public aid given to Germany's EverQ.(ASIAFOCUS)
August 1, 2008... The EU is opening an inquiry into public aid given to Germany's EverQ, a three-way JV among Evergreen Solar, Q-Cells, and Renewable Energy Corp.

Report from VLSI Symposium: planar CIVOS to 22nm, at most.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
August 1, 2008... This year's VLSI Symposium meeting (June 16-19, Waikiki, HI) highlighted 45nm to 16nm CMOS technology. Overall, most agreed that planar CMOS is extendable to 22nm node but unlikely beyond that--e.g., by the 16nm node SRAMs will need FinFET or a...

Dow Corning targets maskless lithography with latest e-beam photoresists.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(Dow Corning Electronics)
August 1, 2008... Dow Corning Electronics' silicon lithography solutions group announced the commercial availability of Dow Corning XR-1541 e-beam resists, designed to enable the development of next-generation, direct-write lithography processing technology. The...

Public policy for engineers: solar industry depends on policymakers' goodwill.(PHOTOVOLTAICS)(Industry overview)
August 1, 2008... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW The photovoltaic industry's growth is almost entirely due to favorable government policies. The pros and cons of subsidies, as well as tax incentives, feed-in tariffs, and the need for new regulatory requirements, are...

On the route toward 3D-integrated all-solid-state micro-batteries.(THIN FILM BATTERIES)(Industry overview)
August 1, 2008... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Rechargeable all-solid-state batteries will play a key role in many future autonomous devices. Planar solid-state thinfilm batteries are rapidly emerging but reveal several drawbacks, such as a relatively low energy density...

Defect reduction for lattice mismatched epitaxy via aspect ratio trapping.(COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTORS)
August 1, 2008... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Germanium and III-V materials have emerged as possible successors to Si for high-performance digital logic transistors in VLSI applications. There is significant potential for enhanced performance of both p- and n-channel...

Challenges of hydrogen pumping in emerging applications.(VACUUM)
August 1, 2008... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Emerging applications, such as thin-film solar cell manufacturing in the solar industry and silicon/silicon germanium (Si/SiGe) epitaxy in the semiconductor industry, are using increasing levels of hydrogen gas in certain...

Effect of pump-induced particle agglomeration on CMP.(chemical mechanical polishing)
August 1, 2008... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW An investigation of pump-induced large particles and their impact on computer hard drive substrate CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) is summarized. Experiments have been performed to measure the particle agglomeration...

Microwave plasma abatement system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Sirius 6000 abatement system addresses greenhouse gas abatement challenges arising from dielectric and polysilicon etch processes used in semiconductor manufacturing. The company claims the unit uses an...

Conductor etch series.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... Kiyo3x delivers CD uniformity of Inn, 3-sigma variation, enabling advanced applications such as double patterning. Its field-upgradable options provide a flexible approach for addressing hi gh-k/metal gate, hardmask open, shallow trench...

Pulsed nucleation layer tungsten deposition platform.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ALTUS Max, the latest enhancement to the company's pulsed nucleation laver (PNL) tungsten deposition platform, targets high-volume memory megafabs. The system reportedly uses the latest technology and advanced...

Hi-res generation.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The HiRes Generation THRU-Scan enhances through-transmission imaging with the company's C-SAM line of acoustic microscopes. Reflectionmode acoustic imaging (the most frequently used mode) is limited to a defined depth within a sample, but...

3D laser confocal microscope.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The VK 9700 Color 3D laser scanning confocal microscope combines the capabilities of SEMs and non-contact profilometry with the simplicity of a conventional microscope. Major features include a 18,000x magnification and 0.001[micro]m 3D. The...

Test system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The X-Series MXc test system offers seamless compatibility with current CX systems, while providing expanded upgrade capabilities that enable deployment for an even broader range of applications. The MXc can be field-upgraded to provide...

Integrated metrology system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The IMPULSE 300mm real-time integrated metrology (IM) system is used to monitor vital CMP, CVD, etch, and photolithography process applications for 32nm nodes and beyond. Following the company's 9000 and 9010 IM systems, the IMPULSE...

Infrared sensor for measuring wafers.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The WaferScan 300 measures shape and thickness of wafers of all sizes, up to 300mm. The system has a modular design, allowing it to support a variety of sensors for different applications, including the company's Optical Stylus Probe (OSP) and...

Micromaching system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... Model 5800 dual-beam laser system micromachines very high-quality micro features in semiconductor, metallic, solar, ceramic, and glass applications. The unit incorporates two high-power fiber lasers specifically designed for industrial use. By...

Automated optical inspection (AOI) technology.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... NanoScan automated optical inspection (AOI) technology employs highly accurate and sensitive detection of problem-causing particles and pattern defects during FPD manufacture, providing submicron particle inspection for the company's AOI...

Temperature/process controllers.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... This series of temperature/process controllers has one program pattern consisting of 16 segments. The front panel of the CN6201 temperature/process controller features a dual display and has a splash-proof and dustproof design. The universal...

Clean-burning binder for advanced industrial applications.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... NB-180, a poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) sacrificial binder, is an amorphous, colorless thermoplastic polymer that degrades completely and uniformly into environmentally benign products, making it suitable for high-performance applications,...

OSP system and Raman spectrometer.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The OSP-300 laser-based optical surface profilometer system provides inline non- contact surface profile characterization of blanket and device wafers between process steps for R&D and manufacturing applications. The company claims the system...

Laser workstations.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... PV-5000 laser workstation processes solar thin film photovoltaic (PV) products. The company will sell these systems to PV product manufacturers globally, with the first system deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year. The...

Dry strip system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The RS photoresist dry strip cleaning system contains paired-chamber process modules that can run production recipes with the highest throughputs available, according to the company. The system has a multichamber design that allows users to run...

Process and control software package.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... Applied E3 is a factory automation (FA) software package for improving the productivity of semiconductor, flat panel display, and photovoltaic solar cell manufacturing. According to the company, the Applied E3 system can boost process...

e-beam inspection system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The eS35 e-beam inspection system is capable of detecting and classifying smaller physical defects and more subtle electrical defects at significantly higher speeds, according to the company. The unit features improved sensitivity and advances...

Perfluoroelastomer parts for semiconductor thermal processes.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... Kalrez 8900 perfluoroelastomer parts for semiconductor thermal processes feature longer seal life in higher-temperature semiconductor manufacturing processes, claims the company. The parts are for static and dynamic sealing applications in...

Maskless exposure system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The SF-100 XTREME maskless exposure system provides for micropatterning of features as small as 1 micron in size. The photolithography system uses Smart Filter technology licensed by the company from the U. of South Florida. This technology...

Gas lifetime control system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
August 1, 2008... The Gas Lifetime eXtension (GLX2) control system (second-generation) for the XLA and XLR series of light sources extends the maximum time between light source gas exchanges from one billion pulses to two billion pulses, and reduces downtime...

Commodity price pain, or sustainable opportunity?(INDUSTRY FORUM)
August 1, 2008... Resource constraints are appearing with increasing frequency in our work and personal lives. Those constraints usually present themselves in the form of higher prices--as predicted by the classic supply-and-demand economic model. The price of...