Solid State Technology articles from December 2006

Solid State Technology archives from December 2006

Sustainable development: the next profit center?(EDITORIAL)
December 1, 2006... Among the reasons typically cited for delaying the adoption of environmentally friendly designs and processes for semiconductor fabs are the added costs associated with energy-efficient and emission-reduction technologies, and the fact that...

Equipment capex outlook narrowed for 2006, next year looks better.(BUSINESS TRENDS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Gartner Inc.'s October forecast projected $54.56 billion in semiconductor capital spending this year, representing 15.1% growth, slightly-below its July forecast. For 2007, the firm's improved outlook calls for flat capital spending instead of...

For the first nine months of 2006, tool orders were 48% higher than the same period in 2005 (to $55.7 billion), more than twice the rate of billings growth (22% to $46.9 billion), according to VLSI Research.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... For the first nine months of 2006, tool orders were 48% higher than the same period in 2005 (to $55.7 billion), more than twice the rate of billings growth (22% to $46.9 billion), according to VLSI Research. The firm predicts >20% equipment...

The Common Platform alliance of IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. say they have produced system-on-chip (SoC) products with 90nm process technologies for Qualcomm Inc.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Common Platform alliance of IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. say they have produced system-on-chip (SoC) products with 90nm process technologies for Qualcomm Inc., for use in mobile...

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. will supply solar-grade solar wafers to Taiwan's Gintech Energy Corp. over a 10-year period beginning in 2H07. The deal is expected to generate $2.5-$3.0 billion in revenues, and includes a 10% equity investment...

Novellus Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, has signed a nonexclusive licensing deal with Surplus Process Equipment Corp.(USA)
December 1, 2006... Novellus Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, has signed a nonexclusive licensing deal with Surplus Process Equipment Corp. (SPEC), to refurbish certain legacy and discontinued Novellus systems, including some non-300mm equipment from the GaSonics line....

Vishay Intertechnology Inc., Malvern, PA, is acquiring International Rectifier's power control systems business for approximately $290 million.(USA)
December 1, 2006... Vishay Intertechnology Inc., Malvern, PA, is acquiring International Rectifier's power control systems business for approximately $290 million, to expand its high-power, high-voltage discrete semiconductors offerings.

Lam Research Corp., Fremont, CA, has acquired the silicon growing and fabrication assets of Bullen Ultrasonics.(USA)
December 1, 2006... Lam Research Corp., Fremont, CA, has acquired the silicon growing and fabrication assets of Bullen Ultrasonics, Eaton, OH, which supplies parts for Lam's dielectric etch chambers, for ~$175 million in cash.

Kulicke & Sofia Industries Inc. is entering the die bonder market with a $30 million purchase of Alphasem.(USA)
December 1, 2006... Kulicke & Sofia Industries Inc. is entering the die bonder market with a $30 million purchase of Alphasem, a subsidiary of Dover Technologies International Inc.

MKS Instruments Inc., Wilmington, MA, has acquired privately held Novx Corp.(USA)
December 1, 2006... MKS Instruments Inc., Wilmington, MA, has acquired privately held Novx Corp., a San Jose-based supplier of electrostatic charge process monitoring equipment.

Amkor.(ASIAFOCUS)
December 1, 2006... Amkor has opened its new 300mm wafer bump factory in Singapore, with initial capacity of 8000 wafers/month, and ultimately ramping to 30,000 wafers/month.

Synova, a maker of water jet-guided laser technology, and Sugino Machine Ltd. are creating a 50/50 JV.(ASIAFOCUS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Synova, a maker of water jet-guided laser technology, and Sugino Machine Ltd. are creating a 50/50 JV to provide manufacturing, development, sales, and support to Japanese customers, starting in January 2007.

Toshiba Corp.(ASIAFOCUS)(Toshiba Ceramics Company Ltd. is to be acquired by Carlyle Group L.P. and Unison Capital Group )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Toshiba Corp. is mulling a possible management buyout of its wafer subsidiary, Toshiba Ceramics Co. Ltd., to an investment business backed by Unison Capital Group and Carlyle Group.

Automation and control technology firm Omron Corp. has agreed to acquire a 200mm CMOS semiconductor factory in Japan from Yasu Semiconductor Corp.(ASIAFOCUS)
December 1, 2006... Automation and control technology firm Omron Corp. has agreed to acquire a 200mm CMOS semiconductor factory in Japan from Yasu Semiconductor Corp., a consolidated subsidiary of Seiko Epson.

ASML Holding NV.(EUROFOCUS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... ASML Holding NV says it has received the first order from an unidentified customer for a pre-production EUV system, following shipments of two alpha tools earlier this year to IMEC and Albany Nanotech.

IMEC and ASML claim that they have proven that double-patterning 193nm immersion lithography (NA = 1.2).(EUROFOCUS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... IMEC and ASML claim that they have proven that double-patterning 193nm immersion lithography (NA = 1.2) can be a viable interim solution--at least technically, not cost-wise--for flash and logic manufacturing at the 32nm node.

Fujitsu reports progress toward CNT interconnects for 32nm.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(carbon nanotube)
December 1, 2006... Development of carbon nanotube (CNT) interconnects for the 32nm node is starting to make major strides. CNTs could potentially carry the high current densities required for next-generation interconnects, but have proved difficult to grow at low...

Printing solar panels with 'electronic mayonnaise'.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(HelioVolt develops complex copper indium gallium selenide thin film materials)
December 1, 2006... A new class of complex copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film materials, discovered and developed by HelioVolt, self-assembles into two interpenetrating phases--as if it were an 'electronic mayonnaise'--with constant electrical...

Mattson extends selective oxidation to advanced gate stacks.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(Mattson Technology Inc.)
December 1, 2006... With thermal budgets becoming tighter at advanced nodes, some memory manufacturers are moving from batch furnaces to single-wafer tools. With its new Atmos dual-chamber, single-wafer 300mm tool (based on its Helios platform), Mattson Technology...

Addressing 32nm half-pitch challenges with double-patterning lithography.(LITHOGRAPHY)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEWS Most semiconductor manufacturers expect 193nm immersion lithography to remain the dominant patterning technology through the 32nm technology node. Conventional immersion lithography, however, is unlikely to take the...

Methods for analyzing and compensating for systematic mask CD errors.(PHOTOMASKS)
December 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Systematic errors are becoming the dominant contributor to mask CD uniformity. This article looks at methods to model some of the more prominent error sources in advanced mask lithography and gives examples of how these...

Active spectral-control techniques for improving OPC.(LITHOGRAPHY)(optical proximity correction)
December 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Improved optical proximity correction is needed to meet the tighter CD control budgets for advanced lithography processes. Laser bandwidth variation is one of the factors that contributes to the optical proximity effect...

Improving yield in advanced technologies by modeling variability.(MODELING/SIMULATION)
December 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW At the 45nm technology node and beyond, accurate modeling of parametric variations arising from lithographic, stress, and doping sources is crucial for achieving a more realistic assessment of circuit performance, such...

An alternative for shallow doping: gas cluster infusion.(NEXT-GENERATION PROCESSES)(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW As device dimensions decrease, new methods of efficiently doping to shallow depths are required. Similar manufacturing issues exist for both the precision doping of ultra-shallow junctions (USJ) in the source drain...

Applied Materials Inc.'s Endura iLB II 300mm/45nm integrated liner/barrier.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The system combines PVD titanium and preclean technologies to reduce resistance in critical contact structures by up to 40%, and a PVD eSIP Ti chamber offers 30% more wafer bottom coverage than the previous version. Applied claims the system is...

Nikon Corp.'s NSR-S610C immersion lithography tool.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The NSR-S610C immersion lithography tool (NA=1.30) incorporates a "tandem-stage" platform used with the company's immersion products, a proprietary nozzle design, and an airless fluid handling process (300ml/min) instead of an air curtain. The...

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Assoc.'s VIISta 900XP ion implanter.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... TheVIISta 900XP has an increased upper energy range and a single-wafer architecture to enable zero implant-angle capability with output of 500wph. The implanter incorporates the Varian Control System, the Varian Positioning System, and a common...

Tokyo Electron Ltd.'s Temeon wafer-level MEMS tester.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The Temeon wafer-level microelectromechanical system (MEMS) tester helps manufacturers isolate and validate electrical and mechanical functionality at the wafer level prior to packaging. The tool lets customers test mechanical as well as...

Mattson Technology Inc.'s Atmos dual-chamber single-wafer RTP system.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The Atmos dual-chamber single-wafer rapid thermal processing system, built on the company's Helios platform, enables a range of rapid thermal oxidation applications for 300mm and 70nm-32nm chip manufacturing, including selective oxidation and...

KLA-Tencor Corp.'s Candela CS20 automated wafer inspection system for HB-LEDs.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The Candela CS20 automated wafer inspection system for high-brightness LEDs nondestructively inspects transparent substrates and epi layers at up to 25wph. Optical profilometry, scatterometry, phase shift, and reflectometry methods are combined...

EV Group's EVG770 step-and-repeat UV-based NIL stepper.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The EVG770 step-and-repeat UV-based nanoimprint lithography (NIL) stepper, developed in conjunction with German research foundry AMO GmbH, targets R&D work and small-scale production for 32nm node semiconductor manufacturing. It features...

Oxford instruments plc's FlexAl plasma ALD tool.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The FlexAl atomic layer deposition (ALD) tool, developed in conjunction with the Eindhoven U. of Technology, enables use of low-temperature deposition, high-density and ultrathin films, and high film purity, as well as thermal ALD processing,...

Novellus Systems Inc.'s SOLA UV thermal processing platform.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)(sequentially optimized luminescent anneal 300mm ultraviolet thermal processing platform)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The SOLA (sequentially optimized luminescent anneal) 300mm ultraviolet thermal processing platform blends standard lamp-based UV light sources with a multistation sequential processing architecture, with reported throughput of 20-40wph. Wafers...

Rudolph Technologies Inc.'s S3000/S2000 ellipsometry-based thin-film metrology tools.(TOP PRODUCTS of 2006)
December 1, 2006... The S3000/S2000 ellipsometry-based metrology systems for [less than or equal to] 0.18 [micro]m 300mm and 200mm device fabrication are designed for thin-film (20-20,000 [Angstrom]) metrology, with modules for thin-film, CMP, etch, and...

Maximizing capital productivity is key to the 'fast follower' strategy.(INDUSTRY FORUM)
December 1, 2006... The semiconductor industry requires a tremendous amount of investment. It takes some creativity and careful planning, but there are ways to generate better returns on that investment. The term "capital productivity" refers not only to the...