Solid State Technology articles from February 2002

Solid State Technology archives from February 2002

Connectivity: The road to the future. (Editorial).(Editorial)
February 1, 2002... What will do the most to propel national economies forward over the next couple of decades? In the US, as our "leaders" debated over the right formula to stimulate the economy, the main focus of one group was on extending unemployment benefits...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2002... Stop giving US secrets away Your December editorial "Note to US media: Use your heads!" was well said. My frustration level is high every time I hear "secrets" being given away on the news. I wish there were more in the media industry...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2002... In January's special ITRS Roadmap report, the web site for viewing the roadmap was given incorrectly in one instance. The web site is http://public.itrs.net.

Chip sales up in November; Equipment lags. (Worldwide Highlights).
February 1, 2002... Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose to $10.6 billion for the month of November, an increase of 1.6% month-over-month from the $10.44 billion posted in October, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). However small, this...

Applied Materials Inc. (USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has acquired the assets of France-based Schlumberger's electron beam wafer inspection business for an undisclosed amount. Schlumberger's Odyssey 300 system, which uses e-beam technology to identify...

Micron Technology. (USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Micron Technology, Boise, ID, has opened a new R&D facility at its headquarters. The center will focus on the company's transition from 200mm to 300mm and its continued migration to small geometries, including 0.l0[mu]m and below. The new fab...

FeinFocus USA. (USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... FeinFocus USA, Stamford, CT, has completed the expansion of its laboratories in Stamford and San Jose, CA. Both locations house labs offering test and inspection services, the company said. Fein Focus uses real-time micro-focus x-ray systems...

RF Micro Devices (RFMD). (USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... RF Micro Devices (RFMD), Greensboro, NC, and Hitachi Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, have signed a cross-supplier agreement for GaAs HBT wafer and module design and manufacturing. Under the agreement, Hitachi will design and assemble modules for RFMD's...

Photo Science Inc. (USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Photo Science Inc., Torrance, CA, has purchased XYTEX, Harbor City, CA, a highprecision grinding and polishing facility. XYTEX facilities are being moved to Photo Science's manufacturing facility in Torrance. XYTEX president Minas Kazanjian...

Cirrus Logic Inc. (USA).(enters manufacturing agreement with Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Cirrus Logic Inc., Austin, TX, and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Singapore, have signed a multiyear manufacturing agreement, which establishes Chartered, as a preferred mixed-signal provider for Cirrus Logic. Chartered will supply...

SI Diamond Technology Inc. (USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... SI Diamond Technology Inc., Austin, TX, through its subsidiary, Field Emission Picture Element Technology Inc. (FEPET), will extend its joint R&D agreement with Futaba Corp. The R&D program consists of the development of a carbon field emission...

Fujitsu Ltd. (USA).(production to cease and jobs to be lost with plant shut down and liquidation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Fujitsu Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, was supposed to have ceased production at its Gresham, OR, facility, Fujitsu Microelectronics Inc., by the end of January, and to have closed the plant and liquidated its assets soon after. Some 670 employees were to...

Electroglas. (USA).(joins Semiconductor Equipment Consortium for Advanced Packaging)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Electroglas, San Jose, CA, has joined the Semiconductor Equipment Consortium for Advanced Packaging (SECAP). The company said its inclusion in the organization brings optical inspection of bumped and redistributed wafers, as well as electrical...

HPL Technologies. (USA).(acquires FabCentric)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... HPL Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, has acquired FabCentric, San Jose, CA. The company hopes to expand its market share in yield optimization solutions by broadening its productivity software solutions to fabs around the world. FabCentric will...

Tegal Corp. (USA).(enters joint development partnerships with Japanese microelectronic firms)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Tegal Corp., Petaluma, CA, has entered into three joint development partnerships with major Japanese microelectronic firms. All of these efforts target the manufacturing processes needed for next-generation, nonvolatile memory technology. Two...

NEC Corp. (USA).(licensed Ramtron International ferroelectric random access memory)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... NEC Corp., Tokyo, Japan, has licensed Ramtron International Corp.'s ferroelectric random access memory (PRAM) technology. Ramtron, Colorado Springs, Ca, said NEC is the ninth semiconductor firm to license its PRAM technology. Under the...

Daw Technologies Inc. (USA).(forms business unit in Mexico)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Daw Technologies Inc., Salt Lake City, UT, a provider of ultra-clean manufacturing environments, has established a new subsidiary business unit, Daw Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V., in Guadalajara, Mexico. In addition to its core focus on the...

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. (USA).(settles patent infringement lawsuit with Lam Research Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. (VSEA), Gloucester, MA, and Lam Research Corp., Fremont, CA, have resolved the patent infringement litigation between them. Under the settlement agreement, VSEA has granted a nonexclusive license...

Veeco Instruments Inc. (USA).(forms strategic alliance with Photronics Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Veeco Instruments Inc., Woodbury; NY, and Photronics Inc., Jupiter, FL, have formed a strategic relationship to accelerate the development of advanced manufacturing technologies required to fabricate enhanced reticle and next-generation...

ASML Holding N.V. (Europe).(sells defense unit of Tinsley Laboratories to SSG Precision Optronics Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... ASML Holding N.V., Veldhoven, The Netherlands, sold the defense portion of San Jose, CA-based Tinsley Laboratories Inc. to SSG Precision Optronics Inc., a Wilmington, MA, corporation that specializes in the design, fabrication, and testing of...

The National Microelectronics Research Center. (Europe).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The National Microelectronics Research Center, Cork, Ireland, has begun the installation of equipment and the upgrading of labs for the nanoscience project funded under the HEA Program for Research in Third-Level Institutions. The focus of a...

DuPont Photomasks. (Europe).(redesigns Corbeil-Essonnes facility)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... DuPont Photomasks, Round Rock, TX, has modified its Corbeil-Essonnes, France, facility to include a 7000-[ft.sup.2] cleanroom. The cleanroom is designed to support the future production of advanced photomasks below 70nm design rules, the...

Philips Analytical. (Europe).(opens semiconductors facility in Canada)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Philips Analytical, Almelo, The Netherlands, has opened its newest facility in Waterloo, Canada. The 2300-[m.sup.2] facility is dedicated to compound semiconductors to meet growing demand in the compound/SiGe semiconductor market.

Physik Instrumente. (Europe).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Physik Instrumente has built a new 140,000-[ft.sup.2] factory in Palm-Bach, Germany. It will provide R&D and manufacturing with more cleanroom capacity and a one-of-a-kind metrology lab for testing and calibrating the company's precision...

Infineon Technologies. (Europe).(enters joint venture with Sony to develop secure integrated circuits)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Infineon Technologies, Munich, Germany, and Japan's Sony Corp. will jointly develop secure ICs for contactless chip card systems. The ICs are intended to be available by the end of 2002. They will be integrated as dual interface chips, which...

STMicroelectronics. (Europe).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... STMicroelectronics, Geneva, Switzerland, and Delphi Automotive Systems, Troy, MI, intend to cooperate on the design and development of new smart power IC products for the automotive industry. Those ICs will be manufactured in STM's BCD process,...

IMEC. (Europe).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... IMEC, Leuven, Belgium, is searching for partners in Asia and Japan for joint operations in deep submicron technologies, including lithography, copper metalization, and low-and high-k materials. Current Japanese participants include Sony and...

Submicron Technology. (Europe).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Philips has chosen DIMES, the Delft Institute of Microelectronics and Submicron Technology, to carry out a major research program in high-frequency silicon technology for communications and connectivity. Novel materials, innovative device and...

Silicon United Manufacturing Corp. (Japan).
February 1, 2002... Silicon United Manufacturing Corp. (SUMCO), Tokyo, Japan, has lowered its planned output of 300mm wafers at its Imari, Saga Prefecture, plant to 50,000 wafers/month from an original 100,000 wafers/month, citing weak chip demand. SUMCO is...

Luxtron Corp. (Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Manufacturer of in situ endpoint control and metrology solutions Luxtron Corp., Santa Clara, CA, has opened a new office in Tokyo, Japan. The new office has been established as Luxtron Asia Pacific, and will provide technical support for Japan,...

Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (DNS), Kyoto, Japan, has joined IMEC's industrial affiliation program on ultra-clean processing. The program targets the development of ultra-clean technology four to five years ahead of industrial needs,...

FAS Technologies. (Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... FAS Technologies in Dallas, TX, and Hirata Corp. in Tokyo, Japan, have formed a partnership to design and manufacture lithography equipment for the flat panel and semiconductor markets. The companies plan to develop next-generation...

Entegris. (Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Entegris, located in Chaska, MN, has opened its Center of Excellence for fluid handling component assembly, quality control, and testing in Japan. The Center of Excellence -- Entegris Techno K.K. -- resulted from its acquisition of the Nisso...

Sony Corp. (Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Sony Corp., Tokyo, Japan, has opened a semiconductor-mounting technology R&D facility within its chip assembly plant in Oita Prefecture. The facility will develop mounting technology to reduce the size and weight of chips. Sony has set up a...

Kingmax Technology. (Asia Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Taiwan-based memory module manufacturer Kingmax Technology plans to set up a packaging and testing plant and a memory module plant on mainland China. Kingmax said that a foreign DRAM plant operator has set up a 200mm wafer fab in Zhejiang...

Rogers Corp. (Asia Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Rogers Corp., Rogers, CT, has opened the manufacturing facility for its newest 50/50 joint venture, Rogers Chang Chun Technologies Co. Ltd., located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The joint venture formed with Chang Chun Plastics Co. Ltd., Taiwan, will...

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (Asia Pacific).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Taiwanese chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) plans to set up three wafer plants by 2004 in order to increase its production capacity to 85,000 wafers/month. The first plant was established in Shanghai on Nov. 22,...

Nitridation for advanced transistors. (World News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Applied Materials has introduced a critical process technology for the fabrication of transistor gate dielectric structures in next-generation chips. The decoupled plasma nitridation (DPN) process incorporates a high concentration of nitrogen...

"Flat" technology for better optoelectronics. (Technology News).
February 1, 2002... Pieter "Pete" Burggraaf Building on earlier reported work, researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH, believe they have found keys to making more reliable wide bandgap semiconductor devices used in optoelectronics, such as...

Carbon nanotube transistor circuits. (Technology News).
February 1, 2002... The versatile carbon nanotube has been the poster molecule for nanotechnology. Now, Adrian Bachtold, Peter Hadley, Takeshi Nakanishi, and Cees Dekker of Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have reported fabrication of multigate...

Intermediate rinse improves post-etch via cleans. (Technology News).(DI water rinsing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Post-etch residue removal using a fluoridebased semi-aqueous chemistry (SAC) has shown improvement over industry-standard, hydroxylamine-based (HDA) processing. In a joint study by FSI International, Chaska, MN, and EKC Technology, Hayward, CA,...

Key conference has major message: CMOS needed, still viable. (IEDM Show Report).(IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting)
February 1, 2002... Looking for an application that will bring the IC industry out of its current slump? Consider the projected growth of broadband and, in particular, the microelectronics necessary to establish "residential gateways" and "simple-to-use home...

Minifab key to low-cost chip production(*). (Asiafocus).
February 1, 2002... We have a concrete plan for a new kind of semiconductor fab that can efficiently produce small runs of many different types of system chips. With this new agile minifab approach, a chipmaker could turn a profit with a facilities investment of...

Ohmi heads new Japanese research consortia(*). (Asiafocus).(Tadahiro Ohmi, High-Performance and Agilent Cleanroom Association)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Tadahiro Ohmi, Tohoku University heads two new Japanese research projects. Other ongoing Japanese research consortia include the government-supported MIRAI project on basic 0.07-0.05[micro]m technology, and the privately funded ASKA/Selete...

300mm is reshaping the factory automation market. (Market Watch).(300mm wafers)
February 1, 2002... IC fabrication on 300mm wafers will require complete rethinking, as device manufacturers recognize that full automation and standardization are key to reducing cost and improving performance. With the introduction of larger wafer sizes and the...

Dense plasma focus for production-level EUV lithography. (Lithography).(extreme ultraviolet lithography)
February 1, 2002... OVERVIEW Optical lithography will be replaced by a nonoptical technique at some point for device shrinks to 35nm. Extreme ultraviolet lithography is currently showing the most promise. However, issues such as power scaling and cost of...

Sub-100nm technologies drive single-wafer wet cleaning. (Wafer Cleaning).
February 1, 2002... OVERVIEW The stringent requirements of sub-100nm technologies are pushing the need for single-wafer cleaning methods. As device dimensions shrink, the size of killer defects also decreases, requiring economical and environmentally friendly...

Photoluminescence mapping detects Cu contamination in Si wafers. (Metrology).
February 1, 2002... OVERVIEW Analysis with silicon photo-enhanced recombination has proven useful in detecting and monitoring copper contamination on product wafers in fabs. This new room-temperature method focuses a visible laser to create an excitation spot on a...

Modular inspection system. (Product News).(INS3300)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The INS3300 inspection system incorporates the new DUV AT objective, which offers ultrahigh resolution and very long life. The individual lens elements of the objective are mounted using a new technique. The new objective uses special...

Decoupled plasma nitridation. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The decoupled plasma nitridation (DPN) chamber is a critical process technology that allows the fabrication of transistor gate dielectric structures in next-generation chips. The single-wafer DPN process incorporates a high concentration of...

Front-opening shipping box. (Product News).(FabFit 300)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The 25-capacity FabFit 300 front-opening shipping box (FOSB) is used to protect and transport 300mm wafers, increasing yields and decreasing downtime through improved OEM interface capability. The OEM interface enables wafers to be transferred...

Large-area stud bumper for 300mm. (Product News).(WaferPRO)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... WaferPRO is a large-area stud bumper that combines 300mm-wafer, single-pass processing capability with very high cycle speed -- up to 16 bumps/sec at 60[micro]m in-line pad pitch. A 400 x 330mm (16 x 13 in.) bondable area and WaferPRO's...

Monitoring of minienvironments. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... MiniNet is the first tool designed specifically for monitoring inside minienvironments to detect particle events and other system failures. It uses an ensemble manifold that simultaneously samples particles from up to seven locations, thereby...

CMP systems for 300mm automation. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is the enabling technology for improving semiconductor device fabrication by controlling product and information flow. The PM 300 Apollo CMP tool is the first CMP cluster tool to be equipped with a...

Test handler. (Product News).(RoboTek GT-1000)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The RoboTek GT-1000 test handler automatically feeds semiconductor devices from a stacked tube input system through a gravity track assembly where they are singulated into a series of test sites. After testing, the GT-l000 automatically sorts...

Motorized spindles. (Product News).(FerroDrive range)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... The FerroDrive range of motorized spindles combines a hermetic vacuum feedthrough with a high-precision motor and controller, resulting in a compact, integrated sealing and rotation system. Supplied ready to install, FerroDrives are suitable...

FTIR gas analyzer. (Product News).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2002... The On-Line MultiGas 2030 analyzer monitors single-emission stacks in fabs for PFC abatement efficiency. It is an FTIR-based analyzer that is capable of 1 ppb sensitivity for multiple gas species present in effluent streams that contain up to...

Liquid flow controller. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Model 401 Liquid Flo-Controller is the first completely automatic, all-Teflon flow controller for industrial applications. The system needs only a 24 VDC power source and liquid flow in order to work. It can measure and control flow as low as...

Semiconductor mechanical delayering. (Product News).(MULTIPOL 8 Precision Polisher)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The MULTIPOL 8 Precision Polisher offers the ability to delayer electronic circuitry from the front-side of die to sub-micron accuracy. By using true flat lapping technology -- wherein MULTIPOL's precision polishing jig, which holds the sample...

Multichip die bonder. (Product News).(2200 apm+)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The 2200 apm+ is an extension of the proven modular platform concept for advanced packaging, offering 300mm wafer handling. The multichip die bonder is ready for the transition to 300mm and is built on the same concept as the proven 2200 apm...

Partial pressure monitor. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The Malin partial pressure monitor is a compact mini-quadrupole mass spectrometer used to detect impurities or leaks in LP-CVD, etching, or photoresist residues in PVD systems. It is a low-cost miniature residual gas analyzer with a mass range...

248nm excimer laser systems. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... The ELS-6010, the first production-worthy 2500Hz DUV KrF laser, delivers [less than or equal to]0.5 pm at FWHM bandwidth and [less than or equal to]1.4pm 95% energy integral control, allowing high performance from steppers and scanners using...

Self-calibrating temperature sensor. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... This dynamically self-validating and self-calibrating temperature sensor (SVS) system eliminates drift and improves system reliability to help users optimize their processes. The SVS temperature sensors are intended for use in critical...

Retrofit kit for ionized PVD. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... This retrofit kit converts the conventional magnetron sputter cathode to the negative sputter ion beam source for the ionized PVD process. The retrofit can provide solutions to the many limitations in thin film formation using sputter cathodes...

Microelectronics machining. (Product News).(AccuLaze)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... AccuLaze is a compact, tabletop microelectronics machining system designed for numerous applications, including semiconductor failure analysis, circuit isolation, and polyimide and passivation removal. A compact and completely self-contained...

Tabletop automatic bonder. (Product News).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Model 275 is the first available thoroughly ESD-protected, manual to fully automatic, high-resolution tabletop bonder. It consistently provides placement accuracy

Competitive success through accelerated yield learning. (Industry Insights).
February 1, 2002... Although the semiconductor industry is currently experiencing one of the worst downturns in its history, the one thing we know for sure is that this too shall pass. And when it does, IC manufacturers must be ready to respond to rapidly...

New global player in IC market: China pushes chipmaking. (China).
February 1, 2002... China's emergence as a center for chip manufacturing has been heralded for more than a decade. Now it is finally happening. China today, especially Shanghai, is like Taiwan and Hsinchu a decade ago: It is up and coming and will definitely make...

"Planning for the future": The attitude of Asia's silicon foundries. (Foundry Watch).
February 1, 2002... OVERVIEW Leading executives comment on current foundry capacity utilization and how key companies are prepared for the pending change in business with 0.l8[micro]m or better technology and 300mm wafer processing. All Asian foundries...

Managing the supply chain with RosettaNet standards. (Manufacturing Management).
February 1, 2002... Manufacturing work-in-process (WIP) is an aspect of supply chain management that Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. has fine-tuned using RosettaNet standards in conjunction with a customer, TSMC, and TSMC's customer, Motorola. The combined...