Solid State Technology articles from February 2003

Solid State Technology archives from February 2003

Moore's Prophecy: the plot thickens. (Editorial).(Editorial)
February 1, 2003... At a recent SEMI breakfast, Doug Neugold, president of ATMI, suggested that Gordon Moore didn't really propose a Law in 1965. Instead he observed a trend and predicted that the industry would continue to double integrated circuit densities...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2003... More on high-current ion implanters Regarding SST's October feature article, "Angle control in high-current ion implanters" (p. 39, by Leonard Rubin of Axcelis Technologies Inc.), the author's assertions can be accepted for legacy...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2003... In our January issue, in "Accurate measurements in the DUV PEB process" on p. 56, the equation should read: The time constant is expressed as [tau] = [rho][C.sub.p]L/[k.sub.air]/[delta] + h (2)

November chip and equipment sales inch up. (Business Trends).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Global chip sales reached $12.68 billion in November, a 1.3% sequential increase from the $12.51 billion in revenue reported in October. This continues the trend that began in 4Q01, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), San...

Results of the SEMI Consensus Forecast, which includes input from the association's member equipment manufacturers. (Worldwide Highlights).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Results of the SEMI Consensus Forecast, which includes input from the association's member equipment manufacturers in the US, Europe, Asia, and Japan, indicate the market for new chip manufacturing, testing, and assembly equipment in 2002 will...

After four years of development and beta testing by consortium members and suppliers, International SEMATECH. (Worldwide Highlights).(economic model ready)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... After four years of development and beta testing by consortium members and suppliers, International SEMATECH, Austin, TX, says its industry economic model, presented at the recent Global Economic Symposium in Scottsdale, AZ, is ready for...

Veeco Instruments Inc. and FEI Co. (World News: USA).(terminate merger agreement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Veeco Instruments Inc. and FEI Co. have mutually terminated the merger agreement that they entered into on July 11, 2002. The companies have determined not to proceed with the merger due to the difficult overall market and economic conditions,...

IBM, East Fishkill, NY, and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... IBM, East Fishkill, NY, and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Singapore, have agreed to jointly develop 90- and 65nm logic processes for foundry chip production on 300mm wafers, and to work with third-party design tool and open-standard...

Credence Systems Corp., Fremont, CA, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Optonics Inc. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Credence Systems Corp., Fremont, CA, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Optonics Inc., Mountain View, CA. The acquisition will enable Credence to expand its portfolio of design-to-production test solutions in the areas of...

The US has started an antidumping investigation into South Korean DRAM makers, complying with complaints from Micron Technology. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The US has started an antidumping investigation into South Korean DRAM makers, complying with complaints from Micron Technology. The investigation -- with a view to levying countervailing duties on Korean DRAM makers -- is focused on whether...

Transmeta Corp. (World News: USA).(investigation into tech theft)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Transmeta Corp., Santa Clara, CA, has declared its support for a sustained federal law enforcement push to thwart and prosecute an alleged conspiracy to steal computing technology and IP from Transmeta and three other companies. The...

AmberWave Systems, Salem, NH, has formed a strategic alliance with Mitsubishi Corp. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... AmberWave Systems, Salem, NH, has formed a strategic alliance with Mitsubishi Corp. to introduce strained silicon to Japanese semiconductor manufacturers. Under terms of the multiyear agreement, Mitsubishi will act as AmberWave's exclusive...

Tegal Corp., Petaluma, CA, has completed the first phase of a joint development project with STMicroelectronics. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Tegal Corp., Petaluma, CA, has completed the first phase of a joint development project with STMicroelectronics, which demonstrates progress in cobalt silicide (CoSi) gate etch and ferroelectric material etch development. The second and final...

Tessera Technologies, San Jose, CA, has signed a technology licensing agreement with ROHM Co. Ltd. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Tessera Technologies, San Jose, CA, has signed a technology licensing agreement with ROHM Co. Ltd. The ROHM license includes a set of patents covering a range of chip-scale-package types, including devices packaged in face-down, face-up, and...

DuPont Photomasks. (World News: USA).(reducing work force by 2% at Round Rock TX)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... DuPont Photomasks will reduce its global work force by approximately 2%, or 30 positions, in Round Rock, TX. The company is integrating the Round Rock-based employees from its commercial production facility with those from its joint venture R&D...

Novellus Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, has completed its acquisition of SpeedFamIPEC Inc. (World News: USA).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Novellus Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, has completed its acquisition of SpeedFamIPEC Inc., which will become the Novellus CMP group.

ON Semiconductor Corp. (World News: USA).(eliminating 4% of work force)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... ON Semiconductor Corp., Phoenix, AZ, will eliminate up to 300 jobs or 4% of its work force this year as the company begins its cost-cutting plan. ON said the reductions will take place mostly in manufacturing, general, and administrative...

Numerical Technologies Inc., San Jose, CA, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (World News: USA).(sign agreement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Numerical Technologies Inc., San Jose, CA, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Seoul, Korea, have signed an agreement for Samsung to license Numerical's phase-shifting technology for producing its SRAM product. Production of the devices is...

National Semiconductor Corp. (Asia Focus: China).(building first manufacturing facility in China)
February 1, 2003... National Semiconductor Corp., Santa Clara, CA, has begun construction of its first manufacturing facility in China with groundbreaking ceremonies in Suzhou Industrial Park, the site of the company s planned semiconductor assembly and test...

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. and Elpida Memory Inc. (Asia Focus: China).(five year arrangement)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), Shanghai, China, and Elpida Memory Inc. have signed a five-year arrangement. Elpida will use SMIC as a foundry partner to produce its 0.13 [micro]m stacked-capacitor DRAM, and SMIC will...

Tokyo Seimitsu. (Asia Focus: Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Tokyo Seimitsu (TSK) will manufacture and market laser-dicing tools this spring using Hamamatsu Photonics technology. TSK will use the Hamamatsu laser module and assemble a complete dicer, which it will sell and service under its own brand. The...

Sekisui Chemical and Semiconductor Process Laboratory. (Asia Focus: Japan).(developed an atmospheric pressure thermal tool )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Sekisui Chemical and Semiconductor Process Laboratory (SPL) have jointly developed an atmospheric pressure thermal tool that uses high-density ozone/TEOS for high-quality dielectric films suitable for 90nm processes. A two-chamber model will...

JEOL. (Asia Focus: Japan).(marketing an e-beam writer )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... JEOL (Nippon Denshi) is marketing an e-beam writer for masks for 90nm devices. The company expects to sell five of the $14 million ([yen]1.7 billion) units the first year of manufacture.

Ebara Technologies. (Asia Focus: Japan).(fires 10% of staff)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Ebara Technologies is reducing headcount in its semiconductor equipment business by 10%, or 70 of its 700 permanent staff. It has already reduced temporary workers from a high of more than 500 in 2000 down to about 100. It will transfer most of...

Hynix Semiconductor Inc. (Asia Focus: Korea).(to sell its entire 47% stake in its Imagequest unit)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Hynix Semiconductor Inc., Seoul, is in negotiations with undisclosed buyers to sell its entire 47% stake in its Imagequest unit, which produces computer monitors. Separately, a company spokesman confirmed a local newspaper report that said...

Japan tool orders.(rose 2.4% in October 2002)
February 1, 2003... [yen]51.3B; 2.4% Japan tool orders rose 2.4% in October to [yen]51.3 billion. Source: SEAJ [GRAPH OMITTED]

Flextronics International Ltd. (Asia Focus: Malaysia).(opens product-testing facility at its Guadalajara, Mexico, industrial park)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Flextronics International Ltd., Singapore, has launched a product-testing facility at its Guadalajara, Mexico, industrial park. The technology center provides product analysis and test characterization services.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Hsinchu, and Virage Logic. (Asia Focus: Taiwan).(sign pact)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Hsinchu, and Virage Logic have forged an agreement in which Virage Logic will distribute and support TSMC's 150-, 130-, and Nexsys 90nm standard cell and I/O libraries either alone or integrated...

INFICON Holding AG. (Euro Focus).(buys New Vision Systems)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... INFICON Holding AG, Zurich, Switzerland, has acquired the privately held company, New Vision Systems, Syracuse, NY. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The company expects the acquisition to be operative in late 2003 or early 2004,...

ESEC. (Euro Focus).(reorganizes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... ESEC, Cham, Switzerland, will streamline its corporate structure and focus efforts on R&D, sales, service, and finance. The die attach and wire bonder businesses will be combined into a single unit.

SOPRA SA, Bois Colombes, France, and Sumitomo Heavy Industry. (Euro Focus).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... SOPRA SA, Bois Colombes, France, and Sumitomo Heavy Industry, Tokyo, Japan, have signed a worldwide licensing agreement for the manufacture and sale of SOPRA excimer laser technology to be used in industrial laser-annealing systems for making...

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (Euro Focus).(sign pact)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), Shanghai, China, have signed an agreement to cooperate on the production of DRAM devices. Infineon will transfer its 0.14[micro]m DRAM trench...

ASML Holding NV. (Euro Focus).(to lay off 22% of its work force)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... ASML Holding NV, will lay off 22% of its work force as part of a restructuring plan. Half of the job cuts will be at the company's lithography operations. The company plans to exit its track and thermal operations, a business that it acquired...

Getting the 193nm shrink out of CD SEMs. (Technology News).(ASM Lithography and Veeco Metrology Group,)
February 1, 2003... Critical dimension (CD) measurement by atomic force metrology (AFM) eliminates concerns about 193nm resist shrinkage that can be problematic when using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), say collaborative researchers at ASM Lithography, Tempe,...

Mask program update: SEMATECH turns its attention to EUV infrastructure. (Technology News).
February 1, 2003... Though EUV lithography may not be on the ITRS roadmap until 2008 or so, it looks as if it is rapidly starting to become a key focus of International SEMATECH'S mask program. The consortium just announced a development program with Lasertec,...

TI's foray into FRAMs for embedded NVM. (Technology News).(Texas Instruments )
February 1, 2003... Texas Instruments (TI) recently produced a 64Mb ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) chip (cell size of 0.54[cm.sup.2]) using the company's standard 130nm copper interconnect processing. The effort is the culmination of an internal company evaluation and...

Magnetron sputtering systems enhanced using negatively charged ions. (Technology News).
February 1, 2003... Continuing progress in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) device manufacturing requires that super-smooth indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films be deposited. Plasmion Corp. has what it believes is the answer for such coatings: a way to negatively...

This film approximation model speeds up resist simulation. (Front End of Line).
February 1, 2003... Today's optical lithography simulators can typically calculate areas of about 10 X 10[micro][m.sup.2]. Progress in resist simulation has focused on modeling new chemically amplified resist systems and not on speeding up the algorithms (1,2)....

ALD for sub-90nm device node barriers, contacts and capacitors. (Interconnect).
February 1, 2003... Due to shrinking geometries, the ITRS roadmap indicates that ALD processes will be required starting at the 90nm node for a variety of applications: deposition of barriers, nucleation layers, and high-k dielectric materials (1). The conformal...

Using broadband reflectometry for fast trench-depth measurement. (Cover Article: Metrology).
February 1, 2003... OVERVIEW Accurate, fast monitoring of trench depths at early stages of production is essential for minimizing production cost and eliminating waste. Conventional methods are available, but increasingly the need is for real-time metrology....

Prospects and challenges of optical RET. (Lithography Part I of a Series).(resolution enhancement technology)
February 1, 2003... OVERVIEW As optical lithography extends further into the sub-wavelength regime, advances in resolution enhancement technology are becoming critical to the survival of Moore's Law. These techniques serve as system drivers for many areas of...

Photostabilization: comparing DUV and i-line. (Resists).(deep UV hardening of semiconductors vs. i-line photostabilization)
February 1, 2003... OVERVIEW The direct transfer of i-line resist photostabilization processes to deep UV resists is a very common practice, but is a mistake and should not be done. Through a basic understanding of the resist chemistry, good research through...

Improving fab productivity with predictive vacuum maintenance. (Vacuum Technology/Applications).
February 1, 2003... OVERVIEW With vacuum systems, conventional wisdom has often been "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" or some degree of "parts are expendable." Increasingly, though, these relatively mundane approaches to vacuum system maintenance in wafer...

Automated macro defect inspection. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... WaferView is an automated after-develop wafer inspection system for 200mm and 300mm wafers. It offers chipmakers full automation of macro defect inspection by inspecting 100% of the wafer surface at throughputs >100 wafers/hour. The WaferView...

Drying technology for wet process systems. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... AeroSonic drying technology for 200mm and 300mm wafers can be integrated into wet process systems or used as a stand-alone dryer. It is designed to bring productivity gains through shortened cycle times, increased uptime, and the ability to dry...

Deep oxide etching ICP tool. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... This tool is a new version of the AMS 200 ICP etching tool, specifically designed for deep oxide etching in MEMS & MOEMS applications. After the introduction of the "I-Speeder" AMS 200 SE (Silicon Etcher), its ultrahigh etch rate tool, this...

X-ray inspection system. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The VJ-1000 LP X-ray inspection system is a high-resolution x-ray inspection system designed to provide a cost-effective solution for the semi conductor packaging and surface mount assembly markets. The system provides high-resolution images of...

Critical dimension and overlay measurement. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The MicroLine 500 measurement system automatically measures overlay patterns and linewidths on cassettes of wafers using a robotic wafer loader. It measures features 0.5-40[micro]m at 100x and 10-800[micro]m at 5x. Measurement repeatability is...

Wafer geometry and nanotopography metrology. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... NanoPro NP1 is a single-tool solution for wafer geometry and nanotopography metrology. Designed to address 200mm and 300mm volume production requirements, NanoPro NP1 enables silicon wafer, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer, and chip...

193nm ArF excimer laser. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The NanoLith 7000 is a next-generation, high-performance 193nm ArF excimer laser. It offers 20 watts average output power at 4 kHz repetition rate and is designed to support high scan speeds for maximum productivity and wafer throughput. With...

UHV gate valves. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... UHV SoftShut gate valves, for PVD and other ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) applications, feature a patented track-guided SoftShut gate mechanism and metal body seals, providing quiet, low-particle operation up to 100,000 cycles between maintenance....

Automation for MEMS packaging. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The MRSI-5005 Advanced Packaging Assembly Work Cell is configured for automated assembly of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) and MOEMS (Micro-Optical-Electro-Mechanical Systems) packaging. Interconnect technologies include eutectic die...

Vibration-free platform. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... Model 2212 is a portable vibration-control system with an ultraflat tabletop. With a guaranteed flatness of [+ or -]0.004 in. over 24 x 24 in., it is designed to enhance the performance of atomic force microscopes, microhardness testers,...

High-speed controllers. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... These two instruments are designed for fast process applications. Both controllers feature a high-speed sampling rate of 0.025 sec, or 40 times/sec, greatly suppressing overshoot. The high-speed sampling function is suitable for extremely fast...

Machine vision applications. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... IllumiCam employs patented and patent-pending holographic/diffractive hybrid optical technology to provide both intense and accurate field of view illumination. The technology uses holographic optics placed in a ring format to collect, shape...

Six-degrees-of-freedom micropositioning and alignment. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The HexaLight is a compact, parallel-kinematics micropositioning system providing six degrees of freedom and micrometer-range precision. Compared with its (higher-load) predecessor, the new M-840 is distinguished by significantly higher...

Rotary stage. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The ADRT Series Direct-Drive Rotary Stage provides superior angular positioning and velocity control. Applications range from indexing to high-speed laser machining to precision wafer inspection. ADRT uses a slotless, ironless design to give...

Stepper for bump manufacturing. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... The Saturn Spectrum [3.sup.e] is designed for high-volume bump manufacturing for wafers up to 200mm. Its proprietary broadband 1x optical system allows processing of both g-line or i-line photosensitive films. Dynamic focus capability enables...

Multi-variate fault detection. (Product News).
February 1, 2003... iProcess-FDC is a new software product for monitoring factory-wide process and tool health through both the met and intranets. iProcess-FDC (fault detection and classification) provides data visualization, virtual sensor modeling, and...

Calendar.(of semiconductor and microelectonics events)(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... * FEBRUARY 2003 17-20 -- Semiconductor Pure Water and Chemicals (Wet Processes Conference) -- Santa Clara, CA. Info: Dee Miller, ph 650/969-2491, contactdee@hotmail.com 18-21 -- 2003 CMP-MIC (CMP for ULSI Multilevel Interconnection...

Part 2 of 2: SST editors ask ITRS authors about tough roadmap problems. (Perspectives).(Solid State Technology editors; authors of Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors )(Panel Discussion)
February 1, 2003... At the end of 2002, the authors of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) revised the roadmap's tables, which indicate future problems the semiconductor industry must address. After the tables' release, Solid State...

The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and American Witco Co. (News: China).(to jointly build Witco China Nano Technology Research and Development Center.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and American Witco Co. will jointly build the Witco China Nano Technology R&D Center. The center, which will be open to students and researchers, will be made up of Chinese scientists and engineers and...

Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc. (News: China).(opens facility in Suzhou, China)
February 1, 2003... Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc., Willow Grove, PA, has started shipments of wire-bonding tools to customers from its newest production facility in Suzhou, China. The company's first China-based manufacturing operation was announced in May 2002,...

Sony Corp. (News: Japan).(closes facility in Indonesia, enters development agreement with Nichia Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Sony Corp., Tokyo, will close its only manufacturing plant in Indonesia. Sony has cut the number of its manufacturing plants worldwide from 70 to 54 since March 1999. Also, Nichia Corp., Tokyo, and Sony have reached a basic agreement in...

Japan's electronic materials suppliers are planning to form a consortium to develop next-generation products more quickly and at lower cost. (News: Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Japan's electronic materials suppliers are planning to form a consortium to develop next-generation products more quickly and at lower cost. Sumitomo Bakelite, Hitachi Chemical, JSR, Toray, Tokyo Ohka, Fuji Photo Film, Sumitomo Chemical, and...

JSR Corp. (News: Japan).(new capacity)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... JSR Corp.'s Yokkaichi manufacturing facility for CMP polishing pads was completed last year, and is expected to be fully commercialized in 2003. The plant's initial capacity will be 40,000 pads/year, with room for future expansion.

Who're likely to be the leaders in nanotechnology in Japan? (News: Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Who're likely to be the leaders in nanotechnology in Japan? So far NEC, Hitachi, and the trading companies, Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp., are filling that role, according to a recent industry survey by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. The trading...

Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (News: Japan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will merge their domestic semiconductor sales subsidiaries into a new company in April. This announcement follows a basic agreement to create a joint venture, Renesas Technology Corp., on April 1 by...

ChipMOS Technologies Inc., Taipei, will acquire a >40% direct stake in ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp. (News: Taiwan).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... ChipMOS Technologies Inc., Taipei, will acquire a >40% direct stake in ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp., a semiconductor testing services company. ChipMOS Taiwan will pay NT$668.4 million for the stake by taking all of a private placement of...

WTO entry sweetens foreign investment in China. (China).
February 1, 2003... China is the sixth largest economy in the world and the only trillion dollar economy expected to double in the next decade. By citing figures such as these, it becomes obvious why Deloitte & Touche's George Koo, director of the Chinese Service...

Aiming to be a big attraction: Changjiang Delta. (Doing Business with China).(Illustration)(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2003... China's large potential semiconductor industry market, along with increasingly favorable governmental policies, has attracted many foreign enterprises to the country. A majority of investments are in the Changjiang Delta, an area including and...

Issues to consider when putting China in your business plans. (Strategy).
February 1, 2003... OVERVIEW As the semiconductor industry climbs out of its current down market, China plays a significant role in how it will unfold in the future. Yet China remains an enigma. Part of future successes will stem from how fabless...