Solid State Technology articles from June 2003

Solid State Technology archives from June 2003

The secret of chipmaking success. (Editorial).(high-performance, leading-edge integrated circuits)
June 1, 2003... Successfully making high-performance, leading-edge integrated circuits has probably become the highest form of manufacturing art ever. Chipmakers admit that there is a certain amount of black magic when they follow the "copy exact" approach to...

March sees increase in chip sales, orders, capacity. (Business Trends).(global semiconductor sales reached $12.1 bn in March)
June 1, 2003... Worldwide semiconductor sales climbed to $12.1 billion in March, a 2.6% sequential increase from the $11.8 billion in revenue reported in February. For 1Q03, industry sales were $36.4 billion, a 3.2% sequential decline from 4Q02 and a 13%...

Strategic Marketing Associates (SMA). (Worldwide Highlights).(new equipment spending to rise until 2003)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Strategic Marketing Associates (SMA) data indicate that new equipment spending will rise slowly until 4Q03, when it is expected that double-digit growth will return to the industry. The projected growth is due to an increase in the number...

Applied Materials Inc. has acquired Boxer Cross Inc. for an undisclosed amount. (Worldwide Highlights: USA).(new method for in situ endpoint detection developed)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has acquired Boxer Cross Inc. for an undisclosed amount. In other Applied news, the company has been granted US patent No. 6,537,133, a method for in situ endpoint detection for CMP. The optical endpoint...

Akrion. (Worldwide Highlights: USA).(new cleaning system )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Akrion, Allentown, PA, has received US patent No.6,532,974 for Megazone, a cleaning system designed to enhance the company's GAMA automated wet stations.

Keithley Instruments Inc. and Novellus Systems Inc. are collaborating to develop electrical process diagnostic tests for copper and low-k integration. (Worldwide Highlights: USA).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Keithley Instruments Inc., Cleveland, OH, and Novellus Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, are collaborating to develop electrical process diagnostic tests for copper and low-k integration. The tests will be based on Keithley's S600 automatic DC...

Asyst Technologies Inc. and Mattson Technology Inc. have penned an alliance to integrate Asyst's next-generation unified atmospheric equipment front-end with Mattson's 300mm RTP equipment. (Worldwide Highlights: USA).(chip manufacturers to get improved equipment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Fremont, CA-based Asyst Technologies Inc. and Mattson Technology Inc. have penned an alliance to integrate Asyst's next-generation unified atmospheric equipment front-end with Mattson's 300mm RTP equipment. The integrated solution will offer...

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. have signed a sales and purchase agreement. (Worldwide Highlights: USA).(Micron transfering SRAM product inventory to Cyrpess)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Cypress Semiconductor Corp., San Jose, CA, and Micron Technology Inc., Boise, ID, have signed a sales and purchase agreement in which Micron will transfer its communications-oriented synchronous SRAM product inventory to Cyrpess. Micron has...

August Technology Corp. has completed the purchase of Semiconductor Technologies and Instruments Inc. (STI). (Worldwide Highlights: USA).(former Texas Instruments unit)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... August Technology Corp., Minneapolis, MN, has completed the purchase of Semiconductor Technologies and Instruments Inc. (STI), Plano, TX. STI was formerly a business unit of Texas Instruments Dallas.

Air Products has signed an exclusive multiyear agreement to supply its ultrahigh purity White Ammonia product. (Asia Focus: China).(electronic specialty gases)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Air Products, Lehigh Valley, PA, has signed an exclusive multiyear agreement to supply its ultrahigh purity White Ammonia product, as well as other electronic specialty gases, to Shanghai LanBao Photoelectric Materials Co. Ltd. Additionally,...

MEMSIC Inc. (Asia Focus: China).(new manufacturing facility in Wuxi, China)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... MEMSIC Inc., Andover, MA, has purchased eight acres in Wuxi, China, for the creation of a new 43,000 [ft.sup.2] manufacturing facility, which will be fully operational and qualified by ISO standards before the end of 2003. MEMSIC has invested...

Ten Japanese semiconductor materials suppliers. (Asia Focus: Japan).(next-generation materials project)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Ten Japanese semiconductor materials suppliers -- Fuji Film, Hitachi Chemical, JSR, Nitto Denko, Nissan Chemical, Sekisui Chemical, Sumitomo Chemical, Sumitomo Bakelite, Tokyo Ohka, and Toray -- will build joint test facilities and design...

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) and Fujitsu Ltd. will form a new flash memory company. (Asia Focus: Japan).(regulatory approval needed)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), Sunyvale, CA, and Fujitsu Ltd. will form a new flash memory company. FASL LLC will replace the two firms' 50-50 joint venture in Japan, Fujitsu-AMD Semiconductor Ltd. AMD will own 60% of the new company,...

Toppan Printing. (Asia Focus: Japan).(Toppan Printing ships e-beam photomasks to Selete)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Toppan Printing will ship the first e-beam photomasks to Selete for use in evaluating Nikon's e-beam tool starting this month. These masks are 200mm in diameter, a jump up from the earlier 100mm models, with a network of some 8000 1[mm.sup.2]...

Sumitomo Electric. (Asia Focus: Japan).(new gallium nitride wafers )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Sumitomo Electric is starting production of 2-in, gallium nitride wafers at the rate of 200 wafers/month, and plans to ramp to 500/month by October, for making blue-violet lasers to read next-generation optical disks. Most of these short...

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE). (Asia Focus: Taiwan).(development of electroplated wafer-bumping technology)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE), Taipei, has completed development of electroplated wafer-bumping technology on 200mm wafers, and has begun a pilot run at its Kaohsiung manufacturing facility. In the initial phase of volume...

Four of Taiwan's memory chipmakers, Nanya Technology Corp., Winbond Electronics Corp., Powerchip Semiconductor Corp., and Mosel Vitelic Inc. (Asia Focus: Taiwan).(South Korea may be aiding Hynix Semiconductor Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Four of Taiwan's memory chipmakers, Nanya Technology Corp., Winbond Electronics Corp., Powerchip Semiconductor Corp., and Mosel Vitelic Inc., will ask the local government to investigate subsidies South Korea is allegedly providing to Hynix...

Infineon Technologies AG. (Euro Focus).(will cut about 900 jobs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, will cut about 900 jobs, or almost 3% of its work force, over the next few months. The chipmaker said it would shed 500 positions in administration and 150 jobs in its cell phone parts division, mostly in...

STMicroelectronics NV (ST) has teamed with Hynix Semiconductor to jointly develop NAND flash products marketed by both companies. (Euro Focus).(Proton World International sold for about $39.4 mn )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... STMicroelectronics NV (ST), Geneva, Switzerland, has teamed with Hynix Semiconductor, Seoul, Korea, to jointly develop NAND flash products marketed by both companies. ST and Hynix will introduce a NAND product portfolio in 2H03. In other...

SUSS MicroTec and Danish Electronics, Light & Acoustics (DELTA) have launched MEMUNITY, a forum designed to provide information on MEMS test topics. (Euro Focus).(development of MEMS test equipment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... SUSS MicroTec and Danish Electronics, Light & Acoustics (DELTA) have launched MEMUNITY, a forum designed to provide information on MEMS test topics. MEMUNITY will partner with companies for the development of MEMS test equipment, including...

Soitec has acquired assets of the French epitaxial wafer supplier Picogiga. (Euro Focus).(compound semiconductor products makers merge)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Soitec, Bernin, France, has acquired assets of the French epitaxial wafer supplier Picogiga. The Soitec-Picogiga business will become a division of Soitec concentrated on the development and manufacture of compound semiconductor products.

Research chips away at the 45nm node. (Technology News).(Emerging Alternative Devices program)
June 1, 2003... IMEC has achieved some promising process and electrical results in its search for alternative CMOS device architectures for the 45nm node and beyond. Its Emerging Alternative Devices (EMERALD) program, which is open to industrial partners,...

Better PEB temperature profiling. (Technology News).(new robotically loaded temperature measurement system )
June 1, 2003... Engineers at SensArray, Fremont, CA, have developed a robotically loaded temperature measurement system with a 200mm or 300mm sensor wafer and attached self-contained wireless electronics formed in the weight of a silicon wafer (see photo). ...

Expect brighter LEDs from this new process. (Technology News).(new process for growing gallium nitride)
June 1, 2003... A new process for growing gallium nitride (GaN) on a sapphire substrate should help with the fabrication of brighter green, blue, and white LEDs. The process -- dubbed cantilever epitaxy -- was developed at Sandia National Laboratories,...

157nm takes optics to 2010. (Front End of Line).(optical lithography in IC production )
June 1, 2003... It is clear that optical lithography will be used for IC production for the rest of this decade, but which optical technology will be used at each step of this journey is not. Progress with 248nm resists and reticle enhancement techniques has...

Plain talk on low-k dielectrics. (Interconnect).(rules for producing good low-k materials)
June 1, 2003... Why can't the industry make a solid film with k = 2.2, a Young's modulus (E) as high as 10GPa, and leakage current as low as 1x[10.sup.-10]A/[cm.sup.2] in combination? The answer is: Three simple golden rules for making good low-k materials...

An update on the status of wafer-level packaging. (Test/Assembly/Packaging).(two industry alliances formed)
June 1, 2003... Only a few years ago, wafer-level packaging entered the scene because it solved some of the dire needs in packaging, particularly the natural progression of chip scale packages (CSP), by moving conventional backend processing into the frontend....

High-tilt implant and diffusion-less activation for lateral graded S/D engineering. (Cover Article).(types of transistor designs)
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW As the industry continues to scale devices to meet the various system-on-a-chip applications in the future, several types of transistor designs from planar and vertical single-gate, double-gate, and multigate devices are emerging,...

Integrating high-k dielectrics: etched polysilicon or metal gates? (Etch).(reduced gate leakage/higher capacitance gate stacks for stand-by low power applications)
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW There is an immediate need for reduced gate leakage/higher capacitance gate stacks for stand-by low power applications. For high-performance applications, where leakage is less of a restraining factor, the motivation for the...

Spin-on application of topside A/R coatings. (Lithography Part 3 of a Series).(antireflective )
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW The use of aqueous-based topside antireflective coatings (TARCs) for the purpose of improving CD control is a common photolitho-graphic process. The benefits of the CD control however, can be negated by yield losses due to the...

Real-time profile control for improved copper CMP. (CMP).
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW Maintaining constant line or sheet resistance across the wafer requires greater control of remaining copper thickness during the CMP process. Incorporating an in situ thickness sensor into the CMP process has yielded information...

MicronX.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Measure film thickness and composition of sub-100 micron metal structures with the optically collimated MicronX[TM] microbeam XRF system.

Nicolet ECO.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Detect carbon and oxygen in silicon wafers. Monitor dielectic films (BPSG, FSG, PSG, SiN, SiON). Characterize new low-k and porous low-k dielectric films.

NORAN System SIX.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... An ideal tool for semiconductor defect review, failure analysis and research on electron microscopes.

Theta 300.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Provides elemental and chemical state information, measures high-k and low-k dielectric films, layer thickness and uniformity.

Challenges and solutions for germane (Ge[H.sub.4]) packaging. (Gases/Gas Handling).
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW Germane gas is increasingly called for as a deposition reactant in water processing applications needing silicon germanium layers. Because this gas is a flammable, toxic, colorless gas reactive with oxidizers and halogens, its use...

Benefits derived from integrated loadlock pumping. (Vacuum Technology/Applications).
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW Within a wafer fab, a high percentage of systems use a vacuum or controlled atmosphere for deposition and other process steps. The passing of wafers into and out of these systems via loadlocks becomes a significant portion of...

Implementing a world-class OEE management system. (Fab Management/Software).(overall equipment effectiveness )
June 1, 2003... OVERVIEW Overall equipment effectiveness has become an industry maxim closely associated with successful production. Yet, proper determination of this metric can be done at too high a level, failing to uncover real-life root causes....

Semicon[R] West2003 preview.(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... Learn about the latest details of the 2003 ITRS draft. Examine groundbreaking technology from industry innovators. Manage fab production better. Absorb information about the China market. Where can you do all that? Go to SEMICON West's 33rd...

System handles 300mm inspection at low cost. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The AIT Fusion UV is new part of a family of products for high-throughput, high-sensitivity double-darkfield inspection systems developed to address the needs of 300mm inspection and excursion monitoring at 100nm design rules and below. The...

Metrology tool handles all copper/low-k processes. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The AMS series 3300 is a third-generation metal measurement tool that helps automate 300mm processes. The 3300 uses SurfaceWave technology to deliver high-throughput, noncontact, nondestructive measurements of the thickness and uniformity of...

Remote plasma source optimizes CVD chamber clean. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Xstream remote plasma source platform integrates a 6 or 8 kW remote plasma source and a highly efficient power supply with an active matching network to optimize CVD chamber clean as well as reactively enhanced deposition and etch...

PVD cluster tool boasts low-stress deposition. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Endeavor leading-edge PVD cluster tool for IC and photomask production features dual-cathode S-Gun source technology. The cluster platform can be configured with up to five independent source modules, or in combination including a plasma...

FIB system features fast editing for 90nm node. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The VectraVision advanced focused ion beam (FIB) system is for circuit edit applications for the 90nm process node. The VecraVision enables chipmakers to rapidly modify circuit functionality and verify new circuit designs. The tool incorporates...

System measures wafer and photomask CDs. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The MicroLine 300 system provides manual measurement of CDs for semiconductor wafers and photomasks. The system detects features from 0.5-40[micro]m in size using a 100x objective lens, and up to 800[micro]m at 5X. Measurement repeatability is...

Metrology system features wireless communication. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Accura C metrology system for advanced lithography is robot-loadable and is for lithography tracks with two or more robots arms. The system provides precise thermal data from real-time measurements of transient and steady-state temperature,...

Laser autofocus adjusts to other equipment. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The LF100 laser autofocus is suited for semiconductors and reflective specimens. The compact module adjusts to different microscopes and optical systems. A new optical design eliminates the need to manually adjust the focus trim and loop gain;...

Metrology tools for 65 and 45nm nodes. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... These stand-alone and integrated 200mm and 300mm metrology tools for 65nm and 45nm nodes have the repeatability and matching needed to enable reliable process control. The advanced capabilities of the ultra-II tools on CVD etch/polish stops and...

Surface roughness tester can operate anywhere. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The SJ-301 Surftest surface roughness tester can use standard Compact Flash memory cards to store measuring conditions, measured data, and statistical results. Functionality can be extended by using the optional SurfPak software for lab-like...

Monitor measures undiluted slurry in copper CMP. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The SlurryAlert BTA monitor provides continuous online measurement of undiluted slurry used in copper CMP. The monitoring system rapidly detects changes in particle size distribution and number of large particles, as well as shift in percent...

Wafer mapping tool handles 90nm and below. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The WaferSight optical flatness metrology tool provides high throughput wafer mapping of shape, flatness, and thickness variations. High-grade optics along with precision engineering enable both surfaces of a 300mm wafer to be mapped during a...

Pressure transducer helps save space. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Model 227 pressure transducer is designed for installation on modular gas delivery systems or panels for monitoring of specialty gas processes in high-purity gas delivery systems and semiconductor process tools. The transducer has a...

Wafer spin processing equipment. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The WS-600 series of single wafer spin processing equipment features digital inputs, allowing conditions such as etch endpoint and rinse to resistivity to be detected within the process and action taken as needed. Many process and safety...

Software makes defects visible. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The DAS XP software suite allows rapid detailed analysis of defect data on Leica's inspection and defect review tools, or as an off-line solution on a stand-alone desktop platform. The DAS XP system combines an easy-to-use intuitive user...

Tiny sensors can be mounted horizontally. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The VS4 series of opposed-mode self-contained miniature sensors are designed for precision sensing in tight spaces. Horizontal mounting capability and very small size make the VS4 well suited for applications previously accessible only by...

RF generator features low power, small size. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The CB 300 low power/high frequency RF generator features small size (a 4x5x12-in. chassis) and low weight (15 lb), but offers rugged and stable design. DC power input is used, along with the same solid-state devices and RF amplifier as the...

Vibration-free platform enhances tabletop equipment. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Model 2212 vibration-free platform is portable and has a guaranteed flatness of [+ or -]0.004 in. over 24x24 in. The platform is designed to enhance the performance of atomic force microscopes, micro hardness testers, profilometers,...

Combination pressure/vacuum transducer. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The HPS Series 910 DualTrans is a combination pressure/vacuum transducer. The GE marked Series 10 is a combination Piezo and Pirani sensor with integrated electronics, digital communications, analog output, and three setpoints as standard...

Programmable zoom and focus enhances packaging. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... ClearVU Vision Alignment is a programmable zoom-and-focus feature on the manufacturer s semi-automated and inline dispensers for high-precision HDI and semiconductor packaging applications. ClearVU simplifies complex set-up requirements of...

Spectrographs are for endpoint detection. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The multiwavelength SD 1024D spectrographs are used for endpoint detection in etch, CVD etch batch, and photoresist strip. When combined with a broadband light source, the spectrograph is used for etch applications without a stop layer (gate,...

Etch cluster tool is for MRAM development. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Tegal 6550 Spectra is an advanced etch cluster tool for MRAM development and pilot production. The 6550 Spectra features two dual-frequency ICP etch modules plus integrated downstream ICP and rinse-spin modules for fully integrated...

Software manages out-of-spec product, makes corrections. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... This module for the manufacturer's FACTORYworks, 300works, and PROMIS manufacturing execution software suites is called OCAPS (out-of-control action plans). OCAPS enables users to manage and accelerate the processing of out-of-spec product, and...

Bulk hydrogen purifiers feature modular design. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... PerfectH2 bulk hydrogen purifiers consist of 2-36 Palladium cells, mounted individually or in four-cell modules. Purifiers are available for flow rates up to 12,000 slpm. A modular design allows individual cells to be operated or serviced...

Heat pipes offer high performance. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The PhasePlane is an aluminum-extruded, grooved-wick heat pipe. In electronics cooling, it is claimed to have many advantages over standard, copper, and sintered-wick heat pipes, including mass manufacturability, ease of application, and low...

Nanopositioning stages boast high performance. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... HERA Piezo nanopositioning and scanning stages provide closed loop travel to 500[micro]m, which is claimed to be more than any comparable system on the market. Capacitive direct metrology guarantees high performance. Features include...

Linear motion guides feature long life. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... Linear motion guides using Caged Ball technology eliminate the heat associated with ball-to-ball friction, resulting in increased speed, longer product life, and less noise. Located within the ball cages are grease pockets that are designed to...

Wafer electro-deposition system is for long processes. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The Stratus vertical wafer electro-deposition system integrates the wafer quality and process advantages of vertical orientation with the economic advantages of parallel processing. Stratus is designed for long deposition time processes in...

Software provides statistical analysis. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... JMP software gives users the tools needed to understand data visually by linking statistics with graphics. This link helps to interactively explore, understand, and visualize data. A user can continuously explore data from all angles, helping...

Flow controller provides user flexibility. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The IntelliFlow II advanced digital mass flow controller provides flexibility with user-configurable gases and ranges. Users can program generic MFCs to virtually any gas and range, within select boundaries and with each configuration meeting...

Wipers clean water-contaminated surfaces. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... TX8410 AlphaSat wipers are pre-wet with 100% semiconductor-grade isopropyl alcohol. The wipers are used to clean surfaces that are sensitive to water contamination, such as vacuum process chambers of sputtering, etching, and CVD equipment....

Digital frame grabbers correct errors. (Product News).
June 1, 2003... The X64-CL series high-performance camera link digital frame grabbers can acquire images from two unsynchronized cameras simultaneously, transfer images at a rate up to 528Mbytes/sec, and provide 'trigger to image" reliability. The...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 1, 2003... * JUNE 2003 16 -- Call for Papers: Abstract deadline for Micromachining and Microfabrication (Jan. 24-29, 2004) -- San Jose, CA. Info: SPIE, ph 360/676-3290, spie@spie.org 16-18 -- CleanRooms Europe 2003 -- Frankfurt, Germany. Info:...

Intel's two-pronged approach. (Addressing Mask Costs).
June 1, 2003... The mask industry is entering the most critical period in its history. The technical challenges are unprecedented as the burden of achieving the semiconductor industry roadmap cannot be lightened by timely reduction of exposure tool wavelength,...

Maintaining design hierarchy key to faster turn-around-time. (Addressing Mask Costs).
June 1, 2003... Looking to the next generation of ICs at the 65nm node, data preparation and mask-manufacturing communities are increasingly concerned with the complexity of the data-handling flow. Since the closure of the gap between target feature size and...

Defect repair and photomask cost. (Addressing Mask Costs).(mask defect repair neglected)
June 1, 2003... Perhaps one of the most contentious comments made in lithography circles this last decade has been that "there is no business case for mask repair." As a result, mask defect repair has not received a level of attention comparable to other...