Solid State Technology articles from June 2006

Solid State Technology archives from June 2006

Chasing rainbows in the Nanoworld?(EDITORIAL)
June 1, 2006... Nanotechnology is seen by many as "the next big thing." It promises many new types of devices and effects that could be used in sensors, displays, light sources, and a host of other applications, in electronics as well as in a wide range of...

Gartner hikes equipment spending outlook.(BUSINESS TRENDS)(Forecasts of Gartner Inc. )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... After hitting a low point at the end of 2005, capital equipment investments by semiconductor firms are expected to pick up again in 2006 with 14% growth, nearly twice that of earlier predictions, according to new forecasts from Gartner Inc. The...

Optimistic over what it sees are improving conditions in the DRAM segment, iSuppli has slightly raised its outlook for 2006 and 2007 chip sales, although noting that end-use application markets won't fare as well as they did in 2005.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(forecasts of isuppli corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Optimistic over what it sees are improving conditions in the DRAM segment, iSuppli has slightly raised its outlook for 2006 and 2007 chip sales, although noting that end-use application markets won't fare as well as they did in 2005. Meanwhile,...

Strong sales of cell phones, attributed to shorter replacement cycles and robust demand in China, drove a 7.3% increase in overall semiconductor sales in 1Q06 from a year ago, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Strong sales of cell phones, attributed to shorter replacement cycles and robust demand in China, drove a 7.3% increase in overall semiconductor sales in 1Q06 from a year ago, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. Worldwide chip...

A California court has awarded $306.5 million in damages to Rambus Inc., Los Altos, CA, in its litigation against Hynix Semiconductor, regarding patent claims relating to SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and DDR2 memory technology.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A California court has awarded $306.5 million in damages to Rambus Inc., Los Altos, CA, in its litigation against Hynix Semiconductor, regarding patent claims relating to SDRAM, DDR SDRAM, and DDR2 memory technology. Rambus has similar patent...

LSI Logic sold its 200mm, 18,000 wafers/ month fabrication facility in Gresham.(USA)(ON Semiconductor L.L.C. acquires LSI Logic Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... LSI Logic sold its 200mm, 18,000 wafers/ month fabrication facility in Gresham, OR, to analog semiconductor maker ON Semiconductor for $105 million in cash, and signed a two-year, $200 million wafer supply and test services pact.

Intel Corp.(USA)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Intel Corp. says it will have production samples ready by 4Q06 for its 1Gbit NOR multilevel cell (MLC) flash memory chips utilizing 65nm process technology already in production with its microprocessors, with an "aggressive ramp" of the...

Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has agreed to acquire Longmont.(acquisition of Applied Films Corp. by Applied Materials Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Applied Materials Inc., Santa Clara, CA, has agreed to acquire Longmont, CO-based Applied Films Corp. for approximately $464 million in stock, giving the semiconductor equipment giant complementary thin-film deposition technologies for its...

Alliance Semiconductor Corp.(USA)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Alliance Semiconductor Corp. is selling its analog and mixed-signal business unit to a group of investors for $9.25 million in cash, in an effort to end "years of losses" from its semiconductor operations. The deal comes just weeks after the...

Cadence Design Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, and networking startup Teranetics Inc., Santa Clara, CA, have implemented Teranetics' 10Gbit Ethernet (10GBase-T) chips using the X-Architecture design layout, which utilizes diagonal interconnects instead of the traditional right-angle layout.(USA)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Cadence Design Systems Inc., San Jose, CA, and networking startup Teranetics Inc., Santa Clara, CA, have implemented Teranetics' 10Gbit Ethernet (10GBase-T) chips using the X-Architecture design layout, which utilizes diagonal interconnects...

Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and STMicroelectronics's JV chipmaking facility in Wuxi.(ASIAFOCUS: China)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and STMicroelectronics's JV chipmaking facility in Wuxi, reportedly has begun test operations a year after breaking ground, and will begin mass production of 20,000 200mm wafers/month by this summer.

PSi Technologies Holdings Inc.(ASIAFOCUS: China)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... PSi Technologies Holdings Inc., a provider of assembly and test services, said it will close its facility in Chengdu, as part of a move to consolidate operations. Work performed at the site will be partially shifted to the company's facility in...

Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp.(ASIAFOCUS: Japan)(produce NAND flash memory )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. plan to build another 300mm wafer fab at Toshiba's operations in Yokkaichi to produce NAND flash memory starting in 4Q07. The new facility will be similar in size to Fab 3, also at Yokkaichi, which opened last...

Despite some losses caused by price wars, Japan's top seven semiconductor manufacturers are set to spend a record combined [yen]1.01 trillion (almost US $9 billion) on facilities and equipment in fiscal 2006, to try and capitalize on the growing popularity of digital consumer electronics, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.(ASIAFOCUS: Japan)(digital consumer electronics)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Despite some losses caused by price wars, Japan's top seven semiconductor manufacturers are set to spend a record combined [yen]1.01 trillion (almost US $9 billion) on facilities and equipment in fiscal 2006, to try and capitalize on the...

Elpida Memory Inc.(ASIAFOCUS: Japan)(capacity in terms of storage amounts)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Elpida Memory Inc. plans to raise production capacity at its 300mm site in Hiroshima by about 24% from current levels to 67,000 wafers/month by April 2007, according to local media reports. The company aims to more than double overall DRAM...

Ibiden Co.(ASIAFOCUS: Japan)(new semiconductor packaging)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Ibiden Co. plans to invest [yen]8.5 billion (about US $72 million) to build a new semiconductor packaging facility in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, according to the Asia Pulse Businesswire. The site, to be completed by January 2007, will complement...

Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.(ASIAFOCUS: Malaysia)(Wafer fab production capacity)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Wafer fab Silterra Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. has increased production capacity by 20% to 33,500 wafer starts/month, part of an expansion plan to achieve 40,000 wafer starts/month by the end of this year. Some of the capacity is dedicated to...

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd.(ASIAFOCUS: Singapore)(silicon-on-insulator technology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. is migrating production of CPUs built with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology for Microsoft's Xbox gaming console to 65nm process technologies, and is expanding its license of IBM Corp.'s 90nm-based...

United Test and Assembly Center.(ASIAFOCUS: Singapore)(opened a second production facility in Singapore)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Backend services provider United Test and Assembly Center (UTAC) has opened a second production facility in Singapore, consolidating its test and total backend services for mixed-signal and logic products, and announced a five-year, $313...

Toppan Photomasks Inc.(ASIAFOCUS: South Korea)(upgrades to the company Singapore facility)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Toppan Photomasks Inc., Round Rock, TX, has begun customer qualifications for 90nm and 65nm prototype development at its expanded site in Ichon. The expansion, announced in June 2005, follows similar upgrades to the company's Singapore...

United Microelectronics Corp.(ASIAFOCUS: Taiwan)(SEMATECH'S R&D)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) has a new partner for leading-edge process development: SEMATECH'S R&D fab subsidiary Advanced Technology Development Facility. Joint work will focus on three custom technology development projects over the...

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.(ASIAFOCUS: Taiwan)(Semiconductor industry report)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reportedly provide 0.13[micro]m manufacturing services to top domestic fabless house MediaTek Inc. for its LCD TV chips, noted the Taiwan Economic News. MediaTek was formerly a design house of UMC,...

ChipMOS Technologies Inc., Oracle Corp., and Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry are developing ah information system for semiconductor supply chains based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.(ASIAFOCUS: Taiwan)(ChipMOS Technologies Inc)(radio-frequency identification technology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... ChipMOS Technologies Inc., Oracle Corp., and Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry are developing ah information system for semiconductor supply chains based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The goals of the project,...

Facing increasing pressure particularly from Asian competition, Altis Semiconductor, the chipmaking JV of Infineon Technologies AG and IBM Corp.(EUROFOCUS)(lay off)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Facing increasing pressure particularly from Asian competition, Altis Semiconductor, the chipmaking JV of Infineon Technologies AG and IBM Corp., said it will reduce output by nearly 30% to about 30,500 wafers/month and lay off about 15% of its...

Hynix Semiconductor.(EUROFOCUS)(World Trade Organization )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The European Union reportedly will lower its countervailing tariff on memory chips from South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor to 32.9% from 34.8%, following a ruling from the World Trade Organization (WTO) last year that the EU's tariff did not...

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD).(EUROFOCUS)(development test chips)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) said it is has begun revenue shipments of AMD64 processors based on 90nm process technologies from its Fab 36 300mm facility in Dresden. AMD is now producing 65nm development test chips in parallel with the...

IBM constructs IC along single-walled CNT.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(International Business Machines Corp)
June 1, 2006... IBM researchers have fabricated a CMOS-type ring oscillator circuit entirely on one 18gm-long, single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) (Figs. 1 and 2) using standard semiconductor processes [1], and taking advantage of the CNT's long, thin...

Future dielectrics for interconnects.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(Materials Research Society)
June 1, 2006... The Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting in San Francisco drew thousands of technologists from around the world for a week of presentations and posters on the latest R&D and manufacturing results. Seven of the 34 parallel sessions...

Mapping the road to NIL.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(nanoimprint lithography )
June 1, 2006... Researchers at Georgia Tech and Sandia National Laboratories have concluded a three-year study that identifies key parameters determining the outcome of the nanoimprint lithography (NIL) process, in essence developing a "roadmap" of the...

Samsung tips 3D memory package.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(equivalent wire-bonded multichip package)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. says it has developed a wafer-level processed stack package (WSP) of high-density memory chips that is 15% smaller and 30% thinner than an equivalent wire-bonded multichip package, using through-silicon via...

Spin is in for TFT fabrication.(Tech Briefs)(created a high-quality silicon film)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Aiming to find a low-cost, high-throughput process for fabricating high-performance thin-film transistors (TFT), researchers at Seiko Epson and JSR Corp. have created a high-quality silicon film formed with a spin-coat method and inkjet...

Early success with 22nm memory switch.(Tech Briefs)(access memory technology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Nantero Inc. says it has successfully demonstrated scalability of its nonvolatile random access memory (NRAM) technology, with fabrication and testing of a 22nm NRAM memory switch. The NRAM switches are fabricated using a proprietary fabric...

Integrated MBE process for IR detector.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(mercury cadmium telluride detectors)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Infrared detectors for applications such as missile seeking, targeting, navigation, and night-vision goggles are costly and involve complex processing, often on 2-in. wafers. A newly integrated molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) process enables...

New squeeze for advanced photoresists.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(dispensing of photoresist chemicals)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A packaging system for direct pressure dispensing of photoresist chemicals was recently announced by ATMI Packaging. Developed in conjunction with TEL, chemical suppliers, and end users, the new system, called PDMPak, was designed to minimize...

Mapping progress in 3D IC integration.(integrated circuits)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW As the limits to continued CMOS scaling loom larger, system designers are increasingly turning to multichip packages as a means to enhance performance without fitting ever more devices on a single chip. To connect...

Dr. Mark L. O'Neill lead research chemist.(Air Products organosilicate glass and specialty gas)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Q How do I meet various technology node requirements without significant changes to my low-k process? A Extending existing low-k processes to next generation technology nodes is a challenge faced by many of our customers. To meet this need,...

A new ballgame for lithography beyond higher NA.(LITHOGRAPHY)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW While the leading lithography equipment suppliers race to achieve systems with higher numerical apertures, they are employing radically different means to achieve their ends. Understanding these various approaches can be...

Semiconductor applications using short-pulsed UV lasers.(COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTOR)(lasers can be used by the semiconductor industry)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Excimer and UV diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) lasers can be used by the semiconductor industry, and others, in applications that cannot be performed by mechanical, chemical, or other laser fabrication methods. These...

Handset functionality drives mobile display processes.(FPDs)(Market overview)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Manufacturers of mobile displays are responding to demands from the market for improved features and performance by turning to innovative product design, selection of more suitable materials, and upgrades to process...

Automated mass spectrometry to detect impurities in harsh acid chemistries.(CONTAMINATION CONTROL)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW An automated, in-line mass-spectrometry (ILMS) system using basic time-of-flight principles has been developed that can detect part-per-trillion contamination levels of metals in harsh acid chemistries. Special hardware...

Late-porogen removal integration for ultra-low-[k.sub.eff] IMDs.(INTERCONNECT)(integrated intermetal dielectric)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW The value [k.sub.eff] has become a valuable metric for evaluating the quality of the final integrated intermetal dielectric (IMD) film stack. Achieving the ITRS projection of 2.5 [k.sub.eff] for interconnect dielectric by the...

Analyzing Si-based structures in 3D with a laser-pulsed local electrode atom probe.(METROLOGY)(high-speed laser pulsing and local electrode geometry )
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW The addition of high-speed laser pulsing and local electrode geometry has transformed the 3D atom probe into a metrology tool that is capable of analyzing Si-based nanostructures on an atom-by-atom basis. In this work,...

Optimizing process window robustness with reconfigurable OPC.(reconfigurable optical proximity correction)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW In this work, a reconfigurable optical proximity correction (OPC) approach is taken to enhance process window robustness for sub-100nm designs. First, a physics-based method for lithography process window verification is...

A high-temperature batch-spray process for implanted resist stripping.(WAFER CLEANING)(Photoresist stripping)
June 1, 2006... EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW Photoresist stripping in IC manufacturing has become more challenging as the number of photoresist levels has increased, while at the same time allowable material loss and surface damage has decreased. Heavily implanted...

Preview: Semicon West 2006.(West conference and exhibition)
June 1, 2006... The 36th annual SEMICON West conference and exhibition will be held in San Francisco again this year with new special areas devoted to solving challenging problems. The conference program will run from Monday, July 10-Thursday, July 13, while...

Vistec launches e-beam trio.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The VB-300 e-beam lithography tool, successor to the VB6-UHR EWF, incorporates a 100kV high-brightness gun and 50MHz/20bit intelligent pattern generator, with field size capability of 1.2mm at 50-100kV operation. Enhancements include a stiffer...

Step-and-repeat NIL system.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The EVG770 step-and-repeat UV-based nanoimprint lithography (NIL) stepper targets post-optical lithography needs for 32nm node semiconductor manufacturing. It features resolution down to 10nm, and sub-50nm overlay alignment accuracy via a...

Solving wet processing needs.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... This automated system combines interface, processing, drying, and transfer modules for acid or solvent wet processing requirements meeting NFPA, NEC, and SEMI standards. It features event- and recipe-driven process controls, with an...

Tool for 45nm photomask etching.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Mask Etcher V platform is the company's fifth-generation dry etch tool that extends into 45nm manufacturing processes. Features include sub-3nm uniformity in chrome etch and 2[degrees] phase uniformity for advanced quartz mask. The platform...

Testing the MEMS waters.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 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...

Test tool for lower-end needs.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... This Compact Test Head tool, part of Agilent's 93000 SoC series, targets lower-end test needs for digital and mixed-signal consumer devices. It has 18 hardware slots (16 slots for digital, analog, and RF cards, plus two for device power...

New pulse and pattern generators.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Series 3400 line of pulse/pattern generators offer signal quality and precise control for semiconductor device and material research and characterization, as well as process integration. The single- and dual-channel products offer 1-165MHz...

CVD tool for diamond deposition.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Model 650 hot filament chemical-vapor deposition (CVD) reactor is a fourth-generation tool for applying diamond coatings in a variety of process and tool applications. It adds integrated process control for allowing unattended operation and...

Controller for vacuum transducers.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The PDR900 controller is a standalone, single-channel power supply and readout unit for use with MKS's HPS Series 900 digital vacuum transducers. It features three high-power setpoint relays for process control, and a leak detection feature...

Double-speed wafer surface inspection.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The WI-2000 wafer inspector is designed for advanced surface inspection and defect detection on whole wafers, wafers on hoop rings, and wafers on filmframe carriers. It integrates ICOS's proprietary image processing board, as well as improved...

Double-sided wafer cleaning option.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The DV-38DS offers eight double-side process modules instead of the eight standard chambers in SEZ's DV-38 300mm tool, for simultaneous high-throughput removal of wafer frontside polymers and backside organics and particles. The system uses...

Post-measurement computation.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Matchbox computation engine is a new scatterometry acceleration tool that provides advanced critical dimension (CD) metrology for 65nm device manufacturing. It enhances productivity of scatterometry-based CD and profile metrology systems by...

Coating for temporary wafer bonds.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The WaferBond coating line combines a new spin on polymer and remover, specially designed for temporary wafer bonding applications in compound semiconductor and MEMS manufacturing. Features include a single coat >10[micro]m, process...

E-beam lab unit.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The AEB e-beam lab unit is a compact and modular tool for evaluating the use of e-beams in various curing, sterilization, materials modification and research, and process development applications. The unit features a solid-state power supply...

Remote particle counting.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Met One 4500 series remote airborne particle counter remotely monitors cleanrooms, samples inert gases, and verifies mini-environments in electronics, life sciences, and industrial environments. Minimum sensitivity is 0.3-0.5[micro]m, with...

Programmble signal gating module.(PRODUCT NEWS)(integral variable gate control delay)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Programmable Signal Gating Module line of analytical quadrupole mass spectrometers is designed for data gathering from pulsed plasma diagnostics and timed surface science applications, either supplied with new instruments or retrofitted...

Small-footprint CD metrology tool.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The ultrasmall-footprint (84x119cm) 8000-CD system offers film thickness measurement and determination on 150mm and 200mm wafers, for 5[micro]m to sub-90nm critical dimensions (as well as trench depths and profiles), and n and k values from...

Copper additives for sub-65nm manufacturing.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Ultrafill L-4000 series of levelers and suppressors targets sub65nm node interconnect metallization for memory and logic devices. The levelers feature the ability to "dial-in" specific amounts of dopants into ultrapure copper films, to...

Photoresists for bump, thick-resist apps.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The SIPR photoresist is a second-generation positive-tone thick photoresist designed to eliminate cracking during plating. It is capable of a single coat up to 100[micro]m thick, offering improved photo speeds, and is easily stripped with...

Wafer bonder platform for R&D.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Elan wafer bonder, targeting R&D and other low-volume bonding applications, has the same core technology as the company's higher-end bonders, and is compatible with its MA/BA mask aligners. Standard configuration is supplied on a metal...

In-air electron detector.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Model AC-2 photoelectron spectrometer measures ionization potential and work function of surface in air, without requiring a vacuum environment. It consists of an open counter, equipped with a UV source, capable of measuring samples up to...

New NIR spectrograph.(PRODUCT NEWS)(optical emission spectroscopy)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The SD512NIR spectrograph is designed for use in optical emission spectroscopy and interferometric endpoint applications requiring measurement of wavelengths in the near-infrared. The product, which features a 512-element, linear...

Aero-mechanical platform for FPD substrates.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Smart Nozzle technology )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The GAMP noncontact turnkey platform offers noncontact motion, positioning, and handling for large-format flat-panel display substrates under most production scenarios. The product incorporates a stationary platform to let the substrate float,...

Pressure measurement device.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The model 760 VactronO series capacitance manometer offers a variety of vacuum and pressure measurements for semiconductor process tools, industrial OEM systems, and laboratory and R&D equipment. Measurement parameters range from 0-10 to 1000...

Screen-printable phase change material.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The PCM45F-SP thermal interface material is a screen printable phase-change material aiming to give chipmakers more flexibility during the semiconductor packaging process. It has a thermal impedance of .07[degrees]C-[cm.sup.2]/W, a specific...

New platform for chip design.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2006... The Talus platform provides RTL-to-tapeout through a new IC implementation methodology, "Automated Chip Creation" built on Magma's unified data model architecture, which the company claims lets designers create flat or hierarchical layouts in...

Are "finishing fabs" the answer to 450mm wafers?(INDUSTRY FORUM)(industry forecasts)
June 1, 2006... The 2005 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS, p. 75) has generated a lot of press by designating the 450mm wafer size for production in 2012. Some of the issues being raised include the cost of developing the conversion...