Solid State Technology articles from June 2009

Solid State Technology archives from June 2009

Blogging from the MRS spring meeting.(ONLINE AT WWW.SOLID-STATE.COM)(Techcet Group)(Materials Research Society)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
June 1, 2009... Michael A. Fury, senior technology analyst at Techcet Group, gives his daily take on the most interesting/ relevant of the 4000 papers presented at this year's MRS Spring meeting. Topics include: advances in phase-change memory; progress in the...

IMEC sees 22nm EUV SRAMs as call to action.(ONLINE AT WWW.SOLID-STATE.COM)(extreme-ultraviolet)(Interuniversity Microelectronics Center)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Extending last summer's 32nm achievement, European R&D consortium IMEC now says it has developed functional 22nm CMOS SRAM cells made using EUV lithography, including the first metal layer. IMEC provides more details and some broader...

Solar tech sets sales record--just as demand slows.(ONLINE AT WWW.SOLID-STATE.COM)(technology)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... If 2008 was a party for the solar PV industry, 2009 will be the morning after, warns Navigant Consulting's Paula Mints. Strong revenues will be remembered fondly as demand softens and technology prices continue falling. But take heart, she...

Light cycle: recycling PV materials.(ONLINE AT WWW.SOLID-STATE.COM)(photovoltaic)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Alongside the photovoltaic market's extraordinary growth is a need for a sustainable method for disposal of PV modules once they reach the end of their life. SST partner RenewableEnergyWorld. com reports on busy development of strategies and...

Semiconductor survivor call for entries.(Editorial)
June 1, 2009... These are difficult times for the semiconductor industry. Many would say the most difficult ever. Hopefully, we are nearing the end of the recession and prosperity will quickly return. Are you a survivor? We want to know. In the spirit of...

Memory sector ready to rebound? Not quite.(BUSINESS TRENDS)
June 1, 2009... Signs that the DRAM market hit a bottom in 1Q and is poised to rebound don't quite paint the whole picture, which from a broader perspective still shows things plodding along, far from a meaningful recovery. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Global...

The combined impact of memory oversupplies and a demand crash worsened by a global economic tailspin.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... The combined impact of memory oversupplies and a demand crash worsened by a global economic tailspin led to a -32% plunge in semiconductor capex in 2008, "one of the worst years in the history of the semiconductor capital equipment industry,"...

IBM and its alliance partners Chartered, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Infineon, Samsung Electronics, and STMicroelectronics released an evaluation kit for their 28nm.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
June 1, 2009... IBM and its alliance partners Chartered, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Infineon, Samsung Electronics, and STMicroelectronics released an evaluation kit for their 28nm, high-k/metal gate (HK+MG), low-power bulk CMOS process technology, with early "risk...

SEMATECH and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo have finalized a partnership to develop EUV resists and materials for the 22nm node and beyond.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)(extreme-ultraviolet)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... SEMATECH and Tokyo Ohka Kogyo have finalized a partnership to develop EUV resists and materials for the 22nm node and beyond, at the consortium's new Resist Materials and Development Center at the U. of Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and...

European R&D consortium IMEC and chemicals/materials supplier Cytec Industries are collaborating to develop "a commercially viable" technology for organic photovoltaic devices.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
June 1, 2009... European R&D consortium IMEC and chemicals/materials supplier Cytec Industries are collaborating to develop "a commercially viable" technology for organic photovoltaic devices, addressing stability issues and a new barrier/encapsulation...

Toshiba, Nakaya, and Amkor are forming a JV to provide system LSI assembly/test services.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
June 1, 2009... Toshiba, Nakaya, and Amkor are forming a JV to provide system LSI assembly/test services, targeting October 2009 as a startup date.

Varian Semi. Equip. Assoc. and Soitec are collaborating to develop a high-current implanter for Soitec's Smart Cut technology.(WORLDWIDE HIGHLIGHTS)
June 1, 2009... Varian Semi. Equip. Assoc. and Soitec are collaborating to develop a high-current implanter for Soitec's Smart Cut technology, eyeing the 22nm node.

This year's class of inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.(USA)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... This year's class of inductees into the National Inventors Hall of Fame--headlined by Gordon Moore, Jean Hoerni, Aflred Cho, and George Heilmeier--honor the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit (IC).

SVTC Technologies has raised an additional $34 million from existing investors Oak Hill Capital Partners and Tallwood Venture Capital.(USA)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... SVTC Technologies has raised an additional $34 million from existing investors Oak Hill Capital Partners and Tallwood Venture Capital, to be used in part for expanding capabilities to support analog, bio-device, and optical components...

Mentor Graphics has acquired LogicVision.(USA)
June 1, 2009... Mentor Graphics has acquired LogicVision, a developer of proprietary built-in self-test (BIST) technology, in a stock deal worth approximately $13M.

Ovonyx has licensed patents and IP relating to phase-change memory technology to Numonyx.(USA)
June 1, 2009... Ovonyx has licensed patents and IP relating to phase-change memory technology to Numonyx, the JV combining Intel's and STMicroelectronics' former flash memory businesses.

Asyst Technologies has filed voluntary Chapter 11 in the US.(USA)
June 1, 2009... Asyst Technologies has filed voluntary Chapter 11 in the US, and its two subsidiaries have filed for similar protection in Japan.

TriQuint Semiconductor has been accredited by the Department of Defense as a Category 1A 'Trusted Foundry'.(USA)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... TriQuint Semiconductor has been accredited by the Department of Defense as a Category 1A 'Trusted Foundry' for its 100mm gallium arsenide (GaAs) facilities in Richardson, TX, the highest award from the DoD, which opens up new business for...

Renesas and NEC are reportedly mulling a merger of operations by the end of the current fiscal year.(ASIAFOCUS)
June 1, 2009... Renesas and NEC are reportedly mulling a merger of operations by the end of the current fiscal year, which would create the third-largest global chipmaker behind Intel and Samsung.

UMC has proposed a $285M acquisition of Chinese partner HeJian Technology.(ASIAFOCUS)(United Microelectronics Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... UMC has proposed a $285M acquisition of Chinese partner HeJian Technology, which owns a 200mm/0.18[micro]m, 41,000 wpm facility. The two firms' relationship was the target of intense scrutiny by the Taiwanese government from 2005-2007.

Fujitsu is partnering with TSMC.(ASIAFOCUS)(Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.)(Fujitsu Microelectronics Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Fujitsu is partnering with TSMC to send 40nm logic manufacturing work to the foundry; the two companies also intend to "initiate discussions" on extending to 28nm and below.

Japanese test equipment supplier Advantest is consolidating several manufacturing subsidiaries and closing a factory.(ASIAFOCUS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Japanese test equipment supplier Advantest is consolidating several manufacturing subsidiaries and closing a factory. Toshiba, meanwhile, said it will continue extended temporary leave at chip plants in several locations until June.

SAFC Hitech and Air Water are extending their materials research services.(ASIAFOCUS)
June 1, 2009... SAFC Hitech and Air Water are extending their materials research services pact to Japan's silicon and compound semiconductor markets.

Hynix has developed a 1Gb DDR2 DRAM for mobile devices.(ASIAFOCUS)
June 1, 2009... Hynix has developed a 1Gb DDR2 DRAM for mobile devices using 54nm process technologies.

Researchers from Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) have developed a plastic-based solar cell.(ASIAFOCUS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Researchers from Korea's Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) have developed a plastic-based solar cell with efficiency rate of 6.2%, the highest achieved by a single-layer plastic organic PV cell.

Jordan Valley's JVX 6200 X-ray metrology tool has won a seat at TSMC.(ASIAFOCUS)
June 1, 2009... Jordan Valley's JVX 6200 X-ray metrology tool has won a seat at TSMC for copper layer thickness metrology.

Freescale plans to close 150mm fabs in France and Japan.(EUROFOCUS)(NXP Semiconductors)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Freescale plans to close 150mm fabs in France and Japan in order to save $100M/ year. NXP, meanwhile, reportedly has found unnamed buyers for its site in Caen (France).

ASMI is lining up new investors in the semiconductor sector.(EUROFOCUS)(Intel Capital Japan)(Tokyo Electron Ltd.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... ASMI is lining up new investors in the semiconductor sector: Intel Capital has bought a 4% stake, days after Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL) took a 4.9% stake as a long-term investment.

Q-Cells has sold its 17% stake (85M shares) in silicon supplier REC.(EUROFOCUS)
June 1, 2009... Q-Cells has sold its 17% stake (85M shares) in silicon supplier REC in order to pay down some credit.

Germany's Roth & Rau is acquiring cleanroom specialist Ortner Cleanroom Logistic Systems.(EUROFOCUS)
June 1, 2009... Germany's Roth & Rau is acquiring cleanroom specialist Ortner Cleanroom Logistic Systems for an undisclosed amount, strengthening its service and parts capabilities.

Sunfilm and Applied Materials have ramped to volume production of the world's first tandem-junction SunFab line.(EUROFOCUS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Sunfilm and Applied Materials have ramped to volume production of the world's first tandem-junction SunFab line at Sunfilm's site in Grossroehrsdorf, Germany, citing efficiencies of up to 8%.

IITC 2009: innovation in copper contacts, 3D, metrology.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(International Interconnect Technology Conference)
June 1, 2009... In its first foray outside of the US, IITC 2009 (June 1-3) took place in Sapporo, Japan, attended by some 600 scientists, engineers, exhibitors, and other interconnect professionals. The expectation, according to program chair Mike Shapiro, was...

28nm tapeouts proceeding according to plan.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Toppan Printing Co. Ltd. has established a new photomask manufacturing process at its photomask facility in Asaka, Japan, to support 32nm and 28nm semiconductor device production, through an ongoing joint development project with IBM....

Inside Novellus's tungsten CVD process for 32nm.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(Chemical vapor deposition)(Novellus Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Novellus says its new CoolFill tungsten CVD process offers a larger process window to achieve void-free fill that meets the ITRS' electrical property requirements for 32nm DRAM and logic devices. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Specifically,...

MIT makes 36nm lines with "interference" litho step.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
June 1, 2009... A team of researchers at MIT have produced 36nm-wide lines using interference patterns and a photochromic material, and say the technique could be extended down to patterns on the scale of individual molecules. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Thin films for 3D: ALD for non-planar topographies.(DEPOSITION)(atomic layer deposition)
June 1, 2009... Following the seminal work of Aleskovskii [1] and Suntola [2] in establishing the field of ALD science, the subject has rapidly expanded in both academic and commercial arenas to encompass a wide variety of applications. The proliferation of...

Combined reflectometry-ellipsometry technique to measure graphite down to monolayer thickness.(MATERIALS)
June 1, 2009... Graphene, a one-atom-thick planar sheet of SP2-bonded carbon atoms densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice, has attracted interest since the first reports of experiments on the stand-alone, single-layer crystal in 2004 [1,2]. Graphene is...

Integrated ODP metrology with floating n&k's.(SCATTEROMETRY)(optical digital profilometry)
June 1, 2009... Advanced DRAM manufacturing demands rigorous, tight process control using high measurement precision and accurate, traceable, high-throughput metrology solutions. Scatterometry is one of the advanced metrology techniques that satisfies these...

Engineered to the task: why camera-phone cameras are different.(WAFER-SCALE PACKAGES)
June 1, 2009... Despite its seeming pervasiveness, the camera phone is a relatively recent invention, as the first model was only launched in Japan in 2001. At face value, the camera inside a cell phone is no different from that found in many other digital...

Dual-stage photoresist coater/developer.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The Duo photoresist coat/ develop track platform features a unique dual-track design which distributes the load to reduce wafer transfer speed even at high output rates--250-300 wafers/ hour depending on configuration, the company claims--and...

In-situ etch chamber monitoring.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The EtchTemp SensorWafer in-situ plasma etch wafer temperature measurement product enables characterization of high-power, high-frequency etch process data for 65nm nodes and below, without modifying process recipe or tool/robot settings....

Green stage for litho.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The "Green" grid stage technology for step-and-repeat photolithography systems used for 3.5-4.5G flat-panel display manufacturing reduces power consumption by >99%. Four grid motors use just 27W of total power and require no separate cooling....

Three-axis nanopositioner.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The Nano-LPS Series low-profile piezo nanopositioner features larger apertures to accommodate slides and other media, analog and digital control with added scan synchronization features, and compatibility with major image and automation...

PV encapsulants.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The PV5200 Series encapsulant sheets, based on polyvinyl butyral (PVB) polymer technology, offer physical and processing performance levels (mechanical, optical, thermal, electrical, moisture) for glass-glass adhesion, and...

Protect sensitive components.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The ProTechna series protects critical and sensitive components from aggressive fluids and environmental conditions, preventing direct exposure to temperature, pressure, chemicals, erosion, corrosion, and abrasion and extending their...

Versatile SEM.(PRODUCT NEWS)
June 1, 2009... The Quanta 50 series scanning electron microscopes (SEM) is billed as a multipurpose SEM for imaging for a broad range of samples for materials research, chemicals, electronics, etc. Capabilities borrowed from the company's Magellan Extreme SEM...

Creating a data-driven tool architecture.(INDUSTRY FORUM)
June 1, 2009... Data requirements for semiconductor manufacturing equipment have increased dramatically over the past decade. So much, in fact, that tool-control software purchased or built more than five years ago is probably already outdated. Equipment...