Solid State Technology articles from September 2005

Solid State Technology archives from September 2005

Semi-aqueous solvent cleans rosin flux residue from flip-chip solder interconnections.(ONLINE)
September 1, 2005... Krishna G. Sachdev, Curt Fischer, Demian Riccardi, IBM Microelectronics Removal of rosin flux residue from flip-chip solder interconnections and under-the-chip surfaces is necessary to ensure long-term reliability of devices and to prevent...

Semicon West attendees choose 'best-in-show' products.
September 1, 2005... Solid State Technology invited SEMICON West attendees to vote on the best products they saw at the July trade show in San Francisco's Moscone Center. Three categories of awards were given for both the Wafer Processing Products and the Final...

Educating innovators.(EDITORIAL)
September 1, 2005... It was a rare quick exchange during Alan Greenspan's testimony before a Senate finance committee. After lengthy thoughtful analysis of the current economic situation by the head of the Federal Reserve Bank, a senator suggested that supporting...

China's wafer market ramping up.(BUSINESS TRENDS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... China's 200mm fab capacity will grow 35% in 2005 and 36% in 2006 to reach 322,000 wafer starts/month, quickly surpassing smaller-diameter substrates to lead domestic wafer output, according to a new report from Semiconductor Equipment and...

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), Sunnyvale, CA, has filed an antitrust complaint against Intel Corp., accusing its chip-making rival of illegally coercing customers to reject AMD chips to maintain its market dominance of x86 microprocessors.(USA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), Sunnyvale, CA, has filed an antitrust complaint against Intel Corp., accusing its chip-making rival of illegally coercing customers to reject AMD chips to maintain its market dominance of x86 microprocessors....

AmberWave Systems Corp.(USA)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... In other Intel news, AmberWave Systems Corp., Salem, NH, has filed suit against the company in federal court in Texas, alleging infringement of two techniques to increase semiconductor-device performance, used as part of strained-silicon...

The Science and Technology Bureau of the Municipal Government of Shenyang has announced a 3-5 year, $305 million project with Applied Materials, to introduce IC equipment and build 200mm demo and production lines.(China)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Science and Technology Bureau of the Municipal Government of Shenyang has announced a 3-5 year, $305 million project with Applied Materials, to introduce IC equipment and build 200mm demo and production lines. The region also is seeking...

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co.(China)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Semiconductor Manufacturing International Co. (SMIC) is mulling plans to turn leftover/scrapped silicon wafers from its chip manufacturing operations into solar cells, according to the Taiwan Economic News. The company is considering bolstering...

Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.(Japan)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) is spearheading a new R&D initiative, involving industry, government, and academia, in a five-year, [yen] 100 billion (~US$900 million) project to develop and...

On Semiconductor.(Malaysia)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... On Semiconductor plans to transfer wafer lab operations from its Site 2 in Seremban, Malaysia, to its Phoenix, AZ, fab by the end of next year as part of ongoing manufacturing consolidation. On Semi will maintain its 281,000 sq.ft assembly and...

Ministry of Economic Affairs.(Taiwan)(export rules to older chipmaking process technologies older chipmaking process technologies)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has modified its export rules to include 0.35[micro]m and older chipmaking process technologies, revising the baseline from 0.5[micro]m, but the policy does not apply to mainland China despite pressure from...

IMEC.(EUROFOCUS)(Product introduction)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... IMEC has completed its lineup of front-end-of-line tools for 300mm wafer processing, covering advanced processes up to silicide level for both planar bulk CMOS and multigate devices. Partners include Aixtron, Applied Materials, ASM...

CEA-LETI.(EUROFOCUS)(high-k metal gate transistors)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... French research group CEA-LETI said it has successfully completed its first high-k metal gate transistors on 300mm wafers, demonstrating the possibility of integrating high-k permittivity insulators (HfSiON) and metal gates into advanced MOS...

Applied seeks advanced transistor applications with conductor etch tool.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The latest etch technology from Applied Materials, called AdvantEdge, targets 45nm and 32nm applications such as high-k dielectric/metal gate and 3D transistor architectures. The new process builds on the company's DPS etch system and DPS II...

45nm opportunity: hopefuls propose new ways to measure new things.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... Virtually everything may be up for change at the 45nm node, but it looks like the metrology space may be the center of the action, judging from the frenzy of new players proposing new ways to measure new things at this year's Technology...

Eliminating Ta barrier removal.(TECHNOLOGY NEWS)
September 1, 2005... ACM Research believes that its latest stress-free polishing process, Ultra SFP, has made a paradigm shift possible with respect to preserving an effective k ([k.sub.eff]) value for the interconnect film stack. The process flow eliminates the...

Using advanced lithography to pattern Nano-optic devices.(NANOTECHNOLOGY)
September 1, 2005... Nano-optics--a class of highly compact, high-performance optical components that are readily customized and easily integrated with other optical devices and electronics--are of significant interest to both electro-optic circuit designers and...

Higher throughput and yields from laser scanning projection in WLP.(TEST/ASSEMBLY/PACKAGING)
September 1, 2005... To meet the patterning needs of wafer-level packaging (WLP), te IC industry has relied on familiar contact printers and stepper systems. There is, however, a new technology that promises to meet all of the lithography requirements for WLP. This...

Minimizing equipment downtime through advances in wafer handling.(AUTOMATION/WAFER HANDLING)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Production ramps in 300mm fabs have increased the emphasis on equipment availability. Productivity gains from larger wafers result in fab models of record (MOR) requiring fewer tools than needed to produce an equivalent number of...

Porous low-k dielectrics using ultraviolet curing.(COPPER/LOW-K INTEGRATION)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW It is essential to introduce porosity in carbon-doped oxides (CDO) to extend their applications to 45nm and beyond with k ********** Carbon-doped oxides deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) can be...

Determining printable defects with MEEF-based mask inspection.(PHOTOMASKS)(mask error-enhancement factor)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW The aim of mask error-enhancement factor (MEEF)-based inspection is to increase photomask yields by adjusting defect specifications to exclude harmless aberrations and small defects that have no impact on printed devices at the wafer...

A comprehensive control strategy for maximizing process capability.(SPECIAL REPORT: ADVANCED PROCESS CONTROL)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Advanced process control (APC) has become a central issue in wafer fabs when it comes to quickly introducing new technologies into production or fine-tuning tool performance for maximum yields. A comprehensive control strategy, based...

The effects of wet-etch parameters on: wafer-thinning etchants.(CHEMICALS/CHEMICAL HANDLING)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Designed experiments determine the effects of wet-etch parameters on the performance of several different types of wafer-thinning etchants. Based on the use of a single-wafer spin-processor for 200mm wafers, the studies investigate the...

1.2NA immersion tool operates in volume at 45nm node.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The Twinscan XT:1700i system is a 193nm immersion scanner capable of volume chip production at the 45nm node. The system has a numerical aperture of 1.2, which reportedly allows chipmakers to improve resolution by 30%, resulting in more chips...

CVD system uses plasma at low temps for batch wafers.(PRODUCT NEWS)(chemical vapor deposition )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... IRad is a 300mm plasma-enhanced batch thermal CVD system for thin-film deposition and is based on the design of the TELFormula variable-load-size reactor. The in situ plasma source allows film-forming chemical reactions to proceed at lower...

Plating system is extendible to direct on-barrier apps.(PRODUCT NEWS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The E-REX 300 ECP electrochemical plating system, for 45nm and 32nm-node technology, eliminates seed film-dependent plating performance with a patented porous resistive element (PRE) and an edge-profile control mechanism that allow uniform...

Dry strip system performs three critical operations in situ.(PRODUCT NEWS)
September 1, 2005... The Aspen III eHighlands dry strip system is designed for critical front-end-of-line and back-end-of-line process applications, including photoresist strip over low-k materials. The system, available in 200mm and 300mm versions, features a...

A roadmap perspective: revisiting DFM.(PERSPECTIVES)
September 1, 2005... Solid State Technology asked experts to comment on the implications of Roadmap requirements on DFM. Gate CD control: Beyond 'no known solutions' John Sturtevant, Design-to-Silicon Div., Mentor Graphics, San Jose, California What...

Sizzling markets spark memory innovation.(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... The demand for memory used to be driven mainly by business applications. That sector continues to grow with the rise of the Internet, e-commerce, and e-tailing, and much more active product tracking in retail channels as well as for...

Hard-disk revival driven by thirst for mobile storage.(Micro-drives)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Rapid growth in consumer electronics, particularly for mobile applications, is driving a surge in demand for hard-disk storage, particularly micro-drives. Meeting areal density challenges will require a shift from longitudinal to...

Process integration solutions for 0.18[micro]m embedded microFlash.(System-on-Chip)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Processing challenges have made it difficult to put flash memory on the same chip with CMOS logic. Using microFlash technology with some modified process steps enabled this integration to be implemented on 0.18[micro]m CMOS...

Magnetic head processing technology for small form-factor hard drives.(Hard Disk Drives)
September 1, 2005... OVERVIEW Platform-based process equipment and integrated process and metrology tools will be pivotal in advancing reliable, economical manufacturing of small form-factor hard disk drives (HDD). This article looks at key fabrication...

iSuppli Corp.(News & Products)
September 1, 2005... According to a recent report by iSuppli Corp., hard disk drives (HDD) will soon be posting one of the highest growth rates the market has seen in recent years, due to increasing demand from computer and noncomputer segments. The market research...

STMicroelectronics reportedly is seeking to acquire up to a 10% stake in South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... STMicroelectronics reportedly is seeking to acquire up to a 10% stake in South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor, in exchange for some of ST's NOR flash memory assembly lines, according to reports sourcing the Korea Economic Daily. The two chipmakers...

A California court has denied an appeal by Lexar Media seeking an injunction to prevent Toshiba from selling flash-memory technology in the US.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A California court has denied an appeal by Lexar Media seeking an injunction to prevent Toshiba from selling flash-memory technology in the US. In March, Lexar was awarded $465.4 million in damages from Toshiba relating to an agreement to...

Fujitsu Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corp. have agreed to jointly develop a new ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) chip by 1H06.(News & Products)
September 1, 2005... Fujitsu Ltd. and Seiko Epson Corp. have agreed to jointly develop a new ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) chip by 1H06, with 6x the capacity of current FeRAM chips and several hundred times faster than flash memory, according to the...

Spansion LLC, the NOR flash-memory JV between AMD and Fujitsu, plans to outsource chip production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., instead of earlier reported plans to partner with rival foundry UMC, according to the Taiwan Economic News.(News & Products)
September 1, 2005... Spansion LLC, the NOR flash-memory JV between AMD and Fujitsu, plans to outsource chip production to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., instead of earlier reported plans to partner with rival foundry UMC, according to the Taiwan Economic...

Integrated Silicon Solution Inc.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Integrated Silicon Solution Inc. has introduced the first in a line of 1.8V low-power SDRAMs, the IS42VS16100C1, a 16Mbit SDRAM. The device is organized as 1MX16, has a 2K refresh, and runs at 100MHz. It operates from a single 1.8V power supply...

Atmel Corp., San Jose, CA, and Malaysian foundry 1st Silicon have announced the start of Atmel flash memory production at 1st Silicon's Kuching, Sarawak, foundry.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Atmel Corp., San Jose, CA, and Malaysian foundry 1st Silicon have announced the start of Atmel flash memory production at 1st Silicon's Kuching, Sarawak, foundry. In addition to 0.18[micro]m serial flash, Atmel will also manufacture...

ProMOS Technologies.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Taiwan memory-chip maker ProMOS Technologies plans to start a new fab line in China to boost its declining revenues, the South China Morning Post has reported. ProMOS recently reported an 8.8% interim loss of NT$1.263 billion (US$308.67...

Asahi Glass Co. Ltd.(News & Products)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, will begin manufacturing and selling glass substrates for hard disk drives (HDD), due to the forecasted growth in demand for drives to be used in consumer electronics. The company already has the technologies...