Company News
-- Semiconductor International, 6/1/2001
Dow Corning Corp. (Midland, Mich.) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Seoul, Korea) joined forces to develop and refine interlayer dielectric applications using Dow Corning's XLK dielectric materials. The agreement is designed to combine the two companies' strengths behind an effort to have XLK meet cutting-edge k=2.0 specifications for the 70 nm node with problem-free integration.Numerical Technologies Inc. (San Jose) entered a multiyear, multimillion dollar technology cross-licensing agreement with Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) for advanced photolithography. The agreement gives Intel the rights to use Numerical's phase-shifting technology and software. Numerical gains access to Intel's patents related to advanced lithography.
FSI International (Minneapolis) achieved breakthrough CD uniformity linked to a high-NA, 248 nm exposure system during acceptance testing of its POLARIS 3500 microlithography cluster at a leading semiconductor manufacturer. The system processed 140 nm dense features on 300 mm wafers using a 248 nm exposure source with a binary reticle. It achieved wafer-to-wafer uniformity of <2.5 nm, 3 s and cross-wafer uniformity of <7.0 nm, 3 s.
KLA-Tencor Corp. (San Jose) signed a definitive agreement to purchase Phase Metrics (San Diego). Phase Metrics' tools and technologies will be combined with KLA-Tencor's data storage inspection and metrology to create a corporate division focused on advanced data storage technologies.
Tegal Corp. (Petaluma, Calif.) received an order for its 901e and 903e plasma etch systems from Opto Tech Corp. The 901e will be used to etch polysilicon devices and the 903e for oxide etching. The systems will be installed at Opto Tech's 150 mm wafer fab in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Verteq Inc. (Santa Ana, Calif.) received an order for its Goldfinger V-Sonic single-wafer cleaning system from a leading Asian semiconductor manufacturer. The system will be used for post-CMP copper, post-CVD and post-ash cleans. The systems are scheduled to ship this month.
Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) opened a new cleanroom manufacturing facility as part of a multiphase manufacturing center in Tainan, Taiwan, and started construction on a new Southeast Asia headquarters in Singapore. The Tainan operations focus on customer support and manufacturing of key semiconductor equipment components in a modern cleanroom facility.
Extraction Systems Inc. (Franklin, Mass.) received an order for its TMB 150 process monitor from Microchip Technology. It is used to determine resist contamination related to critical dimension shift rates in its photolithography tools. The system is installed at Microchip's fab in Tempe, Ariz.
Honeywell (Morris Township, N.J.) and Texas Ultra Pure Inc. (Mansfield, Texas) combined their U.S. wet-process chemicals businesses to form a new company called GEM Microelectronic Materials LLC. GEM will be headquartered in Chandler, Ariz., and will have manufacturing facilities in Chandler and Mansfield. The company will continue to be supported by Honeywell manufacturing sites in Geismar, La., Muskegon, Mich., Germany, Japan and Taiwan.
AIXTRON AG (Aachen, Germany) received a repeat order for an AIX 2400G3 MOCVD planetary reactor from Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (Itami, Japan). It will be used to develop new device structures for lasers with a fast transfer to the production department.
Tystar Corp. (Torrance, Calif.) secured a $2.7M order for its TYTAN furnace equipment from a major company in Taiwan. The equipment will be used for the production of MEMS devices, using 150 and 200 mm silicon wafers. Delivery is scheduled for next quarter.
Axcelis Technologies Inc. (Beverly, Mass.) received a $10M order for multiple implanters from Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (Migdal Haemek, Israel). Axcelis will install multiple systems from its high-current and high-energy ion implant platforms at Tower's new Fab 2. Installation of the first systems is scheduled for July. Axcelis also received a multimillion dollar order from Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC). This order includes a suite of ion implant, photostabilization and photoresist dry strip tools. Initial shipments to SMIC's advanced technology Shanghai fab are scheduled for August.
Micron Technology Inc. (Boise, Idaho) completed the $25M purchase of Kobe Steel Ltd.'s equity interest in KMT Semiconductor Ltd. (Nishiwaki City, Japan) along with the land where the KMT facility is located. KMT is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Micron.
Jusung Engineering Co. (Gwangju, Korea) received an order for its TaO MOCVD equipment from a U.S. non-memory IC manufacturer. The tools will be used for low-temperature MIM capacitors for rf products.
DuPont Photomasks Inc. (Round Rock, Texas) increased its Round Rock facility's 0.13 µm and below production capacity by adding a new production line anchored by a JEOL JBX-9000MV pattern generator. Customer qualifications are underway.
Brooks Automation Inc. (Chelmsford, Mass.) shipped its 100th cluster tool to a major OEM. Brooks cluster tools can be found in the world's largest semiconductor, data storage and flat-panel display fabs.
SELA Ltd. (Sunnyvale, Calif.) installed the 10th MC500 microcleaving system at Samsung's Line 11. SELA's relationship with Samsung goes back to 1995, when Samsung acquired SELA's MC100 system.
Cymer Inc. (San Diego) received the first order for its CymerOnLine lithography light source-specific, e-diagnostics and performance monitoring software from a major Korean semiconductor manufacturer. The software initially will be used to monitor Cymer's light sources installed within the customer's facility.
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. (Lehigh Valley, Penn.) began construction of a second tungsten hexafluoride production plant at its Hometown, Pa., manufacturing facility. Phase 1, which brings 100,000 lbs/yr initial on-stream capacity, is scheduled for completion by early 2002.
SensIR Technologies (Danbury, Conn.) formed SensIR Europe Ltd., the new headquarters of its European support operation in Warrington, England. This will enable higher-level support in Europe.
Accent Optical Technologies (Bend, Ore.) acquired GaAsCode Ltd.'s intellectual property and know-how relating to GaAsCode's pulsed IV measurement instrument. This extends Accent's product offerings from semiconductor materials process control to device and IC process control.
EV Group Inc. (Cranston, R.I.) received an order for its EV850 wafer bonding system from Clare Inc. The system will be used for developing and manufacturing high-voltage analog and mixed-signal IC devices.
Aeronex Inc. (San Diego) completed a study conducted with the University of California-Santa Barbara to determine how the use of gas purifiers in the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) film growth process affects film performance. The one-year study concluded that, when using an Aeronex gas purifier, nitrogen can be used to replace hydrogen as the carrier gas with no loss of film purity.
Hypervision (Fremont, Calif.) opened a branch office in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The 1800 ft2 facility is designed to meet service and sales needs throughout Asia. A demonstration facility is on-site and includes a 300 mm emission microscope, Chip UnZip backside preparation system and PTF1 portable emission microscope.
ASAT Inc. (Fremont, Calif.) installed a dedicated lead-free plating line at its Hong Kong facility to provide an enhanced array of environmentally beneficial IC package solutions.
