SEMICON West 98 Repeats Two-City Format

		At a Glance
	As July gets closer, the final touches are being made for this year's show. On hand will be more than 1000 exhibiting companies in San Francisco featuring wafer processing related products and services, in addition to more than 500 companies in San Jose for test, assembly and packaging. This year also welcomes the 25th anniversary of SEMI Standards meetings, which will be celebrated at a special awards reception.

Following last year's successful segmentation of the largest annual U.S. semiconductor equipment and materials trade show, this year's SEMICON West will once again take place at two locations. Keeping with last year, wafer processing (front-end) events and exhibits will take place July 13-15 in San Francisco, and those for test, assembly and packaging (back-end) will be held July 15-17 in San Jose.  

In this issue, we will fill you in on the show basics: dates, times, locations and events. Additional, in-depth information will be provided in an upcoming special mid-June show extra -- complete with floor maps of exhibitors, things to do in San Francisco and San Jose, show products and more -- as well as in the July issue.

Exhibitions and technical programs

Last year's show proved that a split-city exhibition was not only possible, but effective. The big challenge now, however, is keeping up with the growing space demands for exhibits, programs and services. But shortage of space is not keeping the exhibitors away. In fact, this year there are more exhibitors scheduled than ever before.

More than 1500 companies are already preparing to be on hand. The wafer processing segment will feature more than 1000 companies occupying 2900 booths; and the test, assembly and packaging portion will host more than 500 companies taking up 1350 booths.

According to SEMI, last year's post-show analysis indicated that there were 1433 exhibiting companies at SEMICON West 97, representing 17 countries and occupying 4232 booths. The main product interest of visitors was in process equipment, followed by wafer handling and storage.

Those visiting the latest new products and technologies this year can do so July 13-15 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and July 15-17 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose. Exhibition hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, except for the San Francisco portion Wednesday, July 15 and the San Jose portion Friday, July 17, which will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since Wednesday is the "overlap" day, free transportation to and from each city will be available.

The show will open in San Francisco before moving to San Jose midweek.

Everything combined, the show will span 13 days from July 9-21. An expanded venue of more than 70 technical programs, courses and workshops (Tables 1 and 2) will be featured, including 35 new offerings. Vacuum Technology for Semiconductor Process Management July 12-13 and Fundamentals and Process Characterization of Ion Implantation July 12 are two of the new courses being held in San Francisco. In San Jose, the six-session Semiconductor Packaging Symposium July 14-16 and the Strategies for Rapid Technology Implementation workshop July 15 are among the latest.

Standards meetings

1998 celebrates the 25th anniversary of SEMI Standards. A special awards reception will be held Tuesday, July 14 at the San Francisco Marriott, where both the anniversary and the members who have made special contributions over the past year will be recognized ( see SEMI Report).

More than 120 Standards meetings are scheduled for this year, with participants expected to vote on 45 ballots. Hot topics for this year will include specifications for 300 mm wafer carriers, epitaxial wafer guides for 0.25 µm (250 nm) design rules and revisions in the sensor bus specifications. Eighteen committee meetings, five workshops and five Standard Technical Education Programs (STEPs) are also planned.

Standards meetings will be held in both cities, at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel and the San Jose Hilton and Towers. Meeting hours in San Francisco are Sunday, July 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Monday, July 13 from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, July 14 and Wednesday, July 15 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, July 16 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Friday, July 17 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. In San Jose, the hours are Wednesday, July 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, July 16 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Friday, July 17 from 1 to 3 p.m. Meetings are open to all interested parties, at no charge, and do not require pre-registration.

Attendance

According to SEMI, total attendance for SEMICON West 97 was 62,239, which included 35,080 exhibiting company personnel 27,159 attendees (verified). Of these attendees, 31% were engineers, 21% were in executive management, 16% were in sales and marketing, 8% were in manufacturing, 4% were in purchasing and 20% held other job functions.

Special events

Other special events include the 11th annual SEMICON West 98 golf tournament Friday, July 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Summit Point Golf Course in Milpitas, Calif. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m., and an awards reception is also included.

The 28th annual SEMICON West banquet will be held Wednesday, July 15 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose. The R&B husband and wife team of Billy Davis Jr. and Marilyn McCoo, formerly of the original 5th Dimension, will be entertaining banquet guests with the show "It Takes Two," featuring musical hits from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

For up-to-date show and registration information, contact SEMI at phone (650) 940-6905 or visit SEMI's web site at www.semi.org.

Table 1. Wafer Processing Programs, Courses and Workshops
The following will be held as indicated at the ANA Hotel (ANA), San Francisco Marriott (SFM) and Moscone Center (M).
Thursday, July 9
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Semiconductor Processing Technology (Day 1 of 3)	(ANA)
Friday, July 10
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Semiconductor Processing Technology (Day 2 of 3)	(ANA)
Saturday, July 11
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Semiconductor Processing Technology (Day 3 of 3)	(ANA)
Sunday, July 12
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Vacuum Technology for Semiconductor Process Management (Day 1 of 2)	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Making Major Sales (SPIN Selling) (Day 1 of 2)	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Fundamentals and Process Characterization of Ion Implantation (Day 1 of 2)	(SFM)
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Ergonomic Design for the Semiconductor Industry (Day 1 of 2)	(SFM)
8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.	Winning Customer Satisfaction (Day 1 of 2)	(ANA)
1 - 5 p.m.	Workshop on Gas Distribution Systems	(M)
1 - 5 p.m.	Workshop on Contamination in Liquid Chemical Distribution Systems	(M)
1 - 5 p.m.	Plasma Etch 98 -- Processes and Equipment for the New Millennium	(M)
1 - 5 p.m.	STEP: Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment RAM and Productivity	(M)
1 - 5 p.m.	STEP: CIM Factory Systems Communications	(M)
Monday, July 13
8 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.	SEMI Enabling Products and Services Section Meeting	(SFM)
8 a.m. - noon	Design Practices for Higher Equipment Reliability Tutorial	(SFM)
8 a.m. - noon	Silicon-on-Insulator Manufacturing Technology	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Vacuum Technology for Semiconductor Process Management Course (Day 2 of 2)	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Making Major Sales (SPIN Selling) (Day 2 of 2)	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Fundamentals and Process Characterization of Ion Implantation (Day 2 of 2)	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Symposium on Contamination-Free Manufacturing for Semiconductor Processing	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Resolution Enhancement Technologies in Optical Lithography Tutorial	(SFM)
8:30 a.m. - noon	EHS International Compliance and Regulatory Update	(M)
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Ergonomic Design for the Semiconductor Industry (Day 2 of 2)	(SFM)
8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.	Working Effectively with Asia: Cross-Cultural Awareness and Skills	(SFM)
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.	Winning Customer Satisfaction (Day 2 of 2)	(ANA)
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.	Overall Equipment Effectiveness: Improving Equipment Productivity	(ANA)
1 - 5 p.m.	Perfluorocompound Technical Update	(M)
1 - 5 p.m.	STEP: The Sensor Bus Advantage	(SFM)
Tuesday, July 14
8 a.m. - noon	STEP: SEMI E36, Specifications for Electronic Documentation Interchange	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	The Global 300 mm Transition	(M)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	MEMS Technology Tutorial	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	CMP Technology for ULSI Interconnection	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Advanced SPC Techniques for Process Yield Improvement	(SFM)
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.	Equipment and Materials Market Briefing	(M)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Lithography at the Wavelength of Light	(SFM)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	CVD for Integrated Circuits Tutorial	(SFM)
9 a.m. - noon	Object-Based Equipment Model Seminar	(SFM)
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Competitive Marketing Strategy: The Lanchester Equation	(ANA)
10 - 11:30 a.m.	SEMI Chemical & Gas Manufacturers Group	(SFM)
1 - 5 p.m.	Fab Layout Design Methodology: Case of the 300 mm Fabs	(SFM)
1 - 5 p.m.	Forecasting Techniques for the SEM Industry	(M)
3 - 6:00 p.m.	EHS Interest Group Meeting	(SFM)
Wednesday, July 15
8 a.m. - noon	Workshop on Manufacturing Execution Systems for Semiconductor Processes	(M)
8 a.m. - noon	Flat Panel Display Manufacturing Technology Conference (Session 1)	(SFM)
8 a.m. - noon	STEP: EHS for the 300 mm Era	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Process Integration and Device Characterization in Microelectronic Mftg. Tutorial	(SFM)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	IC Yields Enhancement Tutorial	(SFM)
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Planarization Processes for the ULSI Fabrication to the Year 2003 Tutorial	(M)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Symposium on Advanced Lithography: For 130 µm and Below	(SFM)
1 - 5 p.m.	Benchmarking: A Tool for Success Tutorial	(SFM)
1 - 5 p.m.	Software management for Senior Executives	(SFM)
1 - 5 p.m.	MEMS Manufacturing Challenges -- Producers Discuss Future Equipment and Materials Needs	(SFM)
1 - 5 p.m.	Materials Characterization Strategy for the Giga-Bit DRAM Era II	(SFM)
1 - 5:30 p.m.	Flat Panel Display Manufacturing Technology Conference (Session 2)	(SFM)
Thursday, July 16
10 a.m. - noon	Silicon Manufacturers Group Meeting	(SFM)

Table 2. Test, Assembly and Packaging Programs, Courses and Workshops
The following will be held as indicated at the San Jose Hilton (H), Fairmont Hotel (FH) and San Jose Convention Center (CC).
Tuesday, July 14
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	IC Trends, Packaging and Testing Issues -- An Intro. for Test Engineers Tutorial (Day 1 of 2)	(H)
8:30 a.m. - noon	Semiconductor Packaging Symposium (Sessions 1 and 2)	(H)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Advanced Packaging Technologies Tutorial (Day 1 of 2)	(H)
Wednesday, July 15
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	IC Trends, Packaging and Testing Issues -- An Intro. for Test Engineers Tutorial (Day 2 of 2)	(H)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Digital IC Test Engineering Tutorial	(FH)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Jitter Analysis 101 -- A Foundation for Jitter Measurements	(FH)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Advanced Packaging Technologies Tutorial (Day 2 of 2)	(H)
9 a.m. - noon	Semiconductor Packaging Symposium (Sessions 3 and 4)	(H)
1 - 5 p.m.	Strategies for Rapid Technology Implementation Workshop	(FH)
Thursday, July 16
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Semiconductor Processing Technology (Day 1 of 3)	(H)
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.	Equipment and Materials Market Briefing	(CC)
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	7th Annual Manufacturing Test Conference (Session 1)	(H)
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.	International Packaging Strategy Symposium	(FH)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Polymers for Electronic Packaging Tutorial	(FH)
9 a.m. - noon	Semiconductor Packaging Symposium (Sessions 5 and 6)	(H)
1 - 5 p.m.	Test, Assembly and Packaging Vision Conference	(FH)
1 - 5:30 p.m.	High Performance MCM Materials and Technologies Tutorial	(H)
1 - 5 p.m.	STEP: EHS for the 300 mm Era	(H)
Friday, July 17
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	DC Test Methodologies for Digital Circuits Tutorial	(FH)
8 a.m. - 5 p.m.	JEDEC JC 15 Thermal Group Meeting	(H)
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	7th Annual Manufacturing Test Conference (Session 2)	(H)
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Ergonomic Design for the Semiconductor Industry (Day 1 of 2)	(FH)
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.	Flip Chip Technologies Tutorial	(FH)
8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.	Semiconductor Processing Technology (Day 2 of 3)	(FH)
1 - 5 p.m.	STEP: EHS for the 300 mm Era	(CC)
1 - 5:30 p.m.	High Performance MCM Materials and Technologies Tutorials	(CC)
Saturday, July 18
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Ergonomic Design for the Semiconductor Industry (Day 2 of 2)	(FH)
8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.	Semiconductor Processing Technology (Day 3 of 3)	(FH)