Company News
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 6/1/2002
- ASML (Veldhoven, Netherlands) has received the industry's first order for an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography beta tool from Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.). The tool will process 300 mm wafers, and is initially targeted for 45 nm resolution capability. Delivery is slated for the second half of 2005.
- Shipley Co. (Marlborough, Mass.) is nearing completion of the first of three construction phases of its Advanced Technology Center. The center is aimed at fast-cycle development of 193 nm resists and anti-reflective coatings. The 65,000 ft2 phase 1 project is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.
- Toppan Chunghwa Electronics (TCE, Taoyuan, Taiwan) has incorporated the Virtual Stepper System from Numerical Technologies Inc. (San Jose) into its photomask manufacturing process. TCE is using the system to analyze and classify defects on masks containing subwavelength design.
- Micronic Laser Systems AB (Täby, Sweden) announced that Photronics Inc. (Jupiter, Fla.) has ordered a Sigma7000 series laser pattern generator to produce photomasks for the 130 nm node and beyond.
- Lambda Physik AG (Göttingen, Germany) has received an order of ~E4M for its latest 157 nm lasers. The order was placed by a leading lithography tool maker.
- Nitto Denko Corp. (Osaka, Japan) developed a cleaning wafer that removes waste from wafer prober absorption tables without having to shut down the testing process. This cleaning wafer is inserted into the wafer prober cassette and passed through the testing prober the same way as a normal wafer, cleaning the absorption table. The wafer consists of a dummy silicon wafer with a synthetic plastic sheet attached to the mirror side. The synthetic plastic sheet can then be removed and the waste examined to ascertain where it came from.
- The SEZ Group (Phoenix, Ariz.) opened its first U.S.-based 300 mm applications lab in Phoenix. The 3000 ft2 lab will be a resource for SEZ and its customers and partners to test 300 mm wafer cleaning processes. Currently running three to four demos per week, SEZ is primarily testing customer wafers for stress relief, polymer removal and wafer thinning. Additional capabilities include backside film removal for pre-litho yield enhancement; backside and bevel clean for copper decontamination; and frontside polymer clean for metal line, via holes and copper dual-damascene technologies.
- Ultratech Stepper Inc. (San Jose) augmented its ESH program by joining Global Care, an industrywide ESH initiative offered by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). The initiative is based on five basic principles: workplace health and safety; resource conservation; product stewardship; community service; and excellence in ESH management practices.
- BOC Edwards (Wilmington, Mass.) moved its chemical management business to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Chanhassen, Minn. The facility includes an R&D lab, Class 10,000 cleanrooms, customer training labs, and a dedicated software and controls lab. The R&D lab space was increased in size by 50%, and includes facilities to support customer application projects as well as equipment development and materials analysis.
- Akrion (Allentown, Pa.) received orders for its GAMA automated wet stations from Asia. An order from a foundry in Korea will be used for hf-last critical cleaning. The unit features Akrion's low-consumption LuCID dryer and ICE Concentration Control. The other order, from Singapore, will be used for advanced BEOL cleaning.
- Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) plans to resume construction of Fab 24 in Leixlip, Ireland. Construction had begun in June 2000 but was halted because of the economic downturn. The $2B facility will produce 300 mm wafers and initially use 90 nm process technology. This will be Intel's fourth 300 mm wafer fab.
- August Technology Corp. (Minneapolis) received an order for three additional NSX-95 wafer inspection systems from Chipbond. The systems will be installed at the company's bumping facility in Taiwan.
- Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (San Jose) selected Electroglas Inc. (San Jose) as its sole supplier of advanced wafer probing equipment for its newest memory products. Cypress placed a multimillion-dollar order for the probers, which will be delivered over the next year for manufacturing testing.
- Speedline Technologies (Franklin, Mass.) has changed its name to Cookson Electronics Equipment Group. The new name more closely aligns the group with its parent company.
- CFD Research Corp. (Huntsville, Ala.) opened its German subsidiary, CFDRC Europe GmbH, in Leinfelden-Echterding near Stuttgart. It initially will serve markets and customers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
- QC Solutions Inc. (North Billerica, Mass.) received four orders worth several million dollars for its QCS-7000 systems. Two orders, placed by Japanese and Korean wafer manufacturers, are for 300 mm systems. The others were placed by European and Asian manufacturers and are for 200 mm systems.
- KLA-Tencor Corp.'s (San Jose) Klarity Defect automated analysis software was chosen by TSMC. It will be used in TSMC's Fab 12 for defect analysis in the 300 mm manufacturing environment.
- TePla AG (Feldkirchen, Germany) received an order for its plasma systems from BP Solar for production of photovoltaic cells at its new location in Madrid, Spain.
- Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL, Tokyo) will install a Solid State Measurements (Pittsburgh) electrical metrology system at its facility. TEL will use the SSM 610 to measure the thickness, flatband voltage and leakage current on advanced high-k gate dielectrics as part of its advanced gate dielectric R&D.
- International SEMATECH (ISMT, Austin) and Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL, Tokyo) launched its first "supplier room" program. For a period of three years (with an option to extend), TEL will be able to use ~1600 ft2 of cleanroom space in ISMT's Advanced Technology Development Facility (ATDF) and access the ATDF's qualified development line.
- Philips Analytical (Almelo, Netherlands) became one of the first companies to fully characterize thin and ultrathin (1000 Å and below) SOI structures on wafers. Laser ellipsometry/reflectometry work at the company demonstrated simultaneous characterization of all layers of the SOI structure.
- Advanced Energy Industries (AE, Fort Collins, Colo.) acquired Symphony Systems' technology as part of a settlement of AE's secured claims on the technology. In addition, the company obtained related assets and hired Symphony's key employees.
