2005 Editors' Choice Best Product Awards
Jennifer Yario, Associate Editor -- Semiconductor International, 7/1/2005
|
After much deliberation by the editorial staff, the results are in! Twenty entries were selected to receive an Editors' Choice Best Product Award, a contest hosted annually by Semiconductor International. The chosen products were recognized for their proven excellence in the advancement of wafer processing, chip assembly or packaging, and process testing capabilities. The types of products entered were also considered in terms of how they improved employee productivity and working conditions, how work environments were made more environmentally responsible, and how they were made safer.
New rules were applied to the awards program this year. Unlike in past years, companies were able to nominate themselves for an award, as opposed to having customers nominate their products for them. Customers were still asked, however, to provide comments about the products, which helped the staff make decisions on who would be receiving an award. All of these comments were kept strictly confidential.
Companies entered their products for consideration by completing a nomination form, detailing such information as how the product advanced the state-of-the-art in wafer processing, chip assembly and packaging, or device or circuit testing; and what the main strengths or advantages of the product are compared with competing products or existing solutions. The editors of the magazine rated the products based on the answers to these questions, as well as their own knowledge of the products, with user feedback being key.
Semiconductor International would like to congratulate all the winners, presented here in alphabetical order by company, and we urge companies to nominate their products for next year's program. Thanks to all the companies who participated in this year's contest, and we look forward to seeing the winners at a special ceremony held during SEMICON West in San Francisco.
The PsvfBGA is a package stackable, very thin, fine-pitch BGA package that facilitates the integration of logic and memory devices in handsets and other complex electronic products. It provides OEMs with a platform to cost-effectively expand roadmaps and options for logic and memory integration, eases mass production and improves component logistics management. This package will allow for reductions in bill of materials costs for new handsets, as well as reductions in time to market for OEMs, and it also makes product miniaturization an easier procedure for all users.
 |
The Applied Centura Enabler etch system is an advanced dielectric etch system used for 90 nm and beyond critical applications.The design of the system enables a single chamber to sequentially perform multiple etch steps in the interconnect stack, including advanced low-k dielectric materials. It provides chipmakers with a greater degree of dielectric etch process control than previously obtained. Features include rapid tuning of source and bias for sequences with different etch needs, very gentle etching with extremely low DC voltage at the wafer surface, and a clean-mode operation that reduces wet clean maintenance by a factor of five.
 |
The SEMVision G2FIB (focused ion beam) defect analysis and review system provides a broad range of automatic defect review capabilities to users, such as high-aspect-ratio imaging and voltage contrast imaging. Engineers are able to get analysis results in minutes, which reduces the time to root cause identification and process corrective action. Defects can be automatically reviewed, cross-sectioned and analyzed without taking the wafer out of the production line. Features include automatic defect localization and advanced process monitoring and problem analysis.
 |
AIMS (aerial image measuring system) fab 193 plus products are optical systems that emulate steppers/scanners to evaluate masks under specific stepper or scanner settings without wafer prints and subsequent wafer or resist CD-SEM measurements. Stepper/scanner parameters can be adjusted with this system over a large range, and the system helps to accelerate next-generation reticle development by judging usability for exposure tools without doing wafer prints. Operating wavelength is 193 nm, and the system comes equipped with a robotic handling system and an optional SMIF capability.
 |
The XLA 100 is a first-generation argon fluoride (ArF) light source built on the dual-chamber master oscillator power amplifier platform. The excimer laser light source provides illumination at a wavelength of 193 nm to high-numerical-aperture wafer scanner tools, in addition to high output power at a narrow bandwidth that enables the photolithograpy process at the 65 nm node and allows for critical dimension image sizes as low as 45 nm. Wafer throughput is improved, and light source operating costs are reduced.
 |
ANTARES is a cryokinetic cleaning system used throughout the entire device fabrication sequence to remove yield-killing defects. It is on a 200/300 mm bridge platform that uses an all-dry, non-reactive process to remove particulate defects after steps in FEOL and BEOL applications. This system allows users to insert a defect reduction step in the manufacturing line where previous or traditional wet cleaning and scrubber methods have been phased out. It features a solid aerosol that used no water to perform its clean, therefore avoiding watermark formation and increasing yield.
 |
The JVX5200 is an inline film measurement tool that measures ultrathin metal films and stacks using X-ray technology. This X-ray technology provides users with a much greater resolution to sub-100 Å films and stacks. It also allows for simultaneous and independent measurement of material density and roughness.
 |
The Surfscan SP2 is an unpatterned wafer inspection tool that enables wafer and IC manufacturing fabs to qualify current and next-generation substrates and monitor process tools at the 90, 65 and 45 nm nodes. It facilitates rapid fab ramps by minimizing the risk of migration to smaller geometries. It can find defects as small as 30 nm, and provides a fivefold throughput increase for wafer manufacturers and a threefold increase for IC manufacturers. In addition, it gives consistently reliable and accurate defect detection on engineered substrates. A UV laser emits at a specific wavelength to eliminate interference effects.
 |
The Multiscan atomic force probe (AFP) X series nanoprober locates, characterizes and probes failing devices in the electrical testing of semiconductors. It probes transistors and circuits for the 90 and 65 nm technology generations. The design of the nanoprober allows for samples up to 4 in. to be easily loaded onto an X-Y-Z micrometer stage, and then each AFP head is positioned anywhere on the sample to within 100 nm of the other probe tips. The atomic force microscope-based technology has positional control below 10 nm.
 |
The EM 1 is a test handler emulator used by test engineers to develop and debug test software and related hardware used in the final test of semiconductor devices. The EM 1 can be configured to accept the conversion kit parts of expensive production test handlers, which allows engineers to debug the hardware/software in an inexpensive environment identical to that seen in the final manufacturing stage no matter what handler type their manufacturing location may use. This emulator also uses mechanical refrigeration instead of LN2 to provide a cold chamber for circuit test, therefore resulting in a safer and cleaner test environment.
 |
Multitest elektronische Systeme GmbH
The MEMS test module platform provides a standard stimulus, functional test and calibration solution for various MEMS applications and device packages. It is used together with a standard MT93 or MT99 gravity test handler to do a final test and calibration of a MEMS device. The gravity handler prepares the device in terms of thermal conditioning and singulation out of the transport means and sorting after test. The platform receives the individual devices in up to four parallel contact sites and stimulates the sensor device under test through acceleration, pressure, light or magnetic field. It can support a temperature range of -55 to 155°C, and is also the first MEMS test platform to support quad-site parallel test.
 |
The P-Nylon PhotoKleen EZD-3 filter is used to filter and purify photoresist, bottom antireflective coatings and other photolithography chemicals at point of use. The P-Nylon membrane material interacts with 193 nm photoresist, which reduces microbridge defects; it also can remove non-functioning, insoluble polymer components. A 0.02 µm-rated version has demonstrated the ability to reduce bottom antireflective cone defects. Additionally, this product has the ability to reduce 20 nm materials after etch defects.
 |
Model 8000 is a high-speed, thermosonic wire bonder platform capable of precision wire bonding of complex packages and ball bumping for flip-chip applications; the system performs the first-level interconnect of the device to the package. This is a fully automatic semiconductor wire bonder and fully automatic hybrid wire bonder available in one package for users. The platform provides <20 µm high bumps, which eliminates the need for a secondary coining process. An industry-best finished bond height consistency of 2 µm is achieved with a ±2.5 µm, 3σ placement accuracy. The lead-free process for gold wire runs automatically at a cyclica rate of up to 10 bumps/sec.
 |
The LASAIR II 110 is an airborne, aerosol particle counter that counts particles as small as 0.1 µm using a laser diode, while sampling at a 1.0 CFM flow rate. It is used to qualify mini-environments, tools and cleanrooms; troubleshoot to find particle sources in response to alarms; monitor multiple clean zones by means of manifold sampling; monitor ultraclean industrial gases; and can be used in other applications that require a mobile particle counter with high sensitivity for 300 mm manufacturing. Combined, this allows contamination control specialists and tool owners to rapidly qualify and profile process cleanliness in real time.
 |
The nm650 is an advanced photomask repair system for all types of materials; it supports the 65 nm node. This product has eliminated the technical barricade for photomask manufacturing resulting from yield losses caused by quartz process defects, phase errors because of insufficient Z-axis repair control, gallium staining and other unknown contaminants deposited in processing. Benefits to users include higher ROI, reduction in cycle time and cost reductions.
 |
The EM2 is an integrated and automated standalone sample preparation tool for SEM, TEM and S/TEM applications. It automatically and reliably produces a <20 µm thin sample mounted on a support grid and loaded in a holder, ready in ≤25 minutes for final thinning to electron transparency in a focused ion beam or SEM workstation. Also, samples can be flipped on their sides and cleaved. The EM2 not only measures defects on top of the structures, but also those embedded down in subsequent layers. It can work with 1:1:1 and ceramic materials that don't have a plane at all. Additionally, the EM2 is able to view patterns on a 45° angle to the crystalline plane.
 |
The INtegrated Wafer system is a unique tool for monitoring in situ semiconductor manufacturing processes. The system is comprised of the integrated wafer and OP-T-MAP with thermal analysis software. It can measure and map critical temperatures in advanced lithography systems from 15 to 145°C, with ±0.1°C accuracy at a variety of process stages. It measures transient and steady-state temperature as it duplicates the movement of a process wafer through the equipment. It features a wireless, low-profile design, no temperature lag, fully embedded components that deliver precise artifact-free temperature data, and visibility into equipment with data management and visualization tools when used with the OP-T-MAP.
 |
The Da Vinci series features high-volume, single-wafer, wet processing systems designed for semiconductor manufacturing applications. It was developed to address the cleaning requirements for BEOL polymer cleaning and backside etch and clean, as well as for emerging cleaning challenges for high-k applications, metal gate, etc., on 200 and 300 mm wafers at the 90 nm and below technology nodes. This series gives manufacturers better control of the wafer surface that minimizes media consumption and defect density, and increases throughput by 100-120%. A new feature is a graphical user interface that makes the system easier to operate.
 |
Tevet Process Control Technologies
The in situ thickness measurement system (IsTMS) is an integrated metrology module used to measure film thickness and support thickness control; it also measures the refractive index and the extinction coefficient. It is typically mounted to PECVD, CVD, etch and CMP process tools to measure wafers upon exit from the process chamber before the wafer is returned to the FOUP or cassette. Strengths of this system include immediate measurement feedback with integrated metrology, measurement of in-die active areas, simultaneous measurement of multiple films in a stack, and <2 sec measurement across a wafer.
 |
Optical digital profilometry (ODP) is a system that provides a complete scatterometry metrology solution. The system is comprised of two parts: ODP PAS-T3 profile application server and ODP TeraGen for the creation of modules and building libraries. This non-destructive feature-profiling system provides fast, accurate, true cross-sectional profiles of 2-D and 3-D structures on leading-edge semiconductor wafers and photomasks. This solution offers effective, production-capable integrated metrology on photo, etch and CMP process tools. Features have been optimized for data integrity, applications space, time-to-results and productivity.
 |
| When you contact any of the following manufacturers directly, please let them know you read about them in Semiconductor International. | ||
| Amkor Technology | Applied Materials | Carl Zeiss SMT |
| Cymer | FSI International | Jordan Valley Semiconductors |
| KLA-Tencor | Multiprobe | Multitest elektronische Systeme GbmH |
| Northwave Technology | Pall | Palomar Technologies |
| Particle Measuring Systems | Rave LLC | Sela USA |
| SensArray | SEZ AG | Tevet Process Control Technologies |
| Timbre Technologies | ||
