Rudolph Adds 3-D Bump Inspection From RVSI
Staff — Semiconductor International, 1/22/2008

In a move that adds a 3-D bumped-wafer inspection system to its product portfolio, Rudolph Technologies Inc. (Flanders, N.J.) acquired the intellectual property and other selected assets from privately held RVSI Inspection LLC (Hauppauge, N.Y.). This, combined with Rudolph's December 2007 acquisition of the probe card test and analysis business of Applied Precision LLC (Issaquah, Wash.), is intended to bolster Rudolph's position in the back-end inspection tool market. More

Applied Materials Announces Work Reduction
Staff — Semiconductor International, 1/15/2008

Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) will reduce its global workforce by 1000 positions, or ~7%, through a combination of job elimination and attrition. The plan primarily affects Applied's semiconductor equipment and services businesses and related support organizations. The plan is expected to result in annualized savings of ~$150M from fiscal 2007 spending levels. More

Metryx, IMEC to Jointly Develop Sub-32 nm Metrology
Business Wire, 1/7/2008

Metryx Ltd. announced that it has entered into a joint development program with research institute IMEC. The program is designed to evaluate and develop mass metrology at both the application and tool level for sub-32 nm process manufacturing. More

Nanometrics Reduces Workforce by 7%
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor — Electronic News, 1/10/2008

Milpitas, Calif.-based metrology company Nanometrics Inc. announced that it is reducing its global workforce by ~7% to maintain profitability, cash flow and predictability. This reduction will impact employees in each of Nanometrics' locations, and the company will record ~$600,000 in restructuring charges on Q1 financials as a result of the reduction. More

FEI Opens China NanoPort
Business Wire, 1/18/2008

FEI Co. recently opened a NanoPort in Shanghai, China. FEI NanoPorts offer places for customers and partners to collaborate with FEI specialists on the ongoing development of new ideas and innovative solutions for advancing nanoscale technology. The new facility is the fourth such location joining those already in operation in North America, Europe and Japan. More

FIB/Electron Microscope Project Pursues Single-Atom Imaging
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor — Semiconductor International, 12/26/2007

FEI Co. (Hillsboro, Ore.) and Netherlands-based Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM), have launched a joint research project aimed at advancing electron microscopes and focused ion beam (FIB) systems to enable materials' structure to be made visible and processed at the single-atom scale. The program proposes to advance and harness the existing potential in electron microscopes and ion beam systems for a full range of applications in physics and biology, and research the interaction between electron beams, ion beams, laser light and matter. More

Broadcom Selects Electroglas EG6000 Wafer Prober
PrimeNewsWire, 1/16/2008

Electroglas Inc. announced that Broadcom Corp. has purchased the EG6000 for engineering development and qualification of new device silicon wafers. More

Credence to Cut 30% of Workforce
Ann Steffora Mutschler, Senior Editor — Electronic News, 1/8/2008

Milpitas, Calif.-based semiconductor test provider Credence Systems Corp. outlined changes intended to build on core technology strengths while simplifying operations to meet increasing opportunities in Asia-driven consumer markets, highlighted by a 30% workforce reduction. Credence reported fiscal Q4 ended Nov. 3, 2007, net sales of $97.7M, down 21% from fiscal Q3 net sales of $123.5M, and down 23% year-over-year from fiscal 4Q06 net sales of $127.1M. More

Webcast: Highlights of the 2007 ITRS
Moderated by Laura Peters, Lead Technical Editor — Semiconductor International, 1/22/2008

The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) received a major revision in 2007, and was released to the public in December. In this webcast, a key organizer of the roadmap explains the important changes relative to past years and significant additions to the roadmap, including the discussion of More than Moore, reasons for the changes, and ways to interpret the roadmap. Alan Allan, Intel External Programs Staff Engineer and member of the ITRS International Roadmap Committee (IRC), makes the presentation on behalf of the IRC, and is joined by chairmen of several of the technology working groups. View

Executive Outlook: Driving Productivity, CoO in 2008
Staff — Semiconductor International, 1/1/2008

High-level executives, such as Linda Rae, executive vice president and COO of Keithley Instruments Inc.; Alex Oscilowski, vice president and COO of Rudolph Technologies Inc.; and others, give their perspectives about where the opportunities and hurdles lie for the metrology sector of the semiconductor industry during this uncertain year of 2008. More

2008 Economic Forecast: Fairly Unpredictable
Staff — Semiconductor International, 1/1/2008

Klaus Rinnen of Gartner Dataquest states in his viewpoint piece how it seems 2008 will be a year when the industry's hopes and realities clash. Hopes are for a strengthening expansion in 2008. However, these hopes are confronted by the market realities of oversupply in the memory sector and the risk of slower end-user electronics sales caused by a rising U.S. recession risk and macroeconomic woes in many parts of the world. Depending on the position in the semiconductor industry supply chain, segments and companies within will either enjoy market expansion or wrestle with contraction. More

Movers & Shakers: Darlene Solomon, Agilent Technologies
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor — Semiconductor International, 1/1/2008

Darlene Solomon, Agilent's CTO and vice president of Agilent Laboratories, talks about the company's technology roadmap and the hurdles that face the inspection, measurement and test industry as it slowly but surely approaches fundamental limits in metrology. Listen

Engineering Microscopes Zoom In on Defects
Alex Mendelsohn, Contributing Technical Editor — Test & Measurement World, 12/1/2007

Today's microscopy systems affect the way engineers develop and test semiconductors and materials, as well as technologies such as MEMS. Both destructive and non-destructive microscopy tools now complement and surpass the SEM, an iconic fixture of the well-equipped lab. Newer-generation instruments, some reasonably priced and remarkably user friendly, are moving imaging and analysis tasks that were once outsourced back into the manufacturing environment. More

Wafer Bump Inspection System

Wafer Inspection Tool

AW200 Series C-SAM is an acoustic micro imaging system that performs automated inspection, analysis and sorting of bonded wafers up to 200 mm. The system is capable of detecting inter-wafer voids as small as 5 µm and as thin as 0.02 µm.
Sonoscan Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill.
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Jan. 28-31, 2008: 54th Annual Reliability and Maintainability Symposium

Feb. 12, 2008: Silicon Valley Lunch Forum

Feb. 24-29, 2008: SPIE Advanced Lithography