Sematech EUV Resist at 22 nm Half-Pitch
Staff — Semiconductor International, 8/12/2008

Sematech said researchers working at its Resist Test Center have demonstrated a chemically amplified EUV resist capable of 22 nm half-pitch resolution. Though the linewidth roughness needs some improvement, the resist will support early adopters of EUV lithography in the memory IC arena, Sematech said. More

Carl Zeiss SMT to Acquire Israeli Start-Up Pixer Technology
Staff — Semiconductor International, 8/7/2008

Carl Zeiss SMT is acquiring Pixer Technology Ltd., a 30-person company that offers photomask yield enhancement systems. Pixer uses short-pulse lasers to insert pixels into the reticle substrate to improve the uniformity of CDs on the mask. More

Yamagata Fujitsu Orders MII Imprio System for Patterned Media
PR Newswire, 8/13/2008

Molecular Imprints Inc. announced that Yamagata Fujitsu has placed an order for its newly introduced Imprio HD2200. The system will be used for patterned media development at the company's manufacturing facility in Japan. More

Nikon to Hike Stepper Output With Two New Factories
Asia Pulse, 8/7/2008

Nikon Corp. said it plans to build two factories in Japan for ~35 billion yen ($319.9M) to boost production of next-generation semiconductor steppers. They are scheduled to start operating in December 2009, boosting Nikon's monthly output capacity for next-generation steppers from the current level of about 40 units to roughly 90 units by around fiscal 2010. More

Photronics Lowers Q3 Revenue Estimates
Business Wire, 8/6/2008

Photronics Inc. announced preliminary financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, with revenue expectations of ~$105M-$106M compared with previous guidance of $112M-$118M. More

Chrome Going the Way of the Dodo Bird?
David Lammers, News Editor — Semiconductor International, 7/29/2008

Chrome will be replaced by molybdenum silicide (MoSi) on masks starting at the 32 nm logic generation, said Franklin Kalk, CTO at Toppan Photomasks Inc. MoSi produces better sidewall patterns and is easier to etch. Asked if chrome may become obsolete, Kalk said, "Chrome probably is on its last legs." More

Photronics CEO Resigns
Business Wire, 7/21/2008

Photronics Inc. announced that Michael J. Luttati will step down as CEO of the company and as a member of the Board of Directors effective immediately. More

Double Patterning Battles Cost, Complexity
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 7/17/2008

This year's Sokudo Lithography Breakfast Forum at SEMICON West focused on the challenges of double patterning. To be sure, double patterning is not without its challenges, but it nonetheless is positioned as the most promising technology for 32 nm patterning, and likely 22 nm as well. More

Self-Aligned Double Patterning Coming
David Lammers, News Editor — Semiconductor International, 7/17/2008

Applied Materials Inc. (Santa Clara, Calif.) announced several new tools at SEMICON West, and said that its self-aligned double patterning technology is gaining acceptance at key NAND flash manufacturers. More

Lithography Picture Looks Pretty Grim for 22 nm
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 7/16/2008

The key questions posed at an afternoon session at SEMICON West were "Lithography for 22 nm: Will We Have a Viable Solution and Will We Be Able to Afford It?" The answer: Apparently not. Well, maybe. More

ASML Results: Immersion Growth Amid Macro-Economic Pressure
Business Wire, 7/16/2008

ASML announced 2008 second quarter net sales of 844 million euros — ~8% lower than the previous quarter and ~9% lower than 2Q07. Despite macro-economic pressures, however, immersion sales were strong in the second quarter, representing more than 60% of ASML's system revenues, according to Eric Meurice, president and CEO. More

The Fine Print: Making All Lithography Look Impossible
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 8/13/2008

For the SEMICON West Daily News, I reported on the Tuesday afternoon Device Scaling TechXPOT, which featured presentations and panel discussion on lithography options at 22 nm (see "Lithography Picture Looks Pretty Grim for 22 nm," above). Although I wanted to include comments from moderator Lars Liebman, I had to cut back to make the story fit on one page (all the news that fits, right?). Granted, lithographers and their suppliers have a mighty difficult task ahead of them, but Liebman had a particular knack for making each technology candidate look bad — and for upsetting several participants and attendees along the way. Blog

Resist Removal Walks a Tightrope
Ruth DeJule, Contributing Editor — Semiconductor International, 8/1/2008

Between limiting damage to low-k materials and silicon removal at the gate, while definitely clearing away all photoresist and its residues, resist removal processes — wet and dry — continue to strive to maintain the right balance. More

Design Information Improves SEM Defect Review Sampling Efficiency
Scott Jansen and Stephen Fox, IBM Microelectronics Division, Hopewell Junction, N.Y.; Glenn Florence and Alexa Perry, KLA-Tencor Corp., San Jose — Semiconductor International, 8/1/2008

Defect Pareto quality is improved using design-based binning, which couples layout information from design data with the relative location of each detected defect. SEM review is improved through the binning of systematic and nuisance defects. More

The Fine Print: Zeiss and Schott Keep On Keeping On
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 7/8/2008

Last month, Carl Zeiss SMT designated Schott Lithotec as its latest Supply Chain Partner. The official press release talked about what the new status meant: "expanding our long-term relationship and business", "we will jointly fine tune our technologies", and strengthening the "historic business relation". But, particularly with Schott Lithotec's highly pivotal role in the viability of high-index immersion lithography, what does the Partner designation really mean? Perhaps just business as usual. But as one reader pointed out in relation to the high-index question, "Zeiss has filed quite a few patents about alternative materials on their own, not with Schott." Blog

In Battle Against Haze, Rave Wields Rhazer
David Lammers, News Editor — Semiconductor International, 7/15/2008

Rave LLC has developed a prototype haze removal system, Rhazer, that can break down haze buildup on a reticle without removing the pellicle. "We are entering a whole new market space, and we have a working prototype," said Rave marketing manager Michael Archuletta.
More

ASML's Latest Immersion Tool Enables 38 nm Memory
Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media — Semiconductor International, 7/15/2008

ASML's Twinscan XT:1950i, introduced at SEMICON West, improves resolution ~5% over its predecessor, despite using a lens with the same 1.35 NA.
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Cymer Unveils GLX2 Gas Lifetime Extension Control System
Business Wire, 7/14/2008

At SEMICON West, Cymer announced its second-generation Gas Lifetime eXtension (GLX2) control system for the XLA and XLR series light sources.
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Etcher Tuned for Double Patterning, Advanced Gates
Laura Peters, Editor-in-Chief — Semiconductor International, 7/13/2008

Lam introduced the Versys Kiyo3x Conductor etch platform, the capabilities of which can be applied as an upgrade to existing Versys Kiyo etchers, largely to address uniformity considerations of advanced gate and double patterning for 3X logic and flash chipmakers and 4X-5X DRAM makers.
More

KLA-Tencor Updates Prolith Computational Lithography Tool
Business Wire, 7/10/2008

KLA-Tencor introduced the latest version of its computational lithography tool, Prolith 11, to accommodate double-patterning simulations.
More

Sept. 22-25, 2008: International Symposium on Immersion Lithography Extensions

Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2008: International Symposium in EUV Lithography

Oct. 6-10, 2008: SPIE Photomask