De Geus Highlights Photomask Simulation Challenge
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor -- Semiconductor International, 10/8/2008

Synopsys CEO Aart de Geus described the need for more powerful simulation engines and other simulation challenges facing the mask industry, in a keynote presentation at the 28th Photomask Technology conference going on this week in Monterey, Calif. Other opening-day speakers detailed a Sematech mask industry survey and the stiff challenges posed by double-patterning lithography. More

Carl Zeiss Invests in 3-D Nanostructuring Startup Nanoscribe
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 10/1/2008

Carl Zeiss has acquired a stake in Nanoscribe (Karlsruhe, Germany), a startup that recently fielded its laser direct-write tool for 3-D nanostructuring. 3-D laser lithography is applied in developing prototypes of micro and nanophotonic devices, among other applications. More

Mass Storage Pins Progress Hopes on Aggressive Litho
Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor -- Semiconductor International, 9/26/2008

Storage requirements in HDDs and SSDs are increasing at a rate that will require fast progress in lithography, etch and metrology, speakers at the recent DiskCon conference said. More

SoftJin Rolls Out Mask Defect Analysis Tool
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 9/25/2008

SoftJin Technologies said it has developed a mask defect analysis tool that initially supports the Applied Materials Aera2 mask inspection system. The Bangalore, India-based company said the NxDAT tool correlates defect data on reticles with design layout data. More

IBM, Mentor, Toppan to Develop Source-Mask Optimization for 22 nm Node
David Lammers, News Editor -- Semiconductor International, 9/18/2008

IBM, Mentor Graphics and Toppan Printing will develop a suite of technologies that IBM calls computational scaling, including the ability to program the lithography illumination source at the grayscale pixel level. The source-mask optimization effort is aimed at the 22 nm technology generation. More

Merck KGaA and Nano-Terra Extend Alliance
Business Wire, 10/8/2008

Merck announced the extension of its existing strategic alliance with Nano-Terra Inc., a nanotechnology co-development company affiliated with Harvard University Professor George Whitesides. The Merck fabrication processes will be based on Nano-Terra's proprietary soft lithography technology, invented by Whitesides. More

Cymer Researchers Receive Innovation Award
Business Wire, 10/2/2008

Cymer Inc. said that Berthold Leibinger Stiftung, a non-profit German foundation also dedicated to recognizing technical innovations in laser technology, has awarded two of Cymer's researchers with a Berthold Leibinger Innovationspreis award. More

ASML Unveils EUV Production Roadmap
Business Wire, 9/30/2008

ASML Holding NV unveiled a production system roadmap that supports cost-effective chip manufacturing to at least 11 nm. More

Looking for Lake Tahoe: A Metaphor for EUVL Development
Vivek Bakshi, President, EUV Litho Inc. -- Semiconductor International, 10/1/2008

Vivek Bakshi offers his perspective on the progress reported at the International EUVL Symposium recently. Advances in source power, mask defects, resist sensitivity and more are contributing to a technology that is looking a little more within reach. More

IBM's Approach to 22 nm Scaling: It's Software, Not EUV
Ron Wilson, Executive Editor -- EDN, 9/17/2008

In a recent entry in his Practical Chip Design blog, EDN Executive Editor Ron Wilson notes that modeling and optimizing the entire process flow for each new design will be the goal for IBM, rather than relying on either "magical" immersion lithography solutions or EUV lithography to get the chipmaker to the 22 nm technology node. More

Large Area Nanoimprint Lithography Available on SUSS Aligners
Business Wire, 10/7/2008

SUSS MicroTec announced that the capabilities of its manual mask aligners are now enhanced with a new nanoimprint toolkit, which enables them to pattern large areas with repeatable sub-50 nm printing capability.
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KLA-Tencor Introduces Prolith 12 For EUV Lithography
Business Wire, 9/30/2008

KLA-Tencor Corp. introduced Prolith12, a new version of its computational lithography tool. This new tool enables researchers at leading-edge chipmakers and consortia to cost-effectively explore the feasibility of various mask designs, photo materials and processes associated with extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
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Nov. 4-6: SPIE Lithography Asia - Taiwan

Dec. 3-5: SEMICON Japan

Feb. 22-27: SPIE Advanced Lithography