Sales & Orders
Technologies. The tool will be configured with Trikons M0RI, GPE gas phase
chemical etching and DSi deep silicon etch modules. The fxP cluster etcher
will be installed at Boschs Reutlingen fab that specialises in the
manufacture of automotive sensors based on micro-electro-mechanical systems
(MEMS).
Two critical steps for surface micromachined devices (such as airbag and
angular rate sensors) are the selective removal of oxide from the bases of
silicon trenches and the subsequent isotropic silicon etch that releases the
free standing mechanical structures. The fxP cluster etcher combines the
necessary dry-etch process modules to enable the etching and release of
these structures in a single tool.
The M0RI module will be used to etch the oxide layer, the GPE module will be
used for the isotropic etch and the DSi module will be used for Bosch
process deep silicon etching. The GPE module is a non-plasma chemical etcher
using ClF3 at pressures up to 30torr. Trikon has worked closely with Bosch
during the design of the GPE to ensure that it is flexible, user friendly
and fail-safe. The DSi module is the first to be shipped to a customer site
and will form the basis of a co-operation involving Boschs R&D specialists.
The focus of this work will be on high rate through wafer processing as well
as the etching of narrow features with high aspect ratio down to buried
oxide layers.
Intersil plans to add significant out-sourced foundry capacity through a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with AMI Semiconductor (AMIS). This will
secure identical-process foundry capacity that duplicates Intersils
high-run power ICs production in Palm Bay, Florida. Intersils duplicate
foundry capacity will be located at AMISs manufacturing facilities in
Pocatello, Idaho. Ramp-up will be arranged in concert with the expected ramp
in computing, information appliance, broadband and telecom markets that
Intersils Endura power ICs support.
Intersils process is currently being brought on-line by a combined team of
AMIS and Intersil personnel at AMI Semiconductors 125mm wafer fabrication
facilities in Pocatello, with full production due in early June 2003.
RiTdisplay of Taiwan has bought and will jointly beta-test Aixtrons second
generation Organic Vapour Phase Deposition (OVPD) equipment. RiTdisplay has
successfully developed organic light emitting diode (OLED) main and
sub-displays for mobile phones, instrument front panel displays, e-books,
games, and personal digital assistants (PDA).
The beta-testing agreement aims to qualify the tool for mass production of
RiTdisplays displays. The equipment can handle mother glass size
(370x470mm2) displays. The delivery of the OVPD system to RiTdisplay is
planned before the end of this year.
The OVPD module is equipped with a separate shadow-mask storage module to
allow a fast access and transfer of shadow masks needed for display
production. An in-situ mask alignment system inside the chamber allows the
full deposition and patterning of all organic layers and pixels required for
full-colour display production.
Aixtrons development work on the OVPD tool began in 2002 as part of a joint
programme with US company Universal Display Corporation (UDC) from whom the
OVPD technology was exclusively licensed in 2000. A first demonstration
pre-production OVPD tool was delivered to UDC in 2002.
SC Fluids has contracted EPSI (Engineered Pressure Systems) to engineer a
high- pressure vessel chamber to be used for supercritical CO2 cleaning of
semiconductor wafers. The high-pressure vessel chamber will be part of SC
Fluids Arroyo wafer cleaning system.
Alvan F Chorney, president of SC Fluids, describes the process:"To bring CO2
to a supercritical state, one must elevate the temperature and pressure of
this fluid. Pressure processing is very new to the semiconductor fabrication
environment and not very many capable resources are known to the industry.
EPSI is a leader in high pressure solutions, and we relied on their
engineering expertise to validate our proprietary high-pressure vessel that
will be used to process and clean semiconductor wafers."
Supercritical CO2 applications for both IC manufacturing and
micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) fabrication include cleaning, drying
and photomask particle removal operations.
Palomar Technologies Process Development and Prototyping Services (PDPS) is
to use the FeinFocus FOX-160.25MFT x-ray inspection system for the
inspection of advanced components, materials and packaging technologies. The
companies will also publish joint technical papers on their findings with
regards to process development, testing, and manufacturing of optoelectronic
and micro-mechanical components and assemblies.
The equipment will be used to conduct real-time inspection of complex
assemblies that include chip-on-board, bond wires, BGA, microBGA, and
flip-chip components.
Palomars Process Development and Prototyping Services provides design,
engineering, prototyping, assembly and automation expertise and/or metrology
resources needed to bridge the gap between product concept and automated
production.
Applied MEMS is to manufacture MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical system)
tri-axial accelerometer sensor modules (Si-Flex) for Refraction Technology
(REF TEK), a supplier of seismic recording systems for earthquake
monitoring.
REF TEK will integrate the sensor modules into seismic recording systems for
the US Geological Surveys (USGS) Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS).
The Si-Flex sensor converts ground vibrations into an electronic signal.
This represents the second such contract from REF TEK with Applied MEMS for
addressing this specific application.
Nikon Precision (NPI) has sold ArF lithography scanners to the US-based AZ
Electronic Materials business of European chemical company Clariant. The
sale includes Nikons S306C and S306D systems, with the first shipment in
April 2003. The systems will be used at AZ Electronic Materials functional
testing and quality control fab to characterise 193nm resists. This is the
first sale of Nikon semiconductor equipment to AZ Electronic Materials and
the first ArF scanner to be installed at their facility.
The most advanced scanner - the S306D - features 0.85 numerical aperture
(NA) with 80nm resolution performance. The first S306D shipped to a US
customer in March 2003. AZ Electronic Materials will receive its S306D tool
in 2004. The S306C tool with 0.78NA shipped in April and is being installed.
SanDisk has made a volume production order for an advanced memory card
controller to be manufactured at Israeli foundry Tower Semiconductors new
Fab 2. Tower expects to begin commercial shipments in mid-2003.
"The high-volume opportunity for a substantial portion of SanDisks current
and future controller-wafer foundry business brings us closer to achieving
our goal of ramping Fab 2 to full production this year," says Harold
Blomquist, senior vice president of Tower Semiconductor and CEO of Tower
Semiconductor USA.
Tower took only four weeks to complete the products prototyping from
tape-out to shipment. SanDisk cards incorporating the Tower-produced
controllers are expected to start shipping in high volumes in Q3 2003.
SanDisk is one of Towers four wafer partners with an investment of $75mn in
Fab 2s construction.
Mattson Technology has won follow-on orders from a European-based
semiconductor manufacturer for multiple 300mm RTP and strip processing
equipment. These multimillion-dollar follow-on orders mark the latest in a
string of orders from the European chipmaker. The first of the tools, a
300mm Aspen III Strip system, has been shipped to the customers 300mm wafer
fab. Additional Aspen III Strip and 3000 Steam RTP systems are planned to
ship in H2 2003. Aspen III ICP Strip is a system for residue and resist
removal.
Ion Optics is to use the services of Applied MEMS to vacuum-package
micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) optical gas sensors. Ion Optics
SensorChip uses silicon-micromachined infrared gas-detector elements for
applications that require detection of gases that are toxic, combustible,
environmentally critical or medically important. Applied MEMS offers
services for MEMS fabrication and custom packaging.
