 INDUSTRY
NEWS
TEL to use Brooks's pod
Brooks Automation of Chelmsford, MA, has licensed portions of
its 300-mm FOUP to TEL for an undisclosed sum. The Japanese tool manufacturing
giant says it plans to use the front-opening pod loadport on all of its
300-mm process equipment. Use of the pod technology will enable TEL to
comply with SEMI's FOUP standards, the equipment manufacturer says. Meanwhile,
Brooks touted the widespread acceptance of the technology, noting that
the company recently shipped its 2000th Fixload loadport tool.
Mattson banks big orders
Mattson Technology has received orders for 300-mm process equipment
totaling more than $50 million. The Fremont, CAbased supplier says
a major European chipmaker has purchased multiple RTP, CVD, strip, and
wet process tools. Mattson began shipping the tools to the customer's
fabs around the world in September 2000. Shipments of the systems will
continue through 2002 for installation at all of the client's 300-mm fabs,
according to Mattson. The orders span all of Mattson's process tool divisions.
Equipment shipped includes Aspen III strip systems and AWP 300 wet process
tools.
SemiTest ships analyzer
SemiTest of Billerica, MA, has shipped an SCA-3000 surface-charge
analyzer to a 300-mm fab in Japan. The fab, a joint venture between two
chip manufacturers in Japan and Taiwan, will use the tool to monitor its
processes. One of the principal partners in the venture has been using
SemiTest's SCA-2500 to monitor production of 8-in. wafers. The SCA-3000
model detects contaminants such as iron, sodium, and copper and senses
process changes, equipment malfunctions, and operator errors, the company
says.
UMC buys Applied CVD tools
Japan-based foundry UMC has purchased multiple Producer S 3000
CVD systems from Applied Materials for its new fab in Taiwan. UMC is installing
the tools in Fab 12A in Tainan City. The foundry will use the equipment
to deposit dielectric films for processing chips with linewidths 0.18
µm and below. The Producer S is a more compact version of Applied's
Producer platform. The 30% smaller footprint frees up fab floor space,
Applied points out.
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