EDITOR’S PAGE

• Keep your eyes on 17

INDUSTRY NEWS

• Lead Story: Roadmap committee steers chipmakers onto faster route with ITRS update
• Lefty: Paper view
• Breakout: U.S. labor survey gives chipmakers high safety marks; critic doubts study’s validity
• World Beat:
  Africa: Pelchem doubles production of octafluorocyclobutane
  Asia: Applied backs Taiwan R&D fund; Silterra touts fast ramp-up; Teamasia to build fab in Hyderabad
  Europe: Ion Systems moves Euro HQ; Eindhoven University receives software from Philips, Wright Williams & Kelly
• What’s Going On: Semicon China, Semiconductor Safety Association conference, and more
• 300-mm Imperative: TSMC delivers first wafers; Dainippon builds tool plant
• On Display: SID adds two chapters; Delta Optoelectronics and Dow Chemical create more-readable screen
• 'Round the Circuit: Air Products buys stake in parts start-up; NIST ends ATP deadlines; Sematech integrates Dow’s spin-on dielectric; Ashland, Dainippon Screen launch cleaning partnership; General Chemical raises prices; Sematech to use Microscan litho system for optical technology; STMicroelectronics’ CEO receives honor
• Expansions and Acquisitions: Air Products up SiF4 capacity;
  Johnson Matthey establishes gas process unit; Asyst to buy toolmakers; Newport, Kensington to merge; Daifuku merges units; 3M picks Semitorr as rep; Olympus opens optics office
• SPIE Microlithography 2001: Special section features annual symposium’s emphasis on overlay,SEM, and CD control topics
  

TECHNICAL ARTICLES

• Brave New Materials Addressing the challenges of spin-on low-k dielectric dispense management
• Behind the Mask Examining the challenges posed by NGL photomask fabrication
• Process Equipment Control Investigating medium-current tools for indium implantation applications
• Ultrapure Gas Delivery Preparing a gas delivery system for excimer lasers with fluorine passivation of 316L stainless steel
  

PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY NEWS

• Products: Lithography tool, compact IC unit, arsine permeation tubes, vacuum inlet trap, ultrapure regulator, gas cell, sensor fitting, arc welder, oxygen-deficiency detector, level switch, high-purity hose assemblies, digital pressure gauges, wafer-analysis software, antistatic tape, pressure transducers, modular cleanroom, shoe cleaner, leak detectors, 200-, 300-mm etch tools, control ball valve, defect data–analysis software
• Product Extra!

EDITOR’S PAGE

• Disruptive technologies

INDUSTRY NEWS

• Lead Story: New devices, materials compound ESH concerns for chip industry
• Lefty: Function at the junction
• Breakout: IMEC-Numerical Technologies team to focus research efforts on phase-shift advancements
• ASMC 2001: Tool use, yield control, factory dynamics share stage at European debut of annual conference
• Expansions and Acquisitions: Encore triples capacity; Entegris intends to buy Nisso Engineering fluid-handling products; Advanced Energy acquires Engineering Measurements; X-Fab Texas forms alliance with MKS
• Market Stats: No market barriers
• World Beat:
  Europe: Intel delays Irish fab; Communicant Semiconductor Technologies to build German foundry
  Middle East: Israel funds Intel fab
• 300-mm Imperative: Virginia to help fund Infineon; Singapore takes stake in UMC fab; Chartered to delay 300-mm pilot production at Fab 7
• What’s Going On: Semiconductor Safety Association conference, Semicon Europa, and more
• 'Round the Circuit: DuPont, Air Products to manufacture colloidal silica-based slurries; Nikon springs into CMP; Sandia National Lab, Microcosm Technologies to speed MEMS development; California NanoSystems Institute receives money from state for nanotechnology research

TECHNICAL VIEWPOINT

• Trace data; Yesterday's news or key to vastly superior equipment performance?

• Best of ASMC Investigating and eliminating sphere defects in T1 and T2 technologies
• Extreme Silicon Investigating the formation of time-dependent haze on stored wafers
• 300-mm Imperative Characterizing FOUPs and evaluating their ability to prevent wafer contamination
• Green and Clean Using a catalytic technique to abate PFC emissions in a 300-mm etch tool
• Process Tool Support Increasing PVD tool uptime and particle control with twin-wire-arc spray coatings
  

• Flexible fab concept provides key to Micronas expansion

• Products: Spin processor, thin, film-on-quartz heater, metal etch trap, deep-UV laser ablation system, specialty-gas heating system, 300-mm wafer-handling system, deep-UV spectrophotometer, fabwide monitoring system, electroplaing monitor, corrisive-liquid flow sensors, defect inspection tool, metal-sealed flange, ultrasonic sensors, heated chucks
• Product Extra!

• Semicon Europa 2001: The show section features a list of exhibitors and conference programs, including the IEEE/SEMI ASMC 2001 conference
• Conference Program

• Jaw-dropping innovation

• Lead Story: X architecture marks the spot for good yields, supporters say
• Lefty: Frequent flyer
• Breakout: Downturn? What downturn? Chipmakers, vendors move forward with 300-mm plans
• Breakout: International Sematech picks experts to oversee key work of lithography division
• Breakout: Merger of North American associations will enable vendors to speak as one
• World Beat:
  Europe: Innolite interests ASML, Canon, Nikon in EUV light source; DuPont Photomasks closes doors in Scotland
  Middle East: Tower buys PRI Automation, Axcelis tools; Applied to buy Oramir
  Asia: Applied opens facility in Taiwan, plans regional headquarters in Singapore; SEZ takes full control of its Japanese subsidiary; Rasa Industries to distribute Thomas West CMP products; Sony, Toshiba launch LSI project; SensArray opens branch in Taiwan
• 'Round the Circuit: SIA adds schools to R & D effort; Intel to use Numerical Technologies' phase-shifting technology; International Sematech selects interconnect director; Shipley enters low-k market; Shimadzu Scientific Instruments begins tool grants
  
• Expansions and Acquisitions: ITW to buy Texwipe; Asyst purchases GW Associates; Global Dispense debuts; Air Products breaks ground on WF₆ plant; Ashland purchases Alternative Engineering Resources; Electroglas, WWK partner on tool monitoring; industry vets launch Excelerate
• Photo Gallery: Lessons in logic
• Whatâs Going On: Diskcon, Semicon Southwest, and more

TECHNICAL ARTICLES

• Brave New Materials Implementing SiGe technology to produce heterojunction bipolar transistors
• Process Control Metrology Using a nondestructive in-line system to monitor ultrashallow junctions
• Process Equipment Control Controlling particles in sputter deposition modules
• Ultrapure Slurries Using a transducer and a flowmeter to determine slurry flow rate and POU filter life
• Green and Clean Investigating the use of biosorption to treat copper CMP wastewater

• Products: Metrology unit, nanoindentation tester, CMP unit, planetary gear head, wafer marker, filtering unit, DUV scanner, VOC abatement unit, carbon wafers, ball bearings, oxygen analyzer, elastomer seals, pressure controller, vacuum pumps, insertion level switch, rapid thermal processor, vacuum gauge, water analyzer, temperature probe, air shower, gas-delivery cylinder, microfilters, cleanroom duct
• Product Extra! Manufacturer offers process fab automation info on-line; software designer updates wafer analysis metrology software; vendor provides application notes and info sheets on CMP tester; supplier markets subsystems with single-, dual-arm 200- and 300-mm wafer-handling robot

• Ten reasons downturns don't suck

INDUSTRY NEWS

• Lead Story: Integrated metrology beginning to measure up to expectations
• Lefty: Connect the dots
• Breakout: Sematech aims spotlight at breakthrough technology for spotting litho projection lens aberrations
• Breakout: Three tool firms target ultrashallow junctions in San Jose submicron technology center
• Business/Technology Summary: A pretty penny
• World Beat:
  Europe: Lab signs metrology pact; laser vendor opens plant; Qualiflow buys Lintec stake
  Asia: TEL likes KDF's PVD tools; SMIC buys SMIF systems; display firm using Trikon tools
• 'Round the Circuit: NIST/Dow Corning claim dielectric leap; Sony to make more chips; Axcelis, SEZ study cleaning; SEMI unit names leader; MRS publishes new front-end book
  
• Expansions and Acquisitions: DuPont Photomasks and Micron Technology to build photomask plant; FlexICs starts up pilot fab to make ICs on plastic; Pentagon Technologies to open fourth parts-cleaning facility; Air Liquide opens analytical lab; Symphony Systems to integrate Aspen Technology optimization system; DuPont Air Products NanoMaterials expands Welsh slurry facility; KLA-Tencor debuts e-beam demo center; BOC Coating buys Intellemetrics; Kajima Overseas Asia to build UMCi fab in Singapore
• Photo Gallery: Don't look down
• Whatâs Going On: AEC/APC symposium, Photonics Boston, and more

• Brave New Materials Classifying defects for copper CMP process modules
• Wafer Handling/Fab Automation Using an integrated controller to manage wafer-handling systems
• Surface Conditioning/Chemistries Applying statistical methods to implement dry polymer removal techniques

• Products: Lithography laser, contour/roughness analysis, metrology tool, servo transfer unit, CD metrology system, moisture analyzer, plasma PFC-abatement unit, cavitation metrology tool, multihead swaging unit, automated cross-sectioning, moisture and oxygen analyzer, pressure transmitter, metrology station, cleanroom bucket, defect classification software, megasonic cleaner, epi measurement, vacuum pump, structural diagnostic tool, miniature valves, photo-acid generators, moisture analyzer, FOUP loadport, yield management software
• Product Extra! Toolmaker introduces optimized productivity services; vendor upgrades volume-production mask-patterning systems; manufacturer offers Web site on materials integrity management products and services; chemical supplier implements technology for exchanging electronic business documents

EDITOR’S PAGE

• Getting back to business
  

INDUSTRY NEWS

• Lead Story: Holy Grail! Motorola claims high-yield GaAs breakthrough
• Lefty: Air guitar
• Breakout: Software start-up plugs wireless tracking system to end consumables 'chaos'
• 300-mm Imperative: TSMC yields first wafers; industry leader buys Axcelis photoresist tool; Samsung chooses Daifuku to supply 300-mm storage systems
• New Materials Roundup: Two prototype copper tools are hits; KLA-Tencor opens demo center for e-beam system; AMD selects Dow Corning gas; 3M debuts 193-, 248-nm photoresist chemicals
• 'Round the Circuit: NIST tool aids etchers; alliance launches low-k Web site; two Corning scientists receive silica glass patent for 157-nm lithography; SEMI expands Web-based investment service; particle meeting seeks papers; contamination topics set for Estech 2002
  
• Expansions and Acquisitions: Photronics, Conexant sign pact; Boxer Cross ups capacity; Shima American, Medtronic Merocel launch brush roller partnership
• Whatâs Going On: Productronica, Semicon Japan, and more

• IMEC balances basic research, global industry alliances

• Preventing next-generation photochemical contamination of lithographic optics

• Process Equipment Control Enabling advanced lithography through active vibration control
• Defect/Yield Analysis Moving physical failure analysis from the lab to the fab
• Process Tool Support Applying process-specific approaches to performing tool preventive maintenance

• Products: Wafer traceability FOUP system, film-thickness metrology system, diaphragm valves, solids TOC analyzer, 300-mm wafer inspection, semiconductor fab integration, single-use trilayer HDPE drum, modular process control, stock-removal slurry, optical spectrograph, iron contamination monitor, dry vacuum plasma processing, battery-powered flowmeter, wafer-inspection lamp, digital mass-flow controller, airborne particle counters
• Product Extra! Pump vendor launches on-line purchasing service; toolmaker upgrades software for characterization system; supplier offers notification tools for data capture software; metrology specialist offers three-year warranty for lasers
• Products in Action: Ball-valve seal solution eliminates coolant leakage problem

EDITOR'S PAGE

• Better living through plastic
  

• When Micro Meets Nano
  Advances in nanoscience will have a huge impact on the manufacture of semiconductors and related thin-film products in the approaching sub-100-nm era. In this special report, MICRO explores some of the latest breakthroughs, trends, and challenges for readers ready to explore the world of molecular-scale transistors, carbon nanotubes, and atomic layer deposition.

• MICRO’s readers have selected the 30 most popular products from among the nearly 200 that appeared in the magazine’s Product Technology News section throughout 2001. This year’s Top 30 All-Stars range from analysis instruments and CMP tools to wafer markers and gears. The list includes cleanroom doors, face-seal fittings, metrology stations, microfilters, liquid flow sensors, ion implanters, tubing pumps, defect inspection tools, pressure transducers, PVD systems, wafer sorters, pressure control monitors, and 300-mm etch tools. MICRO extends a hearty congratulations to the winners!