INDUSTRY NEWS

'ROUND THE CIRCUIT

Metrology advance studied

A new reference material for calibrating the accuracy of metrology equipment is being evaluated by a 13-member consortium of semiconductor manufacturers and metrology tool vendors. Advanced Micro Devices, Benchmark Technologies, KLA Instruments, Lucent Technologies, Nanometrics, and Opal are among the members of the consortium examining sample test chips. The measurement tool is made of single-crystal silicon film with a geometric regularity that makes it ideal for measuring critical dimensions ¾0.35 µm, according to its developers.

Sematech, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Sandia National Laboratories developed the reference material as part of NIST's National Semiconductor Metrology Program. Under the terms of a cooperative research and development agreement, each member of the Single-Crystal CD-Reference Materials Consortium will make a minimum of 20 measurements on the chips. These measurements will be compared with conventional metrology methods such as electrical techniques, optical transmissions microscopy, scanning force microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The members will also assess the commercial viability of the prototype samples and offer suggestions that may lead to the development of a standard reference material traceable to NIST. Information: 301/975-4261.

ESD okays draft standards

A standard covering electrostatic discharge sensitivity testing as it relates to a defined human body model is one of three new draft protocols approved by the ESD Association. The second document covers a test method for measuring the electrical resistance of floor materials, footwear, and personnel as a system. The third covers a test method for measuring the electrostatic voltage on a person in combination with floor materials and footwear as a system. The standards are, respectively, ANSI/ESD 5.1­1993, DS54.1­1996, and DS54.2­1996. The drafts await industry comment and review before approval as full standards. Information: 315/339-6937; fax, 315/339-6793.

Air filter RP published

The Institute of Environmental Sciences has published a handbook that collects contamination control reference documents on air filtration in a single publication. Recommended Practices Relating to Air Filtration in Cleanrooms and Other Controlled Environments covers filter and filter media testing; filter construction; and cleanroom filter applications. The book contains seven RPs. Information: 847/255-1561; fax, 847/255-1699.

Ohmi to address session

A keynote address by Tadahiro Ohmi, an internationally recognized expert in ultraclean semiconductor manufacturing technology, will be among the highlights of a special session hosted by the Ultra Clean Society (UCS) of Tokyo at the American Vacuum Society's 44th National Symposium. Ohmi, a professor at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, will discuss UCS manufacturing activities during his address on the opening day of the symposium, to be held at the San Jose Convention Center, October 20­24. The one-day UCS session will cover nine topics, among them pit-free electropolishing of aluminum and its application for process chambers, integrated compact gas-delivery systems, and the suppression of impurity-back diffusion in vacuum pumping systems. The session chair is Takeshi Hattori of Sony's ULSI R&D laboratories. Hattori is a member of MICRO's editorial advisory board. Information: 81-33815-8775; fax, 81- 33852-9815; E-mail, riz@ppp.bekkoame.or.jp.

Cleaning partners sought

A program giving OEMs access to critical-cleaning technology for use in their wafer process and scrubbing equipment has been established by Rippey of El Dorado Hills, CA. The supplier of PVA products for post-CMP cleaning and disk media cleaning applications says it instituted the Critical Cleaning 2000 Development Program to enhance OEMs' knowledge of critical cleaning processes and establish benchmarks for next-generation wafer processing. The company says its engineers will work on a confidential basis with OEMs and customers to develop products, processes, and technologies to improve critical cleaning applications. Information: 916/939-4332.

IC primer explains all

Written for the layperson, Basic IC Technology Reference Manual is an overview of semiconductor manufacturing technology from silicon growth to IC packaging. The 208-page book is designed to help the industry neophyte better understand engineering terms and the manufacturing process. The manual contains approximately 200 illustrations and more than 375 definitions. Areas covered include vacuum tubes, transistors, the different types of microchips, crystal growth, wafer cleaning, photolithography, deposition, wafer testing, chemicals, and gases. The publisher is Integrated Circuit Engineering of Scottsdale, AZ. The book costs $335, and there is a discount for orders of more than 50 copies. Information: 602/368-8261; fax, 602/948-1925.

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