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'Green' parts cleaner grows

Sending semiconductor equipment parts to outside companies for cleaning will continue to gain acceptance in the industry as the benefits become more obvious, says the head of a cleaning services firm. Dave Zuck, president and CEO of ESCA (Environmentally Safe Cleaning Alternatives), calls off-site providers such as his "an exciting, yet infant service available to semiconductor manufacturers." Zuck admits that outsourcing "represents a paradigm shift from traditional in-house cleaning, but the cost, process, and environmental benefits are too significant to ignore." The benefits include lowered manufacturing costs, improved environmental compliance, and better process results over the standard in-house practices, he says.

As the former semiconductor technical and site services manager for Air Products and Chemicals, Zuck has experience with using outside sources. He managed the industry's first gas supply-and-service contract for Motorola's MOS-6 fab in 1988 and has managed more than 40 other on-site gas and chemical alliances.

In February 1997, founders Thomas and Chris Barr opened ESCA's first cleaning factory in Albuquerque. The company purchased a cleaning services facility in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in June 1997, hired Zuck in October, and later opened facilities in Phoenix; Portland, OR; and Dublin, Ireland. Three new locations are planned for 1998, says Zuck, adding that 42 fabs have used ESCA's services in the first quarter of 1998.

The company uses carbon dioxide and pressurized clean dry air to remove organic, particulate, and specific inorganic residues from stainless steel, aluminum, Teflon, PVC, ceramic, and other parts. Unlike abrasive cleaning, the dry process eliminates disposal problems. The remaining CO₂ is kind to the environment and will not deplete the ozone layer, the company says. Information: 602/755-0100.

Robots are on the march

Worldwide sales of robotics hardware and software grew 27% to $1.66 billion in 1997, according to The Information Network. The Williamsburg, VA—based research company forecasts that global revenues from sales of automated wafer transfer tools will reach $3.16 billion in 2001, a compound annual growth rate of 18.6%. The tools include vacuum robots, vacuum elevators, vacuum platforms, and platform software. Ever-shrinking IC geometries and expensive tools for processing 200-mm wafers are mandating cost reductions that robotics can provide, company president Robert Castellano points out. The shift to 300-mm wafers will make inevitable the use of full factory automation over the next five years, he says. The data are available in a report titled Semiconductor Factory Automation: Technology Issues and Market Forecasts. Information: 757/258-3738.

Symposia seek input

The American Vacuum Society (AVS) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) have announced deadlines in early May for submissions to their respective technical symposia. Organizers of the AVS 45th International Symposium are seeking papers on a range of topics, including partial pressure measurements for process control, selected energy epitaxy, applied surface science, electronic materials and processing, plasma science, and thin films. AVS encourages authors to submit abstracts by E-mail. The deadline for E-mail submissions is May 11. The address is avs98@avssymposium.org. Mail or fax abstracts are due May 1 at AVS, 120 Wall St., 32nd Fl., New York, NY 10005; fax, 212/248-0245. The event is being held in Baltimore, November 2—6, 1998. Information: 212/248-0200.

SPIE is hosting the 18th Annual BACUS Symposium on Photomask Technology and Management, September 16—18, 1998, in Redwood City, CA. The organizers are soliciting papers on topics such as defect inspection and repair, defect printability, and metrology. Additional topics are wafer fab issues, and photomask processes and materials. Abstracts are due May 4. Forms are available on SPIE's Web site at www.spie.org/forms/or_submission_form.html. E-mail submissions may be sent to abstracts@spie.org. Authors sending printed abstracts must mail three copies to Photomask '98, SPIE, P.O. Box 10, Bellingham, WA 98227. One fax copy may also be sent to SPIE at 360/647-1445. Information: 360/676-3290.

SEMI to host CIS trip

SEMI will host an executive mission in June to bring together executives from the equipment and materials industry with government and company officials in the Commonwealth of Independent States. The goal of the mission, scheduled June 1—4, is to foster the exchange of ideas for developing high-technology industries in the CIS. The trade group hosted its last such visit in 1996. Since then, a special industrial zone has been established near Moscow in the city of Zelenograd, considered Russia's Silicon Valley. The zone offers tax exemptions, energy payment preferences, and government-backed credit guarantees. A total of 24 SEMI member firms and chipmakers have a business presence in the CIS. Information: 650/940-6903; +7 502 224 5847; fax, +7 502 224 5848.

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