INDUSTRY NEWS

300-mm IMPERATIVE

NEC to build U.S. fab

Tokyo-based chipmaker NEC plans to build a $1.4-billion 300-mm fab in Roseville, CA. Scheduled to open in 2002, the plant will manufacture 256-Mb and 1-Gb DRAMs. Located next to the existing Roseville fab, the new facility will produce semiconductors with 0.15-µm linewidths, the company says. Output is tentatively set at 20,000 wafers per month. Approximately 700 new jobs will be created, according to NEC.

Steag tool finishes 'marathon'

Steag AST Electronik of Tempe, AZ, says its AST 3000 RTP tool has passed a "marathon" test for 300-mm wafers at the I300I facility in Austin, TX. The tool processed more than 14,000 wafers with no equipment failures and no assists during the 21-day, around-the-clock test, the vendor says. The RTP system is designed for processing chips with 0.18- and 0.15-µm geometries. Temperature control is emissivity independent, and the temperature ramp rate is faster than 250° C/sec. Steag also announced that it has installed the RTP system at Semiconductor300, the joint Motorola-Siemens 300-mm fab in Dresden, Germany. The system features two 25-wafer FOUP loaders.

Eaton tool gets Dresden test

Eaton's HE3 ion implantation system is undergoing beta site tests at Semiconductor300 in Dresden, Germany. The tool is the semiconductor industry's first high-energy implanter made specifically for processing the larger wafers, according to Eaton's implant systems division. It is based on the supplier's GSD/HE series 200-mm product line. System features include high throughput for all retrograde well, triple-well, and medium-current applications, as well as improved process-chamber vacuum performance to ensure precise dose control during photoresist outgassing.

Track vendor gets nod

Semiconductor300 in Dresden, Germany, has chosen Hermos Informatik as its sole RF tracking supplier. Hermos modified its CarMaS carrier-management system to accommodate 300-mm FOUPs. The modified carrier system integrates a new LCD readout and special software for fabwide tracking. The company has its headquarters in Mistelgau, Germany, and an office in Portland, OR.

Daw nabs plum design role

Daw Technologies has been chosen to help design what the company says is the world's most advanced 300-mm facility. The Salt Lake City—based manufacturer of ultraclean environments will engineer the first phase of the project, a 42,000-sq-ft Class 1 cleanroom. Once the design phase is completed, Daw says it should receive authorization to supply the cleanroom system. The unnamed client will use copper-based process technology, according to Daw.

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