INDUSTRY NEWS

'ROUND THE CIRCUIT

Plasma advance announced

A California company says it has developed a technique that produces hydrogen plasmas that are better than 90% pure. Researchers at Silicon Genesis in Campbell, CA, say the proprietary technique called Protonic Mode enhances hydrogen ion specie concentration. They developed the method using the company's plasma immersion ion implantation system. The pure proton plasma promises implantations at a higher dosage rate than is currently available, the company claims. The Protonic Mode also promotes implant uniformity and high throughput, according to the supplier. The technique can be used with the company's Genesis Process, which was developed for high-throughput manufacturing of silicon-on-insulator wafers. The process has potential use in FPD manufacturing, and it can be used for nitrogen and oxygen as well, according to Silicon Genesis. Information: 408/871-4343; http://www.sigen.com.

Supply chain group formed

A semiconductor supply chain group launched earlier this year will provide educational services, guidance in best practices, benchmarking, and information exchange, according to its founders. Based in Los Gatos, CA, the Semiconductor Supply Chain Association (SSCA) was established following more than a year of meetings by companies such as TSMC, UMC, LSI Logic, Ernst & Young, and Xilinx. The companies determined that they should cooperate "in order to survive the new trends such as short product life cycles and the build-to-order model," says Dean Strausl, SSCA's executive director. Exposure to the trends driving new lithography requirements will allow SSCA members "to make better decisions for their companies," he adds. A 30-year industry veteran, Strausl is president of Supply Logic and co-developer of Xilinx's advanced supply chain model for fabless companies.

The association, through SSCA's Semiconductor Supply Chain Orientation Lab, will offer an educational program covering topics such as vendor-managed inventory, on-time delivery, and lead times. A three-day course will cover logistics, planning concepts, terminology, demand prediction, information flow, and related areas. Discussion group luncheons are also on the association's menu. A fall symposium is scheduled for Colorado Springs, CO. Information: 408/395-8483; http://www.sscassoc.org.

SVG shifts track paradigm

Silicon Valley Group (SVG) of San Jose says its new cell-based cluster platform is a track system breakthrough that will enable chipmakers to achieve the tighter critical dimension control forced by the industry's stricter lithography requirements. The three-axis system features a closely packed hexagonal cell structure that simplifies motion and controls variables to eliminate random delays, SVG claims. Boris Lipkin, president of SVG's track systems division, asserts that the accelerated pace of technological change is pushing the industry toward "more stringent" lithography production requirements and "tighter" CD control. "This has created the need for a platform that can move wafers and consistently schedule process steps," he maintains. The platform's symmetrical design simplifies wafer routing. The tool processes more than 40 wafers simultaneously to match the throughput requirements of most steppers, SVG says. The platform also accommodates both 200- and 300-mm wafers in a standard footprint. The company is close to introducing the platform commercially, Lipkin said in mid-April. Information: http://www.svg.com/.

Trio wins IDEMA grants

A student at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh will receive a $25,000 award from the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association (IDEMA) to conduct research in advanced test equipment for magnetic recording heads. As first-place winner, CMU student Shingo Tamaru will be presented the award at IDEMA's quarterly dinner meeting on July 22. Tamaru is one of three winners of IDEMA's fourth annual fellowship awards. Yun Li of Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, will receive a second-place award of $10,000. His area of study is quantum tunneling magnetic sensors. Hany Gross of the University of California, Berkeley, will receive $5000 for advanced study in head-disk mechanical dynamics and pico-head suspensions. IDEMA established the fellowship program in 1996 to support data storage research and the disk drive industry. The association has given a total of $160,000 to doctoral students since the program's inception. Information: http://www.idema.org.

Mask makers book published

The latest edition of a mask makers data book contains profiles of 153 mask shops throughout the world. The profiles in the 1999 Mask Makers Data Book include addresses, phone numbers, products and services, key repair equipment, and essential cleaning equipment. Names and titles of important decision makers are also featured in the hardbound publication. The book costs $1095 and is published by Reynolds Consulting. Information: 408/732-6275; fax, 408/732-6370.

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