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Lucent buys Sabre copper tool

Lucent Technologies plans to install a Sabre copper electrofill tool from Novellus Systems at an R&D lab located at its Cirent Semiconductor campus in Orlando, FL. Lucent also bought Inova PVD systems for installation at the Bell Laboratories Advanced Development and Research Facility. The lab is located at the site of the joint venture between Lucent and Cirrus Logic. The tools will be used to manufacture advanced copper interconnect structures in communication devices, Novellus says. Both systems can deposit copper in 10:1 aspect ratio structures on chips with geometries >=0.13 µm.

TI upgrades with Asyst

Texas Instruments will use SMIF wafer-isolation gear from Asyst Technologies as part of a recently announced fab renovation plan. TI's multimillion dollar order includes SMIF wafer cassette transfer tools, minienvironments, and tags for wafer-lot tracking. The semiconductor manufacturer plans to use the unnamed fab to make digital signal processors with linewidths of 0.25 µm. TI hopes to use the SMIF systems to maintain volume production of devices on 6-in. wafers as it makes the transition to 8-in. wafer processing, Asyst says.

AMD tests ultrapure wafers

AMD will use a batch of isotopically pure silicon-28 epitaxial wafers from Isonics to investigate the impact of silicon-28 on device performance. The Colorado-based supplier says the chipmaker will compare the silicon-28 wafers with silicon epitaxial wafers in order to evaluate overall yield and speed sorting. According to Isonics, lab tests show that isotopically pure silicon-28 has a 50% higher thermal conductivity than natural silicon.

GaSonics peps up clients

A North American manufacturer of logic ICs and wireless communication devices has purchased resist- and residue-removal tools from GaSonics International, the vendor announced. A South Korean DRAM manufacturer has also bought the systems. The combined multimillion-dollar orders are for GaSonics's Performance Enhancement Platform (PEP) systems. The DRAM chipmaker purchased PEP clean and PEP 3510A photoresist removal tools for post-etch cleaning. The North American client will use PEP 3510A systems for making chips with 0.35-µm linewidths, later scaling down to 0.18-µm production, according to the San Jose­based supplier. The chipmaker will use the dual-chamber systems to remove photoresist in both aluminum and copper-based metallization processes.

Lam buys slurry systems

Lam Research will install P2200 slurry blending and distribution systems from FSI International at its CMP lab in Fremont, CA. Lam will use the systems with polishing tools featuring its linear planarization technology. The systems will deliver slurry for copper, oxide, tungsten, and shallow-trench isolation applications. Their multiple configurations can blend up to three chemicals with ultrapure water in mix ratios of 300:1 and lower, FSI says.

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