Lam Research has cleared the majority of the conditions outstanding in the purchase of single wafer wet processing specialist, SEZ. The company now has 94.26 percent of all issued SEZ shares and expects to complete the deal in March, 2008. SEZ will become a division within Lam Research. 

Accretech Tokyo Seimitsu has become an associate member in SEMATECH’s 3D Interconnect Program located at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany. Launched two years ago, the 3D program, which includes research into through-silicon vias (TSVs) as interconnects, is working to enable high-volume manufacturing of 3D chips by its members. 

IBM and Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials are to collaborate on CMP process development for copper and low-k dielectrics integration at the 32nm and 22nm nodes. Under a signed joint development agreement (JDA) the companies will create a complete CMP consumables solution to enable volume manufacturing. The news comes on the back of an announcement that the two companies would also collaborate on photoresist and implant steps at the same technology nodes. 

After years of development, Qimonda has released information regarding its ‘Deep-Trench’ process technology replacement - dubbed ‘Buried Wordline’ - that offers greater scaling capability through the 30nm node, as well as a host of process cost and die size savings that, it claims, are unprecedented. 

KLA-Tencor Corporation has made a friendly acquire all shares in ICOS Vision Systems for approximately $465.8 million. ICOS's primary business is inspection equipment for semiconductor packaging - an area not covered by KLA-Tencor. However, ICOS has a growing presence in the photovoltaic solar cell and module inspection market and expects revenues in 2008 of between €16-20 million from this rapidly growing market. 

Tokyo Electron (TEL) has established a new business, Tokyo Electron PV Limited, with
Sharp Corporation to develop and commercialize high throughput plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) systems for the thin film silicon photovoltaics market based on TEL’s experience in the large flat panel display industry. 

An Asia-based logic IC manufacturer has placed an order with Akrion for a single-wafer Velocity cleaning system. The six-chamber Velocity will perform BEOL particle removal on the IMD (intermetal dielectric) layer in a Cu manufacturing process line, the company said. 

Sumitomo Heavy Industries has announced a hostile takeover campaign for ion implant equipment specialist Axcelis Technologies after 18 months of behind-the-scenes discussion proved fruitless, according to SHI. 

At Micron Technology’s analyst day last week, Mark Durcan, Micron’s President and COO, outlined the company’s low-cost manufacturing plan for both DRAM and NAND flash memory in 2008.