A major semiconductor manufacturer has selected a single wafer cleaning system dubbed ‘ORION’ from FSI International, which has yet to be officially announced. The tool will be used for 32nm BEOL cleaning processes that specifically handle low-k materials. 

Molecular Imprints has successfully completed a $12.9 million round in new funding, taking its tally to $91 million in total. This includes $73 million in strategic and venture capital financing, $15 million from U.S. federal government agencies and $3 million from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. 

ASM America, a subsidiary of ASM International, has developed an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process implementing lanthanum oxide (LaOx) and aluminum oxide (AlOx) high-k cap layers that enable 32nm generation high-k metal gate stacks using a single metal, instead of the two different metals first implemented with 45nm logic devices. 

In IC Insights’ May update to The McClean Report, the market research firm highlights a major disruption taking place amongst the top 20 semiconductor supplier rankings after collating revenue results from the first quarter of 2008. Leading the pack in sales growth is TSMC, which saw sales grow by 44 percent compared to the same quarter in 2007. TSMC move up the rankings slightly, from 6th position to 5th, according to IC Insights. Also moving up one place in 1Q08 were Renesas, Sony, and Infineon. 

EV Group (EVG) is to open a new subsidiary in Seoul, Korea to serve as a direct-to-customer site for sales, service and support efforts for EVG's existing and potential new customer base in the country due to the growth of business there. 

Cymer said at this week's Sematech EUV Source Workshop in New York that it has reached a milestone 25 watts of average extreme ultraviolet (EUV) power continuously for 1 1/2 hours' duration, and is on track to achieve the 100 watts of average power needed for production-ready EUV lithography tools in 2009. 

Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics has adopted Anchor Semiconductor’s ‘NanoScope’ DFM tools for sub-130nm production. The main application areas include full chip post-RET/OPC verification and design-related manufacturing defect characterization. 

A major foundry based in Asia has become a new customer of Ultratech after placing an order for its LSA100A Laser Spike Anneal (LSA) system. Ultratech now claims that 15 of the top 17 logic manufacturers are using the company's proprietary laser anneal technology. The foundry will use the LSA100A system for 45nm production, according to Ultratech.

Hynix Semiconductor is to provide ProMOS Technologies with its 50nm DRAM stack process technology in exchange for capacity at its 300mm fabs. The company will also make an investment in ProMOS shares of between 8-10 percent, worth approximately $180 million. 

Applied Materials has made its 200th Applied Producer APF CVD system shipment, a tool that uses a self-aligned double patterning (SADP) process to extend optical lithography to 45nm and beyond. According to Applied Materials, the Producer APF has become the CVD patterning tool of record at advanced logic, DRAM and flash manufacturers worldwide. 

Mass metrology equipment manufacturer Metryx has signed a sales, service and support contract with Taiwan-based Hermes-Epitek to promote Metryx’s equipment in Taiwan, China and Singapore. Metryx has already been selling systems into the Asia market. 

According to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers’ Group (SMG), worldwide silicon wafer area shipments declined 1 percent in 1Q08 compared to 4Q07. Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,163 million square inches in the first quarter, compared to 2,185 million square inches shipped during the fourth quarter. Compared to the 2007 first quarter, total area shipments increased by 3 percent. 

It may have been a lacklustre year in 2007 for revenue growth on the parts of TSMC, UMC and Chartered Semiconductor, but according to figures released by IC Insights, Samsung Electronics experienced foundry revenue growth of 413 percent in 2007 compared to 2006 and became the 10th largest foundry by sales.