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New Product: Entrepix starts ‘FastForward’ CMP foundry service
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Product Briefing Outline: Entrepix' has launched its
CMP ‘FastForward' foundry service that the company claims is the most
extensive portfolio of CMP (chemical mechanical processing) processes,
foundry services and equipment offerings to meet the semiconductor
industry's rapidly growing interest in the Fab-Light manufacturing
model.
Problem: Although CMP has been around since the
early 1990s, the industry's use of CMP process steps continues to grow
due to continuously advancing technologies and higher product volumes,
both of which require an increasing number of polishes. The array of
materials being used in semiconductor fabrication and the complexity of
each material's CMP process make it an engineering intensive
manufacturing technology requiring the development of multiple process
recipes. At the same time, IDMs face pressure to bring product to
market quickly or see rapidly diminishing returns for their investments.
Solution:
CMP FastForward is designed to assist manufacturers at all levels of
CMP experience and address both engineering and production requirements
with flexible solutions. This ranges from highly customized development
projects to the integration, qualification and ramp-up of an entirely
new CMP line either by outsourcing to Entrepix' facility or by
insourcing Entrepix services at the customer site. Companies just
starting in CMP could reduce implementation time, capital investment
and project risks. For companies already using CMP, Entrepix improves
financial return and long term competitiveness through engineering work
for both process enhancements and cost reductions, plus providing
upside and expansion capacity for high volume manufacturing, according
to the company. Entrepix' CMP FastForward services also supports a
Fab-Light or IDM+ business model. It allows IDMs to outsource specific
process steps and can significantly improve return on investment and
accelerate time-to-revenue by reducing internal constraints with an
optimal balance between internal and external resources.
Applications: CMP
Platform:
The company provides production, integration and optimization services
to IDMs, OEMs, MEMS, nanotechnology and CMP consumables suppliers from
its ISO9001:2000 certified foundry in Tempe, AZ.
Availability: June 2006 onwards.
Fig. 1: CMP FastForward supports the CMP process at any point in the CMP Lifecycle.