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EV Group (EVG) has announced that SEMATECH have made a tool order for EVG's fully automated 300mm GEMINI wafer bonder for enabling next-generation TSV and 3D interconnects.

EVG is a leading supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets.

This order represents the industry's first fully automated 300mm wafer bonder to integrate all four types of wafer bonding techniques into one system: thermo compression bonding, fusion bonding, temporary bonding and chip-to-wafer bonding.

The EVG system will be installed in SEMATECH's 3D R&D Center at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex in 2009.

"SEMATECH has been involved in 3D research for several years, and we are committed to building a strong infrastructure to pave the way for volume production of TSVs," said Sitaram Arkalgud, director of SEMATECH's 3D Interconnect Program.

Paul Lindner, EVG's executive technology director, said, "SEMATECH has one of the world's most advanced R&D programs on 3D interconnect technology. This is a tremendous opportunity for EV Group to contribute to this top-level program, which includes the industry's leading experts throughout the 3D IC value chain. We've already achieved post-copper bond alignment results well in advance of our 2010 targets, and we look forward to this important collaboration with SEMATECH and seeing 3D technology continue to gain traction as the technology of choice for high-volume memory and CMOS manufacturers."

This is the second tool order in two days for SEMATECH as the company ordered Bruker's X-ray metrology tools yesterday.