Online information source for semiconductor professionals

Micronic Laser Systems has received an order from a captive mask shop in Asia for a Prexision-8 laser pattern generator to be shipped 2Q09.  Read more >>

Design-for-e-beam software start-up, D2S has secured US$9 million in a Series B investment round. Advantest Corporation and Cadence Design Systems as well as Benchmark Capital and DAG Ventures participated in the round. Read more >>

Powerlase Limited, manufacturers of nanosecond Q-switched, diode-pumped solid state (DPSS) lasers, have announced that important investments have been secured from an investor group including MTI Partners, Deutsche Venture Capital, DJF Esprit LLP, Alice Ventures and FNI Venture Capital.  The extent of the investment was not disclosed.  Read more >>

In a credit crunch-defying report for 2008 revenue, SUSS MicroTec AG has revealed that its sales have risen to €149.3 million for FY08, an increase of 2.5% on 2007’s figure of €145.6 million. The increase was chiefly due to the success of the company’s lithography division, which saw an 18% increase in sales year-on-year to €98.8 million. Read more >>

E-beam lithography tool manufacturer Vistec Lithography, Inc. has received a major order from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin in Berlin-Adlershof for one of its Vistec EBPG5000plus electron-beam lithography systems. The two companies will collaborate on further enhancing the Gaussian Beam system for generating advanced diffractive optics. Read more >>

EV Group has announced that it has received an order from a new customer for one of its EVG101D photoresist tools. The University of Tokyo will install the tool in its Class 1 cleanroom in the Takeda Sentanchi Building. Read more >>

Although currently a small player in the NAND flash memory market, Powerchip Semiconductor (PSC) is collaborating with Nikon and Synopsys to improve yields of memory cells when PSC enters production of 42nm flash devices and customer products using flash. Nikon’s Scanner Signature Files (NSSF) will be used with Synopsys’ Proteus ProGen modelling software to improve accuracy. Read more >>

Léti and Brewer Science are working on the development and integration of photosensitive and non-photosensitive coatings into MEMS manufacturing processes, where high aspect ratios are mandatory, and on organic coating layers for advanced KrF and ArF photoresist processes. The materials process flow work covers 3 Dimensional Packaging using Brewer Science temporary adhesives. Read more >>

Brion, a division of ASML, and Cymer have collaborated on putting Cymer laser spectral characteristics into Brion’s computational lithography models to improve modelling for lithography related processes. This is the first time that this level of laser bandwidth characterization has been integrated into computational lithography products, according to the companies. Read more >>

Sematech announced that it will partner with Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK) and Asahi Glass Co. (AGC) in separate joint development programs targeted on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. TOK will participate in collaborative efforts to optimize and develop advanced photoresists and other imaging materials at Sematech's EUV Resist and Materials Development Center at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the University of Albany, while AGCand the chipmaker consortium will work at CNSE on methods for improving EUV mask blank yield to accelerate commercial manufacturing readiness. Read more >>