Online information source for semiconductor professionals

ASM International has said it has reached a new milestone with the shipment of over 500 atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactors for use in semiconductor manufacturing. According to the company it now has ALD reactors in operation at a majority of advanced logic and memory fabs worldwide. The figure also includes Plasma Enhanced ALD systems which provide an advantage for certain applications, such as very low temperature processing. Read more >>

Novellus Systems has reached a new milestone for its VECTOR Extreme plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) system, with the company shipping its 100th system. The VECTOR Extreme was introduced in July of 2007. Read more >>

Nova Measuring Instruments has received multiple orders for its i500 integrated metrology system from several customers. The orders followed the successful completion of a rigorous qualification process, conducted by these customers over several months, to be the primary platform for their integrated process control needs. Read more >>

A leading IC foundry has placed a repeat order with FSI International for its ‘ORION’ single wafer cleaning system. The customer will use the system for back-end-of-line (BEOL) cleaning processes and is expected to be shipped in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011. Read more >>

Akrion Systems is to ship GAMA wet stations to a range of MEMS-product based manufacturers this year worth over US$20 million. The company will ship GAMA wet stations to the Centre de Collaboration MiQro Innovation (C2MI) in Bromont Technoparc, Quebec, Canada and to major suppliers of MEMS devices in Europe and Southeast Asia.  Read more >>

EV Group has joined the Georgia Institute of Technology 3D Systems Packaging Research Center (GT PRC) as a Manufacturing Infrastructure Member. EVG’s temporary bonding and debonding, chip-to-wafer bonding and lithography technology will be included in the PRC’s Silicon and Glass Interposer Industry (SiGI) Consortium research program in an effort to to understand the applicability of EVG’s manufacturing equipment and solutions for ultra-miniaturized device and systems packaging applications using through-silicon vias (TSVs). Read more >>

Tokyo Electron (TEL) has received a follow-on order from Taiwan-based foundry, UMC valued at approximately US$30.5 million. The order is TEL’s largest this year from UMC and one of largest so far placed by the foundry with equipment suppliers in 2011. Read more >>

SEMATECH and International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) have highlighted the numerous presentations and public workshops the R&D organisation will be conducting during the annual SEMICON West event in San Francisco from July 11–15. Read more >>

A leading semiconductor manufacturer has placed follow-on multi-system orders with Mattson Technology. The equipment supplier said that order included ‘paradigmE’ etch and ‘SUPREMA’ strip tools and that shipments had already begun. The systems will be used for advanced etch and strip applications to produce chips that will be used in devices such as smart phones, personal computers and solid state drives, according to Mattson. Read more >>

Taiwan-based foundry, UMC had purchased a batch of semiconductor manufacturing tools from Novellus Systems. The purchase order is for approximately US$18.66 million. UMC’s capital expenditure in 2011 is expected to approximately US$1.8 billion. Read more >>