Online information source for semiconductor professionals

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 >>

Applied Materials has joined the international EMC-3D semiconductor equipment and materials consortium as part of its efforts to develop cost-effective and manufacturable through-silicon via (TSV) process flows for 3D chip stacking and MEMS integration. 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 >>

R&D enterprise, IMEC has joined the SOI Industry Consortium. The SOI Industry Consortium is open to any company, organization or academic institution with an interest in the use SOI technology and was spearheaded by SOI wafer producer Soitec. Read more >>

Citing an expected increase in polysilicon demand from the photovoltaics and semiconductor industries in the near-term future, Wacker Chemie AG has purchased 550 acres (220 hectares) of land in Bradley County, Tennessee for the construction of a US$1 billion polysilicon plant. Plant construction time lines and capacity of the planned facility were not disclosed. Read more >>

Perpetual loss-making semiconductor equipment supplier, Axcelis Technologies has sold its 50% share in SEN Corporation of Japan to Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI) for approximately US$132.6 million. SEN will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of SHI. Axcelis currently has a market capitalization of US$17.5 million. Read more >>

It has been a troubling first two months of 2009 and market research firm Gartner has now revised its semiconductor industry growth forecast, highlighting the global financial crisis as the key catalyst for another downgrade. According to Gartner, semiconductor sales will struggle to reach US$194.5 billion in 2009, a 24.1% decline from 2008. Gartner had said in December, 2008 that it expected sales to decline 16% in 2009. The month before, Gartner had forecasted sales of US$282 billion, a 1% increase from 2008.

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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 >>

A group of leading companies throughout the microelectronics value chain have launched the eBeam Initiative, a forum dedicated to the education and promotion of an innovative, new design-to-manufacturing approach known as design for e-beam (DFEB). By enabling a decrease in photomask costs for semiconductor devices, initiative members believe that DFEB will ultimately result in an increased number of design starts and reduced time-to-market for a wide range of semiconductor devices. Read more >>