INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

KLA enhances litho package

KLA-Tencor claims its planned acquisition of Finle Technologies will facilitate the development of 0.13-µm lithography processes. The San Jose­based manufacturer of defect inspection and metrology equipment and yield software announced the definitive agreement to purchase Finle by the end of February. The company makes lithography modeling and data analysis software. KLA-Tencor declined to disclose the purchase price. Addressing the reasons for the acquisition, Gary Dickerson, COO of KLA-Tencor, calls the 0.13-µm design rule "a critical inflection point for the industry." Because the linewidths are "well below the wavelength of light used for imaging, the ability to model and control the lithography process becomes as mission-critical as the imaging technology used." KLA-Tencor plans to integrate the Finle Prolith modeling and analysis software into its recently introduced PMC-Net yield information network.

BOC lab targets copper

BOC Edwards will open a new applications laboratory this month where the company will focus on copper chemistries and slurry delivery technology. Located at BOC Edwards' technology center in Santa Clara, CA, the lab will enable researchers to evaluate new formulas in oxide, tungsten, copper, and silicon slurries. It will also permit customers to troubleshoot problems, evaluate tool performance, and test new slurries. The company, a division of BOC Group, has its headquarters in Wilmington, MA.

Aeronex signs purifier pact

Supelco will sell Aeronex purifiers for high-purity gas chromatography use under the terms of a new agreement signed by the two companies. Supelco manufactures more than 13,000 products for gas and liquid chromatography, including columns and supplies, according to Aeronex. It also distributes products from other companies. San Diego­based Aeronex says that Supelco's deep catalog convinced the company that it could reach users of analytical equipment and tap the expertise of an established ISO-registered company.

MRL to up furnace capacity

MRL Industries plans to add 30,000 sq ft of space to its headquarters in Sonora, CA. Set for completion by July of this year, the expansion will bring manufacturing capacity to 80,000 sq ft. MRL Industries makes the Cyclone and Phoenix line of diffusion furnaces and related thermal process tools. The company was purchased in January 1999 by the Swedish firm, Sandvik.

Wafer supplier changes name

Silicon wafer supplier Transition Technology International has changed its name to TTI Silicon. The company, which is based in Vancouver, WA, says the change better reflects the nature of its business for both its wafer distribution unit and its manufacturing division, formerly known as Silicon 2000. TTI Silicon has leased an additional 10,000 sq ft of plant space at the Washington site to accommodate its growing business in test and reclaim wafers. TTI notes that reclaimed wafers can be used to replace prime test and monitor wafers. Applications include particle monitoring, thin-film thickness measurements, and equipment characterization.

Hitachi to open tool plant

Hitachi America has begun building a 71,688-sq-ft equipment center in Irving, TX. The two-story facility will house the company's semiconductor equipment group, a service department, a parts warehouse, a customer technical training center, and support staff. The center's cleanroom lab will be used to demonstrate Hitachi's line of 200- and 300-mm tools for U.S. customers. The unit manufactures advanced etch, PFC abatement, and ion beam systems.

Firm signs distributor

QC Solutions has hired Palmborg Associates of Mercer Island, WA, as a sales rep for its line of wafer metrology and wafer-cleaning systems. Palmborg will represent QC Solutions in the Pacific Northwest. Based in North Billerica, MA, QC Solutions manufactures the QCS-7000 series of surface-charge profile tools and the QCS-3000 series of rapid optical surface treatment tools.

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