INDUSTRY NEWS

Europe

Applied sees more of Europe

Applied Materials is in the midst of a major European expansion in response to market demands fueled by the growing acceptance of 300-mm wafers and copper processing. The world's largest manufacturer of semiconductor production gear opened a new equipment refurbishing facility in Crolles, France. The facility, which houses a 990-sq-ft assembly and testing cleanroom, will ship more than 50 reconditioned process tools in 2000. Applied also increased capacity at its implant division plant in Horsham, England, because of growing demand for its ion implant tools. The company says demand for the systems has grown by more than a factor of five since early 1999.

In further developments, Applied has formed partnerships with more than 10 European universities and research institutes under the umbrella name Virtual Technology Center. The center's ambit is to complement Applied's product development efforts, help the company identify long-term needs, and introduce new technology to European fabs. Among the organizations involved in the program are IMEC in Leuven, Belgium, and Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany. IMEC researchers use both PVD and CVD systems in its research, while researchers at Chemnitz are working with advanced CVD and etch technologies, Applied says.

In related European developments, the vendor and Ericsson Microelectronics in Sweden are working together to develop process module technology to make shallow trench isolation structures on Ericsson's RF devices for telecommunications semiconductors. The STI structures will be used in chips with geometries of 0.25 µm and 0.18 µm. Applied's STI process module will combine Applied's silicon etch DPS Plus Centura, Ultimate HDP-CVD Centura, and Mirra Mesa CMP systems. Finally, the vendor has supplied Altis Semiconductor with its Total Parts Management service program. The program is designed to simplify parts management for more than 120 Applied systems. A joint venture between IBM and Infineon, Altis is based in Corbeil Essonnes, France. The chipmaker is one of the first European producers to manufacture copper-based semiconductors in volume.

Oxford opens applications lab

Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology has opened a 900-sq-ft cleanroom applications lab in Bristol, England. The facility is equipped with advanced plasma and ion beam tools such as the company's Plasmalab System 100 with a large-area inductively coupled plasma source. The vendor has also installed metrology equipment in the facility.

Rudolph debuts Euro subsidiary

New Jersey­based Rudolph Technologies, a manufacturer of film thickness metrology tools, has formed a corporation in Europe. After ending its distribution agreement with Metron Technology, the company expanded European direct sales and support in September 1999. Rudolph Technologies Europe is based in the Netherlands.

Asia

SCP to build $10M lab

SCP Global Technologies Asia will spend $10 million to build an applications lab in Woodlands, Singapore. SCP's partner in the joint venture is SingaTrust, a provider of chipmaking equipment, materials, and services. SCP Asia makes etch and strip tools and related surface preparation equipment for customers throughout Asia. Set for completion by the end of 2000, the lab will offer customers services that enable them to improve their yields, SCP says. Customers also will be able to develop methods for reducing DI water use. In addition, the company will help clients develop applications for dilute chemistries for chips with linewidths 0.13 µm. The new facility will house a Class 100 cleanroom and feature SCP's Evolution 200-mm wet process system as well as metrology equipment. The company plans to spend $20 million between 1999 and 2001 to expand its Asian operations.

Boin signs distributor

Boin, a manufacturer of metrology software, has chosen Nanyang Equipment to distribute Boin's Wafermap system. Nanyang has exclusive distribution rights in Southeast Asia, China, India, and Taiwan. Wafermap operates under Windows 95 and NT 4.0. It enables users to analyze metrology data off-line and import data from ellipsometers, four-point probes, and related metrology equipment. Nanyang Equipment is a semiconductor sales and service company based in Singapore. The company specializes in process equipment, spare parts, and consumables.

Program betters Sony yields

Installation of a specialized manufacturing program has significantly improved yields for a 0.25-µm DRAM line at a Sony plant in Japan, according to the system's manufacturer. PDF Solutions reports that Sony's use of the vendor's holistic yield improvement methodology has led to the manufacturing improvements in Sony's embedded DRAM LSI line in Kokubu. The PDF system creates a customized program that can improve process yields by combining process recipe, design information, in-line manufacturing data, and statistical simulation, according to the supplier. PDF says the system has enabled Sony to eliminate yield killers such as defects, parametric variations, and systematic problems. Headquartered in San Jose, PDF Solutions was established in 1991 as a spin-off from Sematech's Center for Rapid Yield Learning at Carnegie-Mellon University.

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