Product Extra!

Pall's EZD-2Stage adapter allows lithographers to use the company's standard PhotoKleen EZD-2 filter capsule with the P-Nylon filter media on two-stage pump systems. The slide version of the adapter allows for quick and easy fit-up into existing installations, requires minimal tool interruption, and can be used as a fast test mechanism before the bolt-on version is adapted. The bolt-on version does not require a modification of existing pump hardware, minimizes dead space, and eliminates O-ring particle release downstream of the filter. The filter capsule minimizes purge time, microbubble formation, and chemical waste during filter changes. The hydrophilic filter media reduce microbridge and cone defects in 193-nm and bottom antireflective coating processes. Information: www.pall.com.

Membrana has launched a Spanish-language Web site for its Liqui-Cel membrane contactor products. The contactors are used for adding or removing oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrogen to or from liquids. In IC manufacturing, high levels of O₂ can cause low wafer yields; CO₂ impacts the performance of electrodeionization and ion exchange. The Spanish-language portal can be accessed at www.liqui-cel.com. Once on the Web site, users can launch the international portals by selecting the language of choice. There are buttons for product information, technical support, and publications. Translated data sheets and start-up guides for products can be downloaded as Acrobat pdf files.

An enhanced scanning control mode for nanopositioning stages incorporates digital signal processing for precision response at high scan speeds. Offered by n-Point, the enhanced mode is part of the overall nanopositioner controller. Nanopositioners are key components in scanning probe microscopes, including atomic force microscopes (AFMs). The controller provides advanced closed-loop control, which increases scan speed and leads to faster data collection in AFM and metrology applications. The new scanning mode is available for the company's complete line of nanopositioning stages, including the AFM Upgrade Kit, which enhances the capability of scanning probe instruments already in use. Information: www.piezomax.com.

X'Pert Stress, X'Pert HighScore, and Epitaxy and Smoothfit x-ray diffraction software packages from PANalytical have adopted the XRDML data platform. X'Pert Stress 1.1 supports automatic analysis using the X'Pert automatic processing program via the command line interface. After a stress measurement is completed, analysis can be performed automatically according to user defaults, saved electronically, and printed. X'Pert HighScore Plus 2.0 is used for full powder pattern analysis. It performs crystallographic analysis and a revised Rietveld implementation that includes a Le Bail fit. With X'Pert Epitaxy and Smoothfit 4.1, users can customize the deviation for cubic materials from Vegard's law. It has an enhanced database that contains deviation formulas for silicon germanium and SiGeC. Information: www.panalytical.com and www.xrdml.com.

The latest edition of the "Applied Cost Modeling" e-zine can be found under the "Newsletter" link on Wright Williams & Kelly's Web site. The e-zine highlights ways to reduce manufacturing costs and improve productivity. It contains information on topics such as cost of ownership (COO), overall equipment effectiveness, cost and resource evaluation, and discrete-event simulation. The new edition offers two feature articles: "Equipment Performance Metrics, Their Relationship and Hierarchy," which discusses the metrics that can be used to evaluate manufacturing equipment performance, and "Cost of Ownership: A Tool for ESH Improvements," which focuses on the cost impact of environmental, safety, and health decisions and the use of COO to find alternative approaches to green manufacturing. Information: www.wwk.com.