Materials center plan unveiled

International Sematech and the state of Texas have agreed to create the Advanced Materials Research Center (AMRC) in Austin. A 5-year program, the AMRC will receive an initial $40 million from the newly created Texas Enterprise Fund, with an additional $160 million to be funded from various sources over the next 4 years. The center will collaborate with the University of Texas system as well as other universities in the state. Leading-edge materials and capabilities for next-generation semiconductors—including advanced interconnect schemes and immersion lithography—will be the AMRC's main focus, as well as research projects in MEMS, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and other disciplines.

Varian, ISE enter JDA

A leading ion implantation equipment supplier and a technology CAD (TCAD) solutions provider have agreed to jointly develop advanced doping and diffusion models for sub-90-nm devices. Varian Semiconductor and Integrated System Engineering say that the modeling efforts on key applications such as low-energy implantation and angle-control effects will allow chipmakers to use their own TCAD capabilities with greater accuracy, which will lead to faster process development. The models will also aid in understanding future doping requirements and applications. "Our joint development work with ISE will encompass the entire doping regime, including mixed-species implantation, with special emphasis on the impact of ion, implant angle and low-energy implantation, as well as plasma doping," says Sandeep Mehta, Varian's director of strategic applications.

China scholarships launched

A new initiative aims to promote technical education among students at major Chinese universities. The SEMI China Scholarship Fund, launched at Semicon China in March, hopes to raise at least RMB160,000 ($19,300) per year through donations from the trade group's member companies. This amount should underwrite between 40 and 50 individual scholarships annually, to be awarded to deserving students at five major Chinese universities. SEMI members that participate in the scholarship fund will also receive the resumes of all grant recipients to facilitate possible employee recruitment. A guest lecture program is also planned to let participating companies promote themselves at the selected universities. The association is surveying its members to determine which Chinese universities should be included in the fund. For further information about how to participate in the scholarship initiative, contact Mark Ding, president of SEMI China, at mding@semi.org.

Stripper recovery expands

An expanded global recovery program for photoresist-strip chemicals promises cost savings and an environmentally conscious alternative to traditional waste disposal. Mallinckrodt Baker says its Photoresist Stripper Recovery Program can help lower fabs' costs. The program gets rid of disposal or incineration costs associated with solvent-based strippers. It also eliminates expenses connected with the rinsing, packaging, and disposal of drums. On the regulatory front, the program reduces administrative and reporting costs at federal, state, and local levels.

In order to start the recovery program, a fab first returns the used stripper to Mallinckrodt Baker. The chemical company then inspects and tests the materials, recovers the original components, and reformulates a new stripper. Quality control steps are performed, and the recovered stripper is shipped to the customer in its specified container.

Design kit guide issued

A Fabless Semiconductor Association working group has issued process design kit guidelines for mixed-signal and RF devices. Such kits, known as PDKs, are sets of data files that allow analog circuit and layout designers to efficiently design an IC using a set of electronic design automation (EDA) tools and a selected foundry process, according to the trade group. "This document facilitates the clear communication between foundry, fabless customer, EDA vendor, intellectual property developer, and design service provider," says Ken Brock, chair of the working group and vp of marketing at Silvaco. The "Mixed-Signal/RF PDK Checklist" can be downloaded from the FSA's Web site at www.fsa.org/committees/foundry.

E-diagnostics showcased

An Indian IT and product engineering company demonstrated its secure remote e-diagnostics framework to International Sematech. HCL Technologies verified its e-manufacturing package by allowing users from the consortium's Austin, TX, headquarters to remotely access an FEI CLM DualBeam tool located at the metrology company's Peabody, MA, plant. The New Delhi–based company describes its e-diagnostics framework as a new-generation, web- and component-based rapid deployment solution, constructed using Sematech guidelines and meeting SEMI standards specifications, which is scalable to advanced levels of e-diagnostics capabilities.

"The HCL approach incorporates flexibility in data monitoring and addresses the data security issues that have prevented fabs from attaining increased tool utilization through remote diagnostics," notes Gary Viviani, FEI's director of software engineering.