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Selete is hot on Cool

Selete, the Japanese 300-mm wafer research consortium, has purchased a site license for Two Cool, a cost-of-ownership software program manufactured by Wright Williams and Kelly. The program will be used in Selete's Yokohama headquarters for evaluating the projected cost of operating 300-mm-compatible process tools. The cost-modeling program is also being used by the International 300-mm Initiative (I300I) and Philips Semiconductor. The chipmaker recently acquired a universal license to use the software in its fabs worldwide.

Micron buys ASML steppers

Micron Technology has ordered microlithography systems worth more than $150 million from ASM Lithography for installation at Micron's fabs in Boise, ID. The deep-UV and i-line steppers will be used for manufacturing 16- and 64-Mb DRAMs. Installation of the PAS 5500/300B deep-UV and PAS 5500/200B i-line systems will begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

FSI sells slurry systems

Cirent Semiconductor has purchased P4400 slurry and distribution systems worth $2 million from FSI International. Cirent, a joint venture between Lucent Technologies and Cirrus Logic, will install the equipment at its fab in Orlando, FL. The P4400 uses vacuum pressure transfer technology to circulate slurry, says FSI. Expansion of the fab will make Cirent the largest chipmaker in Florida. Cirent was formed in October 1995.

GaAs fab buys cluster tools

Vitesse Semiconductor has purchased two PEP 3510C cluster systems from GaSonics International. The tools, which incorporate photoresist removal and cleaning modules, will be installed in the chipmaker's 6-in. GaAs fab in Colorado Springs, CO. Installation of the systems began in July.

PRI sees Japan breakthrough

PRI Automation says its first order from a Japan-based semiconductor manufacturer represents a breakthrough for the vendor of automation systems. The Billerica, MA­based supplier received an order for interfloor water-transport systems from Matsushita Semiconductor Corp. of America. The order comprises wafer stockers, horizontal transfer mechanisms, and a reticle stocker destined for installation in Matsushita's 200-mm fab under construction in Puyallup, WA, PRI says. Matsushita requested that the automation system accommodate stockers in the middle of each bay to minimize the distance wafers must travel between tools, notes the vendor. PRI adds that the system's flexibility enabled the vendor to meet the request, which has become more frequent as chipmakers build new facilities.

Headmaker buys PVD tool

Veeco Instruments has received a $3.4-million order for its Cymetra PVD system from a manufacturer of disk-drive recording heads. The equipment will be used for manufacturing giant magnetoresistive (GMR) heads. The Cymetra system offers mix-and-match deposition of magnetic thin films in GMR heads. The technologies include DC, RF, and magnetron sputtering. The tool is part of the PVD product line the vendor purchased recently from Materials Research Corp.

CFM takes $4M order

A $4-million order for wet process equipment has been received from a U.S. chipmaker, CFM Technologies announced. The two Full-Flow 8100 dual-vessel systems will be installed in a fab under construction. The tools will be shipped in the third quarter of 1997 and the first quarter of 1998.

Yield tool finds takers

Process management software from Jon Goldman Associates (JGA) of Orange, CA, will be installed at a Rockwell plant and two unnamed semiconductor manufacturing sites. Rockwell in Newport Beach, CA, purchased JGA's Universal Analysis Tool for use with Speedfam's V chemical-mechanical polishing system. The software will be used to provide data for analysis of CMP process parameters. The system encompasses six software modules for functions such as selecting process runs, configuring the Speedfam system for statistical process control, and collecting metrology-related data. The other installations will be used in TEL and Thermco equipment. Both sites will use JGA's open CFM process management system, a suite of analytical tools designed for use with programs such as Microsoft Excel. CFM connects with a fab's internal computer network with computers running Windows 95 or Windows NT operating systems.

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