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White Oak branches out

White Oak Semiconductor has been busy buying equipment to stock its fab near Richmond, VA. The joint venture between Motorola and Siemens recently tapped Air Products and Chemicals to manage industrial gases and chemicals. The contract is one of 50 such pacts the vendor has signed with semiconductor manufacturers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Air Products inaugurated its Megasys total gas management program in the late 1980s at Motorola's MOS-6 fab in Mesa, AZ. The program was expanded later to include chemical system operations. The White Oak project represents the first time Air Products has supplied a Siemens plant. Another vendor, GaSonics International, was selected to supply photoresist removal systems for the fab. The PEP system's dual-chamber design features interchangeable photoresist removal and cleaning chambers. White Oak also bought an Auriga CMP system from SpeedFam International. The Arizona-based vendor says it has received a second order for the Auriga tool from National Semiconductor's fab in South Portland, ME, and from Promos Technology, a joint venture between Siemens and Mosel Vitelic based in Taiwan.

Electroglas has Dominion

Dominion Semiconductor has purchased additional wafer probers from Electroglas as part of a multimillion-dollar repeat order from the Silicon Valley­based vendor. The Horizon 4090 systems will be used to manufacture DRAMs at Dominion's fab in Manas-sas, VA. The tools are compatible with production of 0.25-µm devices. Installation began in third quarter 1997.

Beta ships plasma tools

Beta Squared sold two advanced Beta 150 plasma etch systems to an unnamed major chipmaker, the company says. Installation of the systems began in June. The tool can be configured for either plasma or RIE applications and is suitable for submicron processing, says the vendor, which is a subsidiary of photomask manufacturer Photronics. In related news, Beta Squared has completed the first phase of a project with the University of Texas at Dallas to develop a high-density plasma source for 0.18-µm etching. The university has a patent pending on the source, which Beta Squared plans to introduce on its cluster tool platform by the end of 1997.

SVG sells 25 steppers

Silicon Valley Group has sold 25 deep-UV step-and-scan lithography systems to a large chipmaker. The $129-million order includes Micrascan III, Micrascan II+, and Micrascan QML systems. The equipment will be delivered over the next two years and used for volume production of advanced ICs on 200-mm wafers. The unnamed customer has a large installed base of Micrascan systems at fabs throughout the world. The Micrascan II+ has 0.3-µm production capabilities, SVG says.

Olin to supply two fabs

Hyundai Semiconductor America and SGS-Thomson Microelectronics have contracted Olin Microelectronic Materials to provide chemical management services at their respective West Coast fabs. Olin will oversee inventory management, sampling, JIT delivery, POU purity levels, and chemical waste disposal at Hyundai's plant in Eugene, OR, and SGS-Thomson's plant in Rancho Bernardo, CA. Olin did not disclose the terms of the contracts.

Fabs flock to cleaving tool

Four major U.S. fabs have made repeat purchases of the MC200 microcleaving system from Semiconductor Engineering Laboratories (SELA), the Santa Clara, CA­based vendor says. SELA made its first U.S. sales of the system last March. The MC200 tool is accurate to below 0.5 µm on high-quality cross sections for surface analysis in semiconductor applications.

Vendor claims ion tool first

Commonwealth Scientific says it has sold the first fully integrated ion-beam cluster tool using SEMI MESC standards. The system acquired in the multimillion-dollar order features an ion-beam deposition module, an ion-beam etch module, and a rapid thermal processing module on a common platform. The buyer is AlliedSignal Federal Manufacturing and Technologies of Kansas City, MO. The RTP module in the tool was made by AST Electronik. The tool has thin-film magnetic, microelectronic, semiconductor, and optical coating applications. AlliedSignal will use the tool for microelectronics manufacturing, according to Commonwealth.

LSI picks Aera's MFCs

LSI Logic has selected Aera as the primary supplier of mass-flow controllers for the chipmaker's fab in Gresham, OR. The facility is scheduled to begin production in 1998. The Austin, TX­based supplier makes both metal-sealed and elastomer-sealed MFCs. Aera's product line includes thermal, solenoid, piezoelectric, and diaphragm-sealed valve types.

Sipex likes Concept tool

Sipex of Billerica, MA, has purchased a polysilicon deposition system valued at approximately $1 million from Concept Systems. The manufacturer of signal-processing and custom power circuits will install the CSD 2400 dielectrically isolated polysilicon deposition tool at one of two Sipex facilities in the San Jose area, according to Concept.

Nan Ya likes etch systems

Nan Ya Technology of Taiwan has purchased $22 million worth of etchers from Lam Research. The TCP 9100 oxide etchers and TCP 9400 polysilicon etchers will be installed in Nan Ya's fab in Taoyuan. Both systems use Lam's multichamber Alliance platform. The manufacturer will use the systems for production of 64-Mb DRAMs.

Selete buys AG tool

Selete, the Japanese cooperative program to develop 300-mm equipment, has purchased a 300-mm-compatible rapid-thermal-process system from AG Associates of San Jose. The single-wafer system is based on the supplier's 200-mm Starfire system for 0.18-µm applications. The tool is scheduled for shipment to Selete's R&D facility in Yokohoma during the first quarter of 1998. AG credits its collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories in developing the 300-mm system.

Exsil takes cleaning tools

Wafer reclamation company Exsil of San Jose purchased several cleaning and drying systems from YieldUP International for installation at ExsilÕs plant in Prescott, AZ. Delivery of the order, valued at approximately $500,000, was set to begin in the third quarter of this year and continue through the fourth quarter. The purchase includes YieldUPÕs Omega1000 and Omega2000 wafer cleaning, rinsing, and drying systems. A CleanPoint point-of-use filtration system for DI water was also part of the order. The filtration system removes particles <0.065 µm, according to YieldUP.

Chipmakers pick IPEC

Hitachi, Siemens, and TI were among the chipmakers ordering CMP systems valued at more than $17 million from Integrated Process Equipment Corp., the San Jose-based vendor reports. SGS Thompson and an unnamed U.S. semiconductor manufacturer also placed orders for the systems, which will be used for both metal and oxide applications.

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