INDUSTRY NEWS

’ROUND THE CIRCUIT

Strong slurry sales seen

Worldwide sales of CMP slurry will grow at an annual rate of 25 to 30% through 2002, according to a business consulting firm. Kline & Co. of Fairfield, NJ, also predicts that the strong yearly increases will continue for 5 to 10 years beyond that date. Todd Harris, Kline's business manager, estimates that annual sales of the abrasives used in wafer and FPD planarization are in the $50-million range. Citing industry sources, Kline & Co. says global sales of all CMP consumables, including slurry and pads, will triple to $245 million by 2000 and hit $1 billion in the next 10 years.

Kline, which will publish a study in mid-1998 titled Outlook for CMP Technology and Materials, 1997—2002, notes that raw materials suppliers hankering after a piece of this lucrative pie may face a few obstacles before they can get to the table. One participant in the study points out that abrasives vendors and slurry manufacturers may discover that experience outside of the CMP industry may not guarantee successful entry. Michael Fury, director of development and technical marketing for CMP materials for AlliedSignal's advanced microelectronics materials division, asserts that suppliers may find it hard to break established relationships or to meet the rigorous process and purity controls required by semiconductor manufacturers using CMP. One of the key issues the study will address, says Fury, is determining the critical mix of factors needed to get and keep market share. He suggests either creating a less expensive version of a leading product or investing in R&D that will enable the supplier to capture market share when a new semiconductor technology emerges. Information: 973/808-3408.

Chemistry grant announced

A $20,000 grant is being offered by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh to a qualified assistant professor in the field of analytical chemistry. The purpose of the award is to foster innovative research and promote the development of graduate students in the field. Assistant professors who have accepted an appointment from a U.S. college or university since December 31, 1994, are eligible. Applications must be received by March 31, 1998. Information: 800/825-3221; fax, 412/825-3224.

Applied unveils copper system

Applied Materials introduced a deposition tool that the vendor claims will enable volume production of copper-based semiconductors. Applied says its Endura Electra Cu system is capable of depositing the critical barrier and seed layers for copper interconnect circuits. Touted by Applied as an industry first, the tool uses the vendor's Endura HP/VHP platform and a technology based on ion metal plasma deposition capable of processing chips with linewidths below 0.25 µm. The vendor calls the technology Electra IMP and says it works by having atoms sputtered from a target ionized in plasma before reaching the wafer surface. An electrical charge draws the ions toward the wafer to deposit a thin, uniform layer across the entire surface of device structures with high aspect ratios.

Ashok Sinha, president of Applied Materials' metal deposition product business group, says the system gives customers access to "an enabling technology at a low operating cost equivalent to today's other mainstream PVD processes." The tool first deposits either tantalum or tantalum nitride film, depending on user preference. The seed layer is deposited in the system's IMP Cu chamber in ultrahigh vacuum. The barrier properties of tantalum-based films guard against the tendency of copper to diffuse into silicon, Applied says. Both copper and tantalum films can be used with CMP, says Fusen Chen, senior general manager of Applied's PVD business. The company is also developing a 300-mm version of the Electra IMP technology for processing 0.18- and 0.13-µm device generations.

Latest roadmap published

The third edition of The National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (NTRS) has been published by the Semiconductor Industry Association. The 1997 edition, subtitled Technology Needs, had more industry input than its predecessors, with greater participation in technology working groups and a greater recognition of the need for yield enhancement technologies throughout the manufacturing process. The 1997 NTRS is organized around seven Focus Technology working groups and four crosscut technology working groups. The Focus Technology groups include process integration, devices, and structures; front-end processes; interconnect; lithography; and factory integration. The Crosscut Technology groups are environment, safety, and health; defect reduction; metrology; and modeling and simulation. The 1997 NTRS extends the timeline another generation past the 1994 roadmap to 50-nm requirements in 2012. SIA says the semiconductor industry should use the 226-page book as a guide for making R&D investment decisions and as a stimulus for finding innovative solutions to the critical issues facing it. The 1997 NTRS is available from SIA, 181 Metro Dr., Ste. 450, San Jose, CA 95110; 408/436-6600; fax, 408/436-6646; www.semichips.org.

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