INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

Genus sells line to Varian

Genus has decided to refocus its business strategy by selling its high-energy ion implantation line to Varian Associates. Genus will concentrate on the markets for its deposition tools, with particular emphasis on tungsten silicide and tungsten nitride systems, according to William Elder, chairman of Genus. Varian will pay approximately $25 million for the implantation line and will make additional payments if certain revenue targets are met. The acquisition includes a leased plant in Newburyport, MA. The product line becomes part of Varian's ion implant systems unit based in Gloucester, MA. The vendor says it has installed more than 2500 ion implantation systems worldwide. The acquisition complements current product offerings in medium- and high-current implanters, says Richard Aurelio, executive vice president and head of Varian's semiconductor equipment operations.

CMP Tech becomes Lucid

CMP Technologies has been recapitalized and renamed with the backing of Semifab and seven private investors. The company, which is based in Hollister, CA, has been renamed Lucid Treatment Systems. Semifab, also based in Hollister, makes minienvironments and related process support equipment. Gary Corlett, a cofounder of CMP Technologies, was named vice president of technology. Lucid also appointed Ed Ferri vice president of engineering. Ferri is the former systems engineering manager at OnTrak Systems' CMP polisher division. Lucid manufactures systems for treating slurry waste in CMP processes.

Asyst, Fluoroware ink pact

Asyst Technologies has purchased WIP-tracking technology from Fluoroware for approximately $3 million. Called FluoroTrac, the automated radio-frequency identification technology will complement Asyst's infrared-based tracking tools used with the company's SMIF minienvironments. Use of such automated systems can reduce contamination, eliminate operator errors, and facilitate data collection, the vendor says. Asyst estimates there are more than 400 6- and 8-in. fabs that can benefit from installation of an automated tracking system. The FluoroTrac tool assigns wafer carriers a unique identification number contained in a radio-frequency tag embedded in the carriers. Asyst hopes to expand automated tracking into fab operations such as CMP processing.

Steag, YieldUP strike deal

Steag MicroTech of Austin, TX, will install dryer technology from YieldUP in Steag's wet processors under the terms of an OEM agreement. YieldUP will provide Steag with its CleanPoint point-of-use filtration system. The system removes all particles 0.065 µm in DI water, according to YieldUP.

UHP unit opens

Parker Hannifin Instrumentation Group has placed three of its business units under one roof. The new UHP products division consolidates the operations of the Ewal, SPCC, and UHP business units operating within Parker's instrumentation connectors and instrumentation valve divisions. The new division's headquarters are in Belleville, NJ. Additional plants are located in Huntsville, AL, and San Luis Obispo, CA. Parker plans to move the California facility to the New Jersey site this autumn. The general manager of the new unit is William Bowman. The product line includes valves, face seal and orbital tube weld fittings, and gas-handling equipment.

MG buys two gas plants

MG Industries spent $30 million for two California air separation plants from AGA Gas. The plants are located in Irwindale and Vacaville, near Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively. They produce oxygen, nitrogen, and argon for the semiconductor industry and other markets. MG says the acquisition makes the supplier better able to serve its customers in the western United States, where its capacity is stretched to the limit. The company has air separation plants in Kalama, WA, and Tijuana, Mexico. MG's main office is in Malvern, PA. The company had 1997 sales of more than $330 million.

Hodess finishes projects

Hodess Building Co. was able to dramatically reduce the cost of several recently completed construction projects for Ultrabeam Lithography by incorporating used recirculation fans and modular walls. The design-and-build firm says it completed construction in 14 days by using a fast-track approach for part of the overall project. The fast-track approach was needed because of permit delays, Hodess says. Installation of secondhand fans in three Class 10 cleanrooms helped Hodess lower Ultrabeam's bill by more than 50%. Located in Murray Hill, NJ, the Ultrabeam facilities house a 1000-sq-ft Class 10 cleanroom for assembly and 7000 sq ft of Class 1000 space for testing. Am Tech Engineers of Boston and USA Architect & Planners of Somerville, NJ, provided architectural services.

Nanometrics buys tool line

Nanometrics of Sunnyvale, CA, has acquired the Metra metrology product line from Optical Specialties for an undisclosed amount of cash. Under the terms of the purchase agreement Nanometrics has received all inventory, product test equipment, and intellectual property. In addition, key Metra employees have moved to Nanometrics, which has assumed responsibility for servicing the installed base of approximately 200 Metra systems worldwide. Nanometrics has begun developing improved versions of the metrology system to meet next-generation CD requirements for critical dimensions 0.20 µm, the company says.

Metrology vendor bought

Schlumberger Automated Test Equipment (ATE) of San Jose purchased Interactive Video Systems (IVS), a manufacturer of advanced metrology technology, for an undisclosed amount. Based in Concord, MA, Interactive has become part of the verification systems group within Schlumberger ATE's diagnostic systems unit. The IVS product line includes the small-footprint IVS-220 CD SEM, which handles wafers from 100 to 200 mm and features a pattern recognition rate of >90%, according to the vendor.

Motoman opens Arizona plant

Noting that the majority of its microelectronics industry clients are situated in the western United States, Motoman has opened a 28,000-sq-ft plant near Phoenix to service them. The facility is jointly operated by Yaskawa Electric America, Motoman's parent company. The site houses sales, application engineering, training, and customer support operations. Motoman predicts sales will surpass $50 million at the facility by 2001. The site will showcase the Ohio-based company's SuperMechatronics line of robotic systems for wafer handling. The line includes ultraclean vacuum robotic arms, specially designed wafer process motors, and multiaxis high-speed controllers designed for integration of OEM wafer process tools and material handling.

AlliedSignal buys joint venture

AlliedSignal has purchased a joint venture it helped establish one year ago to commercialize low-dielectric insulating materials for chip interconnections. AlliedSignal collaborated with Albuquerque-based Nanopore in the venture, called Nanoglass. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. AlliedSignal had been selling the low-k materials, to Texas Instruments. TI used the materials to create a porous silicon dioxide insulator for its process, which the chipmaker claims can be tuned to take advantage of low-k dielectric characteristics.

Laundry opens in South Carolina

Cintas Cleanroom Services has opened a Class 1 laundry in Greenville, SC, to expand the company's operations in the southeastern United States. Headquartered in Cincinnati, the company specializes in the sale, rental, and laundering of garments for the semiconductor and related industries. Cintas recently merged with Eastwater Scientific Products.

Hoechst renames unit

Celgard is the new name of the separation products business of Hoechst Celanese. The change is part of a global restructuring by the parent company, Hoechst, which is based in Frankfurt, Germany. The new name is based on the business unit's Celanese membrane products. Celgard is based in Charlotte, NC. The company has four membrane product lines carrying the Celgard trademark.

Prudential improving laundry

Prudential Cleanroom Services is renovating its garment-processing plant in Mesa, AZ. The facility will be upgraded from Class 10 to Class 1 and will house a laboratory. Cleanroom areas will total 3900 sq ft.

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