'ROUND THE CIRCUIT

INDUSTRY NEWS

Partners seed copper project

Sematech, Rockwell, and Applied Materials are collaborating on a project to further explore the semiconductor industry's advances into copper interconnect technology. The partners will characterize and qualify Applied's Endura Electra barrier/seed Cu system for producing interconnects. A second, unnamed chipmaker is also participating in the open-ended project.

The Electra system is based on Applied's Endura platform. Incorporating the supplier's ion metal plasma PVD technology, the system deposits the conformal liner and barrier layers required for manufacturing dual damascene high-aspect-ratio, interconnect structures for devices with linewidths 0.25 µm. Applied says the barrier and seed layer films stop copper atoms from migrating to other parts of a semiconductor. They also provide a uniform surface for copper bulk fill. The ion metal plasma technology offers "excellent bottom and sidewall coverage" in structures with depth-to-width ratios 6:1, the company adds. Applied notes that 19 semiconductor manufacturers in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Taiwan have been using the Endura Electra copper system since its introduction in December 1997.

Materials advance continues

A manufacturer of an advanced dielectric material has been awarded a multimillion-dollar development contract by the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to adapt the material for radar-based applications. The agency tapped ADCS of Austin, TX, to develop its barium strontium titanate—related ferroelectric material. The project expands on the work done by ADCS in a previous DARPA contract. Collaborators in the new program are Raytheon and North Carolina State University.

The foundation for the program was laid by ADCS when the company developed a CVD method for depositing barium strontium titanate (BST) capacitor thin films for 1-Gb DRAM cells. The new pact calls for ADCS to further develop BST technology for high-frequency uses. A unit of ATMI of Danbury, CT, ADCS specializes in manufacturing advanced oxides for semiconductor manufacturing. In addition to BST, these materials include strontium bismuth tantalate and lead zirconium titanate. ADCS says the new materials are critical for making devices with sub-0.18-µm geometries.

Irish cleanroom show set

The fledgling Irish Cleanroom Society will hold its first exhibition and conference, Cleanrooms Ireland '99, May 11—12 in Dublin. The all-Ireland society was established in 1998 in response to the growing use of cleanrooms by electronics, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology manufacturers throughout the island. According to the society, Ireland has the highest per capita proportion of cleanrooms in the world. The society expects to join the International Confederation of Contamination Control Societies this year. Presently, the organization oversees working groups addressing standards, training, conferences, and events. Information on Cleanrooms Ireland '99 may be found on the ICS Web site at http://www.cleanrooms-ireland.ie.

SVG gets ISO for EHS

Silicon Valley Group (SVG) established an environmental management program for its recently awarded ISO 14001 certification. The supplier's track systems division and Thermco process laboratory received the certification for environmental management by Bureau Veritas Quality International. Based on the voluntary ISO standard, the program enables SVG to control the impact of its activities, products, and services on the environment. It also enables the San Jose—based vendor to set environment, health, and safety objectives. Additional benefits include the establishment of recycling and solid-waste reduction programs. As part of the new program, SVG has participated in exhaust minimization studies with Sematech and has reduced consumption of chemicals by its Thermco RVP-300. The company says it plans to make environmental impact an integral part of its overall business plan. In order to receive the ISO 14001 certification SVG has said it will comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations. The company made an additional commitment to improve its processes under the program's framework.

Siemens honors suppliers

Lam Research, Applied Materials, and SpeedFam were among the 30 companies from eight countries honored by Siemens Semiconductor Group on Supplier Day 1998 in December. Supplier of the Year honors went to Merck of Darmstadt, Germany, as the best vendor in the production materials sector. Additional honors went to Varian Associates and Teradyne in the equipment sector. MEMC, Air Products, and Shipley received awards in the production materials sector.

Fifty-seven suppliers were nominated for the inaugural awards and evaluated by cross-functional teams from Siemens and its joint ventures. Individual evaluations were consolidated by the chipmaker's core buyers. The 15 best materials and equipment suppliers were selected from this evaluation process. Seimens' Semiconductor Group reported sales of $3.8 billion during the 1997-98 fiscal year. The unit employs 25,000 people around the world.

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