INDUSTRY NEWS

EXPANSIONS AND ACQUISITIONS

Firms partner on software

Eaton and Avant! have signed an agreement to jointly develop process simulation software. The program will enable chipmakers to optimize deep-submicron processes by leveraging Avant!'s CAD technology and the database of dopant profiles for ion implantation offered by Eaton's semiconductor equipment group. The modeling software will be capable of simulating the performance of devices with geometries ¾0.25 µm.

Pact promises implant advance

The partners in a recently signed agreement claim their product will enable chipmakers to increase implantation productivity by as much as 500%. Isonics of San Jose and Voltaix of North Branch, NJ, have agreed to sell enriched silicon-29 tetrafluoride. The isotopically engineered gas allows one ion implanter to do the work of two, offering a potential savings of several million dollars in tool costs, according to the companies. Voltaix makes specialty gases. Isonics develops and markets stable and radioisotope-based chemicals and advanced materials.

Evergreen grows in Oregon

Evergreen Engineering, a services firm with extensive experience in the semiconductor field, has expanded its operations in Hillsboro, OR. The company has restructured the former Pacific Rim Design office and renamed it Evergreen Engineering LLC. The principal owners are Michael Hardy, Rick Brovelli, and Todd Alsdorf. The new office will expand Evergreen's ability to serve clients in the Portland area and around the Pacific Northwest. The company designs cleanrooms, equipment hookups, and gas and chemical delivery systems. It also provides code compliance and environmental engineering services. A second office is located in Eugene, OR.

Norton eyes pipe supplier

Norton Performance Plastics of Wayne, NJ, signed an agreement in February to buy the Nalge Process Technologies Group (NPT) for an undisclosed sum. Owned by Sybron International, NPT manufactures rigid ultrapure plastic piping, tubing, tanks, and fluoropolymer-lined hoses for the semiconductor and chemical manufacturing industries. Norton plans to integrate the acquisition into its Fluid Systems unit.

Supply partnership launched

A joint venture has been launched to provide semiconductor manufacturers with a management, planning, and scheduling package. AutoSimulations of Bountiful, UT, and i2 Technologies of Irving, TX, have teamed up to integrate their respective product offerings. AutoSimulations specializes in shop-floor integration, real-time dispatching, and factory simulation, while i2 offers supply chain optimization products under the Rhythm rubric. The agreement encompasses products in i2's Active Data Warehouse technology and AutoSimulations APF product lines.

Lucid opens CMP facility

Lucid Treatment Systems, a supplier of CMP wastewater reduction technology, has opened a new facility at its headquarters in Hollister, CA. The 6500-sq-ft site houses a 2000-sq-ft R&D laboratory for testing CMP waste reduction and water-saving techniques. The lab is capable of simulating the flow of effluents from CMP polishers. The rest of the building contains office space for engineering, project management, service, marketing, and training activities. The facility is located in the Hollister Industrial Park.

SAES buys QA consultant

SAES Getters has bought FST Consulting Group, a California-based company specializing in quality control and analytical services for gas and DI-water distribution systems. Milan-based SAES Getters cites FST's strong market position and large customer base in the United States as two reasons for the acquisition of the service firm. FST shareholders were to receive $5.85 million in cash 30 days from the deal's closing date. FST's revenues for the 11-month period ended November 30, 1998, were more than $7.7 million, according to SAES.

Air Products to up capacity

Air Products and Chemicals will more than double capacity of tungsten hexafluoride at its plant in Hometown, PA. The supplier will be able to manufacture more than 300,000 lb of the fluorine product annually once the upgrade is ready in the third quarter of 1999. Air Products will install additional reactors and related purification equipment at the site. The supplier says demand for the specialty gas, which is used as a metallization source in forming tungsten plug interconnects, is expected to grow at double-digit rates in the next several years.

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