Solid State Technology's WaferNEWS - www.wafernews.com
August 21, 2007
Welcome to WaferNEWS, the semiconductor manufacturing industry's weekly briefing of key business and technology trends, from the editors of Solid State Technology.
:: UP FRONT FEATURES :: Analysis: Cadence "gets" DFM with ClearShape deal
The acquisition of DFM darling ClearShape Technologies shows Cadence Design Systems is finally getting serious about DFM, according to analyst and EDA guru Gary Smith. Although there are still some areas to address, he says, the DFM market now seems to be a two-horse race until competitors answer back. PLUS: Execs from both companies talk about their proposed M&A deal, with hints about integration going deeper than just an interface, and what other applications besides litho are in the pipeline.
- Cadence, ClearShape execs hint at future DFM integration: http://sst.pennnet.com/display_article/303963/28/ARTCL/none/none/Cadence,-ClearShape-execs-hint-at-future-DFM-integration/ - Analysis: Cadence "gets" DFM with ClearShape deal: http://sst.pennnet.com/display_article/303964/28/ARTCL/none/none/Analysis:-Cadence-
:: ED'S THREADS :: FEI's Phenom: SEM for the people by Ed Korczynski, Senior Technical Editor
Traditional scanning electron microscopes (SEM) provide essential information for both R&D and quality control in semiconductor manufacturing, but are generally slow and sensitive and ultimately become R&D bottlenecks. Perusing the aisles at SEMICON West, I ran across FEI's new Phenom, which is the size of a coffeemaker and costs a third of traditional SEMs. Note to academia and fab engineers: you'll want one, and here's why.
Buildup of chemical residues inside an ion implanter limits the tool's overall utilization efficiency. WaferNEWS talks with Atmel Corp. about the results from its evaluation of a new in situ chemical cleaning technology from ATMI that reduces such deposits and achieves greater predictability for source change-outs.
Full story... :: INDUSTRY NEWS :: SEMI: July equipment demand plummets on DRAM fall, foundry pause
Orders for semiconductor equipment from North American-based manufacturers sunk to an eight-month low in July, though sales still remain high as previous demand pushes through the pipeline -- sending the B:B ratio, an indicator of healthy demand, plunging to its lowest level in more than two years.
:: SICAS: 2Q utilization nearly 90% on foundry push
Industry utilization rates inched up to just under 90% in 2Q07, largely driven by a bump in foundry output and particularly increased activity for trailing-edge technologies, according to data from the Semiconductor International Capacity Statistics (SICAS) group.
Full story...
:: AMAT: Foundries are the key to dimmed outlook
Applied Materials said fiscal 3Q07 profits slid about 7.5% to $473.5M on almost-flat sales of $2.56B, which was better than analysts expected -- though the firm cast some cloudy doubt on prospects for business through the rest of this year, particularly foundry spending that has not rebounded as expected.
Full story...
:: Tracking Taiwan memory firms' upgrade plans
Taiwan's memory chipmakers are in a heated race to upgrade to the next technology node, relying on international partners to gain access to leading-edge technology and boost capacity, according to a recent report by the Taiwan Economic News.
:: SPANNING THE GLOBE :: CHINA
Renesas Technology Corp. and NEC Electronics Corp. plan to increase their sales and technology support staff in China in order to build ties with local design houses making chip modules, and thus increase the share of business from domestic companies, according to the Nikkei Business Daily.
Renesas, which opened its ninth Chinese sales office earlier this month, plans to increase its marketing and technology support workforce by about 12% (to 450 employees) by the end of fiscal 2008. Chinese businesses represented about 40% of the chipmaker's 60 billion yen in FY06 sales in China (the rest went to Japanese, US, and European customers), but the company wants to increase that to 60% of its projected 120B yen sales in China by 2010, the paper notes.
NEC, meanwhile, is adding another two marketing offices in China by year's end (to six total), and also aims to double its sales and technology support personnel in China by fiscal 2010 to about 400 workers, the paper noted.
:: ISRAEL
Tower Semiconductor says sales rose 3% sequentially in 2Q07 and 28% year-on-year to $57.1 million, and it trimmed its net loss to $9.2M vs. $37.4M in 1Q07 and $34.4M a year ago. The company noted that it has achieved sales growth for eight straight quarters (totaling a 3x increase), and added $25M to cash flow from operations vs. a year ago quarterly run rate. Tower projects 3Q sales to be flat to slightly up in a range of $56-$60M, representing 9%-17% year-on-year growth.
In a statement, CEO Russell Ellwanger noted that Fab 2 is running "at very high utilization levels," ahead of a next phase of capacity ramp approaching 24,000 wafers/month in 3Q07, for which it is currently raising money to acquire "low-cost, short-period-of-return toolsets." Fab 1 utilization has decreased but should swing back up again by year's end and into 2008 due to "multiple new projects with several very large customers," he noted.
:: JAPAN
Seiko Instruments Inc. subsidiary SII NanoTechnology Inc. has developed a simple, precise method that can analyze 13 different types of metals (including silver and cadmium) in solder in a single test, a technique it hopes to put to use in developing new lead-free solders that meet Europe's stringent RoHS directives, notes the Nikkei Business Daily.
Key to developing lead-free solders based on tin, silver, and copper is precise control over the relative ratios of the trace metal additives, and minimizing impurities leaching from the metal ores, such as cadmium, the paper notes. Current methods involve dissolving the solder in a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids, but large amounts of the former are needed to keep silver from precipitating out as silver chloride, which impacts the elemental analysis, the paper noted.
In SII's new analysis method, solder is added to a solution of sulfuric and nitric acids to dissolve all the metals; a small amount of tartaric acid is added, and the elements are analyzed using a special mass spectrometer, enabling measurement of concentrations down to <10ppm, according to the firm.
:: SCOTLAND
Edinburgh-based Microemissive Displays, customer and licensee of Vitex Systems's thin-film encapsulation/moisture barrier technology, has started volume production and commercial shipments of its polymer-based OLED microdisplays. The company's "Eyescreen" devices, which pack >76,000 pixels on a 6mm diagonal silicon chip, incorporate Vitex's <0.5mm edge-seal process.
:: TAIWAN
TSMC says it has started making the graphics-memory subsystem for Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console, using a 90nm embedded DRAM process with 80mn density design and 500MHz speeds. NEC had been the previous supplier for 90nm-based eDRAM in the Xbox's graphics subsystem.
The Taiwan foundry says it has been in volume production of the 90nm eDRAM since 1Q06, with sets of memory macro designs being used in more than a dozen 90nm products. The 90nm eDRAM is a CMOS logic process with add-on memory module, less than half the size of an eSRAM macro and consumes less power in both active and standby modes, the foundry claims.
:: TAIWAN
UMC has made a couple of executive moves to establish separate organizations for and better manage its different technology operations. Shih-wei Sun, currently EVP and head of central R&D and Fab 12A, will be appointed as COO for all 300mm operations, responsible for fab operations, sales, and profit/loss. Also, VP W.Y. Chen has been named as SVP in charge of 200mm and 150mm operations, with the same set of responsibilities.
"The establishment of separate organizations to manage the different technology operations is intended to better serve the specific and unique customer requirements that exist for 12-inch and 8-inch manufacturing technologies," said UMC in a statement.
The company also announced the impending retirement of vice chairman Peter Chang, who will step down effective Oct. 1 though remain as a senior consultant.
Digest of recent equipment
and materials orders
Vendor
Customer/Location
Equipment/Application
Value
Ship date
Aixtron AG
Huacan SemiTek/China
MOCVD reactor/GaN-based LED development, production
N/A
Has been installed
Asyst Technologies
Memory manufacturer/Japan
High-throughput conveyor automation system
N/A
N/A
ATMI, Kinik Co.
Major semiconductor foundry/Taiwan
Wafer reclaim services
N/A
N/A
Aviza Technology
SVTC Technologies/US
Single-wafer ALD system/Ultrathin high-k/metal films for flash, NVM, high-voltage applications
N/A
N/A
LTX
Unisem Berhad/Malaysia
Production test systems/RF wireless, consumer device testing
N/A
N/A
Mattson Technology
Global 300mm semiconductor manufacturer
Flash rapit thermal processing system/Millisecond annealing applications development
N/A
2H07
Metryx
Major research consortium
200mm-300mm mass metrology tools/STI, etch, deposition, CMP
N/A
N/A
Surface Technology Systems
Semefab/Scotland
Multichamber inline DRIE cluster tool/MEMS device manufacturing, foundry services
N/A
N/A
Vistec Semiconductor Systems
MEMS manufacturer/US
Automated infrared inspection, review system/Sensors for controlling glued wafers
The page you requested cannot be found - please try one of the links above.
Powered By: FinancialContent Services, Inc.
Nasdaq quotes delayed at least 15 minutes, all others at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
terms and conditions.
Conference calls info supplied by OpenCompany
Fundamental data supplied by Morningstar
Stock quotes supplied by Telekurs USA
Financial Data as of Tue Mar 16 17:02:12 PDT 2010. For up-to-date financials, please visit the Solid State Technology website.
Tegal got a bump after saying it received a plasma etch system order from an unnamed Japanese sensor/control system manufacturer. It also revealed in an SEC filing that it paid just under $1 million to one of two law firms it used to win a $13M settlement against competitor Advanced Modular Sputtering. Tegal said it will seek indemnification for that ~$1M from the other law firm.
FBR Research analyst Mehdi Hosseini says discussions are heating up between NAND flash makers and their lithography tool suppliers, and could generate "a sustainable recovery" in bookings beyond 3Q. Litho vendors, with an added boost from a rebound in DRAM bookings and accelerated foundry business, could generate >50 new system orders by 4Q07, up from 22 in 2Q.
ADVANCES................21 DECLINES................25 UNCHANGED................2 NEW HIGHS................0 NEW LOWS.................3
LARGEST DOLLAR GAINER...............Formfactor Inc.................................2.42 LARGEST DOLLAR LOSER................ICOS Vision Systems Corp. NV..................-2.65 LARGEST PERCENTAGE GAINER...........Tegal Corp....................................10.99% LARGEST PERCENTAGE LOSER............Nanometrics Inc...............................-7.70%
Source: FinancialContent, Inc. (www.financialcontent.com)
This information is based on sources believed to be reliable, and while extensive efforts are made to assure its accuracy, no guarantees can be made.
FinancialContent, Inc. Investor assumes no liability for any inaccuracies.
For information on FinancialContent's customized financial research services, call (650) 837-9850.
:: Subscription Information
WaferNEWS is published weekly by SOLID STATE TECHNOLOGY, PennWell Computer and Electronics Group, 98 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, NH 03062.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE - PLEASE READ:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS PUBLICATION MUST BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW.
WaferNEWS IS PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, RETRANSMITTED, OR OTHERWISE REDISTRIBUTED WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER.
Editor-in-Chief: Pete Singer, psinger@pennwell.com, (603) 891-9194
News Editor: James Montgomery, jamesm@pennwell.com, (603) 891-9109
Senior Editor - Debra Vogler, debrav@pennwell.com
Senior Editor - Ed Korczynski, edk@pennwell.com
Senior Editor - M. David Levenson, marcl@pennwell.com
Contributing Editors - Paula Doe, Jeffrey Demmin, Matt Wickenheiser
Group Editorial Director - Bob Haavind
Group Publisher - David Barach, davidb@pennwell.com
SVP, Computer, IT, Electronics Group: Christine Shaw
VP of Audience Development: Gloria Adams
Circulation Department: - Jayne Sears-Renfer
Illustrator: Chris Hipp
Marketing Communications Manager: Lisa Bergevin, lisab@pennwell.com, (603) 891-9410
News items, comments, and suggestions should be sent to James Montgomery, phone (603) 891-9109, fax (603) 891-0597, e-mail jamesm@pennwell.com.
For information on advertising in WaferNEWS, contact: Kris Collins, phone (603) 910-9876, e-mail kristinec@pennwell.com.
Stock information is copyright FinancialContent, San Francisco, CA. This information is based on sources believed to be reliable, and while extensive efforts are made to ensure its accuracy, no guarantees can be made. FinancialContent (www.financialcontent.com) assumes no liability for any inaccuracies.
For more stories from SST's website, connect to the homepage by clicking here: http://www.solid-state.com
SST invites you to forward this newsletter to colleagues or associates who might be interested in our weekly news summaries.
If you do not subscribe to this newsletter and would like to receive it, please click this link: http://www.omeda.com/sst
