Leaving California for the first time, the 12th annual IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) will take place in Sapporo, Japan, June 1-3. With lithographic shrinks in 2D dimensions slowing, interconnects between chips in packages and in 3D stacks will be the driver for increased density and functionality in ICs. Thus, the more than 80 […]
Researchers at MIT have demonstrated deep subwavelength lithography using a photochromic contrast enhancing layer, as reported in SciencExpress April 9. A thin photochromic film on top of a conventional photoresist layer was exposed to two wavelengths of light with two distinct patterns. One wavelength exposed the photoresist while the other made the photochromic film opaque […]
sp3 Diamond Technologies – the supplier of diamond film products, equipment, and services – today announced it is taking orders for 50mm and 100mm silicon on diamond (SOD) wafers for use as Gallium Nitride (GaN) substrates. Having worked with Nitronix on the GaN, sp3 Diamond Technologies uses combinations of thin-film depositions, wafer thinning, and layer […]
The Materials Research Society (MRS) Bulletin for April 2009 covers some of the newest engineering work for the growth of large and pure electronic crystals. In this week before the annual MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco, this issue of the monthly MRS members magazine provides an excellent overview of the latest technologies used to […]
Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) collects and reports market size information for key sectors of the semiconductor ecosystem. It recently issued figures for the materials market, which in 2008 totaled $42.7 billion, essentially flat with the prior year. According to SEMI, rapidly slowing economic conditions in the fourth quarter squelched prospects for year-over-year growth […]
Asahi Glass is promoting a family of new photosensitive spin-on-dielectric (SOD) films for fan-out WLP and 3D packages, as well as for FPD and MEMS applications. The Chemicals Fluoroproducts Division of Asahi Glass has successfully developed the AL-X polymer series, primarily targeting the redistribution/rewiring layers in fan-out WLP packages. The company will begin production of […]
Materials research and engineering continues to increase in structural complexity. Starting from the periodic table of the elements and molecular engineering, over a century of research has explored most obvious phenomena of bulk and thin-film materials. What, then, is left to explore? The vast complexity of natural micro- and nano-scale structures that are indirectly templated […]
German and French teams are combining EUR 14.5m investment into development of strained-silicon on insulator (sSOI) technology under the DEvice and CIrcuit performance boosted through SIlicon material Fabrication (DECISIF) program. The work will combine original research results from Research Center Juelich and Leti/Soitec to try to lower costs and defect-densities in the creation of 300mm […]
Novaled, the provider of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology and materials, and Holst Centre, an independent R&D centre developing generic technologies for Wireless Autonomous Transducer Solutions and for Systems-in-Foil, have decided to collaborate on the development of organic thin film transistor (OTFT) technologies under a joint development agreement. Novaled will provide its organic dopants […]
Breaking news about a leading porous low-k (PLK) material from Japan was first revealed in the SemiNeedle Planarization Lounge Forums (www.semineedle.com/forums/5001) about two months ago. During an expert panel discussion on CMP integration with low-k materials (moderated by this editor, summarized in “Chemical-Mechanical Planarization (CMP) technology consensus 09Q1” publication available at the site), Dick James, […]