NanoDynamics Wins Technology Innovation Showcase Award at Semicon WestJuly 12, 2006...At Semicon West in San Francisco, California USA, this week, NanoDyamics has
again won the Technology Innovation Showcase (TIS) Award. This year NanoDynamics
won the award for its atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. The technology
licensed by NanoDynamics from ALD NanoSolutions Inc., involves an encapsulation
process in which an ultra fine layer of particles can be deposited over a material
to give the encapsulated material properties of a deposited layer while maintaining
some of the properties of the original material. The company says this allows
for novel material development in certain cases where previous processing and
reactivity deficits proved prohibitive. The company points to the good thermal
conductor, boron nitride. Engineers have had little success with the material
due to its surface reactivity. However, according to the NanoDyamics, a thin
layer of aluminum oxide deposited with their ALD technology can prevent much
of the reactivity by behaving chemically like alumina while maintaining the
thermal performance of boron nitride.
"This year marks our second consecutive -- and fourth overall -- TIS
award at Semicon, a milestone that we attribute to the pain points we're addressing
in the Semiconductor industry and beyond," said Keith Blakely, CEO
of NanoDynamics. "The ALD technology that we're bringing to market
targets a key processing challenge for manufacturers -- their limited universe
of materials options. Through the uniform, ultra-thin encapsulation of materials,
ALD allows for 'materials fine-tuning' to achieve the desired combination of
properties on every level." NanoDynamics
News Release Nexx Systems Ships 50th Nimbus Sputter Deposition SystemJuly 12, 2006...Nexx Systems, a wafer level packaging equipment maker, celebrates the shipping
of its 50th Nimbus Sputter Deposition system. According to the company, the
Nimbus XP has remarkable versatility, excellent performance, and low cost of
ownership. The Nimbus XP is used for applications including: LEDs, gold bump,
solder bump, redistribution layers, backside metallization and integrated passives.
It has been installed at many locations worldwide such as large memory companies,
IDMs, and foundries. During a brief ceremony held at Semicon West 2006, Richard
Post, CEO of Nexx Systems, commented, "This installation represents
an exciting milestone for both Nexx Systems and the Nimbus product line. This
50th system represents the culmination of our efforts to address increasing
demands for enhanced process parameters, a broader base of applications, greater
throughput, and lower cost of ownership. And, we are delighted MOXTEK's business
has grown to demand a second Nimbus tool at their facility." Company
News Release Anadigics’ PA Powers ZTE’s 3G Handset
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 12, 2006...Anadigics reports that its WCDMA power amplifier, the AWT6252, runs ZTE’s
new 3G handset with color screen, digital camera, and MPEG-4 Video. ZTE reportedly
utilizes Anadigics’ indium gallium phosphide (InGaP) heterojunction bipolar
transistor (HBT) power amplifiers (PAs) for its F866 WCDMA handset. The handset
is equipped with a two-inch color screen and an MP3 audio player. According
to the company, the power amplifier provides 41 percent power added efficiency
at 27.5 dBm and 22 percent power added efficiency at 16 dBm. The PA therefore
offers superior handset talk and idle times. The company says that the module
offers temperature stability, reliability, and ruggedness. Company
News Release Fox Group Introduces New UV LEDsJuly 11, 2006...The Fox Group, which has locations in Deer Park, New York, and LED manufacturing in Montreal, Canada, has introduced
a series of UV LEDs. The company, a maker of aluminum
nitride substrates and LEDs, uses its proprietary FoxHVPE process to produce
the LEDs which operate at an extremely consistent 350 nm peak wavelength
(+/- 1nm) at 20 mA. (Ref: editorial
content). These new UV LEDs have an average output power of greater than
200 microwatts at 20mA at a forward voltage of approximately 4.5V, and a robust
500 microwatts at 50mA drive current. The LEDs come in a variety of configurations
including: packaged lamps of 5mm (T1-3/4) clear, UV-resistant polymer, TO-18 can
with glass ball lens or flat glass window, and PLCC-2 (3528) SMD, TO-66 power-pack
containing 60 dies, 320 x 320 micron LED dies, or 2-inch diameter epitaxial
wafers. According to the company, the LEDs can be used for medical and biomedical
applications, sensors of materials with fluorescence response in 350-355nm range,
fluorescence “disclosing” and specialized inspection lamps, and
scientific and other applications where absorption or response at 350-355nm
is required. These new 350nm UV LEDs join Fox Group’s present 360nm UV LEDs, which have similar advantages: highly consistent and stable wavelength, 0.8mW output power at 20mA, 4mW output power at 100mA, and an extremely low rate of degradation. Company
News Release TriQuint Wins Navy Contract for High-Power AmplifiersJuly 10, 2006...TriQuint Semiconductor, headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon USA, has reportedly
won a contract from the US Navy to develop gallum arsenide (GaAs) high power
technology for S-band (2-4 GHz) amplifiers. The Office of Naval Research (ONR)
has awarded TriQuint a 20-month $3.1 million contract to improve its methods
for manufacturing high-power, high-voltage GaAs amplifiers. Anthony Balistreri,
TriQuint’s contract program manager and director of R & D explained
that the company's high voltage pHEMT (pseudomorphic high electron mobility
transistor) technology provides the higher power density and efficiency required
for near-term production applications for the Navy including: phased array radar,
electronic warfare, and communications systems.
TriQuint has reportedly been developing the pHEMT technology since 2000 and
developed a method of producing X-band (8 to 12 GHz) version of the pHEMTs.
Balistreri said that the new contract will involve two primary tasks. He said
that the first task will be MMIC (monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuit)
design optimization. The second phase or task is to reduce manufacturing costs.
In the first phase, the company will design an S-band high power amplifier for
a range of applications with high efficiency and 24volt operation. TriQuint
will then utilize the amplifier to test and validate manufacturing process improvements
in the second phase of the project which aims to improve manufacturing variability,
reduce development cycle times, and improve wafer and device yields. Most of
the work will reportedly be done at the company’s Richardson, Texas facility.
Company
News Release Aixtron Receives First Order for ALD/AVD Hybrid
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 10, 2006...Aixtron has reported receiving its first order for its atomic layer deposition
(ALD) and atomic vapor deposition (AVD) hybrid process modules. The modules combining
the ALD and AVD technology will be installed at the customer’s 300mm R&D
fab. The customer, a high-K dielectric DRAM capacitor producer, ordered the equipment
which combines Genus 300 ALD technology called StrataGem with Aixtron’s
AVD technology. The development contract comes one year after Aixtron’s
merger with Genus. The joint development program aims to evaluate various
high-k dielectrics and metal gate materials for large-scale production purposes.
The program hopes to then integrate those materials into high-k gate stacks and advanced DRAM capacitors. Ultimately the project’s goal is to optimize
DRAM and CMOS device structures for Sub-45nm. Installation at the undisclosed
Asian wafer fab will reportedly start during Q3 of 2006. Company
News Release USA Leads in Fab Facility Construction
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 10, 2006...The USA is an attractive place to build a wafer fab facility, Strategic Marketing
Associates (SMA) says. Since 1995, according to SMA’s Fab Futures report, US
companies have opened 92 wafer fabrication facilities in the United States,
and only 10 were opened by US companies in other countries. According to SMA,
the market for semiconductor production equipment and materials worldwide will
grow at an estimated 19 percent this year and 10 percent next year to reach
about $40 billion dollars, the highest level since 2000. SMA president, George
Burns (not the famous and deceased comedian) noted that as semiconductor equipment
and materials purchases top $40 billion in 2007, overall capital spending by
wafer fabs worldwide will reach an all-time high of $62 billion.
“The US as a region continues to be quite competitive in attracting new
fabs,” confirms Burns. “The US is not only attracting US companies
such as AMD to build a fab in New York, but it is also attracting offshore investments
by companies such as Korea Based Samsung and Germany based Qimonda (Infineon)
to build wafer fabs in Texas and Virginia, respectively.” While only a
small percentage of wafer fabrication, the findings do hold true for the more
specialized fabricators of compound semiconductors. According to the findings,
the US has spent the most on fab facility construction since 1995 with about
30 percent of the total spending in this area for the period. The two countries
tied in second place for their percentage of world spending for fab construction
during the period are Japan, and South Korea, each at 19 percent. Strategic
Marketing Associates News Release AXT Promotes Robert Ochrym to VP of Business Development
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 10, 2006...AXT, a maker of compound semiconductor substrates, announced the promotion
of Robert Ochrym to vice president of business development. The position was
created to help enhance joint venture operations and worldwide sales efforts.
According to the company, Mr. Ochrym will explore new business opportunities
where there is a convergence between the company’s compound substrate
and raw material product offerings. Ochrym joined AXT as director of international
sales and joint venture operations in 2005. Previously he served as national
sales manager at Aixtron. AXT
News Release Skyworks Solutions Inc. Listed on NASDAQ’s Global Select MarketJuly 7, 2006...Skyworks Solutions Inc., of Woburn, Massachusetts USA, a radio frequency (RF)
solution specialist, has been included in NASDAQ’s Global Select Market.
The requirements to be listed in the Global Select Market reportedly include
the highest standards of finances and liquidity of any stock market in the world.
On July 3, the NASDAQ announced a new three tier listing classification system
which includes (in descending order of their exclusivity): the Global Select
Market, the Global Market, and the Capital market. (Ref: Global
Select Market Requirements). Skyworks
News Release Aviza to Receive Award for PVD System
CompoundSemi News StaffJuly 7, 2006...Aviza Technology Inc., a semiconductor and nanotechnology equipment maker,
announced it will receive the annual Editors' Choice Best Product Award by International
Semiconductor Magazine for their Sigma fxP physical vapor deposition (PVD)
system. Aviza will receive the award in a ceremony to be held on July 12, 2006
in San Francisco at Semicon
West 2006. Semiconductor International Magazine will announce 20
winners whose products are making a difference in semiconductor manufacturing.
The Sigma fxP is a single-wafer cluster tool designed for high-volume PVD processing.
Its applications include creating uniform aluminum nitride layers for bulk acoustic
wave (BAW) devices. Company
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