Prestigious Panel Recognizes Important Industry Innovations at SEMICON West
San Jose, CA (June 17, 2009)–SEMI today announced the finalists for the 2009 "Best of West" awards, recognizing important product and technology developments in the microelectronics supply chain. Conducted in conjunction with SEMICON West, the largest and most influential microelectronics exposition in North America, the Best of West finalists have been selected based on their financial impact on the industry, engineering or scientific achievement, and/or societal impact.
The 2009 Best of West Finalists are
- AquiVia, from Alchimer is a new low-cost, high-performance deposition technology, encompassing the three distinct process steps required before a Through Silicon Via (TSV) can be filled with metal. The product enables wet-process deposition of insulator, barrier and copper seed layers within high-aspect ratio TSVs using Electrografting technology. This ensures strong adhesion between all layers, and provides high yield and device reliability.
- Stress-induced LIft-off Method, or SLIM-Cut, The SLIM-Cut method, developed by IMEC, addresses one of the biggest challenges of crystalline-Si for photovoltaics: kerf-free wafering of substrates as thin as 50 microns. Fully based on mechanical stress, it is compatible with low-cost fabrication methods. Made of single crystalline material, the wafers have the potential to provide high-efficiency solar cells.)
- K-Patents PR-33-S, from K-Patents, is a Digital Refractive Index (RI) technology that offers many possibilities to increase wafer throughput and to cut down the chemical costs in the whole process from chemical supplies down to fab in-line and tool in-situ chemical quality control.
- CCS-1000 Critical Cleaning System, by Nano Green Technology, combines de-Ionized (DI) water and ammonia gas (NH3) to produce iMACS™ (ionized Molecular Activated Coherent Solution) for cleaning Silicon Wafers and Masks in the semiconductor industry, TFT LCD/FPD in the Flat Panel Display industry and Media/HSA and Slider Heads in the Hard Disk Drive industry. This process offers an environmentally safe cleaning method, unlike traditional cleaning methods that use chemicals requiring special handling due to safety concerns to the environment.
- GORE® Filters for Semiconductor Applications, from W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., GORE® Filters for Semiconductor Applications are 20-nm- to 100-nm-rated cartridge filters for chemicals, dilute chemicals and ultrapure water in wet process tools. These filters incorporate a new high flow ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) filtration media that allows a drop-in retention upgrade from 100 nm to 30 nm, enabling cleaner recirculation baths and reduced processing times.
The selection of finalists was made by a prestigious panel of judges representing a broad spectrum of the microelectronics industry (a list of judges can be found at: semiconwest.org/bestofwest). Best of West Award winners will be announced during SEMICON West, July 14-16, 2009.
SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Bangalore, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit semi.org.
Contact
Scott Smith/SEMI
Tel: 408.943.7957
Email: ssmith@semi.org