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450mm Test Wafers, a Path Forward?
January 16, 2015
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Part One: The Issue with 450mm Ingots In the last article, I mentioned that there appears to be a route toward a cost-effective (upgradable), reduced cost (faster), and safer means of pulling 450mm silicon crystals (also referred to as ingots or boules). This technology may be a poten
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450mm: Ready, Set…
January 01, 2015
For much of 2014, there has been little to report on the progress of 450mm. No surprise that it appears most suppliers have pulled back on 450mm investments and focus. This is evidenced by how many times the phrase 450mm is mentioned in some key player’s annual 10K filings with the Se
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Caution Ahead for 450mm?
December 19, 2013
Caution Ahead on 450mm At one point, it seemed everything was lining up very well for 450mm: a consortium of the proponents (G450C), a post-450mm delivery of EUV (along with significant investment in ASML), and some agreed-upon industry deadlines, and many 450mm-specific industry grou
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New Consortia: Are Chipmakers Missing?
June 28, 2013
Consortia Galore Last week, Mark LaPedus at SemiMD put together a great article about the latest surge in 450mm consortia and consortium-like 450mm projects. It appears that 450mm R&D is poised to really take off with the formation of these new groups. After reading the piece, I w
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The 450mm Transition’s Dirty Little Secret
May 31, 2013
For all of the excitement about the coming 450mm transition, not everything about the disruption will be be rosy for all sectors of the industry. While there is still some debate on the overall cost savings that will be realized by using 450mm wafers, there’s not much discussion about
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Chemical Spill Announces DNS 450mm Tool
April 24, 2013
Interesting Article in Albany Times-Union By Conrad T. Sorenson – CEO Enabling Materials LLC April 24, 2013 In the Press: Three treated after spill at Nanotech A leak of 30% hydrogen peroxide from a Dainippon Screen tool while it was being unloaded for installation at Nanofab X (G450C
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Standing out from the Crowd on 450mm
April 07, 2013
In Albany, New York, G450C members and suppliers are gathering. Plans on 450mm R&D from Europe are likewise being announced. With all of this industry cooperation, how does a chipmaker differentiate on 450mm? The big levers driving cost-benefit, namely lithography and wafer size (
Continue Reading →Future Fab Partners with CNSE / G450C
January 23, 2013
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 23, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – January 23, 2013 – Mazik Media, a provider of next-generation publishing solutions, including long-time semiconductor industry staple, Future Fab International, announced today a special collaborative agreement with th
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A Plan Coming Together: 450mm Patterned Wafers
January 21, 2013
For all of the real progress and the hype around 450mm, there is one thing that is for certain, that is, you can’t develop and test a new 450mm tool and its process without patterned wafers. This has been the Achilles’ heel many OEMs have been concerned about, namely, access to patter
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