Semiconductor processing materials vendor Entegris Inc. and semiconductor industry consortium Sematech have partnered to develop advanced nanoscale particle removal processes and cleaning technologies for next-generation wafers and devices.
Entegris (Billerica, Mass.) will work with experts from Sematech's Nanodefect Center at Albany, N.Y., to develop technologies to reduce nano-scale particle contamination during wafer processing.
Sematech's Nanodefect Center provides a suite of metrology and analysis capabilities to investigate the generation, propagation, removal, and impact of defects generated by equipment, equipment components, and materials used in advanced semiconductor processes.
The collaboration between Sematech, a consortium of semiconductor industry firms developing semiconductor process technology, is aimed at ensuring successful sub-20-nm node chip manufacturing, as well as the eventual move to the use of next-generation 450-mm wafers.
Entegris is also collaborating with semiconductor consortium Imec to find a way to safely transfer and handle multiple kinds of 3-D IC wafers without the risk of breakage and other damage that may occur during the 3-D production process.
Sematech maintains that the development of new semiconductor manufacturing technology—including the moves to new process geometries, 450-mm wafers and the development of 3-D ICs—require increased industry collaboration going forward.
Recently Sematech, in its effort to tap expertise, and form industry collaborations in next-generation semiconductor process technologies, appointed two executives from IBM and Intel to its executive management team. Ronald Goldblatt was appointed vice president of technology strategy and operations, and Gopal Rao was made senior director of business development.
Goldblatt previously spent 32 years at IBM, culminating in senior manager of advanced silicon science and process technology for the company's Microelectronics Division and IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Rao served 24 years at Intel, becoming director of manufacturing research heading advanced manufacturing projects in partnership with universities and national laboratories.
