Notes from Semicon West, part 2

The most creative booth award for this year's Semicon West, held this week in San Francisco, goes to Novellus. The company filled its prime space next to the massive Applied Materials complex --inherited as part of the Gasonics acquisition -- with translucent curtains. Freestanding flat panel displays showed videos of Novellus equipment, while a hanging sign read "We're not here." No word on what customers thought of the un-booth, but then it's not clear how many integrated circuit manufacturers actually attended the show....

Elsewhere, Micronic Laser Systems is positioning its large area mask writing tools as part of the solution to escalating mask costs. Image Technology has purchased a system to write full-field (14") 300mm masks for wafer bumping, while Dupont Photomasks is working with Micronic to improve productivity for reduction masks as well.

Alliances and joint development agreements proliferated, perhaps the first sign of impending consolidation. SEZ announced it will work with Axcelis to investigate combined dry strip/wet clean processes for post-etch resist and residue removal. Yokogawa Electric's e-fabDoctor EPM software -- a tool for gathering, analyzing and controlling equipment performance data -- will incorporate equipment server technology developed by Symphony Systems.

Finally, FSI International agreed to work with KLA-Tencor to develop integrated metrology capabilities for FSI's 300-mm microlithography clusters. Integrated metrology reduces the lag between a process step and quality assurance for that step, reducing the material at risk. The FSI agreement comes on the heels of KLA-Tencor's alliance with PRI Automation, announced July 12, which focuses on automated material transport between process tools and standalone metrology systems.