SAN JOSE, Calif. – 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. AquiVia is a new high-performance deposition technology that
offers a substantially lower cost of ownership than alternative dry processes.
Encompassing the three distinct process steps required before a through silicon via
(TSV) can be filled with metal, it enables wet-process deposition of insulator, barrier and
copper seed layers within high-aspect ratio TSVs using electrografting technology. This
innovative approach 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: kerffree
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 Semicon Refractometer PR-33-S, from K-Patents, is a Digital Refractive
Index (RI) measurement 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 concentration control. - CCS-1000 Critical Cleaning System by Nano Green Technology Inc., combines
deionized (DI) water and ammonia gas (NH3) to form molecules that move in a pattern
with well-defined relative phases—known as “coherent” water—developed and
trademarked by NGT as ionized molecularly activated coherent solution—or iMACSTM—a
revolutionary green, renewable, cleaning process solution—for the semiconductor, Flat
Panel Display (FPD), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), and data storage disk drive (DSDD)
industries.iMACS achieves an unmatched cleaning performance that removes nano particles—
ionic, organic, or metallic—and provides a green—and safe—environment—without any
waste. In the traditional SC-1 cleaning method, expensive chemicals etched and
damaged devices and topography; with iMACS, the use of expensive chemicals is
eliminated and operation costs are reduced—drastically.
- 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:
www.semiconwest.org/bestofwest). Best of West Award winners will be announced during
SEMICON West on July 15, 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 www.semi.org.
Association Contact:
Scott Smith/SEMI
Tel: 408.943.7957
Email: ssmith@semi.org
