ESPOO, Finland, 23rd November 2020 – Picosun Group, the leading supplier of AGILE ALD® (Atomic Layer Deposition) thin film coating solutions, partners with prominent Chinese hospitals and researchers to apply medical ALD technology for safer surgical procedures.

Picosun’s biocompatible ALD coatings will be applied on electrosurgical equipment (electrotomes) to improve their performance, safety, and service life.

“It’s great to collaborate with a company such as Picosun to develop solutions for safer and more patient-friendly surgeries. Picosun is the leader in medical ALD solutions. The company has extensive process portfolio for biocompatible ALD materials and their equipment are at use at several medical equipment manufacturers around the world. In China, Picosun is the market leader with numerous PICOSUN® ALD systems installed throughout the country. We have strong trust that this collaboration will result in disruptive new innovations and novel solutions for surgical equipment,” says Longsheng Lu, Professor of South China University of Technology.

Electrotome utilizes high temperature to cut and separate tissue, with simultaneously coagulating blood, and it’s a standard equipment replacing traditional mechanical scalpels in many operations. Tissue and blood sticking and burning on the electrotome blade is a serious problem because the crusted blade risks increased bleeding, tissue damage, tearing and scarring, thus making the patient’s healing time longer. Smoke from the burning tissue may also hinder the surgeon’s vision and increase the risk for error during delicate procedures such as cardiac or neurosurgery.

This far, there hasn’t been a working solution in the market to overcome this problem. ALD technology can potentially provide this solution and thus improve patient safety, wound quality and healing time. ALD forms ultra-thin, pinhole-free coatings with unmatched conformality over the smallest microscale details of the surface, and the ALD process can be performed at moderate temperatures so the method is suitable also for sensitive materials. Deposited over special anti-adhesive micropatterning of the electrotome blade, biocompatible ALD film prevents blood and tissue from sticking to the blade.

“We are happy to extend our PicoMEDICAL™ technology to a yet new healthcare application, and to work with top tier Chinese hospitals and scientists to qualify our solutions in everyday use. ALD is revolutionizing the medical field right now, just like it did to semiconductor industries over a decade ago. We at Picosun want to use our extensive ALD know-how to develop solutions to improve people’s health and quality of life, which is why medical ALD is one of our key markets for the future,” continues Dr. Jani Kivioja, CTO of Picosun Group.

Picosun provides the most advanced AGILE ALD® (Atomic Layer Deposition) thin film coating solutions for global industries. Picosun’s ALD solutions enable technological leap into the future, with turn-key production processes and unmatched, pioneering expertise in the field – dating back to the invention of the technology itself. Today, PICOSUN® ALD equipment are in daily manufacturing use in numerous leading industries around the world. Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in Germany, USA, China mainland and Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and South Korea, offices in India and France, and a world-wide sales and support network. Visit www.picosun.com.

The project “Design of anti-adhesive surface modified with bionic microstructures and ALD coatings and its application on surgical electrotomes” is carried out in collaboration with SCUT (South China University of Technology), PLAGH (General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army), Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, and Guangzhou First People’s Hospital. The project will start on 1st December 2020 and continue for 3 years. The project is partially funded by Business Finland.

More information:
Dr. Jani Kivioja
CTO, Picosun Group
Tel: +358 46 922 8804
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.picosun.com

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Busch Vacuum Solutions has launched the COBRA BC 1200 A, adding to large portfolio of vacuum pumps for the Semiconductor market. This water-cooled dry vacuum pump is ideal for processes that benefit from low gas temperatures inside the pump. The low 65°C internal gas temperature minimizes build-up inside the mechanism while pumping ALD precursors that react more aggressively as gas temperatures inside the pump rise.

Many new ALD process tools require more pumping speed. The VFD-controlled integrated vacuum booster provides deep ultimate pressure and up to 1200 m3/h peak pumping speed to meet this need.

The COBRA BC 1200 A is well suited for clean, light and medium semiconductor applications like Lithography, Physical Vapor Deposition Process (PVD), PVD-pre-clean and rapid thermal annealing (RTA).

In addition to high performance, the COBRA BC 1200 A offers low cost of ownership, minimal maintenance with long service intervals, high uptime and direct water-cooling. The vacuum pump’s canned water-cooled motor and direct-mounted booster result in a small footprint and low overall height while retaining performance benefits.

The COBRA 1200 A vacuum pump is based on the proven screw vacuum technology from Busch. Dry, non-contacting patented self-balancing screws and idle mode enhance energy efficiency. The vacuum pump’s canned water-cooled motors and direct water-cooling limit dust contamination in clean room air and minimize height and footprint while retaining the performance benefits of this new pump.

US Marketing
Jean Perry – November 13, 2020

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MILPITAS, Calif. — November 19, 2020 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.64 billion in billings worldwide in October 2020 (three-month average basis), according to the October Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI. The billings figure is 3.7 percent lower than the final September 2020 level of $2.74 billion, and is 26.9 percent higher than the October 2019 billings level of $2.08 billion.

“Following the record-breaking September results, billings of North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers continue to show strong results in October,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “The coming months should reaffirm the positive momentum as industry leaders are issuing guidance for a strong fourth quarter despite continuing trade tensions and the intensifying pandemic.”

The SEMI Billings report uses three-month moving averages of worldwide billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), November 2020

SEMI publishes a monthly North American Billings report and issues the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). The WWSEMS report currently reports billings by 24 equipment segments and by seven end market regions. SEMI also has a long history of tracking semiconductor industry fab investments in detail on a company-by-company and fab-by-fab basis in its World Fab Forecast and SEMI FabView databases. These powerful tools provide access to spending forecasts, capacity ramp, technology transitions, and other information for over 1,000 fabs worldwide. For an overview of available SEMI market data, please visit www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo.

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

Notes

Next SEMI Billings report is December 17, 2020 at 3:00pm Pacific.

For information on SEAJ Billings Express Report, visit www.seaj.or.jp.

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Brooks Instrument Expands Authorized MFC Calibration and Repair Customer Support Network

Expansion in southeastern U.S. and Canada gives customers better access, faster turnaround time for authorized services and repair work

HATFIELD, Pa. (November 3, 2020) – Brooks Instrument, a world leader in advanced flow, pressure and vapor delivery solutions, has expanded its authorized service partner program with more locations so customers can access mass flow controller (MFC) calibration and repair services closer to their places of business. The company has added authorized service and support partners in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and in Toronto and Montreal, Canada.

All MFC instrumentation is subject to wear and tear from the operating environment. Because MFCs are typically a critical component in gas management subsystems, Brooks Instrument recommends having these instruments certified annually by an authorized repair center that can provide calibration or repairs using proper metrology equipment, MFC software and service methods.

Unauthorized, third-party vendors may only provide verification service instead of true calibration. In addition to offering limited warranties, they may also use refurbished parts for their repairs instead of genuine Brooks Instrument components.

Working with factory-certified service partner Cross Company, Brooks Instrument has expanded its customer support for the Research Triangle Park area in Raleigh, a rapidly growing hub for biotechnology companies that rely on MFCs.

Cross has represented Brooks Instrument for decades, and its technicians are fully trained to use the same parts, tools, repair manuals and diagnostic equipment as the Brooks Instrument factory.

In Canada, the Brooks Instrument service locations are available in the Toronto metro area through the company’s independent authorized representative, Trillium Measurement and Control, and in the Montreal metro area with independent authorized representative Polycontrols.

“We are excited to expand our service and repair partner programs in the U.S. and Canada,” said Stephanie Vinger, manager of Brooks Instrument’s service and repair business. “When customers need calibration or repair work, we want to serve them as quickly as possible to keep their equipment and processes up and running. Adding these locations makes it easier for customers to get faster turnaround time, while also guaranteeing quality so their Brooks Instrument mass flow controllers and meters can be used for as long as possible.”

Customers who own Brooks Instrument MFCs in these markets can now have their out-of-warranty components serviced and repaired locally with authorized partners using new Brooks Instrument parts. These services include verification of thermal mass flow meters and controllers, ISO/IEC 17025 certified calibration, cleaning and reconditioning, repair and rebuilding. In addition, Brooks Instrument partners provide expert consultation and specifying help for retrofits, upgrades and new equipment for specific applications.

Visit www.brooksinstrument.com/en/service-support/global-service-network for more information.

About Brooks Instrument
Since 1946 Brooks Instrument has been a leader in precision fluid measurement and control technology. Providing instrumentation for flow, pressure and vaporization, the company serves customers in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceuticals, fiber optic and thin film manufacturing, solar cell, LED, alternative energy, oil and gas refining, chemical and petrochemical research, and semiconductor manufacturing.

With manufacturing, sales, and service locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Brooks Instrument has the world’s largest installed base of mass flow controllers. Its broad family of products includes legacy brands such as UNIT Instruments, Tylan, Key Instruments and Celerity.

For more information, please visit www.brooksinstrument.com. The company is also on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/Brooks-Instrument) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/user/Brooks407).

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