Wooptix SL, a Spanish company dedicated to developing advanced imaging solutions for the semiconductor industry, will be presenting a new technique for Patterned Wafer Geometry at the upcoming SPIE Advanced Lithography conference on February 28th, 2022, in a paper published together with Applied Materials. The flatness of the silicon wafer used to manufacture integrated circuits is controlled to tight tolerances to ensure the full wafer is sufficiently flat for lithographic processing. In recent years, a metrology tool based on double Fizeau interferometry has been used to generate wafer geometry maps to correct for process induced focus issues and overlay problems. In the upcoming paper, WFPI is used successfully on patterned silicon wafers to acquire 7.65 million data points in 5 seconds on the full 300mm patterned wafer with a lateral resolution of 96µm to generate the wafer shape.

About Wooptix
Based in La Laguna Tenerife, Canary Islands, Wooptix is founded on decades of optical research done at the astrophysics department at La Laguna University in conjunction with Teide Observatory in Tenerife, one of the world’s most important astronomy research centers. Wooptix, being a venture funded company and an Intel Capital portfolio company, has used the venture funds to develop Phemet and bring it to commercialization for semiconductor the lab market and is currently in the early stages of bringing the technique in to a fully automated fab tool.

• Read more about Wooptix introduces a patterned wafer geometry system for 300mm silicon wafers

YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. ), a leading manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor advanced packaging, life sciences and “More-than-Moore” applications, today announced that it has acquired SPEC (Semiconductor Process Equipment Corporation) of Valencia, California for an undisclosed amount. The companies had announced a strategic partnership agreement in June.

The purchase brings together two longtime, trusted semiconductor equipment suppliers with more than 70 years of industry experience between them. “YES and SPEC have many characteristics in common,” said Rama Alapati, CEO of YES. “Both of us have accumulated decades of technological expertise and have installed hundreds of systems in dozens of countries. We both take pride in our many repeat customers, and our excellent industry reputations. In acquiring SPEC, we feel YES is now better-positioned to meet the growing demands of current and future customers in emerging markets such as HPC, AI/ML, 5G, autonomous driving, augmented reality, and other computationally intensive applications.”

“The SPEC product line, which includes cleaning, etching, stripping and plating equipment, complements our portfolio well, and will allow YES to extend our offerings into the wet processing market,” added Rezwan Lateef, President of YES. “We welcome SPEC’s employees to the YES team, and we look forward to developing a variety of new products together to address and anticipate customer needs.”

“SPEC is very pleased to join forces with YES. With global demand for semiconductors increasing dramatically, this merger could not have come at a better time for both companies. We are excited to help YES open new markets and opportunities for our proven wet-process technologies going forward,” said Kevin McGillivray, co-founder of SPEC.

In addition to augmenting its personnel resources with the SPEC staff, YES will gain more than 40,000 square feet of manufacturing, assembly, and cleanroom space in Valencia, as well as SPEC’s regional offices around the world.

About YES
YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) is a preferred provider of high-tech, cost-effective equipment for transforming surfaces, materials, and interfaces. The company’s product lines include vacuum cure systems, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, and plasma etching tools used for precise surface modification and thin-film coating of semiconductor wafers, semiconductor and MEMS devices, biosensors and medical substrates. With YES, customers ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies can create and volume-produce products in a wide range of markets, including Advanced Packaging, MEMS, Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality and Life Sciences. YES is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a growing presence globally. For more information, please visit http://www.yieldengineering.com.

About SPEC
SPEC (Semiconductor Process Equipment Corporation) is a highly experienced supplier of surface conditioning wet process equipment. Since 1986, SPEC has designed and manufactured wafer-level and device-level wet process equipment for acid and solvent surface modification (cleaning, etching, stripping), electroplating, and electroless (chemical) plating for all industries requiring a high level of process cleanliness. SPEC’s products are used for polysilicon chip, chunk, and ingot cleaning; crucible cleaning, cavity cleaning for particle accelerators, chemical mixing and delivery, hard drive component cleaning, and quartzware cleaning. SPEC systems are engineered to match the unique requirements of the end user. For more information, please visit http://www.team-spec.com.

• Read more about YES (Yield Engineering Systems, Inc.) Acquires SPEC (Semiconductor Process Equipment Corp.)

ESPOO, Finland, 14th of December 2021 - There has been a need for enhanced coating methods in organic electronic manufacturing as foldable phones and other future product iterations need materials that are lighter, more reliable and enable folding and stretching of a device. Thus, the use of thin film encapsulation solutions has become more common in organic electronic manufacturing.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has already proven to be the coating solution of choice for a wide range of applications in the semiconductor industry. Inorganic films, which are the standard output of an ALD process, are however susceptible to crack or develop defects under severe mechanical stress. This issue is magnified when depositing on large surface areas often required in flexible organic electronics manufacturing. Picosun’s novel approach to address these issues, for which patent rights are pending, includes nanolamination of dense inorganic layers deposited with ALD to maintain excellent barrier performance‚ with organic or hybrid molecular layer deposition (MLD) layers to offer enhanced flexibility and de-emphasize the defects which may appear when films are stressed.

Picosun research on an industrially viable ALD/MLD process was demonstrated on wafers and polymer substrates over 200 mm in diameter with a deposition temperature of 90 °C using Picosun ALD tools. The results showed great thickness uniformity and higher throughput compared to pure ALD film deposition. The MLD film proved to be stable in ambient environment and the complementary strengths of ALD and MLD hindered H2O permeation through the film stack, which enables flexibility in moisture barrier design.

“We are excited to bring these insights to the market as there has been little information available from stable and industrially viable MLD processes in full wafer scale. Besides organic electronics, we see immense potential with the ALD/MLD films in the manufacturing of LEDs, MEMS and medical packaging”, states Juhana Kostamo, VP, Industrial Business Area of Picosun Group.

Watch the Picosun webinar to learn more about the topic and Picosun results:
https://info.picosun.com/webinars/ald-mld-nanolaminate-films

More information:
Juhana Kostamo
Vice President, Industrial Business Area, Picosun Group
Tel: +358 50 369 9565
Email: [email protected]
www.picosun.com

About Picosun
Picosun provides the most advanced 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, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China mainland and Taiwan, offices in India and France, and a world-wide sales and support network. Visit www.picosun.com.

• Read more about Picosun to introduce novel coating solution for organic electronics

August 30, 2021 11:30 AM SAST

AMSTERDAM–Leading AI-for-Manufacturing company, DataProphet, today announces the formation of its Semiconductor Advisory Board. With great pride, the company welcomes the newly formed strategic committee of trusted industry-specific advisors — Susan Wilkerson and Markus Keil.

In Markus Keil and Susan Wilkerson, DataProphet has teamed with two highly respected, seasoned professionals who are deeply committed to bringing their wealth of semiconductor industry knowledge to help DataProphet achieve its ambitions of integrating its data-driven AI-as-a-Service into all value-adding processes in the semiconductor value chain around the world, including fabs and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).

Susan Wilkerson and Markus Keil are distinguished additions to DataProphet’s wider Industry Advisory Board. They directly reflect the company’s growth-oriented, go-to-market mindset at a crucial inflection point in its commercial development.

DataProphet’s Semiconductor Advisory Board members bring a proven track record as change agents in semiconductor manufacturing, helping shape and guide the industry through myriad challenges and transformations over years of unprecedented technological and economic transformation. Susan Wilkerson and Markus Keil will work closely with DataProphet’s leadership team to ensure they are best meeting the critical production KPIs of the semiconductor industry as it moves into a new era.

Regarding the announcement, Susan Wilkerson had this to say: “I’m excited to be selected for DataProphet’s Semi Advisory Board, which focuses on utilizing AI and Machine Learning to enable prescriptive operational efficiencies in the Semiconductor industry. The Dataprophet team’s underlying philosophy translates into product offerings committed to making the end customer experience as simple and positive as possible while proving clear customer value at every stage. Their AI-as-a-Service seamlessly inputs environmental variables and proactively models complex integration in the manufacturing process. This will enable chipmakers to address their most significant technical challenges. With DataProphet’s data-driven solutions, fabs will access opportunities to improve operational cost, yield, and time to market faster than ever before.”

Markus Keil contextualized the significance of his inclusion in this way: “Upon meeting the DataProphet team, I became quickly aware of a unique group of excellent talents and leadership backed by high-caliber investors. My sense was: here is a company to make a big difference in the young industry of AI. This is why I’m very honored to have the opportunity to support DataProphet in bringing its AI-for-Manufacturing and Machine Learning (ML) applications into the semiconductor industry. AI and ML are megatrends with the capability to influence many aspects of how we work, design, build and use technology. Furthermore, in my opinion, semiconductors are a logical and natural target industry for DataProphet’s pioneering technology. Fabs are very data-centric environments with some catch-up work to do in using AI. With Dataprophet’s unique innovations, its use of big data prescriptive analytics, along with their very customer-centered approach, I am convinced this company will be successful in bringing its game-changing technology to fabs worldwide.”

In response to the formation of the Advisory Board, DataProphet CEO and co-founder Frans Cronje stated: “I am very excited by today’s announcement of our Advisory Board for the semiconductor industry! The experts who have joined our board will help guide DataProphet as we introduce our state-of-art AI solution to fabs around the world. Susan Wilkerson and Markus Keil will help us navigate the intricacies and challenges that customers in the semiconductor manufacturing industry face. I am looking forward to the results we will achieve together.”

ABOUT DATAPROPHET
DataProphet is a Venture Capital-backed, high-growth AI-for-Manufacturing company pioneering the development and deployment of Deep Learning solutions for manufacturers across key industry verticals worldwide. As heavy industries move towards autonomous manufacturing, its world-leading AI-driven solutions guide clients from over-dependence on human experts to Machine Learning expert guidance. DataProphet’s mission is for its manufacturing process agnostic AI-as-a-Service innovations to continue revolutionizing process optimization in support of the wide range of manufacturing sectors it currently partners with and to extend its partnerships even further. The company helps manufacturers—of semiconductors, automotive equipment, rubber, glass, plastic, gray iron, and minerals—meet and exceed critical KPIs with cutting-edge, human-in-the-loop AI deployments requiring no additional hardware investment. In this way, DataProphet supports adopters of its technology to become more competitive and resource-efficient as they digitally transform. DataProphet AI deployments guarantee ROI in the first year of operation and provide ongoing and complete post-installation support, including additional data sources and full model maintenance.

ABOUT SUSAN WILKERSON
Susan Wilkerson joined Veeco in April 2020 as Senior Vice President of Global Customer Operations. Before her employment with Veeco, she served as Vice President & General Manager of Strategic Global Accounts for Lam Research Corporation from 2011 to 2020. She was also previously Vice President & General Manager of Americas Sales & Service for Verigy. Susan Wilkerson was with Applied Materials for over fifteen years, holding positions of increasing responsibility—these included Global Account Management, Vice President & General Manager, and Vice President of Operations for the North America Region. Susan Wilkerson was also engaged in multiple consulting ventures, co-founding BlueRock Consulting LLC in 2008.

ABOUT MARKUS KEIL
Markus Keil has 25 years of global experience in the technology industry with a strong operational and business focus in Asia, Europe, and the US. Mr. Keil has worked as a CEO, Business Area Manager, and Business Unit COO in highly innovative environments. He also bore Multi-Operations-Site responsibility for ten manufacturing sites in six countries (in Europe, the US, and Asia), and brings solid operational experience along the entire semiconductor manufacturing supply chain—from Equipment Vending, Wafer Manufacturing, Chip-Packaging, Multi-Chip Module Assembly, and Testing with a large inhouse and outsourced footprint. Mr. Keil started up several manufacturing sites (greenfields), transferring technology and building HVM Technology organizations. He has post-M&A integration experience and has led several significant organizational integration and transformation projects in the semiconductor industry. Markus Keil is a hands-on team player and vision builder with a strategic mindset.

• Read more about DataProphet Announces Formation of its Semiconductor Advisory Board as Company continues Global Expansion

ESPOO, Finland, 23 of November 2021 – Picosun Group has launched a Medical Materials Library consisting of over ten materials intended for medical-related coating and encapsulation with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). ALD coatings are ultra-thin, and they guarantee hermetic encapsulation of virtually any implanted device.

The materials library is a reflection of over six years extensive research and development that shows ALD can render biocompatibility to a substrate coated with Picosun library materials. Biocompatibility tests were carried out according to ISO standards in accredited third-party laboratories. The performed tests included for example cytotoxicity, antimicrobial activity, skin irritation or sensitization, hemocompatibility, bacterial endotoxins, bioburden and sterilization residuals. From the tested materials Picosun is able to design tens of different types of end materials according to customer needs.

ALD technology provides dimensionless coating thus enabling miniaturization of components and devices in the field of electronic implants. Antibacterial function together with excellent barrier properties and outstanding corrosion resistance pave the way for using the materials both in electronic and orthopedic implants and show high potential in pharmaceutical packaging. The superior film uniformity and conformality ensure a pinhole-free coverage over even the smallest details of the device.

“The demonstrated results show the undisputable opportunities ALD offers to the medical sector already today. While the basic surgical principles and technologies have remained the same for decades, now ALD enables unforeseen applications potentially improving patient safety and cost-effectiveness by extending implant durability and reducing adverse effects”, says Niku Oksala, professor of surgery at Tampere University and medical advisor for Picosun.

“Picosun’s Medical Materials Library targeted to the medical device manufacturer segment reflects the innovative spirit of the company. I’m really excited over the fact that we are able to flexibly design tailored encapsulations according to our customers’ needs. I’m especially proud of our medical customers and partners who are already in pre-clinical and clinical trials with their ALD coated devices”, says Juhani Taskinen, Vice President, Medical Business Area of Picosun Group.

More information:
Juhani Taskinen
Vice President, Medical Business Area, Picosun Group
Tel: +358 50 4066 957
Email: [email protected]
www.picosun.com

About Picosun
Picosun provides the most advanced 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, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China mainland and Taiwan, offices in India and France, and a world-wide sales and support network. Visit www.picosun.com.

• Read more about Medical technology companies to benefit from Picosun biocompatible materials

Company also announces opening of second office location in Chennai to accommodate growth in India

CHENNAI, India, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) today announced the opening of two important facilities in Chennai, India, supporting the company's investment in innovative research and talent development. KLA's Artificial Intelligence-Advanced Computing Lab (AI-ACL)—operated in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras—will serve as a center of excellence for AI-focused research and development. In addition, a new office space in Chennai expands KLA's existing business operations as the company continues to grow and hire from the region.

KLA, a Fortune 500 company with 12,000+ global employees, is a leading supplier of process control and process enabling solutions for the global semiconductor and electronics industry. At KLA India, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers design solutions that improve the performance of KLA's process control products and facilitate customer success. KLA's new state-of-the-art, high-tech research and development center serves as a cultural and collaboration hub for the engineering teams.

"KLA is at the forefront of using AI technology in our process control systems to identify and isolate critical issues in chip manufacturing," stated Ahmad Khan, president, semiconductor process control at KLA. "To expand the reach of AI in our products and develop the next generation of AI innovations, we created our new AI-ACL research facility. Our researchers and engineers at AI-ACL join the AI experts at our AI Modeling and Center of Excellence in Michigan to form a global team committed to advancing the boundaries of AI, software, image processing and physics modeling."

Officiating over the opening of both facilities, Prof. Bhaskar Ramamurthy, Director of IIT Madras said, "KLA and IIT Madras have been collaborating for over 15 years. We look forward to an expanded collaboration with KLA in AI, advanced parallel computing, and quantum computing research for applications in the semiconductor inspection and metrology domain. The IIT Madras Research Park ecosystem is a perfect enabler for such an industry with academic collaboration that is bringing together our resident experts, top student researchers and industry's best minds. I also congratulate KLA on the grand opening of its new office in RMZ Millenia-II today."

Beyond expanding business in India, KLA prioritizes making a positive impact on the local community. In May, KLA created a $550,000 India pandemic relief fund to aid healthcare facilities in procuring critically-needed equipment in the fight against Covid-19. The donation also supports a long-term investment to expand ICU capacity in regional hospitals and better address the needs of under-privileged communities.

Those interested in careers with KLA India may find more information at www.kla.com/careers/locations/India.

About KLA:

KLA develops industry-leading equipment and services that enable innovation throughout the electronics industry. We provide advanced process control and process-enabling solutions for manufacturing wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. In close collaboration with leading customers across the globe, our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers design solutions that move the world forward. Additional information may be found at www.kla.com.

• Read more about KLA Corporation Opens New Artificial Intelligence-Advanced Computing Lab at Indian Institute of Technology Madras Research Park