Sematech Announces Meetings Lineup for 2008
Staff -- Semiconductor International, 1/24/2008 9:34:00 AM
Sematech (Austin, Texas) announced its 2008 “Sematech Knowledge Series,” a series of public meetings on issues affecting the semiconductor industry.
This year’s lineup includes meetings on next-generation lithography, materials and methods to enhance transistor and back-end development. It includes International Sematech Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) meetings on ways to improve manufacturing efficiency and yields. Other meetings may be added during the remainder of the year.
Sematech CEO Mike Polcari said the meetings “are unique opportunities to bring the nanoelectronics industry together to focus on accelerating technology innovations and manufacturing solutions. We recognize our responsibility, on behalf of our members, to provide industry stewardship and enhance global cooperation."
At the Sematech Knowledge Series meetings, organizers bring together hundreds of technical papers, presentations, group and panel discussions, and poster sessions, said Sematech spokesperson Anne Englander. At the meetings, attendees often are called on to rank critical issues required to bring R&D concepts to commercial production. Participants share data and methodologies for lowering manufacturing costs and increasing productivity, and focus on ways to extend the use of current materials and methods, she said.
The 2008 Sematech Knowledge Series meetings, grouped by technology focus, include:
Lithography
Sematech Litho Forum: May 12-14, 2008; Bolton Landing (Lake George), N.Y.
Third in a series of biannual forums designed to help generate industry consensus on future lithography roadmap options, Sematech’s 2008 Litho Forum provides a view of the major lithography technologies and their potential to meet 32, 22 nm, and future half-pitch nodes. This forum is structured so that participants have the opportunity to provide assessments of the readiness of these technologies and focus on the best solutions for bringing them into manufacturing when needed.
EUV Source Workshop: May 12, 2008; Bolton Landing (Lake George), N.Y.
In 2008, the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) output power of a fully integrated EUV lithography source is projected to increase from 0.8 W to ~100 W, Sematech said in a press release. This workshop will review the progress made in source performance and provide an overview of the critical challenges and technology developments of EUV lithography sources. The objective of the workshop is to develop an understanding of the current status and performance of these lithography sources and identify the remaining challenges in EUV source technology. Held in conjunction with the Sematech Litho Forum.
Workshop on Optical Lithography at 22 nm and 16 nm: May 15, 2008; Bolton Landing (Lake George), N.Y.
Third in a series of technical workshops on optical lithography, this one-day workshop, "Approaching the Optical Limit," will focus on practical solutions to achieving 22 and 16 nm half-pitch patterning using immersion lithography and its extensions. Held in conjunction with the Sematech Litho Forum.
5th International Symposium on Immersion Lithography Extensions: Sept. 22-25, 2008; The Hague, Netherlands
Now in its fifth year, this symposium continues to focus on the progress in 193 nm high-index immersion lithography and other extensions to optical lithography, and build consensus on how the industry will address emerging critical issues. IMEC, in cooperation with Sematech and Selete, will host this year’s symposium.
2008 International Symposium on Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography: Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2008; Lake Tahoe, Calif.
The extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) symposium is part of Sematech’s ongoing commitment to help develop the technology and infrastructure for EUVL, including sources, masks, optics, resists, contamination control and metrology. Hosted by Sematech in cooperation with Selete, EUVA and the EUV CRC.
Sematech Advanced Mask Cleaning Workshop: October 2008 (exact date TBD); Monterey, Calif.
This meeting provides a forum for those concerned with advanced mask cleaning issues to share data, identify critical issues, and define potential cooperative projects.
Advanced Technologies
Sematech Surface Preparation and Cleaning Conference: March 31-April 2, 2008; Austin, Texas
This conference, which brings together the leading researchers from the semiconductor industry and university community, focuses on advanced wafer and mask cleaning and surface preparation technologies. Speakers and participants will explore current developments and International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) challenges in wafer and mask cleaning, including wafer front-end, wafer back-end, advanced mask, and environment, safety and health (ESH) issues for the 32 nm node and beyond.
International Symposium on Advanced Gate Stack Technology: Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2008; Austin, Texas
This symposium focuses on the technical challenges for high-k/metal gate stack implementation in the 32 nm technology node and beyond, including high-performance, high-mobility channels; low-power technology; and flash memory gate stacks. The symposium features numerous leading experts in the field presenting their latest research in both invited and contributed talks, and a discussion panel of representatives from major semiconductor device makers and academia.
Sematech 3-D Workshops: July 2008 (exact date TBD), San Francisco
Additional workshop dates to be announced
Stacking layers of silicon with through-silicon vias (TSVs) — 3-D ICs — can improve electrical performance, shrink device size, enable the integration of heterogeneous devices, lower power consumption, and reduce cost. However, 3-D ICs can exacerbate thermal problems and will require new thinking in terms of architecture, design and test. Sematech will continue to host a series of workshops to address the design, test, equipment and thermal challenges associated with this innovative new technology.
Manufacturing
9th AEC/APC European Conference: March 31-April 2, 2008; Tel Aviv, Israel
AEC/APC Symposium XIX North America: Oct. 4-8, 2008; Salt Lake City
AEC/APC Asia: Nov. 27-28, 2008; Hsinchu, Taiwan
These ISMI-sponsored symposia covering advanced equipment control and advanced process control (AEC/APC) are held three times a year (North America, Europe and Asia) to bring IC manufacturers and suppliers together to accelerate the industry toward more efficient and more intelligent manufacturing through automated data-driven decision making.
ISMI Manufacturing Week: Oct. 20-23, 2008; Austin, Texas
ISMI Manufacturing Week features two full days of workshops and short courses on leading-edge technologies, followed by the 5th Annual ISMI Symposium on Manufacturing Effectiveness, the industry’s only symposium focused entirely on increasing productivity and reducing manufacturing expenses through advances in equipment, processes, resources, fab design and manufacturing methods. Additional information about the latest products, services and novel ideas for increasing profits can be found at the supplier exhibits throughout the entire week.
Other Industry-wide Events
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) Conferences:
Summer Conference, July 16, 2008; San Francisco
Winter Conference, December 2008 (exact date TBD); Seoul, Korea
These public conferences offer technologists and strategists from the manufacturing and supplier communities the opportunity to participate in building the next ITRS by providing input to the working group teams of industry and research experts who revise the ITRS.
Sematech and ISMI Symposia 2008
Taiwan Symposium, Fall 2008 (exact date TBD); Hsinchu, Taiwan
Japan Symposium, Fall 2008 (exact date TBD); Tokyo
