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SEZ's Single-Wafer Processing Solutions Selected by UMCi
Company's Spin Processors to be used for 300-mm Foundry's Polymer Removal Applications
VILLACH, Austria and ZURICH, Switzerland, April 14, 2004?The SEZ Group (SWX: SEZN), the market leader and premier innovator in single-wafer wet-processing technology for the semiconductor industry, today announced recent significant equipment orders from UMCi, the Singapore-based 300-mm subsidiary of world-leading semiconductor foundry UMC (NYSE: UMC). These orders are for several of SEZ's 4300 spin processors, and total more than US $14.6 million (11.9 million Euro). The tools, which will be used for back-end-of-line (BEOL) polymer removal of devices with 0.13-micron and below design rules, will be installed at UMCi's Pasir Ris Wafer Park in Singapore during the second and third quarters of 2004.
UMCi incorporates advanced single-wafer processing technology into its production lines to realize benefits, such as reduced cycle times and increased flexibility over traditional batch processing. Chris Chi, president of UMCi, said, "SEZ is a leading provider of single-wafer processing solutions, with localized service and support capabilities within Singapore. These factors led to our decision to choose their polymer removal tools to support our back-end-of-line manufacturing lines. We are pleased to add SEZ's single-wafer spin processors to UMCi as we continue our plan to rapidly increase our production capacity to 10,000 wafers per month by the end of 2004."
According to Herwig Petschnig, SEZ Asia-Pacific COO, the demand for single-wafer wet-processing technology continues to gain momentum due to the benefits it affords, such as higher productivity and uniformity, lower cost of ownership (CoO) and reduced risk of contamination during critical cleans. "This order from one of the industry's leading advocates of single-wafer technologies is testament to our ability to deliver the best-of-breed wet-processing solutions that offer the performance, throughput, flexibility and reliability that today's advanced fabs require for running at benchmark levels," said Petschnig. "UMCi is not alone, however, as we continue to witness both foundries and chipmakers moving toward single-wafer processing over multiple-wafer platforms in addressing the stringent requirements associated with larger wafer diameters, shrinking design rules and new materials integration."
SEZ's Single-Wafer Approach
The production-proven SEZ 4300 is designed for 300-mm applications and combines SEZ's process capability with exceptional reliability and high throughput. A dual-arm robot on a linear tracking system transports 300-mm wafers from four FOUPs to four process chambers. Two media (either acid or solvent) can be utilized for all chambers. The media can be recycled, heated and filtered within the system or utilized in a single pass mode. All basic support systems are integrated in the main unit.
The 4300 also features an object-oriented software architecture operating on a Windows NT platform, an International SEMATECH-compliant graphical user interface (GUI) and touch screen for simplified equipment operation. The tool delivers a cost-effective throughput/footprint ratio with superior process performance?resulting in a CoO that is competitive with automated batch systems.
About UMC
UMC (NYSE: UMC, TSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that manufactures advanced process ICs for applications spanning every major sector of the semiconductor industry. UMC delivers cutting-edge foundry technologies that enable sophisticated system-on-chip (SoC) designs, including 90-nm copper, 0.13-micron copper, embedded DRAM, and mixed signal/RFCMOS. UMC is also a leader in 300-mm manufacturing; Fab 12A in Taiwan is currently in volume production for a variety of customer products, while Singapore-based UMCi has just entered volume production. UMC employs over 8,500 people worldwide and has offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Europe, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com
About SEZ Group
SEZ Group is the leading provider of single-wafer, wet-processing solutions for the global semiconductor industry, with an installed base of over 750 tools. The company maintains operations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Japan and North America. SEZ Holding AG is traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol SEZN. Additional information about the company is available on the Internet at www.sez.com
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