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SEZ Announces Joint Development Agreement with Pure Wafer to Develop Single Wafer 300 mm Cleaning
Villach, Austria --April 24, 2001--The SEZ Group (SWX: SEZN) announced that it is entering into a new joint development agreement with Pure Wafer Ltd. to evaluate double sided wafer cleaning on 300 mm wafers utilizing SEZ Spin-Process technology. This will be the first evaluation of SEZ's newest cleaning technology for 300 mm, introduced in March of this year, which is an alternative for traditional batch cleaning applications. Pure Wafer, a supplier of silicon wafer reclaim to the semiconductor industry, will take delivery of a one-chamber beta evaluation tool incorporating the same technology used in the recently introduced four-chamber Spin-Processor 8300.
"This project and the data feedback from Pure Wafer will be critical to demonstrating the production worthiness and cleaning efficiencies of the 8300 in comparison to competing technologies for 300 mm processing," commented Michael Kucher, senior vice president for SEZ AG. "This is a significant opportunity to test and refine one of our newest products for 300 mm production at one of the industry's leading edge facilities that is set to incorporate only the latest generation of tools available for semiconductor manufacturing."
Pure Wafer will evaluate the beta tool with respect to its hardware and process performance, cleaning efficiency and production worthiness for cleaning applications. The agreement can be extended for other processes by mutual agreement. As a part of the agreement, SEZ will supply the beta tool to Pure Wafer for a period of 6 months with a possible extension at Pure Wafer's request. The Spin-Processor 8300 offers critical front end of line pre-cleaning applications for 300 mm. The tool has four three-level process chambers and processes both the wafer front and back side simultaneously. The 8300 uses less chemistry than competing systems and is capable of immediate uniform coverage of the wafer and better end uniformity, which improves yield for 300 mm wafers. The tool also eliminates redeposition and cross-contamination because chemicals are spun off the wafer surface and handled only in the wafer exclusion area.
Pure Wafer was founded in August 2000 to reclaim silicon wafers. Full-scale manufacturing will begin in early July at the company's facility for both 200 mm and 300 mm wafers. The need to fulfill leading edge wafer reclaim specifications for semiconductor manufacturers processing at 0.25um and smaller geometries has driven the development of Pure Wafer. Additional information is available at www.purewafer.com.
About SEZ
The SEZ Group is a leading supplier of wet wafer surface preparation equipment to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. The company's breakthrough proprietary Spin-Processor technology forms the basis of a broad portfolio of single wafer backside and frontside wafer surface conditioning products for semiconductor chipmakers worldwide. Additionally, the company offers a complete range of wet bench equipment for batch processing. SEZ maintains development, manufacturing, sales, marketing and service operations in Europe, Asia and North America. Registered in Zurich, Switzerland, SEZ Holding AG is listed on the Swiss Exchange under the symbol (SWX: SEZN). SEZ also can be found on the world wide web at
www.sez.com.
Dates:
May 10, 2001: Annual shareholders' meeting, Zurich
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