Is this an open door for AMAT?
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Selete's 300-mm Wafer Technology Behind Schedule
February 12, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies Inc. (Selete), a research group co-established by Japan's semiconductor makers, said its development of 300-mm wafer technologies is one year behind the initial schedule.
Selete was established in 1996 by 10 domestic semiconductor makers for the purpose of development of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials for a 300-mm wafer.
Ken-ichi Kawashima, director and general manager of Selete's Manufacturing Technology Research Department, gave several reasons for the slippage during a lecture on the technology at "The Industry Strategy Symposium Japan '99" held in Narita, Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo.
After the schedule was established, the semiconductor market rapidly worsened. In addition to the slowing down of 300-mm wafer technology development by each manufacturer, Selete's evaluation of manufacturing equipment did not progress as planned.
According to Kawashima, Selete almost completed evaluation of processing performance of the equipment, and was about to proceed to evaluate its productivity.
He named etching systems, metal deposition systems and chemical mechanical polishing equipment to be improved on the basis of Selete's evaluation.
He also pointed out the necessity in improving local cleaning technologies, and added that Selete plans to tackle that with the evaluation of an automatic guided vehicle in the future.
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