JMAR and INVN have news today!>
JMAR Announces Breakthroughs in Point-Source X-Ray Lithography At Prestigious EIPBN Conference
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 2002--JMAR Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq\NM:JMAR), the world's leading developer and supplier of X-ray Lithography Systems and sources, described recent breakthroughs and summarized the current status of its X-ray Lithography program at the 46th International Conference on Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology & Nanofabrication (EIPBN), or the "Three-Beam" Conference, at Anaheim, California on May 29, 2002.
In an invited talk before a peer group of leading experts in the lithography field, Daniel J. Fleming, Ph.D., president of JMAR/SAL NanoLithography, JMAR's lithography systems division and director of JMAR's X-ray lithography business, described the progress JMAR has made to date in developing a unique conventional-footprint X-ray lithography system.
To distinguish JMAR's very compact, low-cost point-source X-ray system from other X-ray lithography systems that use large, expensive synchrotron (SOR) X-ray sources, Dr. Fleming said, "Some of you may know this as a `point-source' system. We call it `PXL' to distinguish it from other forms of X-ray lithography that have been used in the past but proved unsuitable for commercial production applications. Invented at JMAR and currently in final assembly, our PXL system will actually be smaller than the deep ultraviolet (DUV) optical lithography systems in use, today. It is the product of several years of very creative scientific and engineering work by many talented people at many organizations. Our program has now reached the point where I am confident that PXL is viable for a wide range of production applications, including semiconductor and other nanotechnology products.
"For some time," he added, "We have been working with a large East Coast aerospace company. During that time, they have taken the lead in applying PXL technology to the production of high performance semiconductors for use in their current products, while JMAR has become the leading advancer of PXL exposure system technology. Much of this work has been supported by DARPA, the Army Research Laboratory and Naval Air Warfare Center."
Dr. Fleming continued, "At JMAR, we believe that XRL is the simplest, most straightforward way to perform small feature lithography which is why we believe it to be the best solution for many industrial applications at this time. It is simply a matter of shadowing a binary mask pattern onto a resist-coated substrate. Using SOR X-ray sources, many lithographers, including those at IBM, Motorola and the University of Wisconsin in the USA, and Mitsubishi and ASET in Japan, have shown this technique to be capable of supporting the fabrication of very complex semiconductor devices using several layers of XRL patterning. There is no question that it works! Others have shown the extendibility of XRL to circuit dimensions of less than 50 nanometers (nm)."
He added, "In the past, the high cost of entry, both in capital and factory space, required by the synchrotron-illuminated XRL systems and the high manufacturing throughput volumes needed to achieve economically-competitive production rates have been key inhibitors to their acceptance for use in commercial chip production. Users also expressed strong concerns about the costs and availability of masks and photoresists but much progress has been made in these areas since then."
As evidence of some of the substantial advancements that have been made by both photomask makers and photoresist developers supporting the JMAR programs, he then displayed images of an 80 nm mask and of rapid photoresist exposures of 100 nm circuit features.
Dr. Fleming, who has previously managed lithography programs at SVGL and IBM, then went on to describe how PXL technology has been brought to the point of producing world-class millimeter wave integrated circuits (MMIC devices). He further explained how JMAR's breakthroughs in the efficient generation of X-rays using laser plasmas, coupled with the company's uniquely customized collimation technology have paved the way for the broad use of PXL in semiconductor production. He then reported the "astounding improvement in the generated X-ray intensity" produced by the source technology developed at JMAR Research (JRI) in San Diego, the company's research division. Dr. Fleming also discussed the technical details of alternative X-ray and electron beam lithography techniques that are currently utilized for producing specific circuits.
Dr. Fleming further noted that Dr. Edmond Turcu, JMAR's chief scientist, and Dr. Richard Forber, manager of the JRI X-ray source development contract were giving more detailed presentations in other sessions at this meeting. Dr. Turcu, recognized as one of the world's leaders in the field of laser plasma science and technology, presented an expanded description of JMAR's X-ray source generation technology, while Dr. Forber's presentation described the use of JRI's breakthrough collimated X-ray source technology for performing PXL.
Dr. Fleming then presented JMAR's PXL system roadmap. It combines staged improvements in X-ray sources, field sizes, resist sensitivities, mask image sizes and mechanical platform upgrades to provide effective lithography solutions starting at 150 to 125 nm and progressing to critical dimensions (CD) of 50 nm and below.
He said, "Our immediate target is the 150 millimeter (mm) wafer gallium arsenide (GaAs) application in the 100 to 130 nm CD range, growing to 200 mm and 300 mm wafer formats as our production throughput capabilities expand. Properly financed, we expect these steps to produce a conventional-footprint PXL system capable of processing up to fifty 300 mm GaAs or silicon wafers per hour within the next two to three years. Furthermore, we anticipate our PXL systems will be priced well-below those currently estimated for future extreme ultraviolet (EUV) systems. We also expect our prices to be well-below the best-performing DUV systems that use 157 nm excimer laser technology."
In closing, Dr. Fleming said, "When the substantial initial system price advantages of PXL are considered along with the many other collateral benefits resulting from the much greater simplicity of its process, one must conclude that PXL will provide considerably more attractive cost-of-ownership advantages compared with any other forms of future lithography processes. In summary, we believe that PXL has a very bright future!"
JMAR Technologies Inc. is the world's leading developer and manufacturer of proximity X-ray lithography (PXL) sources and systems for the semiconductor industry and is a leading developer of proprietary advanced laser, X-ray and EUV light sources for other high-value microelectronics applications. In addition, JMAR provides semiconductor process technologies and services and manufactures precision measurement, positioning and light-based manufacturing systems for inspection, repair and fabrication of semiconductors, data storage devices, biomedical and optical communications products.
________________________________________________________
InVision Technologies, Inc. Subsidiary Quantum Magnetics Demonstrates Next-Generation Detection Systems
Congressman Bob Filner Sees Airport Checkpoint Equipment of Tomorrow
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 2002-- InVision Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:INVN - News) wholly owned subsidiary Quantum Magnetics on Friday demonstrated several of the company's advanced technology explosives and weapons detection systems to Congressman Bob Filner (D-San Diego), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The detection systems demonstrated during the tour for Congressman Filner included Quantum's hand-held explosives detection wand based on quadrupole resonance (QR) technology, the same technology Quantum's scientists are using to develop landmine detection systems for the Department of Defense. Quantum's scientists also demonstrated several other detection systems currently under development or recently commercialized by the company, including the award-winning the i-Portal(TM) 100 weapons detector, the QR-based QScan(TM) system for detecting explosives in carry-on luggage or mail, and the LiquiScan(TM) 100 explosives detector, which finds liquid explosives and biochemical agents in sealed bottles using advanced magnetic resonance technology.
"My colleagues and I were pleased to show Congressman Filner the explosives and weapons detection systems developed by Quantum with government cooperation and funding," said Dr. Lowell Burnett, Quantum Magnetics' CEO and President. "Our hand-held wand is the only device that can perform explosives screening of people in a real-world environment at a speed which enables efficient passenger traffic flow."
Dr. Burnett added, "Since quadrupole resonance targets only molecules of explosives, this detection device promises to be an effective tool to find explosives hidden on a person's body. The simple read-out of a red light indicating the presence of an explosive versus a green light for no explosives makes this detector extremely simple for aviation security personnel to use, another important consideration for effective and efficient processing."
Sergio Magistri, Ph.D., InVision Technologies' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The same technology we developed for landmine detection has led to advanced systems for screening carry-on luggage and people at airport checkpoints. We are looking forward to the commercialization of the products demonstrated Friday as well as others in the pipeline."
__________________________________________________________
Pretty sad about Lt. Miller and the half-wits at airport security. He did the right thing by calling in the media.
And the airport spokesman is just a dumb.
Airport spokesman Mike McCarron said a flight attendant or pilot would have held Miller's clippers if they had known their importance — if, for instance, he had presented a doctor's note.
I don't really think a doctors notes is needed for a head wound that is easily seen.
So, are those to half-wits now Federalized workers?
That would be par for the course. |
