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To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (48617)	7/21/2010 2:45:39 PM
From: Sam	1 Recommendation Respond to of 95391

Lithography roadmap offers questions and openings July 19, 2010 \| Ron Wilson \| 222902889 eetimes.eu Lithography roadmap offers questions and openings An undercurrent of disquiet at Semicon West this week sprang from deep uncertainty in the roadmap for advanced lithography. As with a royal succession, uncertainty in this vital area threatens the future with cost, chaos, and bloodshed. But despite brave pronouncements by vendors and users, it appeared that the industry was bracing for the worst: beset users buckled down for a hard time, and unlikely claimants marshaled their forces to press for a spot on the throne. Gregg Bartlett, GlobalFoundries Inc.’s senior vice president of technology and R&D, planted a brave banner on the field with his Wednesday (July 14) keynote, saying that the company would install a production-grade EUV lithography tool in 2012, and actually use it in production by perhaps 2014. But much of the industry remains deeply skeptical. Symptoms of the uncertainly were visible in an afternoon session on advanced lithography. Jongwook Kye, principal member of technical staff at GlobalFoundries, filled in some of the concerns that might have been obscured by Bartlett’s flag-planting. Kye pointed out that lithographers were already working at numerical apertures far higher, and a k1 far lower, than were thought feasible a few years ago. Even so, random patterns were nearly impossible to print. And lithographers are running out of options. Kye warned that the full cost of double-patterning was growing so high that EUV—should it’s vastly expensive machines ever be available—was looking like a low-cost alternative. Still, he said, spacer-defined double patterning would probably be necessary on some critical—and sufficiently regular—layers. But in general, Kye argued, there are no magic fixes. The way forward will be increasingly complex 193-nm lithography, made possible by unprecedented cooperation between technology and design teams. “In the past, the link between technology developers and chip designers was only the process design kit,” Kye said. “Now that is not enough. The two groups must sit together.” Technology teams must tell designers what features can actually be printed, Kye said. And designers must deliver layers that use only feasible patterns. In exchange, the technology team can deliver useful yields and improved performance, without having to wait for the end of the EUV rainbow, he said. A starkly different view came from a purveyor of a technology that few semiconductor designers have been watching: nano-imprint. Ben Eynon, vice president of semiconductor business development at imprint equipment vendor Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII), argued that for NAND flash production at leading-edge geometries, his company’s systems would soon be the best available choice. Eynon cited calculations done at Toshiba suggesting that at an advanced process node the total cost of ownership for imprint would be half that of EUV, and a quarter that of double patterning. Those numbers depend on availability of a mask replicator, an imprinting device that creates many working imprint masks from one e-beam-written master. Eynon said the replicator should ship by the end of 2010, and that speed for mask-inspection tools was sufficient to ensure an affordable flow of production masks.

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (48617)	7/21/2010 4:24:48 PM
From: FJB	Respond to of 95391

RE:The just-announced results were excellent. Record everything. Raised guidance. Yes, this has happened around the tech world and the reaction of the stocks has been bad, bad, bad...

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (48617)	7/21/2010 4:39:11 PM
From: FJB	Respond to of 95391

Xilinx Reports Third Consecutive Quarter of Record Sales; Operating Margin Reaches 35% finance.yahoo.com

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (48617)	7/21/2010 9:53:29 PM
From: Sam	3 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 95391

Taiwan DRAM makers still queuing for latest ASML systems Josephine Lien, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 21 July 2010] digitimes.com The lead time for ASML's latest immersion system, the NXT:1950i, has been extended to almost 12 months, prompting some Taiwan-based DRAM makers to switch to alternative products, according to industry sources. The sources speculated that Elpida Memory's DRAM partners, which include Powerchip Technology, Rexchip Electronics and ProMOS Technologies, have acquired ASML's older-generation immersion scanners due to a longer wait. The average cost of ASML's XT systems is 20% cheaper than the NXT ones, though the former only provides single-exposure manufacturing down to 38nm, the sources said. In order to deliver 30nm-class products, these DRAM makers will still need to upgrade their immersion equipment, the sources pointed out. The sources added that Nanya Technology and Inotera Memories already took delivery of NXT scanners from ASML, which will help them migrate to 30nm ahead of other Taiwan-based DRAM makers. ASML had shipped five NXT systems, and another 17 units in backlog as of December 31, 2009, according to the company. It landed orders of 15 NXT systems in the second quarter, and had 38 units in backlog at the end of the quarter

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (48617)	7/22/2010 3:06:58 PM
From: Jacob Snyder	1 Recommendation Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 95391

82% of companies reporting so far, have beat estimates, per CNBC.....82%. For semis and equips, it must be near 100%. If that pattern continues, and the stocks go up, the bull market is intact. But if the SOX and SPX don't go up, this is a market topping signal. ...got to know when to hold 'em know when to fold 'em know when to walk away know when to run... youtube.com (Kenny Rogers on the Muppet Show) I was very bullish in mid-June, when SPX looked like it was going to re-establish the 200dma as a support line. I might have spoken too soon: SOX chart doesn't look as bearish as SPX. Earnings reports have been good everywhere, but especially among semis. The last 3 months, though, SOX has drifted in a 330-375 range. This might be a pause, after which the bull market resumes. However, the current and previous earnings reporting seasons should have been a reason for stocks to go higher, and it hasn't happened. By the end of next reporting season, if the SOX isn't setting new highs (above 405) I will seriously consider selling my AMAT and QCOM, and be entirely out of the sector. INTC and QCOM are already sold. AMAT stopped going up a full 12 months ago, and has been in a tight 12-14$ range. For the last 6 months, AMAT has spent as much time below as above its 200dma. I've been patient, trading that range while continuing to hold a large position, but I'll probably be a big seller the next time it reaches 14$.