SEMATECH and Lasertec Partner at UAlbany NanoCollege to Develop TSVSolutions for Chip-Stacking Applications
Albany, NY and Yokohama, Japan – July 7, 2010 – Lasertec Corporation ofJapan has joined SEMATECH’s 3D Interconnect Program at the College of Nanoscale
Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany, and will partner withSEMATECH to develop robust, cost-effective process metrology technology solutions
for readying high-volume via-mid through-silicon via (TSV) manufacturing.
The collaboration between Lasertec and researchers from SEMATECH’s 3D
interconnect program will include investigations and comparisons of 3D TSV depth
metrology schemes. This work is necessary not only for TSV RIE process control, butalso for providing critical feed forward data for wafer thinning and TSV expose processes.
To facilitate this work, Lasertec will place a 300 mm TSV infrared (IR) etchmetrology tool in SEMATECH’s 3D R&D Center, providing advanced measurement
capabilities that will enable accurate, repeatable TSV depth measurements over a rangeof TSV dimensions.
“We are pleased to welcome Lasertec to the 3D program.” said Sitaram Arkalgud,
director of SEMATECH’s 3D Interconnect Program. “Our common goal is to address thetechnical challenges of via-mid TSV technology. The metrology expertise of Lasertec
combined with the capability of the TSV 300-IR will fill an important gap in ourintegration scheme. Together, we will provide our Member Companies with a world class
TSV depth metrology solution capable of addressing today’s needs as well as tomorrow’s
aggressive dimensions.”“Lasertec is looking forward to contributing our expertise in the fields ofmetrology and inspection to further explore innovative metrology capabilities that will
make 3D TSVs commercially viable,” said Hal Kusunose, CTO of Lasertec. “Ourcutting-edge TSV 300-IR tool will allow SEMATECH researchers and SEMATECH’s
Member Companies to address important metrology challenges of TSV technology.”“The leading-edge research and development that is critical for commercializing
innovative TSV technologies will be further enhanced by the addition of Lasertec toCNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex,” said Richard Brilla, CNSE Vice President for
Strategy, Alliances and Consortia. “This new collaboration builds on the SEMATECHCNSE partnership to support the advanced technology needs of our global corporate
partners and the nanoelectronics industry.”
Through-silicon via technology is a method of combining integrated circuits in a
vertical stack to enable high functionality and performance with low power consumption
in a small footprint. While employing many standard chip processes, TSVs present
several new technical and logistical challenges which are being addressed bySEMATECH.
Launched three years ago, SEMATECH’s 3D program was established at CNSE’sAlbany NanoTech Complex to deliver robust 300 mm equipment and process technology
solutions for high-volume through-silicon via (TSV) manufacturing. To accelerate
progress, the program’s engineers have been actively engaging with leading edgeequipment and materials suppliers and leveraging their expertise to ready TSVtechnology. Eventually, 3D interconnects will provide cost-effective ways to integrate
diverse CMOS technologies and chips with emerging technologies such as micro andnano electromechanical systems (MEMS, NEMS) and bio-chips.
About Lasertec:
Lasertec (Lasertec Corporation; Head Office at Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Japan; President: Osamu
OKABAYASHI), established in 1960, is a leading supplier of innovative semiconductor, LCD and PV
related inspection and measurement equipment worldwide. Product line includes TSV etching depth
inspection system, wafer inspection/review system, EUVL mask blank inspection system, photomask
inspection system, photomask haze removal system, color filter repair system, PV cell conversion
efficiency distribution measurement system and various types of confocal laser microscopes. To support
this diverse product base, Lasertec has strategically-located sales and service offices worldwide. Lasertec isa publicly held company listed on JASDAQ. For more information, go to: www.lasertec.co.jp.
About SEMATECH:
For over 20 years, SEMATECH® (www.sematech.org), the international consortium of leading
semiconductor manufacturers, has set global direction, enabled flexible collaboration, and bridged strategic
R&D to manufacturing. Today, we continue accelerating the next technology revolution with ournanoelectronics and emerging technology partners.
About CNSE:The UAlbany CNSE is the first college in the world dedicated to education, research, development, anddeployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, andnanoeconomics. CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex is the most advanced research enterprise of its kind at
any university in the world. With over $5.5 billion in high-tech investments, the 800,000-square-footcomplex attracts corporate partners from around the world and offers students a one-of-a-kind academic
experience. The UAlbany NanoCollege houses the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot
prototyping and demonstration line within 80,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than
2,500 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, and faculty work on site at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech,
from companies including IBM, AMD, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, Toshiba, Applied Materials, Tokyo
Electron, ASML, Novellus Systems, Vistec Lithography and Atotech. For more information, visit
www.cnse.albany.edu.

###Media Contact:Erica McGill
SEMATECH
518-649-1041
erica.mcgill@sematech.org