ATDF's Nanopattern(TM) Test Wafer Wins Technology Innovation Award.

AUSTIN, Texas -- ATDF, the global R&D foundry for the nanoelectronics industry, will receive a Technology Innovation Showcase (TIS) Award at SEMICON West for its pioneering Nanopattern(TM) test wafer during a public presentation on the product's applications.

The TIS Awards are given to companies with significant new products that may change the micro- and nanoelectronics industries, alerting potential customers, partners, and investors to the products' market potential. Nanopattern[TM] wafers simulate a gate structure to enable resistance testing of nanoscale structures in microchips.

"As a research foundry that has built our reputation on helping other companies bring their innovative products to market, we're delighted to be recognized as innovators ourselves," said Dave Anderson, ATDF general manager. "Nanopattern[TM] wafers, like all of our ATDF products, enable faster learning cycles with application specific solutions." Anderson said ATDF worked closely with a major cleans tool supplier to develop the Nanopattern[TM] design, which is patent-pending.

ATDF is among six companies named as TIS Award recipients for Wafer Processing. ATDF executives will deliver a technical presentation on Nanopattern(TM) at 12:10 p.m. July 17 on the Technology Innovation Stage, during SEMICON West in San Francisco, CA.

Nanopattern[TM] wafers enable resistance testing of polysilicon-on-oxide features that simulate 45 nm gate structures for cleans, deposition and metrology test applications. The wafer features a range of 45 nm structures from isolated (8:1) to dense (1:1) lines, and also 1:1 lines at 100 nm, 125 nm, and 400 nm pitches.

"Nanopattern allows equipment and materials suppliers to test and understand the processing impact on their small features," said David Baker, product development manager for ATDF. A possible application is testing of megasonic cleans at smaller dimensions, which require maximizing particle removal while minimizing potential damage.

""Before Nanopattern(TM), the only alternative was to work with a chip manufacturer using their specific design. With Nanopattern(TM), you can test cutting-edge geometries with your own process, and stay on your company's timeline for market introduction." Baker invited interested parties to contact him at [e-mail].

ATDF, a wholly owned subsidiary of SEMATECH, is a leading technology R&D center where research meets manufacturing for semiconductor manufacturers, equipment and materials suppliers, and others. ATDF customers can confidentially test new designs, integration methodologies, and prototype systems while protecting their own intellectual property, and development partners can work closely with one another in a custom manufacturing environment. ATDF also develops baseline processes, accepted industry-wide, that bring new tools and materials to manufacturing faster, at lower cost. More information can be found at www.atdf.com.