Beta Squared and the University of California at Los Angeles --UCLA-- Sign Joint Research Agreement.Work Focuses on New Plasma Cleaning Plasma cleaning involves the removal of impurities and contaminants from surfaces through the use of an energetic plasma created from gaseous species. Gases such as argon and oxygen, as well as mixtures such as air and hydrogen/nitrogen are used. Solutions for the Semiconductor Industry Beta Squared Inc., a subsidiary of Photronics Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : PLAB) and the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). at Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. (UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ) announced that they have signed an agreement to jointly research and develop advanced plasma technologies for the purpose of removing organic contaminates from semiconductor wafers and advanced photomasks. The project is receiving financial support from Beta Squared with additional funds being provided by the University of California Semiconductor Manufacturing Alliance for Research and Training (UC-SMART) program. The UC-SMART funds were awarded to the project based upon a proposal submitted by UCLA in a competitive proposal process. The size of the project's budget was not disclosed. "New cleaning technologies are becoming increasingly critical to semiconductor manufacturing yields as the industry designs devices with smaller feature sizes. Our agreement with UCLA represents another milestone for Beta, as it brings us closer to our goal of creating leading solutions in the field of cleaning semiconductor and photomask substrates with revolutionary and environmentally benign technologies," commented John J. Festa, vice president of Beta Squared's Plasma Division. "Our collaboration with UCLA is strategically important because it expands our ability to develop new and exciting applications for Beta's advanced plasma technology. The preliminary results achieved as a result of this partnership have been very exciting. Beta is already examining ways in which it can incorporate this organic contaminate con·tam·i·nate v. 1. To make impure or unclean by contact or mixture. 2. To expose to or permeate with radioactivity. con·tam·i·nant n. cleaning technology into a truly integrated cleaning solution with PLASMAX(TM), Beta's proprietary particle contaminate cleaning system for both semiconductor wafers and photomasks." PLASMAX(TM) was developed jointly by Beta Squared and Los Alamos Los Alamos (lôs ăl`əmōs', lŏs), uninc. town (1990 pop. 11,455), seat of Los Alamos co., N central N.Mex. It is on a long mesa extending from the Jemez Mts. The U.S. National Labs (LANL LANL - Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA. ). It is an in-situ dry plasma cleaner designed to remove sub-micron particles in an environmentally friendly process step by utilizing inert gases inert gases (i·nertˑ gaˑ·s  s),n. , mechanical vibration and inherent forces present in a plasma environment. The technology, which is currently undergoing development with Lucent Technologies for their SCALPEL electron beam lithography Using electron beams to create the mask patterns directly on a chip. The wavelength of an electron beam is only a few picometers compared to the 248 to 365 nanometer wavelengths of light used to create the traditional photomasks. program, is capable of cleaning either a semiconductor wafer or photomask substrate mask within 25 seconds. "The core technology was invented and demonstrated in a collaborative effort between LANL and UCLA," noted Dr. Robert F. Hicks, Professor of Chemical Engineering at UCLA. "Together with Beta Squared, we are developing applications based on an innovative plasma process which works at atmospheric pressure, thus eliminating the vacuum components and associated assemblies required by traditional plasma systems." UC-SMART brings semiconductor manufacturers and equipment suppliers together with the University of California to support research partnerships and to accelerate basic research, training, and innovation in semiconductor materials, equipment and processing. Its goals include the fostering of early stage research by emphasizing novel, multidisciplinary approaches, and the transfer of technology to the California semiconductor industry for public benefit. Beta Squared is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Photronics Inc., a leading global supplier of photomask manufacturing technology and services. Beta Squared is headquartered in Allen, Texas, where it designs, builds and services a large installed base of plasma etch and wafer dry cleaning systems. Additional information about the company can be accessed at http://www.photronics.com |
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