A semi-revival?
This year's SEMICON Europa — now in its 28th year — will be held from April 19-23 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany with a variety of conferences, courses and standards meetings
With a sense of guarded optimism, Semicon Europa will hope to pave the way to a much-anticipated upturn. Approximately 700 vendors will exhibit their wares at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre, together with standards meetings and technical and business programs. The European Advanced Equipment Control/Advanced Process Control (AEC/APC) conference will hold court from April 14–16 in the Elbestadt Dresden, Germany, while the SEMI-sponsored Fab Managers Forum will convene on April 23 in Grenoble, France.
Global coverage Three hundred of SEMI's 2,300 members are based in Europe, with the rest predominantly in the US and Japan. But most of the industry's new construction is not in Europe, but rather in Asia, most notably China and the Pacific Rim. Europe's big IC manufacturers STMicroelectronics, Infineon and Philips still rank among the top 10 in the world, but they too are making most new investments outside of Europe. About the only recent big investment in Europe is an extension of the AMD plant in Dresden, Germany. In addition to offering a range of courses, this year's Semicon Europa will feature several SEMI Technology Symposium (STS) events. Organised with the support of STMicroelectronics, Intel, TSMC, Toshiba, Motorola, AMD, Infineon, Micronic, IMEC, LETI and IHP, the STS will feature papers on important technical advances. Topics will include interconnect technologies, e-manufacturing and e-diagnostics, silicon-on-insulator technology, and the low k1 reticle challenge. Other technical sessions will focus on several interest areas: lithography; semiconductor materials (silicon and compound substrates); chemicals and gases; factory automation; environment, health, and safety; and final manufacturing. At the end of the week, SEMI will sponsor a two-day conference on flat-panel displays, noting that although Europe plays only a minor role in the production of FPDs, many European companies develop and produce FPD-related materials and equipment. "SEMICON Europa provides a platform for the exchange of ideas and the development of relationships that enable the expansion of business opportunities and advancements in semiconductor, FPD and MEMS manufacturing technologies," said Walter Roessger, president, SEMI Europe. A new feature of the show this year will be the Intellectual Property Seminar on April 22. The seminar, which will address business and legal aspects of IP, will gather together patent attorneys, researchers and business executives involved in semiconductor IP. Another new feature will be the Seminar "How to do business in China" on April 21.
Program highlights Other program highlights during the week of SEMICON Europa 2004 include the Sixth European Manufacturing Test Conference and the Advanced Packaging Conference, both on April 19; the SEMInvest conference, also on April 19; and the SEMI market briefing on April 20. SEMICON Europa also serves as the industry venue to advance semiconductor manufacturing standards. More than 45 SEMI International Standards events, including task force meetings, technical committee meetings and Standards Technical Education Programs (STEP) will be held during the week.
Exhibitors in the spotlight
Novasina B2 385 Specialists in precise measurement of relative humidity and temperature in air and materials as well as differential air pressure, Novasina will be presenting its recently launched Pascal product line for dP and air velocity measurement. The new transmitters are suitable for monitoring and controlling of low differential air pressures. T: +41 554166660 info@novasina.ch
Process Technology B2 443 Process Technology will be launching its ultra pure water heater at Semicon Europa. The Lufran UPDI heater has proven reliability with an MTBF of nearly 10 years. Conforming to SEMI standards and CE compliant, the heater is available in sizes up to 260kW and conforms to all certification requirements. DAC software provides outstanding temperature stability for demanding flow/temperature requirements. T: +1 440 9469500 info@process-technology.com
Dr Schenk B2 484 Dr Schenk's Pollux is an automated Particle Detection System and will be on show at Semicon. Particle contamination can disrupt and delay the photolithography process, resulting in yield and productivity losses. The Pollux enables fabs to perform a complete inspection on each reticle prior to use. It therefore provides a more cost effective and more reliable solution to the visual inspection method. T: +49 89 856950 info@drschenk.com