ATMI Wins 'R&D 100' Award For Innovative New Ion Implant Cleaning System
Danbury, CT - ATMI, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance materials, materials handling, and process efficiency solutions for the semiconductor and life science industries, recently announced the ATMI AutoClean System has won R&D Magazine's prestigious "R&D 100" award, recognizing the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year.
The ATMI AutoClean System eliminates the need for frequent dismantling and refurbishing of ion implantation equipment -- one of the specialized machines used to create electrical circuitry on semiconductors. By employing the AutoClean System directly with implanters, manufacturers can customize the timing and duration of cleaning to their own specific needs, thus reducing the frequency of preventive maintenance operations by as much as half and increasing the tool's availability for production runs.
Importantly, automated cleaning enhances safety by dramatically reducing human exposure to hazardous materials that build up with ion implanter use. Currently, these materials are physically scraped away by workers, resulting in solid waste that, itself, must be removed. Historically, semiconductor manufacturing facilities have dealt satisfactorily with gaseous waste, but they have had difficulty disposing of solid waste. The AutoClean System transforms the implanter solid waste build-up into a vapor that is subsequently converted into an inert substance for easier and safer removal. As a result, the frequency of hand scrubbing is reduced, significantly diminishing human exposure to toxic waste.
"When we envisioned the AutoClean solution, we understood it had to accomplish a number of important tasks," said Doug Neugold, ATMI's Chief Executive Officer. "By making the cleaning process more predictable, ATMI enables semiconductor fabs to optimize the efficiency and productivity of their implant tools. That reduces the amount of hazardous byproducts. And since cleaning previously was done only by hand, the AutoClean System also dramatically reduces human exposure to waste materials. The R&D 100 award underscores the success we achieved in delivering all three benefits to our customers. Most critically, this product increases tool utilization and significantly contributes to the optimization of tool performance, thereby improving the economics of the implant process."
Additional information on ATMI's AutoClean System is available at http://atmi.com/semiconductor/solution_autoclean.htm.
Termed the "Oscars of Invention" by the Chicago Tribune, the "R&D 100" awards showcase an array of innovations over its 45-year history -- ranging from automated teller machines and smoking cessation patches to cancer drugs and HDTV. More than 50 independent judges, impaneled for their areas of scientific expertise, examine award submissions for products and processes that "change people's lives for the better, improve the standard of living for large numbers of people, save lives, promote good health (or) clean up the environment." From these semi-finalists, editors of R&D Magazine select the top 100 for "technological significance."
This is the third ATMI product to win R&D 100 recognition. In past years, the Company was honored for a high-precision liquid delivery system used in developing integrated circuits and for a gas purification technology used in semiconductor production.
ATMI provides specialty materials and high-purity materials handling and delivery solutions to the worldwide semiconductor industry. For more information, please visit atmi.com.
SOURCE: ATMI, Inc.