Nanowire Fabrication Technologies From NanoDynamics Enhance Semiconductor Manufacturing

Buffalo, NY -- NanoDynamics, Inc. announced it will commercialize new nanowire fabrication technologies developed by its New Zealand-based partner, Nano Cluster Devices Ltd. Commercialization will be driven by US-based Nano Cluster Devices Inc., controlled by NanoDynamics Inc., which has been granted a license to the unique nanowire technology developed in New Zealand. This will enable a number of patent-pending technologies to be brought to market and provide a platform for the commercialization of nanoscale electronic devices and semiconductors.

"Atomic clusters exhibit a range of useful electrical, chemical and magnetic properties, demonstrating great potential as the building blocks of nanoscale electronic and complex semiconductor devices," said Dr. Simon Brown, chief scientist at Nano Cluster Devices. "This nanotechnology enables the electronics industry to make advanced devices and components, products that are already technologically proven but have yet to be brought to market because of manufacturing difficulties."

"The reality is that in order to make nanotechnology commercially viable, it's necessary to develop practical means of application that fits within the existing infrastructure of the semiconductor manufacturing industry," said Keith Blakely, CEO of NanoDynamics. "Through our strategic partnership with Nano Cluster Devices, we are able to meet that demand for practicality and provide the efficiency and technological boost that it will take to encourage the semiconductor industry to implement new processes."

NCD's platform technology has already been demonstrated in a number of key devices, applications and processes, and received widespread recognition by the semiconductor industry. Some of the key developments in the past year have been:

-- A hydrogen sensor prototype that is more sensitive and more economic than any current product on the market.

-- A technology to produce highly precise conductive wire patterns while eliminating the "lift-off" process step previously needed in the semiconductor industry's lithography processes. This translates to technological and economic benefits for integrated circuit manufacturers.

-- A process for causing atomic clusters of conductive material to fall into a V-groove and then self-weld to create a conductive wire. This enables extremely narrow wires to be produced and precisely placed in a simple and cost-effective manner.

-- A cluster assembly process based on stenciling or "shadow mask" techniques for manufacturing, a common practice in semiconductor fabrication, but one that suffers from clogging problems when the material is applied through the stencil. Nano Cluster Devices is now able to deliver a stenciling technology whereby nanoclusters are used to build narrow wires without agglomerating or clogging the stencil.

SOURCE: NanoDynamics