From Photovoltaics Report

from Semiconductor International

Sharp Breaks Record for Triple-Junction Compound Solar Cell
By successfully forming a high-crystallinity bottom layer from InGaAs rather than the traditional germanium, Sharp has boosted conversion efficiency to 35.8% for its research-level triple-junction compound solar cell. more » » » 

Ascent Solar Achieves 14% Efficiency on Flexible CIGS
Ascent Solar Technologies has achieved 14% cell efficiency for its CIGS thin-film technology on flexible plastic substrates, and 11.7% peak efficiency for its CIGS modules. Both milestones were reached in commercial production at its 1.5 MW plant. more » » » 

First Single-Junction 400 W PV Module Yields Higher Return
Signet Solar introduced a 400 W power class PV module using single-junction thin-film silicon technology that provides 15% higher output. more » » » 

eIQ Energy Partners to Provide Parallel Wiring to Solar Industry
In two separate announcements, eIQ Energy detailed partnerships within the solar supply chain -- combining its vBoost DC-to-DC converter modules with PV Powered's inverters, and separately with Signet Solar's thin-film solar modules. eIQ's Parallel Solar technology lets solar arrays be wired in parallel rather than series for substantial cost savings. more » » » 

Suntech's Reliathon Reduces Utility Solar Costs, Speeds Development
PV module supplier Suntech Power Holdings announced its simplified, integrated program for designing and building utility-scale solar plants, combining product innovations with new business agreements to lower total system costs. more » » » 

Motech Selects Esatto Technology for Double Printing Solar Cells
Motech Solar has installed and qualified an Applied Baccini back-end line for double printing, using the system's newly released Esatto Technology to manufacture its new cell design. more » » » 

Satcon Power Inverters Go to Canada's Largest PV Power Plant
Satcon Technology Corp.'s PowerGate Plus 500 kW solar PV inverters are now fully operational at First Light, Canada's largest solar farm. Satcon supplied 18 inverters for the project. more » » » 

G24i Ships First Commercial Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Application
G24 Innovations (G24i), a global dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) company, has seen the first commercial shipment of dye-sensitized PV modules to Hong Kong-based consumer electronics bag manufacturer, Mascotte Industrial Associates. The shipment makes the company the "first commercial manufacturer of dye-sensitized solar cells technology for mass consumer use in the world," G24i said. more » » » 

Q-Cells Selects Camstar to Boost New Solar Lines
Solar powerhouse Q-Cells will deploy Camstar's SolarSuite software platform to improve process quality and cell efficiency on two new production lines in Germany and its new mega-factory in Malaysia. more » » » 

Amtech Gets Dutch Government Grant for Solar R&D
Amtech subsidiary Tempress Systems Inc. received a technology grant from the Dutch government for solar R&D work. The grant was jointly obtained with one of Tempress's European solar research partners, and will be used to develop a process method to improve solar energy conversion efficiencies. more » » » 

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MEMS Motion Sensors Stay in Motion

from Semiconductor International

In the October issue of Semiconductor International, Laurent Robin of Yole Developpement writes that MEMS inertial sensors now represent a $1.85B market. While the majority comes from automotive applications, consumer should overtake automotive by 2012. "When it comes to very high volumes, big IC players are often preferred," Robin writes. more » » » 

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Solar's Changing Climate: Photovoltaics and the Legislative Effect

from Semiconductor International

In this webcast, aired originally on Aug. 27, our global panel of experts -- Winfried Hoffmann of EPIA, Rhone Resch of SEIA and Paula Mints of Navigant Consulting -- explored the evolving legislative environment in key and emerging markets around the world, examining the effects governments are having on the viability of photovoltaics as the industry pursues grid parity. Key concerns raised by audience members and addressed by panelists included unfair competition from China, and what kind of shape the PV market will be in as demand begins to recover. more » » » 

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From Wefer processing report

News from Semiconductor International

IEDM Confronts Logic Scaling Challenges
The International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), set for Dec. 6-9 in Baltimore, includes presentations on new annealing techniques, finFETs, compound semiconductors and random telegraph noise. The conference, with 215 paper presentations, will be preceded by a Sunday short course on scaling challenges organized by TSMC's Howard C.H. Wang. more » » » 

High-Power Transistors Emerge at CEATEC
Sanken, Fujitsu Laboratories and other Japanese companies introduced high-power transistors, some of them aimed at the growing market for electric vehicles. The SiC- and GaN-based devices were on display at the CEATEC Japan 2009 show. more » » » 

SOI Reduces Dynamic Power, Wafer Costs Coming Down
Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology is seeking to penetrate the high-volume market for mobile Internet devices and smart phones. An ARM paper at the IEEE International SOI Conference compared power consumption levels for bulk and SOI. And wafer supplier Soitec said its volume wafer prices are now in the $500 range. more » » » 

Foundry Selects Axcelis Optima XE for High-Energy Implant
A major foundry has selected Axcelis Technologies' single-wafer Optima XE for its most advanced production facility. The high-energy implant tool will be used for high-volume manufacturing of a wide variety of logic and memory products, as well as for the development of next-generation devices. more » » » 

Qualcomm's Nowak: 3-D Faces Cost Issues
Qualcomm Director of Advanced Technology Matt Nowak outlined the cost and technology challenges facing 3-D interconnects in a speech at an IEEE 3-D IC conference. "If this technology adds more than 10% to final costs, it will not be widely used in high-volume wireless technology," he said. more » » » 

TSMC and IMEC Create Innovation Incubation Alliance
IMEC and TSMC announced that they have forged an Innovation Incubation Alliance to create a platform enabling the development of innovative product solutions using emerging More than Moore technology options. Integrating extra functionalities with foundry CMOS enables customers to compete in emerging markets. more » » » 

EVG Installs Fusion Wafer Bonding Systems at CIS Fabs
EV Group has completed the installation of two automated fusion bonding systems for 300 mm wafers at a leading semiconductor foundry and at a major consumer electronics manufacturer. The Gemini FB automated production fusion bonding systems will be employed for the production of backside illuminated CMOS image sensors ranging from ultracompact wafer-level cameras for mobile phones to larger form factor high-end image sensors. more » » » 

IBM Readies 32 nm eDRAM With Low Latency
IBM unveiled a 32 nm SOI embedded DRAM, and will provide details at the upcoming IEDM in December. Gary Patton, vice president for IBM's SRDC, said the SOI eDRAM has latency and cycle times of less than 2 nsec, uses 4x less standby power, and has "up to a 1000 times lower soft-error rate (SER), better power savings, and reliability comparable to a similar SRAM." more » » » 

Applied Shipping Topmet Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Coating Systems
Applied Materials has begun shipping multiple Applied Topmet 4450 systems, reported as the largest and fastest roll-to-roll thin-film metal deposition machines, to a customer in Europe. This latest model deposits ultrathin aluminum films on 4.5 m wide rolls of substrate material at 20 m/sec to provide a barrier against oxygen, moisture and ultraviolet radiation for flexible packaging applications. more » » » 

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Perspectives From the Leading Edge: 3-D IC in the City by the Bay

From Semiconductor International

At the San Francisco IEEE 3-D conference, MIT's Lincoln Lab reported on their DARPA-sponsored 3-D integration process to combine Si readout circuits with InGaAs photodetectors for short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) imagers. They examined the MOSFET performance before and after integration and found no apparent degradation caused by the 3-D process. more » » » 

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Dow Unveils CIGS-Based Solar Shingles

from Semiconductor International

Dow Chemical Co. unveiled its line of Powerhouse Solar Shingles, integrating thin-film CIGS solar cells with standard asphalt single materials for rooftop applications. more » » » 

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News from Semiconductor International

Intel Ramping 32 nm Manufacturing in Oregon
Intel is shipping "large numbers" of 32 nm samples of its Westmere processor to PC vendors for system testing, said Intel Senior Fellow Mark Bohr. "The 32 nm process is certified, and we are loading up our first factory in support of planned Q4 revenue production," he said.more » » » 

Samsung Upgrading Austin NAND Fab
Samsung said it will convert an older 200 mm DRAM fab in Austin into a copper BEOL for the adjacent 300 mm NAND fab. The upgraded Austin fab will be ready for 3X NAND production as early as late 2010.more » » » 

Applied Sees Jump in Equipment Orders
Applied Materials said orders for wafer fab equipment spiked in the final month of its third fiscal quarter, ending July 26. Foundries increased spending sharply. CEO Mike Splinter said display manufacturers also are looking at better times, driven by flat panel television sales. Sales for the quarter improved to $1.13B. more » » » 

ATIC to Acquire Chartered, Combine It With GlobalFoundries
The Advanced Technology Investment Co. LLC (ATIC, Abu Dhabi) said it will pay ~$3.9B to acquire Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. (Singapore). The addition of Chartered comes just six months after the formation of GlobalFoundries, whose CEO Doug Grose will head up the combined operation. more » » » 

3-D IC Technology Continues to Advance
Despite the downturn, several companies announced 3-D interconnect-related advances at SEMICON West. NEC Electronics, CEA-Leti, EV Group, Soitec and others had 3-D news at the show.more » » » 

MEMS Packaging Headed to Wafer Level
MEMS packaging may take an evolutionary leap forward into wafer-level packaging, driven by large IDMs and foundries, analysts said. "The big fabs may end up being the ones doing the innovative MEMS packaging," said Ken Gilleo, founder of packaging consultancy ET-Trends. more » » » 

TSMC Hears Charges of IP Leaks, FUD Campaign in Trial With SMIC
In the first full day of testimony in the TSMC vs. SMIC intellectual property trial, TSMC was accused of IP leaks to customers and a series of anti-SMIC "FUD" campaign efforts. TSMC North America president Rick Cassidy spent much of the day on the stand, defending TSMC against allegations raised by SMIC attorney Matthew Reed. more » » » 

This Year, Entire Roadmap Changes
The ITRS will see a new edition go online in December. To get ready, participants met in San Francisco for the ITRS Summer Public Conference held during SEMICON West. New materials and devices are being readied to extend CMOS and to prepare the industry for the day when charge-based devices run out of steam. more » » » 

ST-Ericsson Taking 3-D to Mobile Phones
ST-Ericsson has a roadmap for commercial wireless products that includes what could be the first true 3-D ICs using TSVs. The memory-logic stack also will move to 3-D interconnects, driven by "the increased bandwidth required by the final application," said Yan Guillou, an ST-Ericsson manager. more » » » 

Wafer-Level Packaging in Africa?
Yes, Africa. Nemotek Technologie is manufacturing wafer-level optics and packaging in its state-of-the-art facility located in Morocco's Rabat Technopolis Park. more » » » 

Optical Lithography Is Still the Technology to Beat
Although EUV lithography is widely considered the prime candidate for post-optical lithography, the only available option to support 15 nm logic development in 2011-2012 is 193 nm immersion lithography with pitch division, said Yan Borodovsky, Intel's director of advanced lithography. more » » » 

Chipworks Inside Angle: DSLR Image Sensor Innovation -- Who Is Challenging Canon and Nikon's Lead?
Chipworks' Image Sensor Sector Analyst Ray Fontaine blogs about teardowns of new image sensors from Panasonic, Pentax and others, which are challenging the twin DSLR giants, Canon and Nikon. more » » » 

Mora Grilled in TSMC vs. SMIC Deposition
Marco Mora, now the COO at SMIC, was deposed in video testimony taken in Shanghai, China, about alleged transfers of process recipes in 2000 and 2001 from TSMC. The deposition was shown to the jury Monday in the TSMC vs. SMIC civil trial being held in Oakland, Calif.more » » » 

TSMC vs. SMIC Trial Commences in Oakland
The intellectual property trial between TSMC and SMIC began last Wednesday with opening remarks by attorneys. The two companies entered into a comprehensive legal settlement in 2005, with SMIC paying TSMC $175M to resolve allegations that SMIC obtained TSMC's process recipes and other trade secrets. However, further conflicts between the rival foundries resulted in the current lawsuit. more » » » 

Hitachi Creates MEMS Sensor Process
Hitachi researchers have developed a method to form cavities in the interconnect layers of CMOS ICs, allowing MEMS sensors to be created in the wiring layers. The technology results in ultrasmall, single-chip solutions, and will be applied to tire pressure sensors and other MEMS devices, Hitachi said. more » » » 

GlobalFoundries Breaks Ground in Malta
GlobalFoundries held a groundbreaking ceremony for Fab 2 in Malta, N.Y. The foundry's goal is to have the first tool move in by October 2011, with qualification coming in early 2012 and commercial production by the second half of 2012. The event marks "a significant shift in momentum" for chip manufacturing in the United States, said Norm Armour, Fab 2 general manager. more » » » 

Evaluating the Risks and Benefits of 3-D Technology
In this article from Pol Marchal and Mieke Van Bavel of IMEC, the authors show how a pathfinding methodology, a virtual chip design flow and an associated tool chain can be combined to help find the 
3-D manufacturing technology/design sweetspot. more » » » 

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Fabrication of low-cost electronic biosensors

^aDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stauffer III, 381 North-South Mall, Stanford, CA 94305-5025, USA

^bCenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA

Available online 25 September 2009. 

The fabrication of miniaturized, low-cost, flexible sensors based on organic electronics via high-throughput techniques (e.g. printing) is expected to provide important benefits for applications in chemical and biological detection. The rapid maturation of synthetic methodology in the field of organic electronics has lead to the creation of new materials at an incredible rate and an increased understanding of semiconductor-analyte interactions. Owing to these advances, we have seen steady improvements in sensitivity, stability, and specificity, in addition to the detection of a wide range of chemical analytes. In this review, we address the fabrication, challenges, and sensor performance of organic transistor-based detection devices with an outlook toward developing sensors capable of operating in biologically relevant media.

Article Outline

Organic thin-film transistors

General OTFT fabrication approaches

OTFT Sensor operation

Material considerations for OTFT sensors

General approaches for sensor selectivity

Towards in-situ biosensors

Conclusions and outlook

References

Full Article >>>>

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