Texas fab licenses bonding for 3-D ICs

LONDON – Specialty foundry Novati Technologies Inc. has licensed a family of direct oxide bonding technique froms Ziptronix Inc. (Morrisville, North Carolina) for use in the assembly of 3-D components.

Novati is the renamed SVTC fab in Austin, Texas, that was acquired by Tezzaron Semiconductor Corp. (Naperville, Illinois) in October 2012. Ziptronix is a pioneer in the development of low-temperature direct bond technology for a variety of semiconductor applications, including backside-illuminated (BSI) sensors, RF front-ends, pico projectors, memories and 3-D integrated circuits.

Tezzaron designs and produces three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs) and Novati provides supporting semiconductor processing and test. Novati's fab capabilities include: CMOS processing on 200-mm diameter silicon and other wafers; more-than-Moore production; back-end copper processing on 200- and 300-mm wafers; and the development of micro- and nano-electromechanical (MEMS and NEMS) devices. Novati also serves companies in the life sciences, aerospace and defense, MEMS, NEMS, and related markets.

"Adding Ziptronix 3D process technologies to Novati's existing wafer fabrication and testing facilities enables Novati to become the first open-platform, full-line foundry in the world offering 3-D stacking services and test to all its customers," said Dave Anderson, CEO of Novati Technologies, in a statement issued by Ziptronix. "We believe 3-D is the new cutting edge of product development and we intend to continue our heritage as a contract R&D and lab-to-fab production facility enabling customers to cost-effectively prototype and test both 2.5-D interposer and 3-D designs with true, 3-D integration and TSV interconnect."

"We believe that Ziptronix's patented direct bonding technology enables the industry's best performance for applications such as 3-D memory, back-side illuminated image sensors and a developing host of other applications," said Dan Donabedian, CEO of Ziptronix, in the same statement.


Related links and articles:

www.ziptronix.com

www.novati-tech.com

www.tezzaron.com

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