— by Ninoslav D. Stojadinovic
The 22nd International Conference on Microelectronics (MIEL`99) will be held during September 19-22, 1999 at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering, University of Nis, Yugoslavia. The Conference MIEL`99 will be organized by the ED/SSC Yugoslavia Chapter, in co-operation with the Faculty of Electronic Engineering, University of Nis, and Ei-Holding Co., Nis, under the co-sponsorship of the IEEE EDS, and under the auspices of Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology and Yugoslav Ministry of Science and Development. MIEL is an outstanding European conference, providing an international forum for the presentation and discussion of the recent developments and future trends in the field of microelectronics. Since 1984, there is an aura of internationalization around the MIEL conferences, providing an opportunity for specialists from both academic and industrial environments from the West and East, as well as from the countries of the Third World, to meet in an informal, friendly atmosphere and exchange experiences about the theory and practice of microelectronics.
The topics which will be covered by the technical program of the Conference MIEL'99 include all important aspects of microelectronic devices, circuits and systems, ranging from materials and processes, technologies and devices, device physics and modeling, process and device simulation, circuit design and testing, system design and packaging, and characterization and reliability. Based on the history of the past decade, it is expected that the technical program of the Conference MIEL'99 will consist of about 150 contributed papers by the authors from more than 30 countries all around the world, which will be structured into oral and poster sessions. These papers, together with 15 invited papers, which are to be presented by the world's leading authorities from the field of microelectronics, will form the solid foundation of the Conference MIEL'99. Three related scientific events, namely the workshops "Power Devices and IC's" and "Microsystem Technologies", containing 5 invited papers each, and a short course: "Low Power Electronics" by Krishna Shenai, will round off the technical program of the Conference MIEL'99.
The invited lectures are: "Quantum Engineering of Nanoelectronic Devices" (V. Arora, USA), "Challenges of Developing Modern VLSI Technology", (J. Clemens, USA), "Access to Microsystem Technology: the MPC Services Solution", (B. Courtois, France), "SOI Technology: Context, Prospects and Challenges", (S. Cristoloveanu, France), "Industrial Demands on Microtechnical Products", (H. Detter, Austria), "Non-Standard Physicochemical and Electrical Examinations in Thick-Film and LTCC Technologies", (A. Dziedzic, Poland), "Microtechnology on the Threshold of the 21st century", (W. Ehrfeld, Germany), "Degradation Mechanisms in Compound Semiconductor Heterostructure Devices", (F. Fantini, Italy), "Radiation Effects on Electronics in Space Telecommunications Systems", (D. Fleetwood, USA), "Flexible Hardware Model: A New Paradigm for System LSI Design in the 21st Century", (M. Imai, Japan), "RFCMOS Technology", (H. Iwai, Japan), "Heterostructure FET's", (E. Kohn, Germany), "Three-Dimensional Optical Data Storage Based on a CW Femtosecond Laser", (N. Koroteev, Russia), "Compact Modeling of Bipolar and VLSI CMOS Devices", (J. Kuo, Taiwan), "Design of Analog Interfaces in Submicron Digital CMOS Technology", (V. Liberali, Italy), "Electrostatic Discharge (EDS) Prevention in Semiconductor Devices", (J. Liou, USA), "Silicon Carbide Devices and Processes-Present Status and Future Perspective", (M. Ostling, Sweden), "Advanced Smart MOS Power IC's", (P. Rossel, France), "Mixed Mode Device and Circuit Analysis", (S. Selberherr, Austria), "Status and Trends in High-Power Semiconductor Devices", (K. Shenai, USA), "Smart Power Technology and Application", (M. Shibib, USA), "Transition Metal Nitrides Diffusion Barriers for Copper Metallization", (S. C. Sun, Taiwan), "Reliability of Surface Micromachined Microelectromechanical Actuators", (D. Tanner, USA), "Development of High Voltage and High Current Press Pack IGBT and Its Applications", (Y. Uchida, Japan), "Bulk Silicon Micromachining", (P. Zavracky, USA).
The authors of the contributed papers are asked to submit two-page extended abstracts (including figures, tables and references) which will serve as a basis for the paper selection. Therefore, it should clearly state the purpose of the work and the novelty and significance of the results obtained. A cover page of the abstract should include the complete address (including fax and e-mail) of the author to be contacted, as well as the preference for oral or poster presentation. The deadline for the receipt of one original plus five copies of the abstract, which should be sent to the Conference Chairman, is 30 January 1999. After the paper selection, authors of accepted papers will receive information regarding the layout of papers, transparencies, slides and posters, along with the notice of acceptance.
For further information please contact: Prof. Dr. Ninoslav Stojadinovic, MIEL'99 Conference Chairman, Department of Microelectronics, Faculty of Electronic Engineering,
University of Nis, Beogradska 14, 18000 Nis, Yugoslavia, TEL: +381 18 529-326, FAX: +381 18 46-180, E-MAIL: nino@unitop.elfak.ni.ac.yu. You can also check out the web site at: http://unitop.elfak.ni.ac.yu/miel/welcome.html.
— by Mikael Ostling
During the second quarter of 1998 we had a visit by Professor Gehan Amaratunga, from the University of Liverpool, England. He gave a lecture on "The Trench Gate IGBT: Is it the optimum high power switching device?"
Thereafter he also acted as a faculty opponent to one of the IEEE student members in the Swedish chapter, Dr. Olof Tombald, defending his Ph.D. thesis.
A video screening was done with help from the EDS Lending Library. The title was "Getting Ready: Careers for Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists". We had a good discussion on future possible activities with the present ED student members and some initial ideas on how to promote the EE student interest in nearby areas.
A symposium with student papers will be organized during the Fall. For more information, please contact Mikael Ostling, Professor, Department of Electronics, Device Technology Laboratory, KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, E229, SE-164 40 Kista, Sweden, TEL: +46-8-7521402; FAX: +46-8-7527850; MOBILE: +46-70-5658007
— Michael Ostling, Editor
— by Terry Oxley
In line with the Chapter committee (AdCom) aim of organizing more activities away from London, the last AdCom meeting was held at Cardiff University. This was followed the next day by a lecture on "AlGaN/GaN HFET's for Very High Power Microwave Amplifiers" by Professor L. Eastman, Cornell University, which formed an introduction to a half-day workshop on GaN Electronics Research Activities. Other activities planned since the last report include: lecture on "A Survey of Current III-V Technology" at Queens University, Belfast; lecture on "Integrated Optics in Planar Lightwave Circuits" at City University, London; support of "22nd Antenna Symposium" at QMW, London; lecture on "Novel Integrable Laser Structures" at City University, London; lecture on "GPS Technology and Applications" at Queens University, Belfast; lecture on "Low Dimensional Structures" at City University, London; lecture on "MVDS" at UMIST, Manchester; support of "9th IEE Vacation School on Microwave Measurements" at NPL; and half day Symposium on "Photonics System Modeling" at City University, London.
Important activities for your diary include:
28 September - 1 October - "1998 Microwaves and RF Exhibition & Conference (M+RF98)", Wembley Conference Center, London.
23/24 November - "International Workshop on High Performance Electron Devices for Microwave and Optoelectronic Applications (EDMO '98)", UMIST, Manchester.
For further information, please contact the Chapter Chair, Neil Williams, ERA Technology Limited, Cleeve Road, Leatherhead, Surrey KT22 7SA, U.K., TEL: +44 (0) 1372 367061; FAX: +44 (0) 1372 367099; E-MAIL: neil.williams@era.co.uk.
— by Ibrahim Salem
The ED/MTT Egypt Chapter is planning a workshop for teaching Electron Devices at Egyptian Engineering Faculties and Institutes, sponsored by IEEE-EDS and the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology. The call for contribution is distributed and the Seminar date will be October 8, 1998, at the A.S.R.T. The relevant technical topics cover both undergraduate and graduate levels.
The Chapter Chair is Professor Ibrahim A. Salem, 17 Elqouba Street/3, Roxy Heliopolis, Cairo - 11341, Egypt, TEL: 202-349-8214; FAX: 202-263-6802.
— by Gady Golan
The following summarizes some of the more important recent Chapter activities:
The Chapter Chair is Professor Nathan Croitoru, Tel-Aviv University, Faculty of Engineering, Dept. of Physical Electronics, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel. TEL: 972-3-640-8138; FAX: 972-3-642-3508; E-MAIL: croitoru@eng.tau.ac.il. The Chapter Secretary is Dr. Gady Golan, Center for Technological Education and The Open University of Israel, 16 Klauzner St., P.O. Box 39328, Tel Aviv, 61392, Israel. TEL: 00-972-3-646-0329; FAX: 00-972-3-646-5465; E-MAIL: gady@oumail.openu.ac.il.
— Terry Oxley, Editor
— by Cor Claeys
The last semester of 1997 started with the organization of the very successful 1997 Workshop on Charge-Coupled Devices and Advanced Image Sensors (CCD & AIS), in Bruges, Belgium. This high level scientific conference, chaired by Dr. A. Theuwissen from Philips-Eindhoven, is considered as the leading conference in the field and is organized bi-annually. In 1999, the Conference will be organized in Japan. Furthermore, in 1997, the Chapter also organized some local seminars.
In 1998, the Chapter will be involved in the technical sponsoring of two international conferences. The 1998 International Conference on Simulations of Semiconductor Processes and Devices (SISPAD) will be held in Leuven, Belgium, September 2-4, 1998. It will provide an open forum for the presentation of the latest results and trends in modeling and simulation of semiconductor equipment, processes and devices. The Conference Chair is Prof. K. De Meyer (IMEC). The Chapter is also technically supporting the 1998 International Symposium on Ultra Clean Processing of Silicon Surfaces (UCPSS). Since 1992, this conference has been organized bi-annually and focuses on the investigation of silicon surfaces and ultra-clean technology from different points of view, in order to improve the understanding in the field. This topical conference, international in nature and attended by about 250 researchers from both academic and industrial institutions, is chaired by Dr. M. Heyns (IMEC) and will take place in Ostende, Belgium, Sept. 21-23, 1998.
The ED Benelux Chapter has now also an Executive Committee, consisting of Mrs. A. Bloot (Philips-Nijmegen), Prof. C. Claeys (IMEC), Mr. A. Saltink (Philips Nijmegen), Dr. A. Theuwissen (Philips-Eindhoven), Prof. R. Vounckx (VUB - Free University of Brussels), and Prof. H. Wallinga (University of Twente). In the near future this Committee will be extended by another 4 to 5 members in order to have a better geographical coverage of the region. Interested volunteers can always contact the ED Benelux Chairman. The first meeting of the Executive Committee took place in Leuven, Belgium, on June 15, while the next meeting is scheduled for November 25 in Mierlo, The Netherlands. Within the Committee there is a strong incentive to increase the number of events within the Chapter, taking into account a good geographical distribution of the meeting locations in order to increase the interactions between the Chapter members.
For more information, please contact the Chapter Chairperson, Prof. Cor Claeys, IMEC, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium, TEL: 32-16-281-328; FAX: 32-16-281-214; E-MAIL: claeys@imec.be.
— by Klaus Heime
In the first half of 1998 the Chapter organized two lectures:
Both lectures dealt with applications of antimony-containing III-V semiconductors in two rapidly emerging fields:
Here the detection of hazardous and toxic gases, not only in the atmosphere, but equally well in blood and tissue is the field of application. III-V devices are expected (or have already been demonstrated) to operate at room temperature. The lectures were attended by around 20 participants each.
In Autumn, a course on "Multigrids-Introduction to Standard Methods," will be held from November 20 - 22, 1998, at Fachhochschule Koeln by W. Joppich (E-MAIL: Wolfgang.Joppich@gmd.de).
For further information on the meeting, please contact the Chapter Chairperson: Dr. Klaus Heime, E-MAIL: mailbox@iht.rwth-aachen.de.
— by Paolo Spirito
In 1997, the Chapter co-sponsored the "Annual National Meeting of the Electronic Group of CNR" held in Gallipoli, Puglia, from June 16th to 19th, 1997. The topics covered were: Systems Architecture, CAD, Microwaves, Electronics, Nanometric devices, Optoelectronics, Silicon devices, Sensors and Microsystems. About 150 people have been attending the meetings.
On October 1997, the chapter held an Invited Lecture on "Trends and reliability aspects of power semiconductor devices" by Prof. Wolfgang Eckard, of Siemens, Munich, at the Electronics Department in Napoli.
From June 15th to June 17th 1998 the Chapter co-sponsored the "Annual National Meeting of the Electronic Group of CNR" held in Punta Ala, Toscana. The topics covered were: Microelectronic Systems, Semiconductor Devices, Microwave Devices and Circuits, Sensors and Microsystems, Photonics and Optoelectronics, Power Electronics and Industry Applications. The attendance at the Meeting was about 130 people.
For further information, please contact the Chapter Chairperson: Paolo Spirito, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettronica, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Napoli, FAX: +81-5934448; TEL: +81-7683138; E-MAIL: spirito@diesun.die.unina.it.
— Robert Adde, Editor
— K. S. Chari
In the 2nd quarter of 1998 (April-June), the Chapter focused its efforts on the newly initiated IEEE STAR Program supported by EDS; a new membership drive; and working out schedules for the local DL workshops in the later half of the year. Under the IEEE STAR Program, two events were held to expose the selected higher secondary school girl students to the trends in the area.
— by Dr. Chennupati Jagadish
The Chapter is a technical co-sponsor of the 1998 Conference on Optoelectronic and Microelectronic Materials and Devices (COMMAD '98), to be held in Perth during December 14-16, 1998. Deadline for pre-registration and accommodation is October 31, 1998.
The following is a partial list of Invited Speakers:
Further information about the conference could be obtained either visiting the conference Website (http://www.ee.uwa.edu.au/~COMMAD98) or contacting Ms. Sabine Betts, Conference Administrator, Microelectronics Research Groups Dept. of Electrical & Electronic Engineering , The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6907, Australia, TEL:61-8-9380-3801; FAX:61-8-9380-1095, E-MAIL: sabine@ee.uwa.edu.au. Professor Pallab Bhattacharya, LEOS Distinguished Lecturer, will be visiting the Chapter during Feb./March 1999. Further information can be obtained from Chapter Chair: Dr. C. Jagadish, TEL:61-2-6249-0363; FAX: 61-2-6249-0511; E-MAIL: c.jagadish@ieee.org.
— by Dr. Ong Soon Huat
The ED/R/CPMT Singapore Chapter will be organizing two conferences:
For updates and further details of the two conferences, please visit the internet website at http://cicfar.ee.nus.sg/eptc98.html and http://cicfar.ee.nus.sg/ipfa99.html, respectively.
Dr. Thomas Ahrens of Fraunhofer ISiT gave a talk on "Design for Reliability: A product Specific Development Approach Using a Matrix Plan" on 28th May, 1998.
— by Dr. Burhanuddin Yeop Majlis
The ED Malaysia Chapter is organizing the 1998 IEEE International Conference on Semiconductor Electronics, ICSE'98 during November 24-26, 1998, in Hotel Equatorial, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. This conference is technically co-sponsored by the Electron Devices Society (EDS), in co-operation with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
The conference will cover various aspects of semiconductor technologies such as design, processing, device fabrication, physics issues etc. for both silicon and GaAs technologies. Areas of interest include: Device physics, Device characterization, Device modeling, simulation and design, Materials and new fabrication technologies for Si and GaAs, Wafer fabrication facilities and technology, Process Technology (CMOS, bipolar, BiCMOS, GaAs and etc.), Equipment development, Device packaging and testing, Opto-electronics and electro-optic devices, Micromachining, microsensors and MEMS, Microwave devices and MMIC, Application of microelectronics in product development, Reliability and failure analysis, Training and human resource development in microelectronic industry.
A tutorial on VLSI design, and MMIC design have also been arranged prior to the conference.
All questions or inquires for further information regarding ICSE'98 should be directed to: Secretariat, ICSE'98, Electron Device Chapter, IEEE Malaysia Section, Department of Electrical Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM, Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, TEL: 603-829-1292; FAX: 603-825-9080; E-MAIL: ICSE98@eng.ukm.my.
— by Hisatsune Watanabe and Masao Fukuma
Dr. H. Watanabe Dr. M. Fukuma
New officers for 1998-1999 are Hisatsune Watanabe (Chair), Kazuo Tsubouchi (Co-Chair), Masao Fukuma (Secretary) and Kazuya Masu (Treasurer).
On January 29th, an annual Briefing Session for the 1997 IEDM was held in Tokyo, where six speakers were invited to deliver summary talks on the highlights of the 1997 IEDM. Topics covered were Silicon Process, Silicon Device, Integrated Circuits, Modeling/Simulation, Compound Semiconductor and Single Electron Devices. The number of participants was about 120, including non-EDS members, which is a record for the annual briefing session. In addition to the briefing session, the Tokyo Chapter provides several activities on technical meetings and non-technical events. The Chapter technically supports domestic Workshops sponsored by the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communications Engineers (IEICE) in Japan. The Workshops are organized by two technical groups of the IEICE, Silicon Devices and Materials and Integrated Circuits and Devices groups, which are both held every month. Every Workshop has 10-20 talks and about one hundred participants. The Workshops offer a very good opportunity for engineers in the special area to exchange new ideas through deep discussion. To increase the ED Tokyo Chapter membership, a Japanese version of the brochures for the EDS membership information and application form has been prepared. These brochures have been distributed at meetings sponsored by EDS such as the 1998 Symposia on VLSI Technology and on VLSI Circuits, in Honolulu, Hawaii from June 8th through June 13th. In addition, announcements for the annual briefing session on the 1997 IEDM have been sent to non-EDS members as well as EDS members. As a result, more than 30 non-members attended the session. The Tokyo Chapter now is the biggest one among all EDS chapters. Better service is necessary to activate the Chapter.
— by Kwyro Lee
In June, new staff has been added to Korea Council ED Chapter. They are:
Secretary: Hyungcheol Shin, KAIST; TEL: +82-42-869-3459; FAX: +82-42-869-8590; E-MAIL: hcshin@eekaist.kaist.ac.kr.
Treasurer: Dong Myong Kim, Kookmin University; TEL: +82-2-910-4719; FAX: +82-2-910-4655, E-MAIL: dmkim@kmu.kookmin.ac.kr.
(From back left) Euisik Yoon, Chul-Hi Han, Hyungcheol Shin,
Young-Kwan Jun.
(From front left) Joonbo Yoon, Kwyro Lee, Krishna Shenai, Joungho Kim, and Songcheol Hong.
This Chapter together with the ED/SSC Seoul Chapter hosted an IEEE Distinguished Lecture on May 12, 1998 at MICROS Research Center, KAIST in Taejon. Prof. Krishna Shenai, who works as an Associate Professor, EECS Dept. and as a Director of System on Silicon Research Center (SYSREC), University of Illinois at Chicago, gave the lecture, entitled, "Ultra-Low Power Electronics for Functional Integration". There were about 80 attendees for the lecture. After the meeting, we took a photograph with the members who participated (see above photograph). For more information, contact the chairman, Prof. Kwyro Lee, E-MAIL: krlee@eekaist.kaist.ac.kr.
— by Chong-Gun Yu
The chapter conducted several types of activities in the report period. The major activities were as follows:
For further information please contact: Prof. Moon-key Lee, Chapter Chair; TEL: +82-2-361-2867; FAX: +82-2-312-4584; E-MAIL: mklee@bubble.yonsei.ac.kr; URL: http://ieee-korea.inha.ac.kr/Ed/index.html.
—Hiroshi Iwai, Editor
— by M. Ayman Shibib
Dr. Ayman Shibib with the Executive Committee of the
ED/SSC Chapter in Seoul, South Korea.
The newly formed ED/SSC Chapter in Seoul, South Korea, held the first in a series of EDS Distinguished Lectures. Dr. Ayman Shibib of Lucent Technologies, Bell Labs, delivered a lecture on "Power IC's in Telecommunications Applications" at Hanyang University in Seoul on Monday, June 8th, 1998.
The lecture was attended by 47 people from the industry and academia, and it was part of the ED/SSC Chapter meeting and dinner. The lecture started with the definition of the domain of power semiconductors, and then it focused on power integrated circuits and their three main areas of application, namely power management/conversion, automotive and telecommunications. Then an overview of the three isolation techniques for power IC's were presented; self isolation, junction isolation and dielectric isolation. After that the device technologies and technology evolution of power IC's were discussed with specific examples of actual product IC's presented. Throughout the lecture, differences and similarities between VLSI technology/design and power IC's were stressed. Finally, the special issues and requirements of power IC's from a reliability/design for reliability were discussed. After the Distinguished Lecture, Prof. Kwon of Hanyang University presented some research work on flat panel display drivers at Hanyang University.
Dr. Shibib then met with the Executive Committee of the ED/SSC Chapter consisting of: Prof. M. Key Lee, Chairman, Yonsei University; Prof. Kwang-Sub Yoan, Secretary, Inha University; Prof. Inchae Song, Professional Activities, Soong-Sil University; Prof. Ilhun Son, Membership Development, Dankook University; and Prof Oh-kyong Kwon, Treasurer, Hanyang University (see picture below). A traditional Korean dinner was served after the meeting.
— by M. Ayman Shibib
The 10th International Conference on power semiconductor devices and IC's was held at the Rihga Royal Hotel in Kyoto, Japan, during June 3-6, 1998. The conference was sponsored by IEE of Japan and co-sponsored by the Electron Devices Society. It was attended by about 370 people, and it included a special banquet celebrating the 10th anniversary of ISPSD. Dr. Yoshiyuki Uchida, of Fuji Electric, opened the ceremony with the traditional "Kagami-wari" (see picture on page 17) with all previous general chairmen of past Symposia participating. Dr. Ayman Shibib, member of EDS AdCom and a founding member of ISPSD, delivered a speech about the history of ISPSD and how the founding Japanese and American members unified the Symposium as the main international forum on power devices and integrated circuits. ISPSD is held annually and rotates sites between Europe, Japan and North America. Following Dr. Shibib's speech, there was a keynote address by Prof. E. Masada, President of IEE of Japan and on the faculty of the Science University of Tokyo. Prof. Masada gave a very interesting talk about "Energy, Environment & Evolution - Can Power Electronics solve the problem" in which he challenged the audience to participate and put their efforts to support the environment. A special ISPSD award was presented to Dr. Akio Nakagawa of Toshiba Corp. for his paper " Impact of Dielectric Isolation Technology on Power IC's" presented at the 1991 ISPSD, Baltimore, Maryland, for its maximum impact in the field.
"Kagami-wari" ceremony at ISPSD'98, Kyoto, Japan
The technical program included 46 oral and 51 poster presentations. The oral papers included three in the plenary session: "Trends in Power Discrete Devices" by Prof. Baliga, North Carolina State University, "Smart Power Approaches VLSI Complexity" by Dr. Contiero, SGS-Thomson, and "Toyota's Newly Developed Hybrid Powertrain" by Dr. Sasaki, Toyota Motor Corp. The other papers were organized into 13 sessions: SOI Devices I & II, IGBT's I & II, Thyristors I & II, high Voltage IGBT's, MOSFET's, Smart Power Devices, SiC Devices, Diodes, Poster Session, Power IC's.
— M. Ayman Shibib, Editor
— by Masahiro Sasaki
The Second International Vacuum Electron Sources Conference (IVESC'98) (sponsored by the 158 Committee on Vacuum Microelectronics, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and technically sponsored by IEEE Electron Devices Society, IUVSTA, and the Vacuum Society of Japan) was held at Auditorium, AIST Tsukuba Research Center, Tsukuba, Japan from July 7 to 10, 1998. The conference is the continuation of IVESC'96 at Eindhoven, The Netherlands. More than 180 people participated from 12 countries with 80 of the 130 submitted papers being selected and 16 invited papers being presented. The IVESC 2000 will be held at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. from July 10 to 13, 2000. For details, contact the Chairperson, Dr. E. G. Wintucky, NASA Lewis Research Center, e-mail: edwin.g.wintucky@lerc.nasa.
— by S.C. Sun
Front row from left: S. C. Sun, Genda Hu, Hideo Miura, H. J. Wu and
Sophia Li
Standing from left: Y. C. Shih, S. C. Chang, F. T. Liou, S. W. Sun, Yih, J. Chang
at the 1998 Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Workshop (SMTW).
From June 16 to 17, 1998, the 1998 Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Workshop was held in Hsinchu, Taiwan. This is the 5th time that the workshop has been held since its inception. The workshop attracted more than 200 attendees to exchange experiences and ideas on the advancement of manufacturing technology.
The participation and support received in the past, further encouraged the organization of this year's workshop. This year's workshop was co-sponsored by the IEEE Electron Devices Society Taipei Chapter, Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association, and United Microelectronics Corp. The technical program committee was chaired by Shih-Wei Sun of UMC and co-chaired by S.C. Sun of TSMC. Four invited papers included two local keynote speakers (Chintay Shih from ITRI on "Challenges for Taiwan in 21st Century" and Rick Tsai from TSMC on "Foundry Technology and Services") and two overseas invited speakers (Michael Mandracchia from Motorola on "Future of the Foundry Model" and Hideo Miura of Hitachi on "New Mechanical Reliability Issues for Deep Sub-micron Devices"). Twenty-one contributed papers from local industry, universities and research labs were presented on various perspectives of risk management and safety, chemical management and waste treatment, yield enhancement, cycle time improvement, CIM system and virtual fab. A special panel discussion on "Environment, Safety and Health" was held to advocate the significance of ESH to industry.
This workshop will be held again at Hsinchu, Taiwan in 2000. For further information, please contact Sophia Li of TSIA, E-MAIL: sophia@erso.itri.org.tw.
— S. C. Sun, Editor