Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Tue, January 20, 2009 MEMS Image Sensor Maker Purchases Tegal Endeavor AT" Production PVD System
PETALUMA, Calif.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Tegal Corporation (Nasdaq:TGAL), a leading designer and manufacturer of plasma etch and deposition systems used in the production of MEMS, power semiconductor, and optoelectronic devices, announced today that the Company received an order for an Endeavor AT PVD cluster tool from a leading manufacturer of MEMS imaging sensors. The Endeavor AT PVD system will ship in the first quarter of CY2009, and will be used by Tegal's customer to meet the critical manufacturing needs of a much-expanded recent business demand for the customer's imaging sensors.
"Throughout the entire set of equipment evaluation and process demonstration activities conducted by our customer, the Endeavor AT PVD system repeatedly returned superior film stress control results, and squarely hit the other target film properties required by our customer for their MEMS image sensor," said Paul Werbaneth, Vice President – Marketing, Tegal Corporation. "Our customer is completely satisfied the Endeavor is ready to go from final process optimization directly into High Volume Manufacturing, and our customer is confident about HVM success, knowing they will have full process and hardware backing from Tegal's award-winning team of customer support engineers."
The Tegal Endeavor ATsystem is a state-of the-art, ultra-high vacuum PVD cluster tool used in production fabs to deposit consistent, high purity films, with low to zero stress values, in an extremely clean process environment. Low stress films are widely utilized in backside metallization for power and discrete devices, under-bump metallization applications, advanced packaging, high-brightness light emitting diodes (HB-LEDs), and in creating electro-acoustic devices for FBARs and RF MEMS. The Endeavor AThas an easy-to-use GUI, SECS/GEM communication, reliable low-contact wafer handling, and flexible wafer shape and size capability, that makes it ideal for ultra-clean production environments for both front-side and back-side applications. Optional damage-free soft-etch modules, and a variety of DC, AC, and RF magnetron configurations, are available to sputter the many different dielectric and conductive films used in semiconductor, MEMS, and other electronic device production.
According to Frost & Sullivan, a prominent market research and analysis firm, the image sensor market will continue to demonstrate healthy growth in the near-term, as image sensors see increasingly ubiquitous deployment in consumer electronic, cell phone handset, medical imaging, and automotive applications. Frost & Sullivan also say that innovations in image sensor technology will expand the image sensor market beyond the conventional set of applications now in use, to include situations where very low light levels, or extended optical wavelength ranges, provide new opportunities for electronic imaging. Another firm following these topics, Strategies Unlimited, points out the automotive market alone represents opportunities for employing between five and twenty image sensors per automobile, for functions such as blind-spot viewing, lane-departure warnings, headlight dimming, "black-box" event recorders, and driver alertness monitoring. These automotive imaging sensors will join the large number of MEMS devices already found in today's automobiles.
Safe Harbor Statement
Except for historical information, matters discussed in this news release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements, which are based on assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, are generally identifiable by the use of the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "project" or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company including, but not limited to industry conditions, economic conditions, acceptance of new technologies and market acceptance of the Company's products and services. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph. For a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Tegal
Tegal sells production-qualified process tools for commercial fabrication of MEMS, power semiconductor, and optoelectronic devices. Incorporating unique, patented, etch and deposition technologies, our installed base of more than 1,700 etch and deposition systems is backed by 35+ years of continuous technology improvements, and over 100 patents. We've earned a reputation among our customers for award-winning support, and for supplying reliable, value-oriented systems, for Silicon DRIE MEMS and Power Device etch, AlN PVD and PZT plasma etch, precision descum, and stress controlled metal film PVD. Some examples of products enabled by Tegal technology are power management modules found in portable computers, cellphones, and handheld consumer electronic gear; megapixel imaging chips used in digital and cellphone cameras; power amplifiers for portable handsets and wireless networking; and MEMS devices like accelerometers for consumer electronics, gaming, and automotive safety and stability control, microfluidic control devices for ink jet printers, and laboratory-on-a-chip medical test kits.
For more information about Tegal Corporation, please visit: [ www.tegal.com ].
