Markets - Semiconductor

SEMICONDUCTOR    NON-SEMICONDUCTOR

The semiconductor equipment industry was a $42 billion industry in 2000 according to VLSI Research, Inc.

There are two main categories for semiconductor manufacturing:

Logic chips: These integrated circuits function to process data -- they are microprocessors. The most important component of logic chips is the transistor, a device that can switch on and off very fast and can amplify. The denser a chip is with transistors, the more powerful it is. Other than CPU's (central processing units) for computers, other types of logic chips may be FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) and PLDs (programmable logic devices) -- both of which are also referred to as ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits). Aptly named, ASICs are made to function for specific applications.

Memory chips: These integrated circuits provide for the storage of digital data. The capacitor is the most important element of the memory chip. DRAM chips are more complex and denser than logic chips. Types of memory chips include DRAM (dynamic random access memory), SRAM (static RAM), flash (floating gate, nonvolatile memory) and read-only memory (ROM).

Genus' core business has been to provide chip-making equipment to world-leading manufacturers of DRAM chips.

Our chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems for DRAM applications have been our mainstay business. Genus has sold over 400 CVD systems over the years.

Click here for further discussion regarding CVD applications in the semiconductor industry.

Our ALD technology is being applied to the semiconductor industry as well. Currently, Genus is commercializing its ALD for advanced capacitors applications in DRAM, and dielectrics for gates. Genus believes the ALD market will grow to >$1 billion by 2005.

Click here for further discussion regarding ALD applications in the semiconductor industry.