EV Group (EVG), a leading
supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology
and semiconductor markets, today announced that the RFID/USN Center has selected
EVG's fully automated GEMINI(®) wafer bonding system for stacked 3D MEMS
device development. Located in Incheon, Korea, RFID/USN is a leading MEMS foundry
that offers manufacturing services for companies to initiate production processes
with capabilities to segue from R+D to high volume. This order represents
a significant win for EVG, marking its first foray into the prestigious institute's
manufacturing line-up.
"As a foundry service provider, we strive to offer our customers with
cutting-edge technologies to support their 3D MEMS production needs, and as
such, require a flexible system that can adapt to a wide range of requirements,"
said RFID/USN Center's executive director, Dong-suk Han. "Given the stringent
demands of the leading-edge MEMS market, particularly for 3D devices, we evaluated
a number of bonding solutions on the market for MEMS production, and in the
end, chose EVG's GEMINI not only for its superior reliability and high-volume
capabilities, but also for its flexibility and extendibility. The GEMINI enables
us to quickly adjust the chuck to handle both 6- and 8-inch wafers, offering
the highest available uptime in the market to ensure around-the-clock operation--a
significant factor in our decision."
Commenting on today's announcement, Paul Lindner, EVG's executive technology
director noted, "This opportunity to cooperate with a leading Korean MEMS
foundry, such as the RFID/USN Center, is an important step for EVG as we continue
to expand our footprint in the growing Korean market. Following the opening
of our Korean subsidiary in the summer of 2008, we have witnessed positive momentum
in the market, and are fully committed to serving the needs of the region in
the future. Lindner added, "We have long served the MEMS market, and this
order win is further testament to the strength of our solutions to address the
production demands of advanced technologies, such as 3D MEMS devices."
EVG's GEMINI platform is a field-proven, production manufacturing solution
for high-volume wafer bonding applications for MEMS, 3D IC integration and advanced
packaging, as well as compound semiconductor applications. Its modular design
offers customers a highly flexible and extendible platform that enables customers
the opportunity to incorporate pre-processing options such as cleaning and plasma
activation modules, as well as additional bond chambers to augment throughput.
Additionally, this fully automated wafer bonding system integrates EVG's SmartView(®)
aligner, which yields precision alignment accuracy, as well as wafer handling
expertise into one wafer bonding platform. The GEMINI maintains an installed
base of more than 100, contributing to EVG's 75-percent market share dominance
in wafer bonding.