Tokyo Electron joins semiconductor research corporation consortium
Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC has announced that Tokyo Electron Limited (TELhas joined the consortium's community of 23 companies and partners plus 100 universities worldwide.
"The implications of TEL's joining ranks with Applied, Novellus and the other segments of the semiconductor industry to help focus university research are promising for the global chip business," said Larry Sumney, CEO and president of the SRC. "Teamwork among those members is unprecedented and will serve to accelerate the industry's efforts worldwide for finding new answers to the increasing barriers for advanced semiconductor manufacturing."
TEL will work with SRC's other members in the Global Research Collaboration (GRC), a program of the SRC that is responsible for narrowing the options for carrying CMOS to its ultimate limit. TEL will take a lead role in collaborating on enhancements to the academic research agenda for materials and processes associated with semiconductor manufacturing.
"The challenges are getting more difficult for the entire semiconductor industry. There's an urgent need for collaboration among all segments of the value chain," said Tetsuro Higashi, chief executive of Japan's TEL. "SRC is a forum where equipment makers can partner with the entire spectrum of chipmakers and suppliers in a pre-competitive setting. We expect that our participation there will provide substantial achievements for both TEL and the industry."
As a new member, TEL will quickly join with other SRC GRC companies to plan the next five years of research by the consortium's network.
"SRC's GRC is an outstanding university research consortium where TEL and other key global players can drive integrated collaboration," said Dr. John Kelly III, senior vice president of Technology and Intellectual Property, IBM. "As SRC benefits the entire spectrum of the industry, it's vital to gain inputs from leaders in semiconductor materials and processes like TEL. We welcome TEL to SRC GRC membership."
"R&D costs are increasing and it's no longer possible for one company to provide a complete solution," added Stan Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, the global industry association whose members include equipment suppliers for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. "TEL is the most recent equipment supplier to step up to the responsibility of joining the SRC member community in funding and guiding the future of the semiconductor business."
