Further demonstrating Governor Andrew Cuomo’s strategic vision in building New York’s innovation-driven economy, SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES (SINGULUS), a leading global manufacturer of advanced thin-film deposition equipment headquartered in Germany, and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany today announced a $12 million partnership that includes the location of SINGULUS scientists and researchers, along with advanced tooling, at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex.
“New York’s high-tech economy continues to attract leading companies from around the world because they recognize the strength and advantage of doing business in our state,” Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said. “I want to be the first to welcome SINGULUS and its workers to the Capital Region. I am confident they will find the power of a partnership with the NanoCollege unparalleled in the industry, and their new home exciting, vibrant, and prosperous.”
“We are very optimistic about the potential of know-how transfer for MRAM storage media, and are excited to be developing processes for TMR materials with the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, which is recognized around the world as the global leader in innovation and commercialization of advanced technology,” said Wolfram Maass, Managing Director of the SINGULUS NDT business unit.
“In further demonstrating the success of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s vision and leadership in building a world-renowned nanotechnology industry that is attracting leading global high-tech companies to New York, the UAlbany NanoCollege is delighted to welcome SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES as the newest corporate partner at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex,” said Dr. Michael Liehr, CNSE Executive Vice President of Innovation and Technology. “The addition of SINGULUS broadens CNSE’s world-class capabilities to support the critical needs of the nanoelectronics sector, and in the process, brings new private high-tech investment and jobs to New York State.”
More than 20 high-tech jobs, including researchers and engineers, will be created at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex through the partnership, which will deliver a critical technical need required to establish a fully installed, multi-equipment MRAM tool set capable of module and integrated processing for an MRAM development program.
SINGULUS will collaborate with researchers from CNSE and its global corporate partners to develop innovative deposition techniques for Tunnel Magneto Resistance (TMR) materials and material stacks critical for advanced technology nodes. The research will focus on developing techniques to enable improvements in film deposition rates, deposition uniformity, and mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties, as well as advancing TMR processes and applications.
Leveraging the world-class capabilities at the UAlbany NanoCollege, SINGULUS will conduct TMR development on 300mm equipment, which will shorten the time from research and development to production. In qualifying the TIMARIS PVD cluster system on CNSE’s integrated device routings, test-site mask sets and physical analysis equipment, researchers can accelerate the evaluation of materials from both the physical and electrical characterization perspectives. Having the TIMARIS system on site also provides engineers with the advantage of improving TMR materials while providing customization to the Best Known Method (BKM) baseline process applications.
This collaboration and the sharing of process data results, performance data and intellectual know-how will contribute to continuously improving the process capability and stability of the SINGULUS TIMARIS system.
About SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES. SINGULUS continues to expand its activities in the business segments Solar and Optical Disc. The goal is to attain a leading position in the silicon and thin-film solar technology as a machine supplier as well as a development partner for new cell concepts and to maintain the market leadership in the Optical Disc segment for production equipment for the manufacturing of dual-layer Blu-ray discs. The business activities in the division Nano Deposition are extensively strengthened in the course of the apparent growing market for MRAM semi-conductor technology. In addition, the company is reviewing other sectors and work areas where new market segments can be developed on the basis of the present know-how in the area of vacuum coating.
About CNSE. The UAlbany CNSE is the first college in the world dedicated to education, research, development and deployment in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience and nanoeconomics. With more than $14 billion in high-tech investments, CNSE represents the world’s most advanced university-driven research enterprise, offering students a one-of-a-kind academic experience and providing over 300 corporate partners with access to an unmatched ecosystem for leading-edge R&D and commercialization of nanoelectronics and nanotechnology innovations. CNSE’s footprint spans upstate New York, including its Albany NanoTech Complex, an 800,000-square-foot megaplex with the only fully-integrated, 300mm wafer, computer chip pilot prototyping and demonstration line within 85,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms. More than 2,600 scientists, researchers, engineers, students and faculty work here, from companies including IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, SEMATECH, Samsung, TSMC, Toshiba, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, ASML and Novellus Systems. An expansion now underway, part of which will house the world’s first Global 450mm Consortium, will add nearly 500,000 square feet of next-generation infrastructure, an additional 50,000 square feet of Class 1 capable cleanrooms, and more than 1,000 scientists, researchers and engineers from CNSE and global corporations. In addition, CNSE’s Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon provides a prototyping and demonstration line for next-generation CIGS thin-film solar cells. CNSE’s Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center of Excellence (STC) in Rochester offers state-of-the-art capabilities for MEMS fabrication and packaging. CNSE also co-founded and manages operations at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center at SUNYIT in Utica and is a co-founder of the Nanotechnology Innovation and Commercialization Excelerator in Syracuse. For information, visit www.cnse.albany.edu.
Contact
Steve Janack, CNSE
tel.: (518) 956-7322
e-mail: sjanack(at)albany.edu
Bernhard KrauseSINGULUS Corporate Communications
tel.: +49 (0) 6181-98280-20
