Unveiling New Business Model, SEMATECH Offers Program-based Memberships in 3D

SEMATECH, the world's leading nanoelectronics consortium, is
opening membership in its 3D Interconnect Program to suppliers,
chip-makers, assembly and packaging companies and other participants
in the semiconductor industry, officials said today.

SEMATECH's invitation is the first of several planned
opportunities for chip-related companies to join SEMATECH at the
program level, where they can participate in leading-edge R&D in
specific technologies. Such new partners will help drive the roadmaps,
projects and R&D products of their chosen programs.

President and CEO Michael R. Polcari said SEMATECH's expanded
membership strategy provides more flexibility and reflects a growing
need for more chip industry entities to collaborate in targeted areas
of basic, precompetitive R&D.

"SEMATECH has long been an important resource for the world's
leading chip-makers to share in the costs, benefits, and IP of
precompetitive, advanced technology research," said Polcari. "As a
result of demand in the marketplace, we've decided to open specific
areas of SEMATECH to companies -- suppliers, manufacturers, specialty
groups all across our industry -- interested in program-based
membership. The members of these programs will partner with us to
drive and influence developments across the entire technology value
chain."

Using deep through-silicon vias to electrically connect a stack of
chips, 3D interconnect technology bonds semiconductor wafers and dies
to produce multilevel microchips with an optimum combination of cost,
functionality, performance and power consumption. When proven feasible
for volume manufacturing, 3D will provide a path toward integrating
diverse CMOS technologies to each other, as well as CMOS chips with
emerging technologies such as MEMS and bio-chips in a cost-effective
manner.

SEMATECH launched its 3D Program in early 2005 to investigate
technology options. As part of that work, a comprehensive cost-model
has been developed, a 3D roadmap has been drafted for the
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), and tool
and process benchmarking has begun. Future work will focus on
development of 3D infrastructure, materials, unit processes,
integration, and reliability, said Sitaram Arkalgud, director of
SEMATECH's Interconnect Division.

"3D is a critical program for the semiconductor industry, and
we're building the critical mass to help drive it. 3D offers a way to
achieve high density and performance while also being able to
integrate non-CMOS products with CMOS. Realizing its full potential
requires the participation of several areas of the industry including
design, test, materials, front end wafer processing, and back-end
assembly," Arkalgud said. "As a result, we are taking an
inter-disciplinary approach, and looking for inputs from as many
participants as possible."

SEMATECH was formed 20 years ago as a consortium of chip-makers,
and has since become a key R&D resource for the global chip industry.
In response to industry demand, SEMATECH in January 2004 formed a
subsidiary consortium - International SEMATECH Manufacturing
Initiative (ISMI) - to serve companies primarily interested in
manufacturing productivity and cost reduction.

In mid-2004, SEMATECH made its R&D wafer fab available to the
industry by launching ATDF as a subsidiary. Today ATDF serves a wide
variety of customers through its emerging technology and wafer
services programs.

"The new program-based membership model represents a natural
evolution of these trends and responds to industry demands for another
option in SEMATECH's long history of offering flexible participation
in our family of companies," said Polcari.

For 20 years, SEMATECH(R) (www.sematech.org) has set global
direction, enabled flexible collaboration, and bridged strategic R&D
to manufacturing. Today, we continue accelerating the next technology
revolution with our nanoelectronics and emerging technology partners.