Entrepix Launches CMP FastForward™, Triples Capacity to Meet Growing Demand of Fab-Light Chip Manufacturing Model
Chinese Version
June 19, 2006
Entrepix Inc., a leading provider of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) foundry and equipment services, today launched its CMP FastForwardT suite of services and solutions. Entrepix' CMP FastForward brings to market the most extensive portfolio of CMP processes, foundry services and equipment offerings to meet the semiconductor industry's rapidly growing interest in the Fab-Light manufacturing model.
Fig. 1: CMP FastForward supports the CMP process at any point in the CMP Lifecycle.
CMP FastForward is designed to assist manufacturers at all levels of CMP experience and address both engineering and production requirements with flexible solutions. This ranges from highly customized development projects to the integration, qualification and ramp-up of an entirely new CMP line either by outsourcing to Entrepix' state-of-the-art facility or by insourcing Entrepix services at the customer site. Companies just starting in CMP find substantial benefit from utilizing CMP FastForward as it greatly reduces implementation time, capital investment and project risks. For companies already using CMP, Entrepix improves financial return and long term competitiveness through engineering work for both process enhancements and cost reductions, plus providing upside and expansion capacity for high volume manufacturing.
Although CMP has been around since the early 1990s, the industry's use of CMP process steps continues to grow due to continuously advancing technologies and higher product volumes, both of which require an increasing number of polishes. The array of materials being used in semiconductor fabrication and the complexity of each material's CMP process make it an engineering intensive manufacturing technology requiring the development of multiple process recipes. At the same time, IDMs face pressure to bring product to market quickly or see rapidly diminishing returns for their investments.
"These factors drive demand for expert CMP services that help reduce implementation time and accelerate time-to-ramp," said Tim Tobin, president and CEO of Entrepix. "To address this increasing industry need, we launched the CMP FastForward suite of services and committed to tripling our manufacturing capacity before the end of this year. We do this by further investing in capital equipment, moving to 24 X 7 manufacturing, and increasing our staff by 15 to 20 percent."
CMP represents one of the more challenging technologies in semiconductor manufacturing and is a critical element to enabling current and next-generation integrated circuits. A balanced outsourcing strategy for CMP leverages expertise and resources to enhance market competitiveness and mitigate cost and risk. Implementing CMP FastForward allows IDMs to quickly and continuously benefit from best-in-class CMP performance.
Entrepix' CMP FastForward services further supports a Fab-Light or IDM+ business model. It allows IDMs to outsource specific process steps and can significantly improve return on investment and accelerate time-to-revenue by reducing internal constraints with an optimal balance between internal and external resources. Leading IDMs are increasingly adopting this balanced model to address specific manufacturing needs, such as additional capacity, or the ability to develop new process steps without disrupting ongoing production.
As part of its CMP FastForward suite of products and services, Entrepix also sells refurbished CMP and metrology equipment and provides maintenance services to fully support IDM customers' in-house CMP processing. As an end user of CMP process equipment, Entrepix has deep knowledge of the equipment and required maintenance that ultimately improves productivity. Tobin concluded, "CMP FastForward is a genuinely comprehensive program and Entrepix is positioned to meet all of our customers' CMP requirements, be they process or equipment related. The key is the speed with which CMP FastForward allows manufacturers to realize the benefits, in-house or outsourced to our production facility."
About Entrepix
Entrepix, Inc. is a leading provider of Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process outsourcing and equipment services. The company provides production, integration and optimization services to IDMs, OEMs, MEMS, nanotechnology and CMP consumables suppliers from its ISO9001:2000 certified foundry in Tempe, AZ. Entrepix also supplies CMP and metrology equipment to support customers' internal processing requirements. The company's comprehensive processing and equipment capabilities provide customers CMP solutions, from initial integration and optimization, through pilot production and high volume manufacturing. Visit www.entrepix.com for more information.
Media Contact:
Amy Smith
Impress Public Relations
Ph: 401.369.9266
Company Contact:
Bob Tucker
Entrepix, Inc.
Ph: 602.426.8677