Contents:

1 General Introduction 2 Contents, list of tables, list of figures, list of sponsors & advertisers 3 Executive Summary 4 Micro nano technologies (MNT) 4.1 Markets for MNT 4.2 Markets for MNT Equipment 4.3 Equipment Purchase process 5 Business Models and Strategies for MNT Back-End, Front-End and Metrology Equipment Suppliers 6. MST/MEMS Back End Equipment 6.1 General Introduction 6.2 Wafer Thinning 6.3 Die Separation 6.4 Laser Micromachining 6.5 Microvia 6.6 Microgripper 6.7 Precision Position/Manipulation 6.8 Precision Assembly 7 Summary Of Trends / Conclusion 8 Company Profiles 9 List of Abbreviations

Summary:

The emerging markets for (Micro Systems Technologies / Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) MST/MEMS products have created a demand for specialised equipment. The first to fulfil that demand were the suppliers of dedicated micromachining processes and tools for microsystems (MST/MEMS) such as Deep Reactive Ion Etchers (DRIE), waferbonders and backside aligners. Companies such as STS, EV group and Suss Microtec are still at the forefront of this market whilst, spin-offs from universities and companies also began to fulfil niche demands. The more established companies entered this arena at a later stage, offering adapted processing tools developed for other industries (e.g. those specialising in thin film processing). More interestingly, is the fact that even the (large) semiconductor equipment manufacturers have started to show an interest. Within this context, there is now available a mixture of general equipment, designed and developed for other applications such as semiconductors and also equipment adapted or specially tailored for Micro-Nano Technologies (MNT) production. This study categorises the MNT equipment market into the following, general, areas: - Front end equipment - Test and measurement equipment - Back end equipment - Micromachining equipment - Nanotechnology equipment Front-end equipment as a term, generally, refers to equipment used to process wafers within a waferfab facility. Test and measurement equipment, on the other hand, combines the collection of instrumentation used to control and maintain the product’s quality. The definition of the back-end equipment group, on the other hand, is taken rather broadly as it covers equipment for assembly and packaging. As part of a series of reviews addressing the various categories of the MNT supply chain, published by enablingMNT, this particular review is focused on back-end equipment. This specific range of equipment is used to transform wafers into components. This report concentrates, particularly, on equipment running specialised MST/MEMS processes. More specifically, this study is focused on the following main back-end MST/MEMS processes: - Die separation - Laser micromachining - Microvia creation - Wafer thinning - Precision positioning - Micro assembly The review provides a description of the above listed processes as well as profiles of the commercial equipment and service suppliers. For each process the following issues, if relevant, are addressed: 1. General description of processes and equipment 2. List of suppliers 3. Specifications and standards of equipment and services 4. Economics of the process 5. List of companies offering services using the technology enablingMNT Industry Reviews have been established as the major source of reliable worldwide industry data for MNT with topics all along the MNT industry supply. Driven by user/supplier demands for technology-pull, the reviews in this enablingMNT series are focused on all aspects of the micro and nano technology (MNT) product lifecycle; from concept through to production. They describe how a selected topic is linked into the supply chain from product idea, technology development, engineering, prototyping, manufacturing, packaging and test, into volume production. The enablingMNT reviews analyse the critical issues encountered during the creation process of MNT-based products and provide guidance with regards to the approaches taken to overcome barriers and challenges. All reviews include a comprehensive listing of services offered in the field (including current contact information). The emphasis is on the provision and availability of fully commercial services, infrastructure, and suppliers considered to be essential for the commercial realisation of MNT-based products. It is expected that enablingMNT industry reviews will motivate new applications for MNT, enhance confidence in the technology as well as help identify funding sources for research and development. They highlight trends from the facts and the prospects. Supported by significant players in the field, the reviews are produced and edited by the enablingMNT team (Henne van Heeren, Patric Salomon, Dr. Lia Paschalidou, and Dr. Ayman El-Fatatry). Consulting Services are also available.