Guided by Chartered's technology development team, NUS and NTU faculty staff and graduate students will conduct research projects that examine ten semiconductor manufacturing tasks. The tasks include lithography, which is the means of creating semiconductor devices that have ever-narrower electrical line widths as minute as 0.10 microns -- or 500 times narrower than a strand of hair; interconnect metallization, the process of layering wafers with metals that increase a device's speed; chemical mechanical polishing, required for creating even surfaces; simulation, modeling, characterization, reliability, and test -- procedures which ensure that chips perform well under various environmental conditions and to the design specifications outlined by customers.

NUS and NTU university graduate students will conduct portions of their R&D work at Chartered under the guidance of the Company's technology development staff.

Dr. John Martin, vice president of technology development at Chartered, commented on the program, saying, "Our cooperative work with Singapore's leading universities is an essential element in our overall R&D strategy. Working together, we can abbreviate the time to develop new manufacturing techniques that serve the needs of our customers. Equally important is our commitment to developing a talent base that keeps Singapore's semiconductor industry among the best in the world."

Professor Hang Chang Chieh, deputy vice-chancellor of NUS said, "This collaboration builds on the success of the 0.25-micron project. It follows an excellent model where universities and industry together develop a world class technology combining expertise from both sides. This project gives an opportunity to NUS staff and students to work on the development of a cutting edge technology and makes available to students microelectronics facilities of a standard not normally found in university laboratories."

Professor Er Meng Hwa, deputy president of Nanyang Technological University and dean of the school of electrical and electronic engineering, said, "The program provides an excellent platform for our research students to pursue their higher degrees and, at the same time, gain the training in deep-submicron semiconductor wafer fabrication. Under the program, we are able to grow a highly skilled workforce in integrated circuit technology. This is in line with the government's vision of attracting wafer fabrication investments into Singapore. NTU is committed to the program and has set-up a number of strategic research projects, courses and facilities to train students in this area."

The agreement announced today continues a relationship begun in 1996, when Chartered, NUS and NTU began developing improvements in the process technologies used to fabricate advanced semiconductor devices.

In addition, Chartered has other agreements with the two universities that cover diverse areas such as integrated circuit design, characterization of devices for radio-frequency chips used in telecommunications equipment, and ICs that utilize copper technology for ultra-fast electrical speed.

Chartered implements its research and development programs in four ways: (1) through its internal resources; (2) joint-development programs with industry innovators, such as Hewlett-Packard Company and Lucent Technologies; (3) joint-technology licensing, such as its agreement with Motorola; and (4) cooperative research with universities and research organizations.

For more information, visit the company's website, http://www.charteredsemi.com/.

About National University of Singapore
Cutting Edge Research - NUS is a modern, vibrant and dynamic institution that has assiduously built up a strong commitment to quality teaching and research. It enjoys an established reputation as a hub of cutting-edge research and technology, continually forging ahead in research consistent with its strategy of maintaining high research output in all disciplines and pursuing multi-disciplinary research activities that serve national and international interests.

With more than 2,600 teaching and full-time research staff, some 80% of whom have PhDs, NUS plays a pivotal role in the promotion of research and development in the nation's advancement. The University plays host to several national research institutes and centres which have made significant contributions to the advancement of cutting-edge research in the fields of engineering, medicine, science and information technology. In addition, the University has more than 40 faculty-based research institutes and centres which strengthen and support R&D collaboration with industry and external organizations. The thriving research environment and active research collaborations have produced notable research findings in the various disciplines, many of which have been patented or transferred to industry for commercial development. Staff research results have also been commercialized with the formation of spin-off companies and technology ventures. To learn more about NUS, please visit our NUS website at http://www.nus.edu.sg