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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →On August 1, 2002, Texas Instruments (TI) and Thomas West Inc. announced an alliance centered on Thomas West’s W711 polishing-pad technology for TI’s tungsten chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes. They also said they would jointly develop pad materials and “hard porous technologies” for existing and future CMP processes. The announcement described plans and company claims; it does not establish that every planned step was completed or that W711 remains available today.
What did the TI–Thomas West deal cover?
EE Times reported that TI planned to use Thomas West’s W711 line of pad technology in tungsten CMP. The companies also announced joint development of pad materials and hard porous technologies for existing and future CMP processes. The article said the arrangement was expected to help Thomas West develop new pad material more rapidly.
The report did not give fab-level deployment details or quantify how widely W711 would be used. It documents the announced intended use, not a verified record of subsequent implementation.
What is a CMP pad, and where did W711 fit?
CMP is used to flatten semiconductor wafer surfaces between deposited layers, helping prepare them for the formation of later circuit elements. In the process, a pad sits on a rotating platen while slurry is dispensed between the pad and wafer. Samsung Securities described this process in its February 14, 2019 report on semiconductor materials.
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The 2002 announcement placed W711 specifically in tungsten CMP. It did not provide detailed specifications or comparative measurements for W711 beyond its construction description and attributed benefits.
How was W711 described, and what benefits were claimed?
EE Times described W711 as combining the hardness of solid polyurethane with the porosity of non-woven polyester. The article attributed the following operational benefits to Thomas West; it did not report independent testing that verified them:
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- Reduced slurry use and substantially longer pad life.
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- Fewer defects.
TI’s stated reason for switching came from Bill Morrison, identified by EE Times as TI’s DMOS 5 process engineering section manager: “TI decided to switch to the W711 because it provides dramatic improvement in performance and reduces cost of ownership versus current methodologies.” That is Morrison’s statement as quoted in the report, not an independently substantiated side-by-side result.
What does the historical market-share figure show?
A Samsung Securities report dated February 14, 2019 reproduced a historical CMP pad market-share table sourced to “Industry data.” It listed Thomas West at 3%, alongside DowDuPont at 80%, Cabot at 10%, and Fujibo at 5%. These are historical estimates in that report, not current market shares or independently audited figures.
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What is not established about the alliance?
The available reports do not establish whether the announced collaboration was completed, what became of Thomas West Inc. or the W711 product line after 2002, or whether TI and Thomas West have a current relationship. The 2019 market-share table does not answer those questions.
Sources: EE Times, “TI, Thomas West strike deal in CMP technology arena,” August 1, 2002; Samsung Securities, SKC semiconductor materials business report, February 14, 2019.
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