Strong growth in Mainland China and Taiwan, 146.1% and 124.0%, respectively, helped the worldwide semiconductor market grow 52.7% in 2004. Japan was the leading consumer of equipment, growing 35.3% and representing 22.2% of all purchases in 2004. The Rest of World market region, which comprises equipment sales in Singapore, Malaysia, and other markets, grew 92.1%. The North American market grew the least at only 10.8%, indicative of the movement to off-shore manufacturing.

(February 8, 2005) Austin, Texas &#8212 IMAPS is sponsoring its Topical Workshop (TW) on Flip Chip Technologies, to be held June 20-23, 2005, in Austin, Texas. This meeting is a continuation of the annual Flip Chip Workshop, now in its tenth year, which showcases the latest developments in flip chip technology.