01/05/2005 January 5, 2005 - Betting that demand for high-performance chips will remain strong despite the overall market slowdown, Renesas Technology Corp. next fiscal year plans to invest 40-50 billion yen (US$382-477 million) to increase its monthly production capacity for 300mm wafers, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.
01/05/2005 January 5, 2005 - IIS Material, a startup spawned from research at the University of Tokyo, has developed a way to remove impurities from the silicon waste generated in the semiconductor manufacturing process so the silicon can be reused as a substrate for solar cells, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
01/05/2005 As nanotechnology companies move into public markets, early stage companies may lack the revenue visibility usually accompanying startups in more established industries. It is arguable that a platform technology-based nanotechnology company deserves a premium valuation: one that exceeds the value of its visible product line.
01/05/2005 Zyvex, a Richardson, Texas-based provider of nanotools and materials, today announced it has expanded its NanoSolve product line with nine new product offerings.
01/05/2005 Atlas Mining Co. and NanoDynamics Inc. announced they have established a strategic relationship to develop high value applications for the hollow microtubules currently being produced at the Dragon Mine in Juab county, Utah.
01/04/2005 By Janice K. Mahon, Min-Hao Michael Lu, Universal Display Corp., Ewing, New Jersey
VTE has been the leading technology for OLED production, but OVPD, IJP and LITI have the potential to drive display performance and manufacturing efficiencies in future device generations. For OLED technology to advance in FPD applications, its production technology must continue to achieve device performance advances and manufacturing cost reductions.
01/04/2005 By Dr. Paula Doe, Contributing Editor
After all these years of hype, vertical interconnects are finally starting to replace horizontal connections in real products. Infineon is directly connecting security controller chips on top of memory chips in smart cards. Mattel's new Juice Box* media player for kids uses Matrix Semiconductor's built up layers of programmable ROM for its videos on memory cards. And Tezzaron....
01/04/2005 By J. Robert Lineback, Senior Technical Editor
Researchers at IMEC in Belgium have embarked on an ambitious program to change the meaning of "design for manufacturing." During IMEC's Annual Research Review Meeting this fall, managers outlined a new system-level integration program that will explore circuit and system design concepts, addressing the growth of technology barriers as IC feature sizes are scaled smaller at the 45nm and below process nodes.
01/04/2005 (January 04, 2005) Scottsdale, Ariz.—The semiconductor industry is sliding into another slump, with 2005 expected to be a down year with revenue declining 5.7% to $199.3 billion, according to In-Stat analysts. This downturn comes on the heels of annual revenue growth of 27.0% in 2004, and a record annual revenue of $211.4 billion.
01/04/2005 (January 04, 2005) Herndon, Va. — The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI), an industry-led consortium focused on strengthening the global electronics manufacturing supply chain, announces that it has changed its name to iNEMI — the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative.
01/04/2005 By J. Robert Lineback, Senior Technical Editor
Ready or not, the semiconductor industry is attempting to work up the gumption and early development strategy for the next big wafer challenge: 450mm diameter silicon substrates. Nearly all experts agree that the industry is dragging its collective heels in organizing an effort to define and create R&D programs needed to put 450mm wafers into production by 2011-2012.
01/04/2005 January 4, 2005 - In an effort to accelerate the development of new-generation transistors, Soitec has announced its participation as the SOI substrate supplier in a development program led by the Advanced Technology Development Facility (ATDF), the new independent subsidiary of Sematech for advanced semiconductor R&D in Austin, TX.
01/03/2005 (January 03, 2005) Palo Alto, Calif. — Agilent Technologies announces that it has shipped its 100 millionth FBAR (film bulk acoustic resonator) filter since its release in December 2001. Demand has been so strong that Agilent has increased its shipments to six million per month. FBAR filters are used in mobile phones, data cards, and other wireless products operating in the U.S. PCS frequency band.
01/03/2005 (January 03, 2005) San Jose, Calif. — Worldwide sales of semiconductors grew to $19.02 billion in November 2004, an increase of 1.3% from the $18.8 billion in October 2004, and an increase of 18% from the $16.12 billion in October 2003, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reports.
01/03/2005 January 3, 2005 - Worldwide sales of semiconductors grew to $19.02 billion in November, an increase of 1.3% from the $18.8 billion in October, and an increase of 18% from the $16.12 billion in October 2003, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported today.
