12/17/2004 Experts may continue debating whether a hydrogen-powered energy infrastructure is practical, affordable or safe. But Jim Balcom is not waiting for their answer. Instead, the CEO of PolyFuel Inc. is pushing forward with what he calls a breakthrough fuel cell membrane technology.
12/16/2004 December 16, 2004 - Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp. said Wednesday they have jointly developed some key technologies for magnetic random access memory, or MRAM, chips for use in future mobile electronic gadgets, according to Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
12/16/2004 December 16, 2004 - Coherent Inc. today announced its Lambda Physik subsidiary would discontinue future product development and investments in the semiconductor lithography market due to market conditions. Lambda will continue to support its installed lithography base.
12/16/2004 (December 16, 2004) Midland, Mich. — Dow Corning announces that it will begin supplying its Z3MS CVD Precursor (trimethylsilane) through non-exclusive distribution arrangements with a number of distributors that supply gas to semiconductor manufacturers. The new distribution model will become effective as of January 2005.
12/16/2004 (December 16, 2004) Scharding, Austria — EV Group (EVG) says that it will install the first example of a new fully automated UV step-and-repeat nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) system at non-profit research organization, AMO GmbH in Germany, during the first quarter of 2005. AMO has been participating in joint-development programs with EVG in the area of UV-NIL since 1997.
12/15/2004 (December 15, 2004) Morris Township, N.J. — Honeywell announces that it expects fourth-quarter 2004 earnings of $0.49 per share, which is at the high end of prior guidance, and full-year 2004 earnings per share of $1.68. The company expects 2004 cash flow from operations and free cash flow to reach approximately $2.3 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively.
12/15/2004 (December 15, 2004) Santa Clara, Calif. — Applied Materials announces that it has signed an agreement with AmberWave Systems Corp., based in Salem, N.H., to license AmberWave's strained silicon intellectual property for Applied's use on its Centura RP Epi system. Applied Materials has already sampled 300-mm strained silicon epi wafers to a chip maker for development work.
12/15/2004 But there also is a growing concern that a shortage of a trained workforce could slow this booming industry. A number of centers and institutes are being created to meet the demand for research and training. Restructuring traditional curricula can be a major step toward providing trained professionals.
12/14/2004 (December 14, 2004) Sunnyvale, Calif. — Keith Horn has been named senior VP of marketing and sales for Fujitsu Microelectronics America (FMA), with full responsibility for all FMA products and services, including packaging and foundry services. Horn moves to the new post from his position as FMA's VP of marketing. Ray Abrishami, who has served as senior director of SoC engineering, now also assumes responsibility for FMA's marketing organization, and reports to Horn.
12/14/2004 (December 14, 2004) San Jose, Calif. — The Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA), the voice of the global fabless business model, announced the winners for its 2004 awards, presented at the 10th annual FSA Awards Dinner Celebration on December 9, 2004, in Santa Clara, Calif.
12/14/2004 Dec. 14, 2004 -- Samsung Electronics has developed a fingernail-sized, low-power multimedia memory card (MMC) for mobile phones, about one-third the size of typical multimedia memory cards.
12/13/2004 (December 13, 2004) Chandler, Ariz. & San Francisco, Calif. — Amkor Technology and PSi Technologies Holdings Inc. have signed a broad, multi-year patent license agreement that allows PSi to practice under Amkor's portfolio of micro-lead-frame patents, granting Amkor access to the intellectual property being developed by PSi related to its PowerQFN technology.
12/13/2004 December 13, 2004 - At today's IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco, IMEC is expected to announce that it has achieved the smallest triple-gate device SRAM cell reported to date. IMEC's device is a fully working 6-transistor SRAM cell with an area of only 0.314 x 0.314 mm.
12/13/2004 December 9--With more than $5.930 billion in turnover, and a national consumption of $6.765 billion in machinery sales in 2003, the United States continued its overwhelmingly dominant position as the leading packaging machinery marketplace. Members of the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) control 75% of the U.S. marketplace and 25% of the global marketplace.
12/13/2004 A staple industrial cleaner and solvent for coatings, MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) is currently in short supply, according to industry analysts. To help meet market demand for MEK replacements, Eastman Chemical Company offers Eastman MPK (methyl propyl ketone), its low-density, non-HAP solvent for coatings and industrial cleaning and surface preparation applications.
12/13/2004 MST.factory Dortmund will be a 21,000-square-foot center serving as an incubator for startups, joint ventures, and research and development groups. Services will include prototyping and development work, as well as consulting and training. The center also will rent space for offices, laboratories and clean rooms.
12/10/2004 (December 10, 2004) San Jose, Calif. — Amid a huge drop in its fab utilization rates, National Semiconductor reports sales of $448.9 million for its second fiscal quarter, down 18% from $548 million in the previous quarter and a 5% decline from $473.5 million in the same period a year ago.
12/09/2004 December 9, 2004 - Several chipmaking firms have tightened their projections, mostly in line with sentiments that a slowdown continues--but with one big exception.
12/09/2004 (December 9, 2004) Phoenix, Ariz. — FlipChip International has announced an agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of IC Services Inc. IC
Services is a supplier of merchant semiconductor services, including substantial dicing, automated
inspection, backgrinding, and tape-and-reel capabilities.
