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ASE Reports Consolidated 2004 Q3 Financials

11/01/2004  (November 1, 2004) Taipei, Taiwan—Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) reports unaudited consolidated net revenues of $22,023 million for Q3 2004, up 52% year-over-year and up 9% sequentially. Net income for the quarter totaled $1,960 million, up 236% year-over-year and down 3% sequentially. EPS for the quarter was $0.49, or $0.069, per ADS, up 227% year-over-year and flat sequentially. ASE's Q3 revenue marks the highest quarterly revenue level in the Company's history.

MCNC-RDI, Lucent team on nanotechnology for the DOD

11/01/2004  November 1, 2004 - MCNC Research & Development Institute, a North Carolina-based nonprofit research organization, has contracted with Lucent Technologies to provide 3D interconnect technology as part of a joint R&D project for the US Department of Defense's Coherent Communications, Imaging, and Targeting (CCIT) program.

Wafer measurement technology reduces contamination risks

11/01/2004  CyberOptics Semiconductor (www.cyberoptics.com) has introduced WaferSense ALS technology, designed to provide real-time measurement data to fab managers and engineers without having to shut down process equipment to take measurements.

Personal relations break through cultural barriers

11/01/2004  The occasional social blunders were expected. The frequent moments of shared laughter were not. But the successful alliance of partners as seemingly mismatched as an American nanotechnology startup and a Japanese corporation require the same foundations as a good friendship: mutual interests, respect, patience and trust.

Know what's in your cleanroom wipers

11/01/2004  How much contamination does a wiper create and how well does it wipe? This two-part article arms users with the essential information to make the best wiper choice

Modular Cleanrooms

11/01/2004  Modular hardwall and softwall cleanrooms can be found in industries ranging from precision manufacturing, medical, pharmaceutical and biological to semiconductor, aerospace and food processing.

New Literature

11/01/2004 

Chiron loss hammers home critical contamination control

11/01/2004  After discovering serratia marcescens bacterial contamination in what it claims was a "limited number of lots" of its Fluvirin flu vaccine late this summer, Chiron Corp. (www.chiron.com) quarantined the approximately 46 million doses manufactured at its Liverpool facility and began an investigation into the cause of the contamination.

Better chips need purer gases

11/01/2004  Recent announcements from Pall Microelectronics, a part of Pall Corp. (East Hills, N.Y.; www.pall.com), and Mykrolis Corp. (Billerica, Mass.; www.mykrolis.com) may portend a time when gas filters and purifiers are the same device, and when cleanroom air itself is purified, as well as filtered, to control contamination.

Millipore boosts ultrafiltration production

11/01/2004  A 44,000-square-foot membrane casting manufacturing facility, designed to increase production of Millipore Corp.'s ultrafiltration (UF) membranes for biopharmaceutical markets, is now in operation next to the company's existing device plant here.

CMOs in the forefront of contamination control

11/01/2004  Pharmaceutical outsourcing taps the expertise and flexibility of contract manufacturing organizations

Process-friendly technology inactivates prions on critical healthcare, pharmaceutical surfaces

11/01/2004  Anti-prion processes developed by STERIS Corp. (www.steris.com) have been found to inactivate deadly prions that can lead to fatal illnesses in humans and animals.

Biosensor system helps detect pathogens cleanly, rapidly

11/01/2004  Biosensor technology developed at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is being incorporated in a contamination-controlled laptop veterinary diagnostic system now under development by Seahawk Biosystems Corp.

Wireless system measures photomask processes

11/01/2004  A wireless sensor-on-a-plate is giving photomask makers a view inside the manufacturing process, letting them solve critical dimension challenges without work disruption or the need for manual modifications.

Technology purifies organic materials

11/01/2004  A proprietary membrane-based filtration module that removes contaminants and separates unwanted molecules in polymer and solvent solutions is designed to provide a more cost-effective and efficient method for purifying organic materials used in high-tech manufacturing.

FDA proposes tougher shell egg safety

11/01/2004  An estimated 118,000 illnesses per year are caused by consumption of shell eggs contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) bacteria.

Bigger isn't always better. Smallest isn't always best. Standard isn't for everyone

11/01/2004  $3, $5, even $10B. These are the astronomical numbers being cited for the next generation of semiconductor megafabs.

The need for lighting equipment performance standards

11/01/2004  A high percentage of existing cleanrooms are outfitted with lighting equipment that is not effectively sealed against leakage.

Organizing Electronics Worldwide

11/01/2004  I recently put together a panel of experts to discuss the concept of "jisso," and what the Jisso North American Council hopes to accomplish.