10/22/2007 October 22, 2007 - The Fab Owners Association (FOA), an association of mainly second-tier semiconductor manufacturers and suppliers, says its recently-formed purchasing organization, FOA Purchasing Partners Inc., has signed several agreements for services including logistics/transportation, cleanroom supplies, publishing, telecom services, B2B office supplies/equipment, and auto rentals.
10/22/2007 October 22, 2007 - HelioVolt Corp., a developer of CIGS thin-film solar products, says it has closed a Series B round of funding adding another $24M in investments to a previous $77M in commitments, bringing the entire Series B round to $101M.
10/22/2007 October 22, 2007 - Sarnoff Corp. says its silicon wafer foundry has been accredited as a "microelectronics trusted source" for the US Department of Defense and all other US government users, able to offer foundry services for military quality microelectronics applications.
10/22/2007 October 22, 2007 - Japan's Elpida Memory Inc. and Taiwan foundry UMC have agreed to jointly develop a copper low-k backend process for both advanced DRAM and phase-change random access memory (PRAM).
10/22/2007 In an exclusive interview with WaferNEWS, Jeannine Sargent, recently appointed CEO of Oerlikon, discusses the future of solar energy, her company's plans beyond current amorphous/micromorph-tandem silicon thin-film on glass technology, and how to bring photovoltaic (PV) technology to the promised land of "grid parity" -- the point at which the cost to generate electricity is no more than the cost to buy it from the distribution grid.
10/22/2007 The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), and the publishers of Consumer Reports magazine and Consumer Reports Online, are collaborating to engage the public in an online conversation about the possible risks and benefits of nanotechnology and consumer products.
10/22/2007 Cientifica, a London-based nanotech research firm, says nanotech-enabled improvements to existing pharmaceuticals have created a "new value paradigm" in the drug delivery market.
10/22/2007 ; The current market for tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors is expected to reach $183M in 2012 from $168M in 2007, seeing a CAGR of 2% till 2012 in revenue due to a strong erosion of prices, despite an increase of 12% in volume, says a new report from Yole Developpement. 99% of direct TPM systems use MEMS pressure sensors.
10/22/2007 ; Sunic System, a producer of vacuum deposition equipment for OLED, and Novaled, a provider of doping technology and materials for organic electronics, will work together to build up the next generation of thin-film encapsulation (TFE) tools, technologies, and materials.
10/19/2007 October 19, 2007 - Strong shipments of memory devices and automotive-related analog ICs are the main reasons why IC unit shipments will grow by double digits in 2007 (10%), continuing an "unprecedented" streak of six straight solid years of growth, according to data from IC Insights Inc.
10/19/2007 October 19, 2007 - Chinese foundries Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Corp. (HHNEC), plus local subsidiaries of two US chip industry firms, have been granted "validated end-user" (VEU) status from the US government, essentially removing licensing requirements to obtain equipment and materials from US suppliers.
10/19/2007 October 19, 2007 - Thin-film solar cell makers will need to deliver power conversion rates of 12%-13%+ if they want to remain viable, according to a top exec at Japanese solar module maker Kaneka.
10/19/2007 October 19, 2007 - The latest monthly figures are in for semiconductor equipment demand, and the data is ugly just about any way you slice it. Bookings are -25% since a peak in May, with Y-Y % declines at a two-year low -- and the M-M drop in billings is the worst in nearly five years.
10/19/2007 Nano-C Inc., developer of nanostructured carbon materials, will receive about $2.9 million over three years from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the company announced.
10/19/2007 ; Intel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, became the sole investor in a US $11 million round of funding into Jordan Valley Semiconductors Ltd in return for a significant stake in the Israeli company. Jordan Valley develops tools for semiconductor metrology based on X-ray technology.
10/19/2007 ; The September book-to-bill ratio for North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment slipped another notch from August, from .82 to .81, reports SEMI.
10/18/2007 October 18, 2007 - At its annual award banquet, SEMI has named winners of two awards: UT-Austin's C. Grant Willson, for his work in chemically amplified resists; and IBM's Bernie Meyerson for a lifetime of technical innovation.
10/18/2007 A new series of screen printable thick film materials from DuPont Microcircuit Materials, Bristol, UK, enables solar cell manufacturers to reduce their cost per watt by reportedly achieving higher cell efficiencies, higher production yields, and lower material consumption.
10/18/2007 October 18, 2007 - Vacuum tool supplier Edwards (nee BOC Edwards) says it has sold multiple exhaust abatement (hot oxidation) systems to Advent Solar for an undisclosed amount, to abate PECVD exhaust gases during solar cell manufacturing at Advent's plant in Albuquerque, NM. The tools already have started shipping.
10/18/2007 October 18, 2007 - With global competition increasing and margins eroding, Japan's materials suppliers, who own more than half the world's market, are ramping up efforts to produce new products for use in digital devices, reports the Nikkei daily.
