10/15/2007 October 3, 2007 -- STAMFORD, CT -- Semiconductor capital equipment growth is slowing, and the trough will push out into the first quarter of 2008, leading to flat growth in 2008, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc.
10/15/2007 ; Synova, pioneer and patent holder of water jet-guided laser technology, announced that two Chinese customers have placed orders for systems incorporating Synova's Laser MicroJet (LMJ) technology for semiconductor and micro-machining applications. These customers represent a strengthened foothold in the Chinese market and throughout Asia for Synova.
10/15/2007 A new silicon-on-insulator product with built-in gettering properties, Okmetic G-SOI, promises IC-integrated MEMS processes with such benefits as reduced device size, improved yields, streamlined process, and decreased cost.
10/12/2007 October 12, 2007 - Recent PV news in China finds a pair of supply deals for LDK Solar and another for China Sunergy, which also is getting ready to ramp production for new high-efficiency selective emitter cells thanks to a new tool acquisition.
10/12/2007 October 12, 2007 - Cookson Electronics is finalizing a three-year expansion of its India Research Center, moving to a 32,000-sq.ft. facility in Bangalore where it will focus on semiconductor manufacturing and packaging technologies as well as solar technologies.
10/12/2007 A group of 19 leading companies from throughout the electronics industry have launched the SOI Industry Consortium to help accelerate adoption into broad markets by promoting the benefits of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology and reducing the barriers to adoption.
10/11/2007 October 11, 2007 - Lam Research posted mixed results for its fiscal 4Q07, with sales flat and shipments and margins down sequentially. But some of the more interesting numbers came from CEO Steve Newberry's comments in the conference call Q&A, where he expressed optimism for flat industry capex in 2008, vs. growing consensus of a negative year.
10/11/2007 memsstar Technology of Edinburgh, Scotland, has completed introduction of a full range of research, development, and production platforms for its SVR and SPD process chambers, which enable dry isotropic etching and surface coating with ultra thin films.
10/11/2007 Specialty Coating Systems Inc. (SCS) has completed its acquisition of Parylene Japan K.K. (PJKK) -- a joint venture between SCS and Three Bond Co. Ltd. established in 1990 to provide world-class Parylene conformal coating services and technologies in Japan.
10/11/2007 Research presented by IMEC at the SEMATECH Immersion Workshop in Colorado shows patterning of through-pitch contact layers without assist features using combined illumination sources and two ASML immersion scanners.
10/11/2007 October 11, 2007 - What was expected to be a barely-double-digit decline in the market for array processing equipment for making TFT-LCDs has turned into a "tailspin," with sales now expected to plunge 50%, according to a report from the Information Network.
10/11/2007 October 11, 2007 - Taiwan foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) says it has qualified and begun accepting customer design-ins for its 65nm RF-CMOS process, targeting wireless SoC applications such as WiFi, WiMax, wireless USB and cellular.
10/11/2007 October 11, 2007 - New forecasts from SEMI's Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) project 9% growth in silicon wafer shipments this year following a 20% surge in 2006 -- which suggests slowing shipments through the rest of this year.
10/11/2007 ; EV Group (EVG), a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology, and semiconductor markets, announced the installation of its fourth IQ Aligner System for packaging applications at a major semiconductor manufacturing facility in Austria. This purchase reportedly strengthens the customer's capacity for wafer-level packaging of MEMS and display devices.
10/11/2007 ; ZESTRON America recently sponsored the PWAR Community Service 3rd Annual 5K Run/Walk to benefit Securing Emergency Resources through Volunteer Efforts (SERVE).
10/11/2007 ; Nextreme, manufacturer of micro-scale thermal and power management products, announces the integration of cooling and power generation into the copper pillar bumping process used in high-volume electronic packaging. This breakthrough in flip chip process technology reportedly addresses two serious issues in electronics today — thermal and power management constraints.
10/11/2007 Discera Inc., a developer of CMOS MEMS oscillators and resonators, and provider of next-generation timing solutions, is one of four semiconductor companies singled out for the Technology Innovation Awards by The Wall Street Journal.
10/10/2007 October 10, 2007 - The 2007 Nobel Prizes for Physics and Chemistry both find direct applications close to our industry -- the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR), the science behind MRAM, spintronics, and other current technologies; and better understanding of surface chemistries starting with processes used in semiconductor manufacturing.
10/10/2007 The fact that MEMS are at last making it into mainstream consumer applications was enough to encourage MEMS developer MEMSIC Inc. to file for a $100 million initial public offering. Small Times' Howard Lovy reports.
The fact that MEMS are at last making it into mainstream consumer applications was enough to encourage MEMS developer MEMSIC Inc. to file for a $100 million initial public offering. Small Times' Howard Lovy reports.