09/18/2007 FOGALE nanotech, developer of dimensional metrology devices, has opened its first North American office in Los Angeles to forge partnerships with North American universities to develop ideas for innovative sensors, and to improve sales service for the company's North American clients. Arnauld Dumont is CEO of the new operation.
09/17/2007 September 17, 2007 - AU Optronics shipped 7.6 million thin-film transistor/flat-panel displays (TFT-LCD) in August, exceeding SEC and LPL to become the first Taiwanese firm to unseat Korean suppliers, according to data from DisplaySearch.
09/17/2007 September 17, 2007 - Wacker Chemie AG has signed a deal to extend its polysilicon supplies to Chinese PV product manufacturer Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. Ltd. for a two-year period from 2009-2011.
09/17/2007 September 17, 2007 - Echoing a similar event from the DRAM sector a few years ago, nearly two dozen NAND flash memory chipmakers are reportedly under investigation by authorities in the US and Canada for allegedly conspiring to fix prices.
09/17/2007 September 17, 2007 - As part of a shift toward other devices like image sensors, Sony is officially getting out of the Cell processor production business, by outsourcing manufacturing to a new JV with Toshiba.
09/17/2007 Imago Scientific Instruments, provider of atomic probe microscopes, has made a number of organizational changes, including new CEO and president appointments.
09/17/2007 NanoRite, a $5 million center designed to house and advance business ventures in the ultrasmall, has opened in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Small Times guest contributor Jim Mortwedt reports.
09/17/2007 Austin Semiconductor has selected SiTest Solutions Ltd. as their pre-production and production test solutions provider for their latest integrated products. Frank Muscolino, president Austin Semiconductor, said the choice was prompted by a need for a unique test methodology and capability not readily found at test service companies.
09/17/2007 IBM researchers and scientists from the ETH Zurich demonstrated a nanoscale printing technique that could bring nanowires, miniature lenses for optical chips, and nanoscale biosensors into future generations of advanced chips and packages. Key to the technique is a combination of directed self-assembly and a printing process that retains particle order, said Heiko Wolf, IBM researcher.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - Aviza Technology says the proposed buyer of its Scotts Valley headquarters has terminated the $16 million purchase agreement because a timeframe to get the project approved by the city could not be determined.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - Fujifilm Corp. says its electronic materials division has acquired Air Products' OptiYield positive photoresist developer line. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - The European Commission has authorized 200 million euros (about US $277 million) in funding over five years to support the "NanoSmart" R&D program, which aims to develop advanced substrates for microelectronic and optoelectronic components.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - A group of memory chipmakers and mobile device providers are backing a new industry spec for removable memory cards and embedded memory technologies, an effort spearheaded by standards org JEDEC Solid State Technology Association.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - Jazz Semiconductor is looking for either a partnership or acquisition to gain access to 200mm manufacturing capabilities, as its internal capacity utilization surges beyond 90%, according to a report by Digitimes.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - Dutch firm Mapper Lithography says it has achieved "massively parallel electron beam writing" with its newest maskless litho technology, demonstrating 45nm dense patterns in resist.
09/15/2007 September 14, 2007 - Adding more fuel to an already hot-burning fire, Taiwan foundry giant TSMC reportedly is planning to start production using 450mm wafers in 2012, standing alongside industry leaders Intel and Samsung in pushing adoption of the new wafer size.
09/14/2007 MEPTEC finalized the itinerary for its 2nd annual Medical Electronics symposium, titled "Growth Opportunities for Medical MicroElectronics." The show will take place at the Arizona State University (ASU) campus, Tempe, AZ, on Sept 25th, 2007.
09/14/2007 WITec's new Ultrafast Raman Imaging Option for confocal microscopes enables acquisition time for a single Raman spectrum in as few as 1.7 milliseconds -- and a complete image of 62,500 spectra in two minutes. The offering sets a new standard for time and sensitivity, the company says.
09/14/2007 Japan-based Nihon Superior awarded solder distributor Balver Zinn its Gold Award, recognizing sales of Nihon's SN100C lead-free solders to Europe-based electronics assemblers. Balver built a successful partnership with Nihon in part through its global alliance with DKL Metals in the U.K. and FCTA in the U.S., said Josef Jost, managing director, Balver Zinn.
09/14/2007 Soitec, supplier of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and other engineered substrates, and the French Agency for Industrial Innovation (AII), have announced the European Commission's authorization for the funding of the strategic R&D program, NanoSmart. The total cost of the program, for all partners, comes to 200 million Euros over five years. The Soitec Group will receive public money amounting to 62 million Euros.
WITec's new Ultrafast Raman Imaging Option for confocal microscopes enables acquisition time for a single Raman spectrum in as few as 1.7 milliseconds -- and a complete image of 62,500 spectra in two minutes. The offering sets a new standard for time and sensitivity, the company says.