08/24/2007 The 22nd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, September 3–7 in Milano, will feature an increased presence of electronics materials companies launching products targeting the photovoltaics market. Following are the introductions Cookson and Indium plan for the show.
08/24/2007 The U.S. Patent Office has granted Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. (ISSYS) a utility patent titled "Fluid sensing device with integrated bypass and process therefor." A major hurdle in commercializing microfluidic devices has been their limiting low flow rates, the company says. This patent describes a new method and design which allow microfluidic sensors to monitor and test relatively high flow rates of fluids.
08/23/2007 August 23, 2007 - Korea's Hynix Semiconductor will likely sell off chipmaking equipment from its M8 and M9 200mm DRAM lines in Cheong-ju, North Chungcheong Province, by the end of this year in order to shift more production to its 300mm business and increase productivity, according to anonymous "high-ranking" company officials quoted by the Korea Times, who also projected spending ~12.5T won ($13.25B) by the end of 2010 to build 3-4 new 300mm DRAM plants.
08/23/2007 August 23, 2007 -- Surfect Technologies says it has launched a wafer bumping service program utilizing its single-cell electroplating process for 200mm and 300mm IC manufacturers and OEMs performing low-volume production, preliminary wafer-level packaging, R&D, or new product introduction (NPI), or evaluating wafer-bumping systems.
Many innovations in passives can be traced back to the need for smaller, lighter devices. For capacitors, that's resulted in shrinking case sizes from 1210 down to 0201, and even to 01005s. The need to make passive components thinner, as witnessed by increased sales of newer, thinner MP3 players, adds to this. For passive component manufacturers, this means meeting the requirements of the smallest semiconductor package available.
08/23/2007 Quantum Leap Packaging, Inc. (QLP), purchased a second manufacturing site, located in Poway, CA. It plans to manufacture high-performance air-cavity packages at the Poway site by early 2008.
08/23/2007 API Nanotronics Corp., supplier of electronic components and nanotechnology expertise to the defense and communications sectors, has announced record annual revenues ($20,532,010 compared to $15,634,093 in 2006) and positive cash contributions from operations for the fiscal year 2007. For Q4 2007, record revenues of $7,855,476 represent an increase of 93% over Q4 2006 revenues.
08/23/2007 Microfluidics' newest Microfluidizer processor is a benchtop machine that requires no compressed air or cooling water. It promises efficient production of nano-formulations and a higher flow rate than any comparable, competitive product. Results are guaranteed scaleable to pilot/production volumes.
08/23/2007 Zyvex Labs' first company spinout, NanoMed Inc., is focused on nanotechnology for life sciences, and will pursue application of nanoparticle technologies for the development of research grade reagents and cutting-edge therapeutics.
08/22/2007 August 22, 2007 - JSR Corp. says it has developed an insulating material that can be spin-coated on substrates for use in 45nm chip manufacturing, according to the Nikkei Business Daily.
08/22/2007 August 22, 2007 - Semiconductor sales should slow down in 2007 to a 4.8% clip after a 8.8% year-on-year increase in 2006, but will bounce back next year with 8.1% growth, and maybe better than that if demand remains strong and suppliers manage their capacity expansions, according to data from IDC.
08/22/2007 August 22, 2007 - After a year of withholding investments in additional manufacturing equipment, LCD panel providers still seem to be in no hurry to buy processing tools even though panel prices are rising again and inventory seems back under control, according to data from the Information Network.
08/22/2007 Enthone, Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics, named Bioh Kim as process integration manager of electronic materials. Kim has a metallurgical and semiconductor packaging background.
08/22/2007 The Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe independent science and research institute (Germany) began running applications on a Vistec VB6 electron beam lithography system in its Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility. The system will allow researchers to develop new applications in nanotechnology and microsystems technologies.
08/22/2007 Jacket Micro Devices (JMD) patented a fabrication method for 3D, all-organic interconnect structures that uses high- and low-temperature single-sided liquid crystal polymer (LCP) structures. The technique is based on JMD's multi-layer organic (MLO) packaging portfolio.
08/22/2007 Houston Technology Center's (HTC) new initiative, HTC-Americas, offers access to business acceleration resources for Mexican and Latin American companies focused on nanotechnology and four other sectors.
08/22/2007 BioForce Nanosciences Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, has established a new division, Emerging Technologies. Dr. Saju Nettikadan has been appointed director and will oversee commercializing in-house R&D and collaborations with BioForce instrument customers.
