08/16/2007 Apple Inc.'s iPhone release bumped up the company's influence on semiconductor design in the first half of 2007, analyst firm iSuppli Corp. reports. Its regional design influence tool (RDIT) shows Apple's design activity to have a significant impact on the global electronics supply chain.
08/16/2007 August 16, 2006 - Brooks Automation Inc. has appointed Robert Lepofsky, formerly chairman/CEO of Helix Technology Corp., as its next CEO following Ed Grady's scheduled retirement next month.
08/16/2007 August 16, 2007 - Following months of trimmings and reorganizations, Nanometrics Inc. is further shrinking its corporate footprint with the closure of its machine shop and plating facility in Milpitas, CA.
08/16/2007 Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) acquired Integrated Circuit Designs, Inc. (ICD — Ellicott City, MD) to enhance its low-power RF industrial, commercial, and consumer solutions. Transactions terms were undisclosed.
As EMS providers become more involved in design and R&D, they have started working on advanced miniaturization technologies and different component packaging methods. One method to improve TCO and solve design challenges for multifunctional phones is modules. Mobile phones can be designed using modules and hardware and software platforms that adapt quickly. Multiple functions can be combined in a single module to save space.
08/16/2007 Delong Instruments says its LVEM5 is the only benchtop transmission electron microscope -- and the smallest multi-mode desktop electron microscope -- on the market today. It can accommodate up to 4 imaging modes (TEM, STEM, SEM, and electron diffraction) and promises effortless transitioning among them.
08/16/2007 Ecology Coatings Inc., developer of nano-enabled, UV-curable clean-technology coatings, announced that company chairman Richard Stromback has been elected to the additional position of CEO. Tom Krotine will transition to the role of president and chief operating officer. This reorganization follows the recent company listing on the OTC Bulletin Board and supports Ecology Coatings' strategy for bringing its proprietary UV-curable coatings to market.
08/16/2007 August 15, 2007 - Applied Materials said fiscal 3Q07 profits slid about 7.5% to $473.5M on almost-flat sales of $2.56B, which was better than analysts expected -- though the firm cast some cloudy doubt on prospects for business through the rest of this year, particularly foundry spending that has not rebounded as expected.
08/15/2007 TSMC board members approved a proposal for capacity investments leading to 300-mm wafer-level packaging (WLP) production capability. The investment equals $59.8 million in capital appropriation. It is designed to reduce form factor for more competitve end products.
08/15/2007 August 15, 2007 - Israeli foundry Tower Semiconductor says sales rose 3% sequentially in 2Q07 and 28% year-on-year to $57.1 million, and it trimmed its net loss to $9.2M vs. $37.4M in 1Q07 and $34.4M a year ago.
08/15/2007 August 15, 2007 - TSMC says it has started making the graphics-memory subsystem for Microsoft's Xbox 360 gaming console, using a 90nm embedded DRAM process with 80mn density design and 500MHz speeds.
08/15/2007 August 15, 2007 - TSMC board members have given their approval to a pair of proposals targeting capacity investments for 300mm wafer-level packaging and an upgrade to its 200mm/0.18-micron logic process.
08/15/2007 August 15, 2007 - Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment rose 3% in 2Q07 vs. the prior quarter, but that small growth was entirely on the backs of heavy investments in Taiwan and China mainly for memory operations, according to the latest data from SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ).
08/15/2007 Nanosphere, which uses nanotechnology for early diagnosis and treatment of disease, has filed with the SEC for an initial public stock offering. The company hopes to raise up to $100 million, of which about 90% would go to manufacturing development and marketing of testing systems now awaiting regulatory approval.
08/15/2007 Microbridge Technologies Inc., provider of analog calibration products, has introduced the MBT-303-A rejustor (re-adjustable resistor), which it calls "the world's first passive electronic temperature compensation (eTC) divider."
08/15/2007 SEMI reported global semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings at $11.06B in Q'02 2007, and bookings at $10.22B. Strong memory investments in the first half of 2007 led to an increase in billings, according to Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO, SEMI, adding that bookings declined, but remained at "sustainable levels."
08/14/2007 August 14, 2007 - RF Micro Devices Inc. has agreed to acquire RF components supplier Sirenza Microdevices in a cash-and-stock deal worth about $900 million.
08/14/2007 Data from the London Mercantile Exchange (LME) confirms that — at mid-year 2007 — copper, lead, and tin raw metal prices remain above 2006 levels. Leadframe materials, including copper and nickel, are hitting record prices, asserts The Nikkei Business Daily, which suggests that component manufacturers are resistant to absorbing the higher raw metals costs.
08/14/2007 August 14, 2007 - Scotland's Semefab Ltd. says it has acquired the building next to its Fab 1 and Fab 2 operations, as part of an expansion phase to create 3000 sq. m of new cleanroom floorspace for MEMS frontend processing
08/14/2007 Chipmakers are turning to collaborations and partnerships to help manage escalating costs, as well as compressed cycle times and margins brought by "consumerization." Part of their strategy involves expanding their use of outsourcing, especially for process development. Speakers at a SEMICON West panel discussed this increased interest in outsourcing, citing the benefits of flexible capacity, better IP management, and assurances that outsourcing is viable even in an industry slowdown.
Delong Instruments says its LVEM5 is the only benchtop transmission electron microscope -- and the smallest multi-mode desktop electron microscope -- on the market today. It can accommodate up to 4 imaging modes (TEM, STEM, SEM, and electron diffraction) and promises effortless transitioning among them.