06/05/2007 It's been said that the first casualty of war is the truth -- and an interview appearing on a popular electronics industry Web site is the most recent battlefield in this ongoing hype-war between the world's semiconductor manufacturing heavyweights. As tradeoffs in fab technology become more fundamental at 45nm nodes and beyond, companies choose to deploy similar technologies in different ways. The truth is inherently complex and complex to describe, and can die under the assault of hype.
06/05/2007 June 5, 2007 - IBM is rolling out four new products, including a Cu-45nm ASIC custom chip using silicon-on-insulator technology, which is also the first commercial use of embedded DRAM also implemented in SOI.
06/05/2007 June 5, 2007 - The Common Platform technology alliance of IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. have announced availability of DFM technology model, data files, and design kits from various partners supporting its 45nm process technology (as well as its 65nm process).
06/05/2007 The Fab Owners Association (FOA), the association of semiconductor / MEMS manufacturing executives and suppliers, has announced the formation of a semiconductor Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), to be called FOA Purchasing Partners, Inc. (PPI). PPI will be the official group purchasing organization of the FOA and its device maker members, providing procurement services, including aggregation of demand, contract negotiations and contract management for semiconductor manufacturing consumables.
06/05/2007 Consolidated Ecoprogress Technology Inc. of Vancouver, B.C., reports the creation of a new diaper design using a combination of reusable and flushable components. The design incorporates the company's Flushaway nanotechnology-based pads.
06/05/2007 Immediately following product announcements by both Knowles Acoustics and Akustica, Inc., the two MEMS microphone suppliers now announce a cross-licensing arrangement that hopes to reinforce the partners' respective patent portfolios.
06/05/2007 Microfabrication software provider GenISys GmbH, has formed a technology development partnership with microscope developer JEOL, Ltd., and Cornell University's Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility to develop solutions for direct write e-beam data preparation and electron process correction (nano-EPC) technologies for nano-scale structures.
06/05/2007 June 5, 2007 - The market segment for semiconductor metrology and inspection tools will recover "modestly" this year after "a dismal 2006" in which the segment grew just half the rate of the rest of the frontend equipment market, according to a report from The Information Network.
06/04/2007 June 4, 2007 - The Fab Owners Association (FOA), a collection of an association of mainly second-tier semiconductor manufacturers, has formed a group purchasing organization, FOA Purchasing Partners Inc., to represent the FOA and its devicemaker members with procurement services for semiconductor manufacturing consumables.
06/04/2007 June 4, 2007 - Worldwide sales of semiconductors slipped 2.1% in April vs. March (and increased a scant 1.6% year-on-year) to $19.92 billion -- the first time in 12 months that chip sales (calculated as a 3-mo. moving average) have been below $20 billion -- as declining ASPs in major industry segments dampen sales, notes the SIA in its latest monthly analysis.
There are several notions that govern when to short power supplies in a package together. Many of these are driven by incorrect "rules of thumb," instead of a clear understanding of possible ramifications. Some IP providers also give misleading instructions with respect to supply shorts. The following guidelines for when to short supplies in a package and how to handle signal routing with these options offer practical solutions.
06/04/2007 June 4, 2007 - Applied Materials Inc. has launched an upgraded deposition system to provide advanced barrier low-k technology for 45nm and 32nm chip manufacturing processes.
06/04/2007 June 4, 2007 - Among the past week's news in Taiwan, a reported deal between Taiwan's Macronix and Qimonda AG has raised the stakes in the memory market, and raised eyebrows as a possible thwart to increased influence from Powerchip. Elsewhere, UMC can thank SiS for an upcoming spike in its 300mm utilization rates, and MediaTek is scrambling to find room to produce its digital TV demodulators.
06/04/2007 June 4, 2007 - ARM says it has created a test chip incorporating physical IP (libraries for standard cell and I/O, plus single-port SRAM memory compiler) using UMC's 65nm process technology and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology.
06/04/2007 June 4, 2007 - GenISys GmbH, JEOL Ltd., and Cornell U. are partnering to develop advanced technologies for direct-write e-beam data preparation and electron process correction technologies for nanometer-range structures.
06/04/2007 EV Group (St. Florian) installed an EVG620 precision mask and bond aligner system at repeat-customer Danish Advanced Nanotech Center for Highly Integrated Production (DANCHIP) facilities at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU — Lyngby). The machine will be used for research, education, prototyping, and small-scale production of micro- and nanotechnology.
06/04/2007 Nextreme appointed Paul A. Magill, Ph.D., as VP of marketing and business development, citing his entrepreneurial experience and background in electronics packaging and thermal management. Magill has founded several companies, such as Unitive and Avo Photonics.
06/04/2007 Akustica, Inc. says it has developed the world's smallest microphone. At 1mm x 1mm, Akustica's microphone, which integrates the transducer and electronics into a single silicon die, is more than 70% smaller in silicon area than competing products.
06/04/2007 By Bob Haavind, editorial director, Solid State Technology
At sister publication Solid State Technology's (SST) ConFab conference, a panel titled "Think Outside the Fab," chaired by James Doyle, VP, packaging and supply chain at IBM, explored the dramatic shifts that are reshaping packaging strategies at all chipmakers.
06/04/2007 Knowles Acoustics has introduced its Ultrasonic Acoustic Sensor (UAS) for use as a component to detect/receive ultrasonic sound in air. The Ultrasonic Acoustic Sensor uses MEMS innovations to provide performance over a wide environmental range. Sampling and low volume production is being offered now with mass production available beginning of Q2 2007. Pricing is comparative to current piezo ultrasonic receiving sensors on the market.
