05/15/2007 The new crop of tomorrow's DRAM and NAND flash memory fabs will be twice as big in 2009 as they were just five years earlier, and the costs to equip these behemoths will simply squeeze most chip companies out of the business unless they can hook into one of the growing number of industry alliances. Analyst George Burns with Strategic Marketing Associates reviews the delicate balance that memory firms constantly fight to maintain, who has the "flash religion" and who's likely to abandon ship.
05/15/2007 Investments to equip semiconductor fabs will slow to just 3% growth this year, down from a 25% surge in 2006. Fab construction investments also are seen in the low single digits (4%-5%) this year -- but both areas are expected to pick up again in 2008, according to a new report from SEMI.
05/15/2007 May 15, 2007 - Spansion Inc. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) have expanded their existing partnership to extend development of Spansion's MirrorBit flash memory technology down to 40nm and below.
05/15/2007 The DX-350 series of digital dispensers/controllers target precise fluid volumes with accuracy and repeatability for solder paste or underfill dispensing. The DX-350, with operating pressure between 0 and 100 psi, controls variation in pneumatic dispense valves and suits a range of fluid viscosities. The DX-355 dispenses low-viscosity fluids, with an operating pressure of 0–15 psi.
05/15/2007 HermeTech, a hermetic plastic package that meets JEDEC standards, combines Quantech materials with the UltraSeal ultrasonic lid process to offer adjustable properties, low moisture permeability, and high temperature stability.
05/15/2007 Highly engineered, the CPS hermetic package is made from Kovar, aluminum (Al), steel, and other materials. It suits military, satellite, and aerospace end products.
05/15/2007 The fiber-based picosecond UV laser, developed with proprietary diode laser technology, fiber coupling, and frequency conversions, produces 12-W output power at a 355-nm wavelength. It enables scribing and other processing steps on dielectric, glass, and semiconductor materials.
05/15/2007 pre-pick, post-flip, in-pocket, and post-seal — examine bump size, shape, and array; edge chip; laser mark; position and flatness in pocket; and other parameters.
05/15/2007 With a new design platform and attention to uniformity, the ELAN CB8 wafer bonder suits emerging technologies such as MEMS and 3D interconnects, as well as high-volume wafer-bonding applications.
05/15/2007 The DA-6534 one-part, high-performance thermal adhesive uses silver filler with a silicone-based chemistry to offer flexibility, reliability, and thermal conductivity. It targets thermal management packaging for flip chip BGAs and other advanced components.
05/15/2007 The number of consumer products using nanotechnology has more than doubled, from 212 to 475, in 14 months, says the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies.
05/15/2007 BASF has announced the opening of a $2.6 million R&D center for organic electronics in Singapore that will focus on nanotechnology and energy management.
05/15/2007 Palomar Technologies, known for its automation equipment and process development for microelectronic assembly, now offers microelectronic packaging services through its new division, Palomar Microelectronics.
05/15/2007 Cadence Design Systems, Inc., released product and technology enhancements within its Allegro system interconnect design platform for PCB design, including constraint-driven flow and global routing.
05/15/2007 May 14, 2007 - Capital investments from Japan's top seven chipmakers is expected to be about 970 billion (US $8.09 billion) in this current fiscal year started in April, down 8% year-on-year but still the second-highest level on record, according to the Nikkei daily paper, which gives a rundown of individual capex plans from Toshiba Corp., Elpida Memory Inc., Renesas Technology Corp., NEC Electronics Corp., Sony Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., and Matsushita Industrial Co.
05/14/2007 May 14, 2007 - STATS ChipPAC has formally established its new R&D facility in Singapore, to develop next-generation technologies including through-silicon vias (TSV), microbump bonding methods for 3D die, silicon substrate-based system-in-package solutions, and embedded active die technology.
05/14/2007 May 14, 2007 - Continuing a multistep process to slough off noncore businesses, Cypress Semiconductor is selling its PSRAM product line, including IP, photomasks, and probe card assets, to Taiwan's Elite Semiconductor Memory Technology Inc. (ESMT), who had been rumored to be interested in the business.
05/14/2007 The German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) approved KLA-Tencor's bid to purchase Therma-Wave shares, completing the regulatory approval process for the metrology equipment company's acquisition.
05/14/2007 To develop a next-generation hardware and software solution for USB flash drives, Microsoft and SanDisk Corporation will collaborate and open an entity for licensing compatible hardware designs and intellectual property (IP). Revenues from the joint venture will be shared. Microsoft is discussing licensing software with third-party hardware vendors.
05/14/2007 Micralyne Inc., an independent MEMS fabrication company, has announced a partnership with Polychromix, developer of inspection and analysis tools, to manufacture MEMS near-infrared (NIR) devices for the Polychromix's Phazir product line.
Palomar Technologies, known for its automation equipment and process development for microelectronic assembly, now offers microelectronic packaging services through its new division, Palomar Microelectronics.