04/05/2007 Capacity needs, competitive investment in memory, 65-nm ramping, and 45-nm introductions all contributed to a 23% revenue increase in 2006, said Gartner, Inc.'s "Dataquest Insight: Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Sales Expanded in 2006."
04/05/2007 April 5, 2007 - Silicon MEMS microphones were installed in 20% of mobile phones manufactured in 2006, up from 10% in the previous year, but in reality there are only two suppliers who reap the benefits, according to data from The Information Network.
04/05/2007 April 5, 2007 - Chip test tool supplier Advantest Corp. says revenues and group operating profits slipped about 7% in its just-closed year as DRAM manufacturers worried about plunging ASPs postponed orders for test equipment, according to local Japanese press reports.
04/05/2007 April 5, 2007 - Ziptronix Inc. and Raytheon Vision Systems (RVS) say they have demonstrated compatibility of Ziptronix's "direct bond interconnect" (DBI) interconnect technology with multilayer CMOS IC processes, involving 3D integration of five-layer metal 0.5-micron CMOS devices with silicon PIN detector devices.
04/05/2007 April 5, 2007 - As part of efforts to maximize efficiency at its chipmaking operations, ProMOS Technologies Inc. is spending about $30 million to install computer-integration management systems at its 300mm wafer fabs, working with a host of partners including Applied Materials, Oracle, and Hewlett-Packard, according to the Taiwan Economic News. Installations are expected to be completed within six months.
04/05/2007 Ziptronix, Inc., in conjunction with Raytheon Vision Systems (RVS), demonstrated compatibility with multi-layer CMOS IC production for its Direct Bond Interconnect (DBI) process. The die-to-wafer/wafer-to-wafer bond process uses no external pressure or heat to produce stacked die. Raytheon selected the process to manufacture focal-plane imagers and high-performance sensor arrays, said Stefan Baur, RVS director for advanced technology.
04/05/2007 Major solder companies are adjusting prices on tin-bearing solders, following reports that 2007 tin consumption would greatly outrun available raw tin supply. Mining and production shortfalls in Bolivia and Indonesia drove the market shift, and solder companies will roll out price adjustments as temporary or tiered increases. The surcharges are expected to last for the majority of 2007.
04/05/2007 April 5, 2007 - Cost savings from shifting to production utilizing 300mm wafers couldn't offset plunging average selling prices of DRAM and NAND flash devices for Micron Technology Inc. The firm swung to a $52 million loss on 7% lower sales of $1.43 billion during 1Q07, even as it ramps NAND flash production at two sites in the US and ahead-of-schedule progress at its 300mm JV in Singapore.
04/05/2007 March 21, 2007 -- /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LEHIGH VALLEY, PA -- Recent advances by major semiconductor manufacturers to develop 45 nm semiconductor chips have been made possible through the use of high-k materials in the gate dielectric. Air Products produces and markets a variety of high-k precursors, which are used to deposit defect-free gate dielectrics through chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition.
04/05/2007 Waters Corp. and Symyx Technologies announce the integration of Waters' NuGenesis Scientific Data Management System (SDMS) with the Symyx Software Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN). By making the software products compatible with one another, the companies say scientists will more easily access, share, use, and document scientific information generated by multiple sources.
04/05/2007 Zyvex, which calls itself "the first molecular nanotechnology company," has announced its first company spinout: Zyvex Performance Materials (ZPM). The new company leverages Zyvex's nanomaterials patents, proprietary methods, core technologies, and revenue-generating customer base.
04/04/2007 April 4, 2007 - Molecular Imprints Inc. says it has secured $8.5 million in venture debt financing from BlueCrest Capital Finance LP, an investment that will support continued development and commercialization of the company's step-and-flash imprint lithography technology.
04/04/2007 April 4, 2007 - A group claiming to represent 6.5% ownership in wafer processing equipment firm in FSI International is pushing for new leadership and possibly new ownership of the company, laying out in surprisingly candid detail its efforts to discuss its concerns with the company's top management.
04/04/2007 The University of Dayton Research Institute has opened what it calls the "world's first" manufacturing center for product demonstration of nano-enhanced polymer composites, the Center for Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites and Devices.
04/04/2007 A new publication by the U.K.'s Economic and Social Research Council aims to outline the trend in the discussions on nanotechnology and provide a context for future issues that social science might address. The report is based on analysis of literature published between July 2003 and April 2006.
04/04/2007 Amkor Technology's wholly owned Korean subsidiary, Amkor Technology Korea, Inc., entered a $300 million, seven-year, secured credit financing agreement with Woori Bank, a member of Woori Financial Group. Proceeds from the loan, prepayment fees, and accrued interests will be used to pay an existing $300 million second lien term loan, which bears interest at a higher rate.
04/03/2007 Bruce McWilliams, chairman, president, and CEO of Tessera Technologies, along with his wife Astrid, donated more than $1 million to the Carnegie Mellon College of Science, as seed funding for the Astrid and Bruce McWilliams Fellowship, supporting graduate students conducting research in emerging fields. Bruce McWilliams holds bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in physics from Carnegie Mellon, and serves on the physics department advisory board.
04/03/2007 As 2007 progresses, analysts are examining the past and future for electronic components and advanced technology applications. Following are summaries of reports from iSuppli, Henderson Ventures, Yole Développement and SEMI, and In-Stat, covering MEMS, NAND and NOR flash, SoC, and other technologies.
A new publication by the U.K.'s Economic and Social Research Council aims to outline the trend in the discussions on nanotechnology and provide a context for future issues that social science might address. The report is based on analysis of literature published between July 2003 and April 2006.