02/20/2007 By Meredith Courtemanche, assistant editor
Printed electronics may be a disruptive development for human interfacing, networks, and environment technology. Reports and industry input suggest that intelligent, mass-producible printed electronic circuits will impact primarily markets that were previously inaccessible. Various sources agree that the printed electronic device will be less likely to compete with existing technologies that meet current needs.
02/20/2007 The proliferation of DFM start-ups has set the stage for a plethora of announcements in the months leading up to the SPIE Microlithography Conference. In this three-part series, WaferNEWS interviews companies that are trying to make their mark on the DFM landscape. This week we look at a company with technology that predicts, during the design phase, how ideal GDS shapes will print as contours in silicon: Clear Shape Technologies.
02/20/2007 After catching its breath in 2007, the semiconductor market is expected to explode in 2008, reaching the industry's next cyclical peak growth rate of >20% and setting a new milestone of >$300 billion in annual revenue, according to analyst firm IC Insights. "I'm not sure if everyone is being lulled to sleep by the single-digit dollar volume growth rates we've seen recently," said the firm's president, Bill McClean, speaking at a recent seminar in Boston, MA. "This should wake everybody up."
02/20/2007 Advanced process materials and the continued adoption march of 300mm are driving materials growth in 2007, and fabs seem to be finally learning to make smarter purchasing decisions, according to top analysts tracking the market, interviewed by WaferNEWS. Potentially troubling signs seem to be offset by mitigating factors -- yet there is still no short-term answer for stretched-to-the-limit polysilicon demand, particularly from the solar segment.
02/20/2007 February 20, 2007 - Showa Denko KK says it has developed a new hybrid process for making compound semiconductors based on gallium nitride (GaN) and other nitrides, using a combination of conventional metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and a proprietary plasma-assisted physical deposition.
02/20/2007 The global pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA announced today an alliance with Nano-Terra LLC to bring to market nanotech-based offerings.
02/20/2007 DayStar Technologies, Inc., developer and manufacturer of CIGS Photovoltaic Foil brand sunlight-to-energy products, said today that it has completed the issuance of new securities in connection with its restructuring of an outstanding convertible note and private placement of common stock.
02/20/2007 The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published a thematic collection of radio frequency identification (RFID) standards, developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and IEC joint technical committee JTC 1.
02/20/2007 SanDisk will reduce its workforce and cut salaries for executives, among other measures, to respond to an "aggressive" pricing cycle in Q'01 2007, announced Eli Harari, chairman and CEO. The industry-wide NAND component price deterioration, 50% over the past two months, stems from seasonally weak demand in Q'01 and an excess supply. SanDisk states that these factors impacted pricing more than anticipated, leading to the cost-reduction steps.
02/20/2007 /FDA News/ -- Collegedale, TN -- McKee Foods of Collegedale, TN., is recalling certain Little Debbie(r) Nutty Bars in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia because an ingredient may contain small particles of metal. These products were distributed to retailers and in vending machines on Thursday, Feb. 1 and Friday, Feb. 2.
02/20/2007 February 13, 2007 -- /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Asymtek, a Nordson company and leader in dispensing technology and pioneer in jetting technology, enables lab-on-a-chip applications with its hot wax jetting technology.
02/20/2007 February 14, 2007 -- /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- AUSTIN, Texas -- Mystic Pharmaceuticals(tm), Inc. today announced expansion plans for its Cedar Park (Greater Austin), Texas R&D center to include clinical manufacturing operations for ophthalmic and intranasal drug delivery systems and pharmaceutical products under development by the company.
02/20/2007 February 15, 2007 -- /IEST/ -- ROLLING MEADOWS, IL -- This year, several new seminar topics will be offered to contamination control professionals at ESTECH 2007, the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST) 53rd annual technical meeting and exposition.
02/20/2007 February 16, 2007 -- /PRNewswire/ -- TIJUANA, BAJA CALIFORNIA NORTE, Mexico and OAK BROOK, Ill. -- UPG, a full service contract manufacturer in the medical, consumer, automotive and electronics market segments announces the official opening of its newest custom manufacturing and assembly facility, UPG Tijuana.
02/20/2007 Advanced Packaging Techniques By Terence Q. Collier, CVInc.
Traditionally, die are electrically connected to the outside world using fine gold or aluminum wires that attach from the die's bond pad to the land of a substrate or PCB. Wafer bumping involves taking those traditional aluminum pads and converting into a format that provides a desirable structure for solder adhesion (bumping). There are a number of new, old, and relatively untested techniques for bumping wafers.
02/19/2007 Although many scientists believe quantum computing (QC) to be years from reality, D-Wave intends to offer its technology for sale in 2008. Commenting on the announcement, QC pioneer David Deutsch alluded to the idea that nanotechnology will become quantum technology.
02/19/2007 In Canada's first major public-private nanotechnology research partnership, the Xerox Research Centre of Canada (XRCC), the National Research Council Canada (NRC), the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) and the Government of Alberta will provide approximately $4.5 million for research and development of materials-based nanotechnology over the next three years.
02/19/2007 To provide advanced training to a broad student base, University of California, Irvine Extension, will offer "Fundamentals of Embedded Systems Design and Programming," as an online course, beginning April 6, 2007.
02/16/2007 February 16, 2007 - Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc.'s chairman/CEO Jason Chang and a consortium led by the Carlyle Group that has offered to buy the packaging services firm, have agreed to drop the proposed exclusivity clause and breakup fee arrangements as a condition to the proposed deal -- essentially allowing ASE to shop for other deals without penalty.
02/16/2007 February 16, 2007 - Honeywell Electronic Materials, Tempe, AZ, says it will invest >$1 million to expand its advanced packaging materials R&D center in Spokane, WA.
The global pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA announced today an alliance with Nano-Terra LLC to bring to market nanotech-based offerings.
Although many scientists believe quantum computing (QC) to be years from reality, D-Wave intends to offer its technology for sale in 2008. Commenting on the announcement, QC pioneer David Deutsch alluded to the idea that nanotechnology will become quantum technology.