10/30/2006 October 30, 2006 - Struggles with consistent high-volume yields of 90nm processes at one DRAM maker has further constricted a supply shortage on the contract market that may extend into November, according to online clearing house DRAMeXchange.
10/30/2006 In a new twist on the phrase "art imitates life," researchers at IBM are developing an approach to cooling active packages based on a concept pulled from biology. "High thermal conductivity interface technology" involves structuring branched channels to function very similarly to the human circulatory system. The technique is under development at the IBM Zurich Research Lab, where a biologists' perspective permeates chip/package design.
10/30/2006 October 30, 2006 - Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing says it is making a "strategic investment" in Taiwan ASIC/SoC design firm Gateway Silicon Inc., a spinoff of local IDM Macronix International Co. Ltd.
10/30/2006 October 30, 2006 - BOC Edwards and Aviza Technology Inc. have agreed to jointly develop atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, combining BOC's chemical precursor formulation with Aviza's hardware to optimize deposition processes for high-k materials and metals.
10/30/2006 October 30, 2006 - Fujitsu Ltd. and Advantest Corp. are offering more details about their upcoming 65nm-45nm prototyping service utilizing electron beam direct lithography, which might also pull in Fujitsu's optical prototyping services.
10/30/2006 William Bottoms, Ph.D., will keynote the MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council (MEPTEC) symposium "IC Packaging and Test Roadmaps: Device Trends Impact on Packaging and Test Technology and Supply Chain," on November 16, 2006, in San Jose, Calif. Bottoms' keynote will accompany four focus sessions on various aspects of the industry.
10/30/2006 The second edition of Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing for Design, Manufacturing, and Inspection, by Georg Henzold, covers international design standards and revisions for geometrical product specifications.
10/30/2006 OMRON Corp., a developer of automation, sensing and control technologies, announced that it has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire the semiconductor business assets of Seiko Epson's consolidated subsidiary, Yasu Semiconductor Corp.
10/30/2006 Virtus Advanced Sensors, a developer of MEMS multi-axis inertial sensors, announced plans to expand its program for accelerometers, gyroscopes and integrated motion sensors.
10/27/2006 The beautiful tree-covered campus of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven was the backdrop for Flemish research institution IMEC's annual progress review meeting, where I and other invitees heard about the first major reorganization in its 20-year history. The re-org, partly driven by IMEC's growth to approximately 1500 permanent staff and visiting researchers, primarily aims to break down the conceptual walls between manufacturing technology development, multi-chip packaging, and circuit design.
10/27/2006 October 27, 2006 - Top foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) said 3Q06 profits rose 33% year-on-year to about $976 million, on 17% higher sales of $2.47 billion, but projected an 8%-10% decline in 4Q sales as it prepares for an industry correction. On a sequential basis, 3Q revenue was basically flat, with a 4.4% decrease in net income.
10/27/2006 October 27, 2006 - SEMATECH's R&D wafer fab subsidiary, Advanced Technology Development Facility Inc. (ATDF), and consumables supplier SemiQuest, Fremont, CA, have created a new chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) pad system that helps preserve fragile, ultralow-k (k as low as 2.2) materials on semiconductor wafers.
10/27/2006 PennWell Corporation will operate PennTechJOBS, an online employment service to serve recruitment needs of engineers in electronics, optoelectronics, nanotechnology, semiconductors, and other high-tech industries.
10/27/2006 Intelligent Micro Patterning LLC of St. Petersburg, Florida, announced its SF-100 Rotational Stage Assembly, a new enhancement to the SF-100 maskless micropatterning system.
10/27/2006 DEK USA has reformed corporate focus onto four core printer support products — understencil paper rolls, PRO and PRO EF understencil cleaning chemistries, replacement stencil blades, and pre-saturated cleaning wipes. The company will expand distribution in the U.S. based on these four core groups.
10/26/2006 October 26, 2006 - Automation and control technology firm Omron Corp. has agreed to acquire a 200mm CMOS semiconductor factory in Yasu, Shiga, Japan from Yasu Semiconductor Corp., a consolidated subsidiary of Seiko Epson. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
10/26/2006 October 26, 2006 - MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. said it has signed a deal to supply solar-grade solar wafers to Taiwan's Gintech Energy Corp. over a 10-year period beginning in 2H07. With this deal, MEMC has agreements to supply solar wafers worth roughly $7-$9 billion in revenue over the next decade.
10/26/2006 October 26, 2006 - PC manufacturers are now scrambling to overcome a shortage of microprocessors, DRAM, and chipsets, mainly due to demand for systems that can handle Microsoft's forthcoming Vista operating system, according to a report in the Taiwan Economic News.
10/26/2006 October 26, 2006 - Tokyo Electron Ltd. has signed a deal to integrate Rudolph Technologies' lithography inspection technology in its coater/developer tools, with worldwide distribution rights.
