10/26/2006 October 26, 2006 - The Common Platform alliance of IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. say they have produced system-on-chip (SoC) products with 90nm process technologies for Qualcomm Inc., for use in mobile telecommunications devices such as cellular phone chipsets and other devices.
10/26/2006 The Deloitte & Touche USA "Silicon Valley Technology Fast 50" awards ranked Volterra Semiconductor Corp. of Fremont, CA, and Magma Design Automation from Santa Clara in the top 10 for software and information technology.
10/26/2006 October 26, 2005 - Nanometrics Inc. and ASML Holding NV have entered into a cross-licensing agreement to incorporate Nanometrics' overlay and critical-dimension control metrology technology into ASML's lithography systems.
10/26/2006 Cascade Microtech, the Portland, Ore.-based maker of tools and technology for the precise electrical measurement and test of integrated circuits and other small structures, reported record quarterly revenue of $23 million for the third quarter.
10/26/2006 Tegal Corp., a San Jose, Calif., designer and manufacturer of plasma etch and deposition systems used in the production of integrated circuits and nanotechnology devices, announced that it has signed a distributor agreement with Noah Corp. of Japan.
10/26/2006 Nanometrics Inc., a Milpitas, Calif., supplier of advanced integrated and standalone metrology equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced it has entered into a cross-licensing agreement with ASML, the provider of lithography systems for the semiconductor industry based in Veldhoven, the Netherlands.
10/26/2006 BudgetSensors, a Sofia, Bulgari, manufacturer of probes and accessories for atomic force microscopes, named NanoWin Corp. as its sole distributor in Korea.
10/26/2006 Tri-M Systems will distribute the ZF Micro Solutions ZFx86 single-chip personal computer (PC), providing technical and commercial representation in the U.S. and Canada. ZF Micro chose Tri-M based on infrastructure and design-support capabilities, said David Feldman, president, ZF Micro.
10/26/2006 Arrowhead Research Corp. of Pasadena, Calif., announced that its majority-owned subsidiary, Insert Therapeutics Inc., has completed a $10 million private placement with a group of investors, including a $5 million follow-on investment by Arrowhead. The other investors were not named.
10/25/2006 Synova appointed Philippe Senn to the newly-created position of chief operating officer, adding to its executive team. Senn will manage all day-to-day activities toward operational efficiency and will aid in business growth initiatives and strategies with global subsidiaries.
10/25/2006 October 25, 2006 - PDF Solutions Inc. has acquired Si Automation SA (SIA), a privately held developer of fault detection and classification software, for $35.7 million in cash and stock. The deal combines SIA's Maestria and Datapower with PDF's silicon characterization infrastructure, to help companies utilize equipment data to identify and anticipate sources of yield loss.
10/24/2006 One of the first two full-field extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems in the world is now being installed at IMEC in Leuven, Belgium (the other is at Albany Nanotech in New York). Journalists were invited to visit the class-1000 cleanroom full of 300mm tools to see the huge system that is expected to replace immersion lithography after another two or three nodes.
10/24/2006 October 24, 2006 - There's still a lot of demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, with tool orders and sales still sporting hefty 30%+ growth in September and on track for 20%+ growth overall in 2006, according to new data from VLSI Research Inc.
10/24/2006 Memory manufacturers are dealing with tighter thermal budgets as they move beyond the 70nm node, and are embracing batch furnaces to bypass the longer processing times arising from the larger thermal masses in conventional furnaces. Mattson Technology Inc. says its new Atmos dual-chamber, single-wafer 300mm tool will let users address those thermal budget constraints as they extend the well-known process of selective oxidation to more advanced nodes.
10/24/2006 Efficiencies and cost benefits have driven the shift from 200mm to 300mm wafers for semiconductor manufacturing. But in a detailed study presented earlier this month at the third annual International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) Symposium on Manufacturing Effectiveness in Austin, TX, Intel found its ramp of 300mm manufacturing has also led to significant environmental benefits -- with lessons that could result in further gains if and when the industry moves to 450mm production.
10/24/2006 SiTime, a Sunnyvale, Calif., company bringing MEMS-based all silicon timing solutions to market, introduced what it claims is the smallest and thinnest megahertz resonator.
10/24/2006 Hymite A/S, a manufacturer of silicon-based packaging products for electronic devices, announced the expansion of its North American sales operations with the addition of a worldwide sales director and new offices in Rockwall, Texas. The expansion is designed to answer the growing market need for wafer-scale packages for consumer and industrial, medical and automotive components, including LEDs.
10/23/2006 Mark B. Thomas was named chief executive officer of microelectronics manufacturer HEI, Inc. He served as firm CFO since July, and will keep that post when he assumes CEO duties. Thomas succeeds Mack V. Traynor III, who will resign as director and CEO of the company.
SiTime, a Sunnyvale, Calif., company bringing MEMS-based all silicon timing solutions to market, introduced what it claims is the smallest and thinnest megahertz resonator.