07/31/2006 When leading analysts faced off to debate the prospects for industry growth at the annual "Bulls and Bears" session at SEMICON West, all agreed that 2006 was shaping up to be a very good year, but were widely split in their forecasts for 2007.
07/31/2006 At the European NanoPort facility, FEI Company scientists have obtained directly interpretable transmission electron microscope (TEM) images with atomic resolution better than 1.4 Ångström at an 80kV operating voltage. The Titan 80-300 corrected S/TEM microscope used in the research included an aberration corrector developed by CEOS GmbH.
07/31/2006 Attending a SEMI Standards reception at SEMICON West a few weeks ago was a reminder for this former reliability engineer of the challenging work undertaken day in and day out by those who represent equipment and materials suppliers on SEMI standards committees. So I asked those still active in SEMI Standards -- has developing and negotiating standards had gotten any easier? Or has the process changed significantly, against the backdrop of myriad partnerships, alliances, and consortia?
07/31/2006 July 31, 2006 - Hemlock Semiconductor Corp., the biggest supplier of polycrystalline silicon, has launched a worldwide search for a new manufacturing sit. The company hopes to have a second facility online within five years to expand its supply to both the solar and electronics markets.
07/31/2006 July 31, 2006 - In the latest big move to consolidate power in the memory sector, flash memory giant SanDisk Corp., Milpitas, CA, has agreed to acquire Msystems Ltd., Kfar Saba, Israel, in an all-stock deal valued at up to $1.55 billion, including stock options and convertible debt.
07/31/2006 July 31, 2006 - After posting a net profit of $2.2 million in 2Q06 on 2.9% higher sales, Chinese flagship foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) says it's expecting flat sales through next quarter, but is "cautiously optimistic" about the rest of the year.
07/31/2006 July 26, 2006 -- /CH2M HILL/ -- Denver, CO -- Dr. James Ferris, Industrial Client Group Chief Executive for global engineering and construction firm CH2M HILL, has announced his plans to retire effective September 1, 2006.
07/31/2006 July 27, 2006 -- /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc., a leading developer and supplier of critical subsystems for the semiconductor capital equipment industry, today announced a strategic supplier partnership with Mattson Technology, Inc., a leading supplier of advanced process equipment used to manufacture semiconductors.
07/31/2006 July 31, 2006 -- /MARKET WIRE/ -- PRESCOTT, AZ -- Produce Safety and Security International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: PDSC), an ozone and chemical sanitation disinfectant process supplier to the food and medical industries, announces that its division, Innovative Food Systems ("IFS"), has finished production of the first ozone ice machines for delivery to the seafood industry retail chain clients.
07/31/2006 July 31, 2006 - Wireless developer Qualcomm Inc. has signed a deal with Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) to produce chips for the firm's 3G wireless and power management ICs, using a specialized BiCMOS process technology at its 200mm fab in Tianjin, China.
07/31/2006 July 31, 2006 - Dutch equipment firm ASM International NV is reshuffling the top management structure at its 54%-owned subsidiary ASM Pacific Technology Ltd., following the announced retirement of its cofounder and longtime CEO.
07/31/2006 PixDro Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of inkjet technologies and dispensing printing technologies, announced it has installed its LabP150 high precision inkjet laboratory system at Creavis Technologies & Innovation in Marl, Germany.
07/28/2006 July 28, 2006 - Seeing an opportunity to help fund future growth, Cymer Inc. said it plans to repurchase up to $150 million of its common stock, on both the open market and in private transactions.
07/28/2006 IM Flash Technologies, a company formed by, and exclusively manufacturing for, Intel Corporation and Micron Technology, is sampling NAND flash memory built on 50 nm process technology. The 4-GB device is sampling, and the companies plan to roll-out a range of densities on the 50-nm node in 2007. IM Flash operates high-density NAND technology from Micron with multi-level cell technology from Intel.
07/28/2006 Demand for semiconductor equipment and ICs turned out a little bit better than expected in June, with a return to a brief seasonal lull expected over the next several weeks, according to data from VLSI Research Inc.
07/28/2006 ICOS Vision Systems Corporation NV and IMEC, an independent research center for nanoelectronics and nanotechnology, will undertake a two-year joint exploration and development program (JEDP) into 3-D packaging inspection and metrology. The inspection solution supplier will provide technology and equipment for the research, which will be performed at IMEC's laboratories.
07/28/2006 July 28, 2006 - Ultra Clean Holdings Inc., Menlo Park, CA, and Mattson Technology Inc., Fremont, CA, have signed a partnership deal whereby Ultra Clean will integrate and test critical subsystems on Mattson's advanced strip and rapid thermal processing (RTP) tools.
07/28/2006 Olympus Microsystems America Inc., a developer of MEMS-based products and technologies for the optical communications industry, announced that Zouheir Mansourati has joined the company as chief technical officer and vice president, product management with responsibility for product marketing, business development, and sales.
07/27/2006 Olympus Microsystems America, developers of MEMS-based wavelength selective switch (WSS) for reconfigurable optical add drop modules (ROADMs), named Zouheir Mansourati, Ph.D., chief technical officer and vice president of product management. He will direct development, marketing, and sales of products with the company.
