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  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.

04/03/2007  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.

04/03/2007  April 3, 2007 - Elpida Memory Inc. now plans to produce as much as 80% of DRAMs made at its Hiroshima site with 70nm process technology by year's end, up from previous estimates of about 50%, note Japanese news reports.

04/02/2007  April 2, 2007 - Worldwide sales of semiconductors sunk 6.5% in February to $20.09 billion, with seasonal trends overshadowed by declining unit shipments and lower average selling prices, according to data from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

04/02/2007  April 2, 2007 - Omron Corp. has finalized its acquisition of a 200mm CMOS semiconductor factory in Yasu, Shinga, Japan, from Yasu Semiconductor Corp., a consolidated subsidiary of Seiko Epson., five months after announcing the deal, according to the companies.

04/02/2007  April 2, 2007 - Elpida Memory Inc. has amassed about 110 billion yen (~US $933 million) in syndicated loans and another 50 billion yen ($424 million) in credit line commitments, all to support planned capacity expansions in Taiwan and Japan, notes the Nikkei News wires.

04/01/2007  Nearly a year after the presentation of “A Case for Socket Reuse,” by Paul Gaschke of IBM, at the 2006 Burn-in and Test Socket (BiTS) Workshop, I wondered whether compression-mount sockets (which enabled the socket reuse he described) were seeing more widespread acceptance and application by users, and being added to suppliers’ product portfolios.

03/30/2007  March 30, 2007 - Winbond Electronics Corp. says it will sell its 200mm DRAM fab in Taiwan's Hsinchu Science Park to Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp. (VIS) for about $251 million, including the facility and equipment parts, according to local media reports.

03/29/2007  March 29, 2007 - ARC International says it has signed licensing agreements with four Asia-based semiconductor companies for its configurable technologies to create system-on-chips (SoC).

03/28/2007  The new James Watt Nanofabrication Centre at Glasgow University, Scotland, nestled over and into one of Lord Kelvin's original laboratories, boasts an impressive array of equipment and capabilities. This month, coinciding with the facility's official opening, the Ultrafast Systems Group was awarded £4m research funding.

03/27/2007  March 27, 2007 - After nearly half a year of slumping prices amid circumstances that have been "the worst in the history of the market," suppliers of NAND flash memory may finally see a break in the clouds as supplies start to meter out, according to a new analysis by iSuppli Corp.

03/26/2007  March 26, 2007 - IBM says it has developed a prototype optical transceiver chipset for supercomputing applications that incorporates optical and CMOS components in one system-in-package (SiP).

03/26/2007  Based on the concept of reducing costs through packaging integration, IBM researchers will introduce an optical chipset prototype for supercomputing applications that incorporates optical and CMOS components in one system-in-package (SiP), or optical module, at the 2007 Optical Fiber Conference, March 25–29 in Anaheim.

03/23/2007  March 23, 2007 - Boosted by refreshed inventories and demand for power transistors, sales of discrete semiconductor devices grew faster than IC sales in 2006 for the first time in nearly two decades, and only the second time since the 1970s, according to data from IC Insights Inc.

03/21/2007  March 21, 2007 - Frank Huang, chairman of Taiwan DRAM firm Powerchip Semiconductor Corp., is under investigation for alleged insider trading in affiliate company Veutron where he is also chairman, according to the Taiwan Economic News.

03/21/2007  March 21, 2007 - Micron Technology Inc. has officially opened its first manufacturing facility in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province in midwest China, for assembly and test of its products including memory (DRAM and NAND flash) and CMOS image sensors. Build-out of the facility, one of the largest investments in the Xi'an High Tech Zone, is expected to continue through the end of 2008, with investments topping $250 million.

03/21/2007  March 21, 2007 - Chipmaking consortium SEMATECH is kickstarting a planned revamp of its membership business model into program-level participation, by opening the doors to new members to join its 3D Interconnect program.

03/20/2007  Nanotech developers are challenged to demonstrate that their solutions are reliably available in quantity for commercial applications. Small Times contributing editor Richard Gaughan reports on a consortium that welcomes input to identify milestones and plot the path for market acceptance.

03/19/2007  March 19, 2007 - Intel Corp. has announced its entry into solid state drives with the Intel Z-U130 value solid-state drive that is based on NAND flash memory with industry standard USB interfaces, to be used in a wide variety of computing and embedded platforms.