11/09/2006  November 9, 2006 - Despite some growth spikes at individual companies, the rankings for the top chip suppliers in 2006 will be largely unchanged, according to analyst firm IC Insights Inc.

11/09/2006  November 9, 2006 - Intel Corp. says it has ramped to volume shipments of 65nm-based NOR flash multilevel cell memory products, including a 1Gb monolithic part for cell phones. Smaller-density versions (512Mb, 256Mb, and 128Mb) are expected to be released in 2007.

11/09/2006  The IEEE and Applied Materials recently co-sponsored a one day seminar on high-k dielectrics and metal gates, with researchers from AMD, Freescale, IBM, Toshiba, Xilinx, and SEMATECH presenting their experiences integrating HKMG materials into CMOS transistors, and showing that these newer materials are ready for low-standby power IC applications.

11/07/2006  November 6, 2006 - The value of new fab construction will hit an all-time high of $59 billion in 2006, followed by another record next year in the value of fabs coming online to volume production, according to Strategic Marketing Associates (SMA).

11/07/2006  IMEC, Europe's leading independent nanoelectronics and nanotechnology research institute, announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore as part of an effort to expand its R&D collaborations with Indian semiconductor companies and institutes.

11/06/2006  November 6, 2006 - European R&D consortium IMEC has signed memorandums of understanding with SemIndia and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), moves that help solidify India's plans for developing into a semiconductor fabrication center, as well as IMEC's inroads into the region.

11/06/2006  November 6, 2006 - Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Inc., through their IM Flash Technologies JV, plan to build a new "multibillion-dollar" fab in Singapore to add a fourth manufacturing outlet for NAND flash memory. The 300mm/50nm facility is projected to come online in 2H08.

11/06/2006  Purdue University's Discovery Park has appointed Timothy Sands, the Basil S. Turner Professor of Engineering, as director of the Birck Nanotechnology Center.

11/03/2006  November 3, 2006 - Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached a record $21.4 billion in September as electronic device manufacturers loaded up for the holiday sales season, according to data from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

11/01/2006  November 1, 2006 - Vishay Intertechnology Inc., Malvern, PA, has agreed to acquire International Rectifier's power control systems business for approximately $290 million, to extend its product offerings for high-power and high-voltage discrete semiconductors.

11/01/2006  November 1, 2006 - Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. say they are also targets of antitrust investigations by US and EU regulators, in an ongoing investigation into price-fixing allegations regarding static random access memory (SRAM) devices, according to several reports.

10/31/2006  October 31, 2006 - Chinese flagship foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) posted a net loss of $35.1 million in 3Q06 on 2.1% higher sales of $368.9 million, after posting a $2.2 million in the previous quarter.

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  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.

10/27/2006  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.

10/26/2006  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 - 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.

10/25/2006  The SEMI trade association will highlight non-traditional approaches to electronics manufacturing at its NanoForum trade show.

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  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.