09/15/2006  September 15, 2006 - Toshiba Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. have settled pending litigation over Micron's acquisition of Lexar Media Inc. earlier this year. Under terms of the deal, Toshiba will pay $288 million to purchase certain of Micron's semiconductor technology patents and license patents previously owned by Lexar Media, Inc.

09/14/2006  September 14, 2006 - Toppan Photomasks is seeing its lead shrink in the semiconductor photomask this year, as the overall segment adjusts to smaller growth due to design activity and a shift in capex from memory firms, according to a new report from The Information Network.

09/13/2006  September 13, 2006 - NEC Electronics says it has applied its new 55nm process to CMOS-compatible embedded DRAM technology, an enhancement to its metal-insulator-metal (MIM2) technology, combining hafnium silicate film and nickel silicide to reduce power consumption and leakage current, and improve on-current by as much as 20%.

09/11/2006  September 11, 2006 - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. says it has completed a working prototype of phase-change random access memory (PRAM), seen as a replacement for high-density NOR flash memory within the next few years. The 512Mbit PRAM device was developed by using vertical diodes with the 3D transistor structure Samsung currently uses to produce DRAMs.

09/11/2006  Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., developed a 40-nm memory device that eliminates the floating gate architecture common to NAND devices. The seventh-generation, 32-Gb memory uses a charge trap flash (CTF) architecture, which places data into a temporary holding chamber in the non-conductive silicon nitride (SiN) layer.

09/11/2006  September 11, 2006 - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. says it has created a 32Gb NAND flash device using 40nm process technologies, featuring a "charge trap flash" (CTF) architecture which the company says "sharply" reduces intercell noise levels, and enables higher scalability to enable transition from 40nm to 30nm and even 20nm processes.

09/08/2006  Discera, Inc., a CMOS MEMS-based resonator technology provider, will partner with Excelpoint, a distributor in the Asia Pacific region, to begin full-scale commercial deployment of its timing products. Target markets will include China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India.

09/07/2006  Motorola Labs, the applied research arm of Motorola Inc., and Arizona State University announce a key advancement in the use of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNTs) in field effect transistors (FETs) to sense biological and chemical agents.

09/06/2006  September 6, 2006 - Dongbu Electronics said it has completed development of a CMOS image sensor process using 0.13-micron process technologies, created for Seoul Electronics & Telecom Co. Ltd. The foundry plans to begin volume production of the devices in 4Q.

09/06/2006  September 6, 2006 - Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. is now shipping 1-2GB samples of its high-density MLC NAND, called "moviNAND," an embedded combination of NAND flash memory, a multimedia card (MMC) controller and onboard firmware, for use in mobile applications.

09/06/2006  September 6, 2006 - Freescale Semiconductor said it has added 32MB of flash memory to its 32-bit MCU targeted at automotive applications, and is sampling what it claims is the industry's largest embedded flash memory on an MCU.

09/06/2006  September 6, 2006 - Confirming months of speculation, Intel has announced plans for a sweeping restructuring following an analysis of the company's structure and efficiency, citing plans to shave $3 billion off of annual costs and operating expenses over the next two years.

09/06/2006  September 6, 2006 - Citing strong demand from DRAM and NAND flash customers, ASML has increased its outlook for tool orders in 3Q by about 50% to be flat with 2Q levels, suggesting an additional $575 million in sales could be on the books in the next year.

09/05/2006  September 5, 2006 - Promos Technologies has applied for government approval on two planned 300mm flash memory fabs at the Central Taiwan Science Park, with projected costs exceeding $5 billion by the time of projected completion in 2008.

09/05/2006  September 5, 2006 - NOR flash memory supplier Spansion Inc. reportedly is contracting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to produce its NOR flash memory chip and its ORNAND flash memory using 90nm process technologies, starting next year

09/01/2006  September 1, 2006 - Hynix Semiconductor Inc. reportedly will invest $250 million to add a new NAND flash memory production line and hire 100 new employees at its DRAM chipmaking facility in Eugene, OR, according to local reports.

09/01/2006  September 1, 2006 - MOSAID Technologies Inc. has added two more patents to its infringement claims against Micron Technology Inc., Powerchip Semiconductor Corp., and ProMOS Technologies, centering on DRAM technologies including word line drivers, supply charge pump and regulators, and delayed locked-loop implementations.

09/01/2006  On a stifling hot summer day in New England, Dan Coughlin probably likes nothing better than the shade of a nearby nanotech fabrication laboratory.

09/01/2006  Current technology uses field-effect transistors (FETs) with feature sizes smaller than 100 nanometers that start to show some device degradation due to short channel effects.

08/31/2006  August 31, 2006 - Novellus Systems Inc. has lowered its 3Q outlook, citing delays in some customer deliveries, but any broader concerns about end-user demand or rising inventory levels should be short-lived, according to execs in an Aug. 30 conference call.