05/05/2008  May 5, 2008 -- SVTC Technologies, a semiconductor foundry offering MEMS services, is launching a photovoltaics (PV) development center. Solar industry veteran Kurt Laetz will head up SVTC Solar, which aims provide "the most complete set of capabilities available in the U.S."

05/02/2008  May 2, 2008 -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, has unveiled plans to enter the MEMS business. The company will reportedly detail the plans later this month -- and cover trends in MEMS production at "CMOS integrated MEMS foundries."

04/08/2008  Tronics Microsystems, the MEMS foundry that stirred controversy last Fall when it claimed that its profitability "validates the pure-play MEMS foundry model," now says it has achieved a 56% increase in annual revenue, to 10.5 million Euros ($15.4 million), in its fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2007. The company's net profit represents 12% of total revenue.

04/08/2008  Researchers at Colorado State University used the MEMS-based Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP) to devise a novel method of rapidly producing, testing, and optimizing new materials that hold promise for efficiently producing hydrogen from water and sunlight. The DMP-2800 jetted smaller-than-nano droplets of compounds to help quantify optimal proportions and deposition conditions.

03/03/2008  The PyroFlex 2 series of industrial pulsed laser platforms is capable of shaping pulse parameters to exact specifications for microprocessing applications. The platform utilizes a unique software pulse control process. It combines the advantages of proven high-reliability fiber-coupled laser diode pumping technology with the benefits of programming control, and incorporates an optional optical isolator for good pulse stability.

02/11/2008  Nippon Kayaku Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, a $1 billion diversified chemical company and global supplier of epoxy resins for microelectronic applications, has acquired longtime partner MicroChem of Massachusetts.

01/28/2008  Jan. 28, 2008 - AMI Semiconductor and European R&D consortium IMEC say they have entered into a new two-year program to develop AMIS' future 14T "Smart Power" platform technology, which will allow the creation of complex systems-on-chip integrating high-voltage and power functions with dense logic, processors and memories.

01/22/2008  The schematic-based MEMS design environment ARCHITECT features a 3D visualization tool called Scene3D, which allows users to create 3D views of an ARCHITECT schematic and visualize simulation results with fully contoured 3D animations.

01/17/2008  ; Freescale Semiconductor has established an advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 200-mm (8-inch) production line to address growing sensors market demand. The newly added line at Freescale's Oak Hill Fab in Austin, TX, complements the company's existing 150-mm (6-inch) MEMS capacity in Sendai, Japan.

01/15/2008  Freescale's new advanced MEMS 200-mm (8-inch) production line addresses growing demand for sensors in the price-sensitive automotive, industrial, medical and consumer markets.

01/14/2008  ; Freescale Semiconductor has established an advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 200-mm (8-in.) production line to address growing sensors market demand. The newly added line at Freescale's Oak Hill Fab in Austin, TX, complements the company's existing 150-mm (6-in.) MEMS capacity in Sendai, Japan.

12/26/2007  Coventor Inc.'s 3D MEMS Designer and Analyzer software has been selected by Hong Kong University and Kyoto University as the platform for a MEMS design contest.

12/03/2007  The AVIA 355-7 Q-switched, frequency-tripled, solid-state laser delivers over 7W of average power at 355 nm in a package designed to maximize reliability for a minimum cost of ownership.

11/19/2007  RF Micro Devices, designer and manufacturer of high-performance radio frequency systems, has introduced RF MEMS transmit/receive switch and mode switch for 3G (third generation) mobile phone handsets.

10/31/2007  Small Times' report of Tronics' recent profit announcement has drawn a response from Chris Lumb, CEO of rival Micralyne Inc. "Tronics' profitability claim . . . is wrong: It is not the first pure play contract manufacturer of advanced MEMS devices to achieve consistent profitability," he noted.

09/25/2007  RedShift Systems has selected MEMS foundry Innovative Micro Technology (IMT) to produce its Thermal Light Valve (TLV), which allows standard CMOS and CCD digital cameras to "see heat." RedShift says the TLV enables new, affordable devices that will rapidly expand the market for thermal imaging.

09/17/2007  NanoRite, a $5 million center designed to house and advance business ventures in the ultrasmall, has opened in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Small Times guest contributor Jim Mortwedt reports.

08/31/2007  SiTime Corp., developer of MEMS-based timing solutions, says that its SiT8002 and SiT1 oscillator families are shipping at a production rate of more than 100,000 units per week. This, the company says, makes these products the top-selling MEMS-based oscillators worldwide.

07/16/2007  July 16, 2007 - Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc. (ADT), a startup targeting development and applications for diamond films, is revealing new product lines of diamond-coated wafers at SEMICON West.

07/11/2007  PhotoMachining, Inc., will expand its micromachining capabilities with ultraviolet (UV) laser systems. The UV photons perform cold ablation, machine small feature sizes, and control material removal better than conventional infrared (IR) sources, according to the company.