03/29/2011 

Sales of semiconductor materials rose 25% in 2010 to a new record $43.55B thanks to surging device shipments, according to final tallies from SEMI.

03/29/2011 

Xradia has unveiled its latest micro computed tomography (CT) 3D X-ray imaging system, the VersaXRM. Kevin Fahey, PhD, VP of marketing at Xradia, discusses how the new platform uses geometrical magnification in tandem with an X-ray microscope.

03/28/2011 

Bioengineering and aeronautical researchers have studded a microfluidic device with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to collect cancer cells from blood 8x better than their original design.

03/28/2011 

Henkel Electronics released 2 formulations of Ablestik C100 conductive die attach film for leadframe packages, including QFNs. It eliminates die tilt, processes thin wafer die, and enables bondline control.

03/24/2011 

While semiconductor fab has always created nanoscale dimensions, a new class of nanomaterials -- graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nano-metal alloys, quantum dots -- behave radically differently than current materials. Nanotechnology promises higher-performance memory capacity and transistors in future semiconductors, says Giles Humpston, Tessera.

03/24/2011 

Vendum Batteries (OTCBB: VNDB), a US-based battery technology development company, joined the Nano Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), a Government agency leading and supporting the commercialization of nanotechnologies in the UK.

03/23/2011 

Researchers at Rice University have created a synthetic material that gets stronger from repeated stress, though they cannot yet explain why this happens.

03/23/2011 

There are over 100 production semiconductor fab lines in 53 locations in Japan, say analyst groups IHS iSuppli and Semico. Over a week after the crippling earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, analysts consider the next business step, with power outages and aftershocks still disrupting production in areas not directly hit by the crisis.

03/22/2011 

Dr. Phil Garrou reports on several talks and trends of note from the recent IMAPS meeting and Device Packaging Conference: the readiness of 3D IC toolsets, what's holding back Cu bonding; and rumors of interposers failing thermal tests.

03/21/2011 

Among the snapshot trends taken from SEMI's February semiconductor equipment demand numbers: tool sales are on a three-month roll, but orders coming in appear to be plateauing.

03/17/2011 

The System LSI Division of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has licensed the OptiML Zoom image enhancement solution from Tessera Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:TSRA).

03/16/2011 

GE's prototype thermal interface material, developed with nanotechnologies, suits high-heat, high-reliability applications in mobile devices, aviation electronics, and other systems.

03/16/2011 

Amid questions about the impact of the Japan earthquake on electronics and semiconductor production, there's one angle that could directly affect the semiconductor packaging sector: BT resin shortages.

03/11/2011 

NexPlanar tasked its recently hired CTO, Dr. Rajeev Bajaj, with expanding on the core capabilities of their chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) product platform to add new materials and microstructures, enabling customers to implement advanced processes.

03/11/2011 

Ceramic materials provider Ceradyne took a minority interest in Yamanaka, which supplies advanced materials for solar, semiconductor, optical fiber, and other industrial and energy sectors.

03/10/2011 

Brigham Young University (BYU) researchers have created micro-machines by seeding carbon nanotubes (CNT) in a pattern, growing them, then coating them to stabilize the structure.

03/09/2011 

SouthWest NanoTechnologies' (SWeNT) single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) exhibit promising potential for use in biomedical treatments such as cancer photo thermal therapies, new research reveals. The key is the CNT's ability to enter the cytoplasm without toxic effects, then cause apoptosis when radiated with a 980nm laser.

03/09/2011 

Hynix Semiconductor Inc., DRAM and flash memory supplier, joined SEMATECH's 3D Interconnect program at CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex to address industry infrastructure and technology gaps in materials, equipment, integration and product-related issues for high-volume adoption of through silicon vias (TSV).

03/08/2011 

Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) physicists developed a time-resolved laser spectroscopy method to directly measure the dynamics of photo-excited electrons in nanoscale photodetectors. This will allow researchers to analyze the optoelectronic dynamics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs).

03/08/2011 

Ron Kool from ASML reports on updates in EUV and other next-generation lithography technologies at this year's SPIE Advanced Lithography symposium.