04/05/2012 

The top-5 most commonly counterfeit components (based on reported cases) are analog ICs, microprocessors, memory ICs, programmable logic devices, and transistors, shows IHS.

04/05/2012 

MOSAID Technologies Inc. is sampling a 16-die stack NAND Flash device operating on a single high-performance channel, the 5126Gb HLNAND.

04/04/2012 

Osaka University’s Photonics Advanced Research Center in Japan installed a NanoInk NanoFabrication Systems DPN 5000 System for patterning various materials with nanoscale accuracy and precision. Osaka University scientists will develop and fabricate nanoscale plasmonic and nanophotonics devices.

04/04/2012 

Metrology tool supplier Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) will provide the production tools of record performing CMP metrology at a leading foundry.

04/03/2012 

Combining sensors with analog technology to enable sensor fusion will create intelligent devices for automotive, consumer, and industrial markets, said Vijay Ullal at Maxim Integrated Products (MXIM).

04/03/2012 

Semiconductor lead times decreased at the end of February 2012, reports analyst firm Gartner Inc. Although Gartner still expects the semiconductor industry to grow in 2012, Q1 showed some signs of softness.

04/03/2012 

Spansion Inc. (NYSE:CODE) and SK Hynix formed an alliance to deliver Spansion SLC NAND Flash products at the 4x, 3x, and 2x nodes to the embedded market. Spansion is known as a NOR Flash memory provider.

04/03/2012 

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) measured worldwide semiconductor sales at $22.9 billion in February 2012, down 1.3% from January’s $23.2 billion and 7.3% from February 2011.

04/03/2012 

The global semiconductor materials -- wafer fabrication and packaging materials -- market increased 7% in 2011 compared to 2010, with record revenues of $47.86 billion, said SEMI.

04/02/2012 

Sterne Agee analyzes top analog semiconductor companies and the analog sector as a whole. Demand is stable (industrial, automotive) to improving (computing), and distributor inventories are low.

04/02/2012 

Intel, SEMATECH, and other top chip makers, suppliers, and research organizations will send speakers to SEMICON West, July 10-12 in San Francisco. The event will single out new transistor architectures, advanced lithography, 450mm wafers, and other major developments.

04/02/2012 

Bruker Corporation acquired all of the shares of SkyScan NV, a scientific instruments company serving materials science and life sciences/pre-clinical imaging needs.

03/30/2012 

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) will establish an integrated circuit (IC) design and engineering R&D center in Singapore.

03/30/2012 

The worldwide semiconductor foundry market totaled $29.8 billion in 2011, a 5.1% increase from 2010, according to Gartner. Given aggressive foundry spending in 2010 and 2011, oversupply was "inevitable," Gartner says.

03/30/2012 

SUSS MicroTec has acquired Tamarack Scientific Co. Inc. in a share purchase of $9.34 million. Tamarack makes UV projection lithography tools and laser micro-structuring systems.

03/29/2012 

Kopin Corporation achieved record 1290cm²/V.s electron mobility and 240ohms/square sheet resistance results from GaN-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) materials.

03/29/2012 

Rice University is developing transparent, flexible memory devices based on silicon oxide, enabling future consumer applications with flexible touchscreens, transparent batteries, see-through ICs, and more.

03/29/2012 

The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) released its GSA Q1 Wafer Fabrication & Back-End Pricing Reports, tracking fab utilization rates, wafer and mask costs, and package pricing.

03/29/2012 

ODIS has developed an optical interface chip that is the first step in achieving a single device capable of interconnecting multiple processors by waveguide and/or fiber to transport ultra-high speed signals.

03/28/2012 

In its report, "RF filters, PAs, Antenna Switches & Tunability for Cellular Handsets," Yole Développement notes that new technologies are changing the power amplifier sector. PAs are strategic RF components in cell phones.