10/29/2008  SUSS MicroTec and Surface Technology Systems (STS) are once again hosting a technology roadshow in five major Asian locations from October 29 to November 7. Similar to the US roadshow last spring, the series of one-day events is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest developments 3D Integration and advanced packaging.

10/28/2008  We're in the fifth year of a major inflection point in the semiconductor market, and the most exciting and challenging time in the industry's history -- but there's still a lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) that's drowning out all the vision. EDA guru Gary Smith offers several doses of reality, and lists what you'll need to do if you want to be a winner in this new challenging world.

10/28/2008  Many OEMs are holding off on the usual holiday-season production ramp amid expectations of weak consumer demand due to the global economic crisis, and this is creating a ripple effect all along the electronic systems supply chain from ODMs and EMS companies to chip packaging and foundries, and ultimately causing a shortfall in 4Q08 chip orders, notes Gartner in a new research report.

10/28/2008  by Gail Flower, Editor-in-Chief, Advanced Packaging
IMEC remains on the forefront of research in many areas including nanotechnology, RF MEMS packaging, flip-chip, substrates, organic electronics, CMOS-based research, solar cells, and 3D stacked integrated circuits. In 3D stacked packages an area of predicted high-growth, IMEC has announced notable achievements.

10/27/2008  October 27, 2008 Heidelberg Instruments announced the sale of a μPG101 tabletop maskless laser patterning system to the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, to be used for various research in the BIOMEMS area.

10/24/2008  A clear understanding of the physical origin of image CD and placement variations will make it possible for EUV users and optical proximity correction (OPC) vendors to develop OPC strategies at the 22nm and 16nm device nodes to effectively compensate for them.

10/24/2008  October 23, 2008: Melexis says its newest CMOS image sensor, the MLX75307, is specifically designed for automotive front vision applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), high-beam assist, and night vision, dramatically improving road safety by proactively alerting the driver of potential dangers.

10/24/2008  October 23, 2008 Ambios Technology, Inc. introduced its new Q-View White Light Interferometer/SPM system at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Precision Engineering in Portland, OR. This new system combines the capability of white light interferometry and SPM technology.

10/24/2008  When the next upturn comes, chipmakers aim to have much leaner, more agile fab operations ready to capitalize on it. That was a dominant theme at the International SEMATECH Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) conference in Austin, TX (Oct. 22-23). Chip factories will also run greener, cutting costs at the same time, by using less energy, water, chemicals, and other consumables.

10/22/2008  October 22, 2008: The development of concepts, technologies and devices in nanophotonics during the next few years is envisaged in a new Emerging Nanophotonics Roadmap, released within the framework of the Photonics21 strategic research agenda and promoted by the EU Network of Excellence on nanophotonics (PhOREMOST), composed by 34 partners and over 300 researchers.

10/22/2008  KLA-Tencor's Rangesh Raghavan discussed the architecture and capabilities of the company's new PlasmaVolt X2 system, which measures plasma chamber conditions in semiconductor wafer processing systems, including above-the-wafer effects.

10/21/2008  October 21, 2008: Wolfson Microelectronics has launched the first devices in its new family of silicon microphones due for release over the next 12 months.

10/21/2008  By Fran

10/21/2008  What challenges must maskmakers overcome to reach the 32nm node, and what hurdles lie beyond? A star-studded panel of experts assembled at this year's SPIE Photomask Technology Conference (Oct 6-10) to examine the future.

10/21/2008  A litho-etch, litho-etch (LELE) approach is one of several double patterning schemes concocted to help span the gap between current single-exposure 193nm immersion litho and EUV. But LELE places extreme demands on both the productivity and the performance of the lithography tool. ASML's new Twinscan NXT platform strives to address these challenges, as described at ASML's recent Eindhoven (Netherlands) press event.

10/21/2008  Toshiba's purchase of extra capacity from flash memory JV partner SanDisk is likely a move to protect its investment given M&A overtures by market-leading Samsung, though the rumored price for the deal is a bit tough to swallow in current economic times, according to analysts.

10/20/2008  October 20, 2008: Cambridge NanoTech, a supplier of atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems for research and industry, has released the Savannah S300 system, which offers the same combination of ease of use, reliability and experimental flexibility as earlier models in a larger format, capable of handling substrates up to 300mm in size.

10/16/2008  Advent Solar execs, on hand at this week's Solar Power International event in San Diego, discuss the upcoming (1Q09) launch of their first product targeting PV that utilizes advanced semiconductor technology, including epi-filled TSVs and the equivalent of wafer-level packaging, and reduces efficiency loss as well as lowers cell processing and interconnect costs.

10/15/2008  October 14, 2008: SiOnyx Inc.has exclusively licensed a portfolio of patents from Harvard U.'s Office of Technology Development covering black silicon, a laser implant technique that alters photonic properties of semiconductor devices.

10/14/2008  Viscom AG has broadened its platform into the semiconductor market with the introduction of the MX20000IR fully automatic wafer inspection system. The application scope of the system includes MEMS, wafer bonds, flip chip and photovoltaics. Wafers can be composed of various materials including silicon, gallium arsenide, aluminum oxide or III-IV composites, and others.