05/07/2008  by Dick James, Senior Technology Advisor, Chipworks
May 12, 2008 - After the 45nm hype of the last few months, let's go to the other end of the CMOS scale and examine some interesting MEMS devices that are leading the penetration into new markets like consumer electronics -- and would not have been manufacturable without the deep etching processes that have evolved over the last few years.

05/06/2008  May 6, 2008 - The top four foundries stayed comfortably ahead of the pack in 2007, with SMIC and Chartered still battling for third place behind TSMC and UMC, according to IC Insights. But making a big push into the top 10 is a big-name IDM with a burgeoning foundry biz of its own.

05/06/2008  May 6, 2008 -- Aerotech calls its SolarScribe automation series the most comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) panel scribing system available.

05/06/2008  May 6, 2008 - Three of the world's top chipmakers -- Intel, Samsung, and TSMC -- have agreed on a due-date of 2012 to have a 450mm-wafer-capable pilot line tested and ready -- putting everyone in the semiconductor chain, from materials and equipment developers/suppliers to other chipmakers, on the clock to get 450mm technologies ready in four years.

05/06/2008  May 6, 2008 - The semiconductor metrology/inspection equipment market grew 7.2% in 2007, according to calculations from market research firm The Information Network. Good news: That's double the ~3% growth it expected at the mid-year point. Bad news: it's still well below the 11% growth for the frontend wafer processing side of the equipment sector.

05/06/2008  By Daniel F. Baldwin, Ph.D. and Paul Houston, ENGENT, Inc.
With advances in wafer-thinning technology, 3D packaging now provides a robust platform for achieving high levels of integration, small package footprints, and thin package profiles. Further component miniaturization with the added benefit of 3D integration can be realized by face-to-face bonding of fine-pitch flip chip components and low-profile passives onto a redistribution layer (RDL) of another silicon component.

05/05/2008  May 5, 2008 - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) has unveiled plans to enter the MEMS business, presenting a roadmap of the MEMS process and desires to cover trends in MEMS production at "CMOS integrated MEMS foundries," according to Nikkei Microdevices magazine.

05/02/2008  May 2, 2008 - Despite throwing its market-leading weight around by hiking production as competitors retrench, even mighty Samsung couldn't turn a profit in the DRAM market during a tough 1Q08, according to data from iSuppli.

05/02/2008  May 1, 2008 -- /PRNewswire/ -- EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA -- QSV Biologics, Ltd. has been awarded a cGMP manufacturing contract for a recombinant protein under development by Pfizer, Inc.

05/02/2008  NIST says its work has helped resolve whether nanoimprint lithography (NIL) can accurately stamp delicate insulating structures on silicon wafers without damage -- and in fact makes them better. According to NIST, NIL "can produce superior nanoporous insulator layers in advanced semiconductor devices with significantly fewer -- and easier -- processing steps than conventional lithography."

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."

05/02/2008  May 2, 2008 -- Piezosystem jena announces two developments intended to serve those needing nano-scale precision: The company has expanded its TRITOR line of field-tested nanopositioning tools, and has become the exclusive U.S. distributor for SIOS, the German manufacturer of nanoprecision measurement systems.

05/01/2008  May 1, 2008 - The global semiconductor market is building strength, according to latest industry sales figures, but the SIA admits it's hard to tell because of the weak memory sector.

05/01/2008  Leadframe-based packages accounted for over 70% of the 147 billion IC packages produced in 2007.

05/01/2008  Flash memory has become a fundamental building block in modern electronic systems.

05/01/2008  A properly implemented CAPA system will ensure that root causes of contamination are found and dealt with in a timely manner.

05/01/2008  In one sense, the recent purchase by Entegris (Chaska, MN) of a stake in privately held Integrated Materials, Inc.

04/30/2008  Apr. 30, 2008 - NIST says its work has helped resolve whether nanoimprint lithography (NIL) can accurately stamp delicate insulating structures without damage -- and in fact makes them better.

04/29/2008 

04/29/2008  MEMS/nano development tools supplier SUSS MicroTec has entered an agreement with Philips Research to create a new type of nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technology called Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography (SCIL). The partnership aims to bring this feature to an existing equipment platform, and enable new approaches to large-area apps.