05/10/2005  CHELMSFORD, Mass. - May 10, 2005 - Brooks Software, a division of Brooks Automation, Inc. and a leading provider of real-time applications for complex manufacturing operations, today announced the availability of iReticles 3.0, the latest version of Brooks' system for managing the large number of reticles that exist in a typical semiconductor fab.

05/10/2005  May 10, 2005 - Applied Materials has announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has qualified the Applied Centura Gate Stack system with decoupled plasma nitridation (DPN) technology for all its 65nm-generation transistor fabrication processes.

05/09/2005  May 9, 2005 - Photronics has announced its strategy to drive advanced photomask R&D through a network of global corporate R&D centers. Photronics said its photomask R&D center in Austin, TX, and the recently launched Photronics-PKL R&D center in Cheon-an, Choong-nam, Korea, are working to develop next generation fabrication processes to manufacture high performance IC products down through the 45nm node.

05/09/2005  May 9, 2005 - Simtek Corp. and Cypress Semiconductor Corp. have announced a comprehensive agreement to jointly develop a 0.13-micron silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) nonvolatile memory process. Under the agreement, Cypress will invest $4 million in 6,740,816 shares of Simtek common stock.

05/06/2005  May 6, 2005 - Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased <2% during the 1Q05 when compared to the 4Q04 areas shipments, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

05/06/2005  (May 06, 2005) San Jose, Calif. — In the first quarter of 2005, worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased less than 2% compared to the fourth quarter of 2004, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly silicon wafer industry analysis.

05/06/2005  People often ask me how I became an industry analyst specializing in MEMS. The truth is, it was mostly a case of being in the right place at the right time with the right skills to tackle a complex subject like MEMS. Now I find myself in that position again, with the opportunity to research, analyze and write not only about MEMS, but all sorts of emerging technologies for EmTech Research, a new division of Small Times Media.

05/05/2005  (May 05, 2005) Armonk, N.Y. — In hopes to improve upon efficiency, operations, and opportunities, IBM is planning to implement restructuring actions to further accelerate progress toward more globally integrated operations, address profitability in slower-growth regions, especially in Europe, and shift resources to higher-growth markets and opportunities, such as Business Performance Transformation Services.

05/05/2005  May 5, 2005 - Chinese foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) and Singapore-based United Test and Assembly Center Ltd. (UTAC) have agreed to form a joint venture to provide assembly and testing services in Chengdu, China, targeting memory and logic.

05/04/2005  (May 04, 2005) Chandler, Ariz.—Amkor Technology Inc.'s first quarter 2005 sales totaled $418 million, down 8% sequentially, and down 10% from the first quarter of 2004. The company's first quarter net loss was $119 million and included a provision for legal settlements, with no tax benefit, of $50 million.

05/04/2005  May 4, 2005 - Minnesota-based Entegris announced yesterday that it will realign some of its production and administrative activities. Entegris officials expect the moves will produce an annual operating cost savings of more than $1 million and are expected to have a minimal impact on staffing levels.

05/04/2005 

05/03/2005  May 3, 2005 - SEMI will introduce its "High Tech U" in Singapore next year. The program is a partnership among SEMI, local academic institutions, government, and semiconductor industry companies to introduce high school students to the science of making semiconductors and to career opportunities available within the high-tech industries. It will be the first High Tech U program to be held outside the US.

05/01/2005  Have you read the latest news from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)?

05/01/2005  HIGHEST BUMP HEIGHT-TO-PITCH RATIO

05/01/2005  WAFER BUMPING SOLUTION

05/01/2005  BILLERICA, MA-Slow growth in the semiconductor industry, combined with rising research and development costs, may make the recent Mykrolis Crop./Entegris Inc./ Extraction Systems merger more the norm than the exception for contamination-contro9l companies.

04/29/2005  By J. Robert Lineback, M. David Levenson, Senior Editors, Solid State Technology magazine

With no 'showstoppers' identified yet in immersion lithography, rival scanner makers ASML, Canon, and Nikon are accelerating efforts to take 193nm 'wet' exposure tools to the next level, quickly pushing NA lenses to their feasible limits in systems using water to boost DOF and resolution for 65nm and 45nm processes.

04/29/2005  April 29, 2005 - Isonics Corp. has announced the completion of a new 300mm silicon wafer manufacturing line for producing new test wafers and providing reclaim services at its Vancouver, WA, facility. The company expects the first sales of 300mm products to begin next month.

04/29/2005