08/27/2004  (August 27, 2004) Research Triangle Park, N.C.—The acquisition announced last month of Unitive Inc. by Amkor Technology, Inc. is complete. Unitive, a leading provider of wafer level technologies and services for flip chip and wafer level packaging applications, now operates as a subsidiary of Amkor.

08/27/2004  August 27, 2004 - Tightening capacity utilization in 2Q04 led to double-digit growth in silicon revenues, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group.

08/26/2004  August 26, 2004 - Toshiba Corp. plans to expand production capacity at its 200mm facility in Yokkaichi, central Japan, to 107,500 wafers/month by 1H05, a 7.5% increase.

08/26/2004  August 26, 2004 - Albany Nanotech, the nanotechnology center located at the U. of Albany/State U. of New York, said that its College for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CSNE) has installed and begun qualifying for 300mm wafers using a 193nm preproduction immersion lithography system.

08/26/2004  August 26, 2004 - China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) plans to "vigorously defend" itself against ongoing charges from Taiwan's TSMC, the company said in a statement.

08/26/2004  (August 26, 2004) San Jose, Calif.—According to a quarterly analysis conducted by SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG), worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased by 6 percent in the second quarter of 2004, and by 27 percent from the second quarter in 2003. Total silicon wafer area shipments were 1,619 million square inches during the most recent quarter, up from 1,529 million square inches in shipments reported during the previous quarter.

08/25/2004  August 25, 2004 - Demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment remains strong, although clearly it's slowing down -- but don't reach for the panic button just yet, according to SEMI.

08/25/2004  Automated advanced macro defect inspection solution
(August 25, 2004—Minneapolis, Minn.)
August Technology Corporation launched NSX-115, the latest addition to its NSX series of automated advanced macro defect inspection solutions. The NSX-115 is optimized for 2D gold and solder bump and probe mark inspection.

08/25/2004  (August 25, 2004) Milpitas, Calif.—LSI Logic, in response to customer demands and global environmental initiatives, now offers chip products with lead (Pb)-free packaging. While no legislation currently exists that would prohibit the sale of Pb-based products in the United States, LSI Logic has conducted its own initiative to provide Pb-free packaging for its customers.

08/25/2004  (August 25, 2004) Santa Clara, California—Best Electronics and Components Company, Inc., a contract test facility for analog and mixed signal semiconductors, has successfully established a high-volume chip scale package (CSP) production line. This new production line can electrically sort, laser mark, visually inspect, tape, and reel multiple wafer scale devices and QFN packages at production volumes of 2,000,000 devices per week.

08/25/2004  August 25, 2004 - EV Group today announced that a major Canadian research organization has joined its nanoimprint lithography (NIL) consortium formed to commercialize this technology.

08/24/2004  August 24, 2004 - National Semiconductor Corp., Santa Clara, CA, has sold its imaging business to Eastman Kodak Co. for an undisclosed amount.

08/24/2004  August 24, 2004 - ChipMOS Technologies Inc. has agreed to purchase all of the testing and assembly assets of First International Computer Testing and Assembly Technology Inc. (FICTA) located in the Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan.

08/24/2004  August 24, 2004 - Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 6% sequentially in the 2Q04 and 27% from the 2Q03, according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

08/24/2004  (August 24, 2004) Hsinchu, Taiwan—ChipMOS Technologies Ltd. has, through its subsidiaries ChipMOS Technologies Inc. and ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp., entered into an agreement with First International Computer Testing and Assembly Technology, Inc. (FICTA) whereby ChipMOS will purchase all of FICTA's testing and assembly assets from its Hsinchu, Taiwan operation. The transaction is valued at approximately US$30 million.

08/23/2004  (August 23, 2004) Franklin, Mass.—Speedline Technologies, Inc., announced today that it has entered into four new alliances to strengthen its sales, customer service and marketing reach throughout Southeast Asia.

08/23/2004  August 23, 2004 - Semiconductor component and subsystem supplier, Mykrolis Corp. has acquired Bentec Scientific LLC, a privately held manufacturer of polyvinyl alcohol-based components used in semiconductor manufacturing.

08/23/2004  Applying a precision technique known as ion sputtering, Sterling, Va.-based 4Wave produces atomically thin films used for making next-generation optical chips. The 4Wave chips integrate four distinct optical filters and a reflective mirror on a flat glass surface.

08/20/2004  August 20, 2004 - The Semiconductor Industry Association said that it is seeking proposals from interested investigators for conducting an independent retrospective epidemiological study of US semiconductor wafer fab workers. The study's principal focus will be the assessment of cancer risk among these workers over more than 30 years, from the late 1960s to the present.

08/20/2004  (August 20, 2004) San Jose, Calif.—North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.61 billion in orders in July 2004 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.05, according to the July 2004 Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 1.05 means that $105 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.