07/11/2001  VLSI Research's recently released 2001 Customer Satisfaction Survey saw some jockeying for top spots, with a combination of first-place stalwarts and blue-ribbon rookies taking high honors. Agilent Technologies, Karl Suss, Ultratech Stepper, Universal Instruments and Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associate snagged top equipment supplier honors in their respective categories.

07/11/2001 

07/10/2001  July 10, 2001 - Westwood, MA - ADE Corp. has reduced its workforce by approximately 5%, as part of a cost-cutting program that is being implemented in response to softening market conditions. All job reductions were associated with ADE's New England facilities and were preceded by actions taken to reduce non-essential spending.

07/10/2001 

07/09/2001  July 9, 2001 -- CRANBURY, NJ -- Princeton Lightwave Inc., has started manufacturing optical components at its new advanced components facility at its headquarters.

07/09/2001  July 9, 2001 - Newport Beach, CA - Conexant Systems has announced additional restructuring and expense-reduction initiatives, including a reduction in workforce of approximately 450 people.

07/03/2001 

07/01/2001  When we look back on 2001, we will likely remember it as the year that the long-heralded convergence of packaging and wafer fab processes really turned the corner, with convincing advances on many fronts

07/01/2001  CHASKA, MN—Entegris Inc. recently announced that it has joined the Center for Microcontamination Control (CMC) at the University of Arizona. The company says it hopes to broaden its research and development as well as its business offerings.

06/26/2001  June 26, 2001 - Hillsboro, OR - With a company focus on structural diagnostics and structural modification with the utilization of ion beam technology, FEI has an eye on the future.

06/26/2001  June 26, 2001 -- MALAYSIA -- AIC Corp. and U.S.-based National Scientific Corp plan to develop and manufacture advanced power protection semiconductor devices.

06/22/2001  Vishay Intertechnology Inc.'s proposed acquisition of Siliconix appears cleared to move forward, following the Delaware Court of Chancery's denial of a preliminary injunction.

06/18/2001  June 18, 2001 - Geneva, Switzerland -STMicroelectronics (ST) has shut down both of its Singapore plants for three weeks to reduce inventory, a recent report said.

06/18/2001 
A survivor of the Iran-Iraq war landed a secure job at IBM. But that wasn't enough. "I wanted to bring MEMS from something gathering dust on papers on the shelf to real products that affect society." So Integrated Sensing Systems Inc. was born.

06/11/2001  June 11, 2001 -- ROUND ROCK, TX -- DuPont Photomasks and Micron Technology plant to form a joint venture that will result in the creation of a new photomask cleanroom facility.

06/06/2001  The 2000 Back-End Process: Step-by-Step
Industry newcomers and veterans alike benefit from our monthly series of step-by-step articles that outline the packaging process -- how it's changed, how it's stayed the same and how it's applied today. As a special reference tool for our apmag.com visitors, here's a compilation of articles from The 2000 Back-End Process Series: Step by Step.

06/06/2001  June 6, 2001 - St. Peters, MO - MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. will close the 125 and 150mm polished and epitaxial wafer manufacturing line at MEMC Southwest Inc., located in Sherman, Texas. The closure will result in a reduction in workforce at the MEMC Southwest facility of more than 300 employees.

06/05/2001  June 6, 2001 - Beverly, MA, and Midland, MI - Axcelis Technologies Inc. and Dow Corning Corp. are working together to develop a novel process that enables use of porous ultra-low-k dielectric materials in next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

06/04/2001  June 4, 2001 -- HSIN-CHU, Taiwan -- Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company recently opened the doors of its $1.2 billion wafer production fab.

05/31/2001  May 31, 2001 - Milpitas, CA - Nanometrics Korea, a subsidiary of Nanometrics Inc., supplier of advanced integrated and standalone metrology equipment, announced the opening of its new support and manufacturing facility in Pyungtaek City, Korea.