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KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) today announced the appointment of Victor Peng to its board of directors.

Mr. Peng is president and chief executive officer of Xilinx, where he also serves as a member of the board of directors. Peng has over 30 years of experience leading technology transformation, defining and bringing to market FPGAs, SoCs, GPUs, high performance microprocessors and chip sets, and microprocessor IP products.

“We’re excited to have Victor Peng join the KLA board,” commented Edward W. (Ned) Barnholt, chairman of the board of KLA Corporation. “Victor is an accomplished semiconductor industry leader who brings significant business knowledge, technical expertise, and operational experience that will be invaluable to KLA as we execute our strategies for growth and market leadership.”

Peng joined Xilinx in 2008 and was named president and CEO of the company in January of 2018. Previously he was Xilinx’s chief operating officer, with responsibility for global sales, global operations and quality, product development, and product and vertical marketing. Prior to that, he served as the company’s executive vice president and general manager of Products, a position he held since July 2014. Mr. Peng previously held executive roles at AMD, ATI, and MIPS Technologies.

Peng serves on the board of the Semiconductor Industry Association. He earned a Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Engineering, Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. He holds four U.S. patents.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced the addition of Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) as an SIA member. Broadcom Chief Legal Officer Mark Brazeal is expected to be elected to the SIA board of directors at the association’s next board meeting on April 4.

“We are thrilled to welcome Broadcom, a leading player and valued voice in our industry, into the SIA tent,” said John Neuffer, SIA President and CEO. “The semiconductor industry is foundational to America’s economic and innovation base. Broadcom, headquartered in San Jose, California with over 11,000 employees in the U.S., will greatly strengthen SIA’s work to advance government policies that promote growth and innovation.  We are excited about the knowledge and experience Mark Brazeal will bring to the SIA board.”

In his current role at Broadcom, Brazeal is responsible for the legal, governance, and compliance functions across the company. Previously, he served as the Chief Legal Officer and Senior Vice President, IP Licensing for SanDisk Corporation through 2016. Before joining SanDisk, Brazeal spent 15 years at Broadcom Corporation, most recently as the Senior Vice President and Senior Deputy General Counsel.

“Semiconductors are at the heart of the greatest technological breakthroughs of our time,” said Brazeal. “I look forward to representing Broadcom on the SIA board and collaborating with my colleagues to promote smart government policies that will help us maintain the blistering pace of semiconductor innovation and move our great industry forward.”

Intel names Robert Swan CEO


January 31, 2019

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) today announced that its board of directors has named Robert (Bob) Swan as chief executive officer. Swan, 58, who has been serving as Intel’s interim CEO for seven months and as chief financial officer since 2016, is the seventh CEO in Intel’s 50-year history. Swan has also been elected to Intel’s board of directors.

Intel Corporation has named Robert Swan as its chief executive officer. His promotion was announced Jan. 31, 2019. Swan, who previously served as the company’s chief financial officer and interim CEO, is the seventh CEO to lead the company based in Santa Clara, Calif. (Credit: Intel Corporation)

Todd Underwood, vice president of Finance and director of Intel’s Corporate Planning and Reporting, will assume the role of interim chief financial officer as the company undertakes an internal and external search for a permanent CFO.

“As Intel continues to transform its business to capture more of a large and expanding opportunity that includes the data center, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving, while continuing to get value from the PC business, the board concluded after a thorough search that Bob is the right leader to drive Intel into its next era of growth,” said Chairman Andy Bryant. “The search committee conducted a comprehensive evaluation of a wide range of internal and external candidates to identify the right leader at this critical juncture in Intel’s evolution. We considered many outstanding executives and we concluded the best choice is Bob. Important in the board’s decision was the outstanding job Bob did as interim CEO for the past seven months, as reflected in Intel’s outstanding results in 2018. Bob’s performance, his knowledge of the business, his command of our growth strategy, and the respect he has earned from our customers, our owners, and his colleagues confirmed he is the right executive to lead Intel.”

“In my role as interim CEO, I’ve developed an even deeper understanding of Intel’s opportunities and challenges, our people and our customers,” Swan said. “When I was first named interim CEO, I was immediately focused on running the company and working with our customers. When the board approached me to take on the role permanently, I jumped at the chance to lead this special company. This is an exciting time for Intel: 2018 was an outstanding year and we are in the midst of transforming the company to pursue our biggest market opportunity ever. I’m honored to have the chance to continue working alongside our board, our leadership team, and our more than 107,000 superb employees as we take the company forward.”

Swan is a proven leader with a strong track record of success both within and outside Intel. As interim CEO, Swan has managed the company’s operations in close collaboration with Intel’s senior leadership team. Swan has been Intel’s CFO since October 2016. In this role, he led the global finance, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, IT and corporate strategy organizations. Prior to joining Intel, Swan served as an operating partner at General Atlantic LLC and served on Applied Materials’ board of directors. He previously spent nine years as CFO of eBay Inc., where he is currently a director. Earlier in his career, he was CFO of Electronic Data Systems Corp. and TRW Inc. He also served as CFO, COO and CEO of Webvan Group Inc., and began his career at General Electric, serving for 15 years in several senior finance roles.

Fabless power semiconductor company Helix Semiconductors today announced that Rudi De Winter has joined its board of directors. De Winter is the CEO of Helix Semiconductors’ fab partner X-FAB, as well as a managing partner at Xtrion N.V., a financial company with large holdings in X-FAB and other significant fabless chip companies. The addition of De Winter to the Helix Semiconductors’ board signals that the company is ramping up its resources as it moves into the next stage: preparing its paradigm-shifting transformerless chipsets for mass production.

Helix Semiconductors uses leading-edge X-FAB 0.18um high-voltage CMOS processes to develop its innovative power conversion products, which enable the replacement of bulky, inefficient transformers. As CEO of X-FAB, De Winter is responsible for guiding the company’s research and development, marketing, sales, and quality efforts worldwide. De Winter has more than 30 years of experience in the electronics and semiconductor industries, having previously served as CEO of Melexis N.V. for 15 years. Melexis is a world leader in automotive semiconductor sensors and integrated circuits for motor driving and car networking. Additionally, De Winter has been a director of Xtrion since 1990. De Winter holds a master’s degree in electronic engineering from Ghent University in Belgium.

In his role as a Helix Semiconductors board member, De Winter will represent one of the company’s most significant shareholders and will be called upon to lend his expertise to topics such as industry trends, patterns, behaviors, and norms. De Winter is uniquely qualified as an expert source in areas that are critical to the continuing success of Helix Semiconductors – including source of supply and market strategy.

“The addition of Rudi De Winter to our board of directors is a critical step toward mass production and the achievement of our ultimate goal: fundamentally changing the way that products are powered,” noted Harold A. Blomquist, president and CEO of Helix Semiconductors. “In fact, it’s quite a remarkable feat for an early-stage company like ours to have such an accredited, high-level professional sit on our board. With his depth of directly relevant influence and breadth of experience in the semiconductor industry, Rudi is a strong addition to our board of directors’ existing skill set.”

Alliance Memory today announced that it is offering several end-of-life 8G DDR3L SDRAMs for which Micron Technology Inc. announced a last time buy date of Jan. 13, 2019. For three of the devices, the company is also offering versions with Alliance Memory part numbers that use the same genuine single-die Micron silicon as the Micron-numbered parts.

The following Micron 8G DDR3L SDRAMs are now available from Alliance Memory:

Micron Part Number Alliance Memory Identical Replacement
MT41K512M16HA-107:A N/A
MT41K512M16HA-107 IT:A N/A
MT41K512M16HA-125:A AS4C512M16D3L-12BCN
MT41K1G8SN-125:A AS4C1G8MD3L-12BCN
MT41K512M16HA-125 IT:A * AS4C512M16D3L-12BIN
*Only available in Alliance Memory branded version.

“We are committed to supporting our customers’ legacy SDRAM needs,” said David Bagby, president and CEO of Alliance Memory. “These are genuine Micron parts with Micron part numbers, and we’re pleased to be extending their life cycle by making them available from Alliance Memory.”

Nikon Corporation (“Nikon”) (TYO: 7731), ASML Holding N.V. (“ASML”) (NASDAQ: ASML) and Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH (“Zeiss”) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding relating to a comprehensive settlement of all legal proceedings over patents for lithography equipment and digital cameras.

The Memorandum of Understanding is a binding agreement that concerns all pending disputes between Nikon, ASML and Zeiss in Europe, Japan and the United States, including at the U. S. International Trade Commission. The three companies expect to execute a definitive settlement and cross-license agreement and dismiss all legal proceedings between the parties in February 2019. The terms of the Memorandum include a payment to Nikon by ASML and Zeiss of a total of EUR 150 million (approximately 19.0 billion Japanese Yen*).  Furthermore, the cross-license agreement contemplated by the Memorandum includes mutual royalty payments of 0.8% over the sales of immersion lithography systems for 10 years from the signature date of the parties’ definitive agreement.

* Based on an exchange rate of 1 EUR = 125 yen

SEMICON Korea 2019 opens tomorrow with electronics industry growth drivers artificial intelligence (AI), Smart manufacturing, and MEMS and sensors in the spotlight. Expected to draw 50,000 attendees, the January 23-25 exposition and conference gathers industry leaders and visionaries for insights into the latest technologies, innovations and trends in the electronics industry.

With Smart applications expected to spur strong memory growth and Korea accounting for the overwhelming share of the global memory market, the prospect of substantial memory expansion bodes well for the region. SEMICON Korea, the premier Korean microelectronics industry event with more than 2,000 booths from nearly 500 companies, provides opportunities to Connect, Collaborate and Innovate in high-growth areas of microelectronics including:

  • AI
  • Smart manufacturing
  • Metrology and inspection
  • MEMS and sensors
  • Test

SEMICON Korea 2019 showcases industry leaders offering a vision of the future of semiconductors:

  • Eunsoo Shim, senior vice president, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), Samsung Electronics – On-Device Artificial Intelligence
  • Walden C. Rhines, CEO emeritus, Mentor, a Siemens Business – Domain Specific Processors Drive Changing Outlook for Semiconductor Memory
  • Myung-Hee Na, distinguished engineer, IBM Research –The Era of AI Hardware

At the SEMICON Korea SEMI Technology Symposium (STS), in-depth presentations by industry experts focus on semiconductor manufacturing processes, the latest trends, next-generation semiconductor roadmaps and the industry’s strategic direction.

SEMICON Korea launches a Workforce Pavilion to attract the young talent critical to sustaining industry innovation and growth. In the Meet the Experts mentoring program, more than 600 college students will meet with industry experts to explore career paths in microelectronics. Tutorials will enhance university students’ understanding of semiconductor manufacturing and related technology trends, covering areas including lithography, ferroelectrics, plasma and etching, cleaning and CMP, and packaging.

To help SEMI members companies develop new business, SEMICON Korea offers the Supplier Search Program (SSP). This year, industry heavyweights Samsung, SK Hynix, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Lam Research, Micron, Sony and Toshiba will seek new business opportunities as they meet with more than 100 suppliers.

For more event information, please click here.

Integrated Device Technology, Inc. (IDT®) (NASDAQ: IDTI), a supplier of high-performance system-level analog/mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced that, at the Company’s special meeting of stockholders held on January 15, 2019, IDT stockholders voted to adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated September 10, 2018, by and between IDT and Renesas Electronics Corporation (“Renesas”, TSE: 6723), a premier global supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions.

Approximately 99% of all votes cast voted in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement, representing approximately 82% of all outstanding shares as of November 23, 2018, the record date for the special meeting. The final voting results for each of the proposals voted on at the special meeting of stockholders will be reported on a Current Report on Form 8-K, in accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Closing of the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and remaining regulatory approvals.

On December 21, 2018, IDT reported that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review regarding national security concerns relating to the Merger was underway and the initial 45-day review period would conclude by January 2, 2019. Due to the U.S. government shutdown that commenced in December 2018, this review period has been tolled pursuant to section 1709 of the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018, and will resume following the resumption of operations by the relevant U.S. government agencies.

As previously announced, the two companies have already received regulatory antitrust approval for the proposed transaction from China, Germany, Hungary, and Korea. In addition, the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, in connection with the proposed acquisition expired at 11:59 p.m., Eastern time, on October 22, 2018.

Rambus Inc. today announced it has acquired the assets of Diablo Technologies to broaden its portfolio in the hybrid DRAM and Flash memory markets. These patented innovations augment the existing Rambus NVDIMM portfolio and complement its high-bandwidth, low-power memory technologies. Specific terms of the deal are not disclosed.

For over ten years, Diablo Technologies was a pioneer in the development of NVDIMM technologies for high-speed, low-power, and low-latency bridging and switching products targeted at the server and storage markets. Having developed memory buffer and software solutions leveraging an all-Flash memory sub-system, Diablo Technologies enabled an architecture to rewrite the rules of data center performance and economics. Rambus’ investment in these technology areas provide a foundation for integrating existing DRAM and Flash along with emerging memories into advanced hybrid memory systems in the future.

Expanding emerging memory technology for high memory bandwidth interfaces is key to Rambus’ strategic core business. The company has also been collaborating with IBM to research hybrid memory systems, as announced previously.

“Adding these breakthrough innovations from Diablo Technologies will continue to grow Rambus’ leadership in non-volatile and hybrid DRAM and Flash memory technologies with foundational patents,” said Kit Rodgers, SVP of Technology Partnerships and Corporate Development, Rambus. “Diablo Technology’s patented innovations were ahead of their time and nicely complement our offerings for existing and new customers.”

Brooks Instrument, a developer of advanced flow, pressure, vacuum and vapor delivery solutions, has licensed its direct liquid injection (DLI) vaporizer technology to Ceres Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Saugerties, NY.

The Brooks Instrument DLI vaporizer incorporates unique atomization and heat exchanger technologies to deliver pure vapor for a wide range of processes, including chemical vapor deposition (CVD), metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD). This unique technology has been applied successfully for more than a decade for precise vaporization of a wide range of liquids and liquid precursors. It overcomes the weaknesses of flash vaporizers, which can include thermal decomposition and incomplete vaporization.

Ceres Technologies is a global manufacturer of ultra-high purity gas, vapor and liquid delivery solutions for the semiconductor, compound semiconductor, fiber optic and solar industries. Ceres’ products include gas cabinets, gas blending systems, valve manifold boxes (VMBs) and vapor delivery systems.Ceres’ bulk/centralized vapor delivery systems, such as its VaporGen products based on patented SMR (self-metering reservoir) flash evaporators, and VaporStation™ products based on patented smart bubbler technology, have been used in fabs for more than a decade.

“Ceres’ extensive fluid delivery experience and their broad range of vaporization solutions will continue to expand the market for Brooks Instrument flow control technology,” said Jarek Pisera, Semiconductor Business Unit Manager at Brooks Instrument. “With their system integration capabilities, Ceres is in the unique position of providing customized turnkey solutions for OEMs as well as end-users.”

The Brooks Instrument Quantim™ Coriolis liquid mass flow controller and GF100 Series gas mass flow controller are provided in conjunction with the DLI vaporizer for precise mass flow measurement with fast-response “vapor on demand.”

“Brooks Instrument products are known worldwide for their precision, quality and reliability,” added Kevin Brady, President of Ceres Technologies. “Ceres has incorporated Brooks Instrument products into many of our present product designs. Licensing their DLI vaporizer technology is a key component as we expand our vapor delivery product line into newer liquid precursors.”