Tag Archives: Small Times Magazine

Jan. 30, 2006 — Sense Holdings Inc. (OTCBB:SEHO)(FWB:OUP), a developer of next-generation biometric and explosive detection security technologies for government and commercial security markets, increased the size of its scientific research staff based at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The team is accelerating product development of an efficient MEMS-based handheld explosives detection device.

Some 15 full-time and part-time workers have joined in the project. The company signed a cooperative research and development agreement with the Oak Ridge laboratory in November that called for the hiring of additional employees on the joint development project.

Jan. 30, 2006 — The University at Albany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering will be the site of yet another research and development center for the microchip industry, it was announced Friday. The new SEMATECH Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Resist Test Center will have an operating budget of approximately $20 million through 2008 and house more than $30 million in extreme ultraviolet exposure, test, support, and metrology tools.

The new center builds on the partnership, originally announced by Gov. George E. Pataki in 2002, that SEMATECH selected New York for its International SEMATECH North operations, and will complement the programs of the recently announced University at Albany Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery and Exploration (INDEX). SEMATECH is providing funding for the center. SEMATECH’s American, European, and Pacific Rim member companies will locate researchers and engineers on site.

Jan. 27, 2006 — Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq: VECO), announced that it has formed a process equipment group to maximize growth opportunities in the data storage and HB-LED industries.

In establishing the group, Veeco appointed Robert Oates, formerly in charge of Veeco’s data storage operations as senior vice president for process equipment operations. Oates joined Veeco’s predecessor company in 1976.

Edward Braun, Veeco chairman and CEO, said in a prepared statement that the company expects revenue growth in the process equipment business to exceed 15 percent in 2006, as demand for converged consumer electronics with embedded storage and high brightness LED backlit displays broadens.

Jan. 26, 2006 – Nanometrics Inc. (Nasdaq: NANO), a supplier of metrology equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Accent Optical Technologies Inc.

Accent, headquartered in Bend, Ore., supplies process control and metrology systems to the global semiconductor manufacturing industry. The combination of Nanometrics and Accent would create one of the largest metrology and process control companies in the semiconductor capital equipment industry, with trailing annual revenues totaling more than $110 million for the twelve months ended October 1, 2005, according to a Nanometrics release.

Under the terms of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both companies, Nanometrics will issue approximately 5 million shares of its common stock for all outstanding Accent capital stock and rights to acquire Accent capital stock. Nanometrics will also assume approximately $10.6 million in net debt obligations of Accent. Based on the closing price of Nanometrics common stock on January 25, 2006, the transaction values Accent at $80.9 million.

After the deal, Nanometrics stockholders will own approximately 73 percent and Accent stockholders will own approximately 27 percent of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.

John Heaton will maintain his role as president and chief executive officer of the combined company, which will continue to be known as Nanometrics. Bruce Rhine, currently chairman and chief executive officer of Accent, will become the chief strategy officer of Nanometrics. Douglas McCutcheon will continue his role as chief financial officer of the combined entity. The combined company will be headquartered at Nanometrics’ existing headquarters in Milpitas, Calif.

Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, Nanometrics shareholders’ approval of the issuance of Nanometrics shares in the transaction, Accent stockholders’ approval and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to occur in the first half of 2006.

– David Forman

Jan. 26, 2006 — Micralyne Inc., an Edmonton, Alberta, manufacturer of MEMS components, announced it has purchased the Manufacturing Execution Software system from Eyelit Inc., a provider of collaborative production management solutions for manufacturing companies.

Micralyne said in a release that the purchase was driven by an increase in customer ramp-ups from development into volume production over the last 6 months, for which the company has also brought on new staff. Chris Lumb, Micralyne president and CEO, said in a prepared statement that the Eyelit system would improve internal efficiencies and allow the company to better accommodate stringent manufacturing requirements.

Jan. 26, 2006 – Intel Corp. announced it has reached an important milestone in the development of 45nm logic technology by producing fully functional static random access memory (SRAM) chips using 45nm process technology, its next-generation, high-volume semiconductor manufacturing process.

The company said in a news release that achieving the milestone means Intel is on track to manufacture chips with this technology in 2007 using 300mm wafers.

Today Intel is currently in volume production of semiconductors using 65nm process technology, with two manufacturing facilities making 65nm chips in Arizona and Oregon and two more coming online this year in Ireland and Oregon.

Jan. 26, 2006 — Advanced Battery Technologies Inc. (OTC.BB: ABAT), a developer and manufacturer of rechargeable polymer-lithium-ion (PLI) batteries, announced it has started shipments of its advanced rechargeable PLI batteries to Aiyingsi Co. Ltd. of Taiwan.

Aiyingsi is a private company established in 1990 specializing in electric vehicle development and manufacture. The first batch of PLI batteries shipped to Aiyingsi was installed in electric bicycles and motorcycles, according to a company news release.

Jan. 26, 2006 — Cientifica, a London-based supplier of nanotechnology research and technology information, published a report exploring why nanotechnology has had limited commercial impact during the past decade.

The report, titled “Where Has My Money Gone?” was based on interviews with government funding agencies and researchers. Key findings of the report include:

  • Global government spending on nanotechnologies totalled $4.8 billion in 2005.

  • Japan spends three times as much as a proportion of its gross domestic product as the United States.

  • Government nanotechnology funding takes an average of two to three years before it reaches the lab.

  • Much government spending is concentrated on research areas with little immediate commercial impact.

The report maintains that the true impact of nanotechnology will only start to be felt from 2007 onwards.

Jan. 26, 2006 – XTREME Technologies GmbH, based in Gottingen and Jena, Germany, announced it has received funding from Intel Capital, Intel Corp.’s strategic investment arm, to accelerate development of its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source for photolithography applications. A corresponding strategic investment agreement was signed in late December.

“This investment enables us to expand our development efforts and to strengthen our leadership position in the emerging EUV market,” said Uwe Stamm, president of XTREME Technologies, in a prepared statement. The companies did not disclose the size of the investment.

According to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), EUV lithography is being developed because current chip printing technology that uses ultraviolet light does not support printing the tiny features that will be required in the next few years as transistors and other circuit elements of computer chips shrink in size.

EUV lithography uses light with a very short wavelength of only 13.5nm, versus the 193nm wavelength of today. ITRS anticipates that EUV lithography will start displacing existing lithography techniques by the end of the decade for production of leading-edge semiconductor chips with critical dimensions of 32nm or smaller.

XTREME Technologies is a technology joint venture between Jenoptik AG and Ushio Inc. It was founded in April 2001.

– David Forman

Jan. 25, 2006 — Microfluidics, the operating subsidiary of MFIC Corp. (OTC.BB: MFIC), announced the introduction of its latest laboratory model M-110EH Microfluidizer processor, the M-110EH-30.

The company says the improved version of the M-110EH is designed to operate reliably and efficiently at up to 30,000-psi process pressure, a significant increase over prior M-110EH models. The revised M-110EH standard offering also comes equipped with a wear-resistant diamond chamber.

The M-110EH-30 is intended to optimize the production of nano-suspensions and nano-emulsions as well as cell disruption with the least number of passes. Additionally, says the company, the device could yield more efficient processing of pharmaceutical formulations, fine chemicals, and biological material ranging from simple oil-in-water emulsions to highly immiscible solids-in-liquid suspensions.