03/01/2002  TEMPE, AZ—After four years of research and development, Motorola Life Sciences, a business unit of Motorola, Inc., has begun developing biochips that will enable scientists and healthcare professionals to quickly and accurately analyze DNA, RNA and proteins from living cells.

03/01/2002  There is a tremendous amount of discussion of late regarding energy conservation in the operation of semiconductor facilities. It's my contention that the energy saved by this approach is relatively unimportant in the overall scheme of things. Of course, no one wishes to waste energy needlessly, but reducing energy consumption solely for the sake of energy conservation should be well down our list.

02/28/2002 
At Fornos Restaurant in Newark's Ironbound District, a meeting of MEMS minds is under way. The MEMS Journal Club, New Jersey branch, is in session. It's the second oldest of about a half-dozen informal groups, where MEMS educators, researchers, engineers, journal editors and thought leaders gather to talk about the industry's past and future.

02/27/2002  Santa Clara, CA -- Intel Corp. has completed first production of microprocessors on the 0.13-micron process at its 300mm fab in Hillsboro, OR.

02/27/2002  Feb. 27, 2002 - Phoenix, AZ - ON Semiconductor, a provider of power- and data-management semiconductors, plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Piestany, Slovakia with a second front-end wafer fab that will produce low-voltage MOS power devices

02/27/2002  Feb. 27, 2002 - Singapore - Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. has signed two agreements in hopes of making its technology more widely available for chip designers.

02/26/2002  Feb. 26, 2002 - Kuching, Malaysia, and Singapore - 1st Silicon (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., and FTD Technology Pte. Ltd. have signed a worldwide joint marketing and technical support agreement.

02/25/2002  The word "over" has been used recently to describe current problems within the semiconductor industry - oversupply, overcapacity, etc. But in some areas, too much isn't the problem - too little is. Over the next few years, the industry will be dealing with a shortage in helium, and while it's not a major crisis, it is a source of concern, especially for the lithography sector.

02/25/2002  Feb. 25, 2002 - Sunnyvale, CA, and Milpitas, CA - Artisan Components Inc., a provider of semiconductor IP, and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing have signed an agreement to provide Artisan's 0.13-micron library products for Chartered's advanced process technology in order to be licensed free-of-charge to IC designers.

02/22/2002  Kyma Technologies Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC, an RTP-based developer and supplier of nitride substrates, has shipped what it says is the world's first single crystal 2-inch gallium nitride wafer to a global micro- and optoelectronic company for use as a base technology.

02/22/2002 
What used to be Nanovation Technologies Inc.'s Michigan headquarters became the scene of a gigantic liquidation sale this week. Much can be blamed on the weak telecom sector, but more MEMS companies will drop out because there is only so much demand for optical components – even in good times. "I think it’s just the beginning," said one analyst. "There are too many companies out there."

02/21/2002  Nikon reports progress on both the optics and the infrastructure for its e-beam projection lithography, and argues it may still be the best available option for printing critical contact layers at 70 to 35nm, even with low throughput.

02/19/2002  Feb. 19, 2002 - Hillsboro, OR - Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, and TriQuint Semiconductor Inc. have signed an agreement for a strategic partnership that guarantees Philips Semiconductors controlled access to TriQuint's InGaP HBT 150mm wafer processing facilities, and provides for joint development of future process technologies.

02/14/2002  Last year, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. stated it would only invest in 300mm in the future. Then, early this year, TSMC Chairman Morris Chang said the company was mulling the possibility of a 200mm facility in China, and local media have quoted unnamed sources pinpointing Jiangsu Province as the spot for the first fab.TSMC

02/14/2002  Feb. 14, 2002 - Danvers, MA, and St. Peters, MO - Ibis Technology Corp. and MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. have signed a technical cooperation agreement aimed at developing advanced separation-by-implantation-of-oxygen (SIMOX) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers.

02/13/2002  Announcements of decreased capex for 2002 were no surprise to most analysts who regard the new year as one for slow recovery, though Intel's announced cut did fluster a previously upbeat Wall Street.

02/11/2002  Feb. 11, 2002 - The Canadian Microelectronics Corp. announced the purchase of design collaboration and semiconductor intellectual property distribution software from Synchronicity Inc. to facilitate the rollout of Canada's System-On-Chip Research Network.

02/11/2002  Feb. 11, 2002 -- Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp. has plans to announce more joint venture partnerships similar to a multibillion-dollar agreement with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. touted earlier this month.

02/11/2002  Taiwan - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. chairman Morris Chang said he was still optimistic about Taiwan's economic future and a possible government green light on 8-inch silicon wafer foundry investment in mainland China.

02/08/2002  Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and startup IC house Shanghai Tsinghua Chip Crystal Microelectronics Co. announced first silicon for a 2.4 GHz RF transceiver chip manufactured with Chartered's 0.18-micron RF CMOS process.