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JULY 15th, 2005
Addressing the digital camera and phone camera market, IBM has made
available a foundry service based on its 0.18 micron copper CMOS semiconductor process image sensor technology licensed from
Kodak. The design kit enables the integration of a 4-transistor, 3 micron pixel technology and components from IBM’s
image sensor design library. IBM indicates that the technology features dark current specifications that permit the design
of cameras that are able to operate well in low-light settings. Other technology features IBM points to include on-chip color
filters and microlens, angle response performance as well as a 2.5 micron copper stack, which is often incorporated to improve
light collection efficiency.
Tom Reeves, Vice President, Semiconductor Products for IBM Systems
& Technology Group also listed benefits of IBM technology for phone photo applications, "IBM is bringing its extensive
copper semiconductor process experience to bear on the CMOS image sensor market, offering clients what we believe is the best
foundry technology available today. Our innovative technology produces sensors with excellent color accuracy, low noise and
very competitive low-light performance that can help clients differentiate their products in this competitive and growing
consumer market."
Chris McNiffe, General Manager of Kodak's Image Sensor solutions
business, which also has its own line of image sensors, had this to say about the combination of Kodak and IBM technology,
"We are pleased to see Kodak's image sensor technology at the heart of IBM's new foundry offering. Our collaboration with
IBM has been extremely successful thus far, leveraging our respective strengths in imaging and semiconductor manufacturing."
JULY 15th, 2005
Silicon Quest’s New Department
Addresses Start-Up’s Needs for Process Expertise
Silicon Quest International (SQI has announced their new Materials
Engineering Department. The department offers technical consulting and business development services to semiconductor companies.
SQI indicated that the service has new companies in mind. Small fabless companies often need to be aware of critical materials
and process issues to implement MEMS and analog technology optimally.
SQI's new Vice President of Technology and Product Development,
Dr. Zbigniew Radzimski is heading up the company’s new department.
SQI supplies a complete range of silicon wafers, often used to test
semiconductor process technologies. Some of the company’s offerings are silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and solar wafers.
JULY 14th, 2005
Shellcase Works on China Market With Wafer Level Package Technology
Shellcase Ltd., which estimates that its chip packages are used in over 30 percent of all camera
phone headsets, has continued its market leadership with a license for its wafer-level chip size packaging from China WLSCP,
a semiconductor packaging house based in Suzhou, China.
China WLSCP sees wide acceptance for the product in the optical
market. According to Wang Wei, CEO of China WLCSP, "We are thrilled to partner with Shellcase and bring this much needed miniaturization
technology to the Chinese market. I expect that WLCSP will soon become the packaging option of choice for optical device manufacturers
in China."
Shellcase recently introduced its latest package solution for optical
devices that include microlenses. Called the ShellUltraThin, the very thin clear package is designed to allow the camera to
process images through the package.
Shellcase offers packages for CMOS and CCD area array and linear
sensors, photodiodes, as well as RF-MEMS and mixed signal devices.
JULY 12th, 2005
Honeywell (NYSE:HON) has reported that it will invest over the next
five years at least $5 million in Albany NanoTech, a nanoelectronic research facility affiliated with the University at Albany
(SUNY).. The investment is intended to enhance Honeywell’s existing nanomaterials development work.
As part of the investment, Honeywell plans to add laboratory equipment
and its own researchers at Albany NanoTech’s research center. There it will work on nanomaterials for the further development
of semiconductor manufacturing processes. According to Dr. Saket Chadda, Chief Technology Officer at Honeywell Electronic
Materials, "Honeywell Electronic Materials has long been a leader in innovative materials which are the critical building
blocks for integrated circuit chip production. This investment will allow us to continue to develop new materials critical
to continuing the relentless pace of circuit miniaturization."
The facility at Albany NanoTech is 450,000 square feet and contains
a 200 mm / 300 mm wafer facility for the development of advanced integrated circuits, which include System-on-Chip, biochips,
photonic devices, sensors and high-speed communications devices. The fab is housed in a 65,000 square foot Class 1 clean room.
The Albany NanoTech facility is part of a $1.4 billion project by
the State of New York and a number of industrial partners to establish five Centers of Excellence for the further development
of nanoelectronics and other advanced technologies.
JULY 12th, 2005
Tegal Corporation (NASDAQ:TGAL), a semiconductor equipment supplier
that provides equipment for the production of micromachine, magnetic memory and ferroelectric memory integrated circuit production
as well as wireless components has entered into a definitive agreement to sell $22.5 million of common stock and warrants
to investors. The offering is expected to take place in two phases. The first phase would raise $4.1 million and the second
$18.4 million. The offering needs final approval from shareholders, which is expected to occur at meeting scheduled for September
13, 2005.
JULY 11th, 2005
As a strategic business move, Eastman Kodak Company, known for its
photography technology and cameras throughout the world, has licensed its CMOS image sensor technology to Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) (NYSE:TSM)(TSE:2330). The Kodak technologies license includes four-transistor (4T) pixel
and pinned photo-diode pixel architectures, which are expected to be available through TSMC for other semiconductor companies
to base their CMOS image sensors designs on. According to TSMC’s Ken Chen, Director of Mainstream Technology Marketing,
"As the leading foundry for CMOS image sensors (CIS), TSMC is committed to providing the most advanced CIS technology for
our customers. This agreement with Kodak will allow TSMC to continue our leadership position in CIS by supporting manufacture
of the most advanced, state-of-the-art CIS designs, and to provide a licensed manufacturing platform to all CIS design companies
to meet the growing industry demands for image sensors used in digital camera and mobile imaging applications."
TSMC indicates that the license agreement is part of Kodak’s
plan to use its intellectual property as a way to further revenue from the growing mass consumer market, which is using CMOS
image sensors on items such as cellular phones. According to Chris McNiffe, General Manager of Kodak's Image Sensor
Solutions business, "This agreement further expands Kodak's ability to meet the exploding demand for CIS devices used in consumer
imaging applications. Our agreement with TSMC augments our existing manufacturing agreements, and again demonstrates Kodak's
commitment to execute its digital strategy. We are excited to be working with TSMC to support the manufacture of CIS designs
that utilize Kodak's core IP."
JULY 11th, 2005
E-Manufacturing Tools Central to Analyzing
Global Wafer Fabrication Data in Real-Time
ILS Technology, which provides a secure e-manufacturing software
package for networks of multi-billion dollar semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities, announced several enhancements to
its e-manufacturing software package as part of its scheduled appearance at Semicon West. According to Bill Ramus, Senior
Vice president of Commercial Management at ILS Technology, "We have added some significant new features to eCentre based on
extensive feedback from fab equipment manufacturers (OEMs) operating at several different IC manufacturers (ICMs). The gist
of the new features is increased efficiency in monitoring and updating OEM tools, with access to knowledge and data from the
OEM's home site directly into the fab, and vice-versa. This is all done with the leading security capability for which ILS
is known. Now, OEMs can have all the information they need at their tools on the fab floor, and each new feature can be toggled
on or off as required by the hosting ICM's security team."
The list of new features for ILS products focuses on the establishment
of a sophisticated network infrastructure that can be used to tie all of an IC manufacturers wafer fabrication facilities
together down to the equipment level. For example, a manufacturer with several wafer fabrication lines located in widely separated
geographic regions could examine the yields at each manufacturing step at each factory in retail time. From the control panel,
adjustments of equipment could be made to increase the yield levels for specific equipment for specific manufacturing procedures.
JULY 11th, 2005
IMEC and Semizone System-to-Process Courses
Expected to Improve IC Industry’s Bottom Line
As process technologies shrink the need to know the effect of designers’
high-level architectural decisions on yield become more important. This has generated a demand for engineers to fully understand
not only architectural level design but advanced semiconductor process technology. Helping bridge the gap between RTL coding,
process technology and design for yield are Semizone Inc and IMEC. IMEC, which is currently developing sub-45 nanometer processes
for the next-generation of ICs with a number of the world’s leading IC companies through the NANOCMOS program, has joined
with Semizone, a provider of online learning content for the semiconductor industry, to provide a range of courses that extend
from high level system design, through chip level design, down to the nanometer world of IC process technology. The courses
are designed for mainstream chip designers, as well as process engineers and process technicians – enabling both fabless
and IDM (Integrated Device Manufacturers) companies to maximize understanding throughout their entire organization.
Noting the value of having IMEC as a partner was Mehrdad Moslehi,
Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, Semizone, Inc., "We can't think of a more compelling joint development partnership in Europe than
an alliance with a premiere nanoelectronics research institute such as IMEC. Our business focuses on providing the latest
industry-relevant knowledge and technological developments to the semiconductor industry workforce through a global online
learning delivery platform. IMEC is a well-respected, internationally recognized research center, which jointly with Semizone,
is now providing leading-edge educational and training content to the industry. Our alliance with IMEC should further enhance
Semizone's online learning programs and methodology in Europe."
Professor Gilbert Declerck, President and CEO, IMEC, indicated that
the Semizone’s programs would be an excellent way to inform the semiconductor world of his company’s leading edge
research and as an educational tool for IMEC’s own workforce, "We are pleased to partner with Semizone to provide industry-relevant
and up-to-date online learning programs for the microelectronics industry through Semizone's proven online learning business.
In recent years, IMEC has invested substantially in e-learning. This also provides a comprehensive source of knowledge to
the IMEC workforce, available for access on demand. Through our partnership with Semizone, we are now able to deliver leading-edge
knowledge and IMEC-produced innovations to the global semiconductor industry through Semizone's global distribution and delivery
system."
Semizone presently has hundreds of programs and modules and thousands
of learning modules. These are all accessible through the company’s web-based learning management system.
JULY 6th, 2005
Outsource Twist - On Semiconductor Brings
Fab Home to Save $30 Million
As most semiconductor companies outsource wafer fabrication work
or move off-shore to save costs, On Semiconductor (NASDAQ: ONNN), has done the opposite. The company has said that it will
transfer its wafer fabrication facility in Seremban Malaysia to its Phoenix Arizona facility in an effort that is expected
to save $25 million to $30 million over the next five years. The closing of the fab is expected to eliminate 80 jobs. The
Phoenix wafer fab has 60,000 square feet of manufacturing space and is said to be able to increase its output without a significant
increase in employees or cost.
The company plans for new to keep its 281,000 square foot assembly
and test facility at Site 1 in Seremban, one of On’s largest manufacturing sites. However the company did indicate that
it is looking at integrating its other facilities into the Phoenix unit, which is the company’s center for its Lean
Six Sigma methodologies and also considered one of On’s most efficient manufacturing operations.
JULY 6th, 2005
Contaminated Wafer Water May Be Valuable
Source of Chemicals
With news from Japan, that Sanyo has reclaimed valuable Calcium
Fluoride from semiconductor wafer processing waste water, it may be a time for semiconductor companies to start looking around
for profitable ways to clean up water adversely affected by semiconductor operations. It may be that those parts per millions
going down the drain could actually be dollars per million instead of potential environmental law suits.
JUNE 27th, 2005
Cornerstone of India’s Semiconductor
Wafer Fabrication Capacity Placed
Reports coming out of India indicate that an opening ceremony at
the Rajiv Gandhi Nanotechnology Park for the largest based fabrication facility in India has occurred. The initial project
is expected to cost around $600 million, but indications are that plans are eventually to expand the project into the multi-billion
dollar range. Although IBM was initially thought to be a major investor in the facility, more recent reports indicate that
IBM’s entrance into India’s fabrication market may not be assured. Investors are expected to be announced over
the next two months. Surrounding the foundry were organization names such as Nano-Tech Silicon India Pvt. Ltd., Andhra Pradesh
Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, Intellect Inc. and India Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Fabs in the $1 billon dollar range in general have a capacity in
the order of 30,000 eight inch wafers per month and can take anywhere from 18 months to 36 months to bring on line.
JUNE 22nd, 2005
NEC Electronics Reports 50 Percent less Interconnect Density at 45 Nanometers
NEC Electronics through the MIRAI Project (Millennium Research for Advanced Information Technology)
has developed a new molecular based technique for the development of its 45-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process.
According to the company, the new 45 nanometer process, when compared to 65 nanometer processes, enables a doubling of the
interconnect density, a 16 percent reduction in interconnect parasitics, which in turn improves the operational speed and
power consumption characteristics of chips based on the process.
NEC bases the new process on what it calls MPS technology. That
technology is based on silica molecules, which contain silicon and oxygen atoms, arranged in a circular chain structure that
envelops a pore. The technique is said to allow a tighter control of low k film characteristics. In this case, NEC was
able to obtain a dielectric constant less than the required 2.5, and improve the insulation between interconnects.
JUNE 22nd, 2005
Molecular Imprints, Inc., a provider of nanoimprint systems with
feature capabilities in the order of 20 nanometers, has sold its
Imprio systems to three nanotechnology research organizations.
These include Lawrence Berkeley National Lab's Molecular Foundry, the Microelectronics Research Center at the University of
Texas at Austin, and the Pennsylvania State Nanofabrication Facility.
The tools are expected to be used to conduct material research relevant
to the development of biosensors, nanophotonics, and optoelectronics.
JUNE 20th, 2005
Like out of the age-old fairly tale of Rumplestilsken, where the woman
spins golden yarn, scientists have now been able to spin multifunctional yarns from carbon nanofibers. Scientists at The University
of Texas at Dallas [UTD] NanoTech Institute and an Australian textile spinner expert were awarded the New Materials Innovation
Prize of the Avantex International Forum for Innovative Textiles. The scientists were awarded the prize for a process they
have developed that enables trillions of nanosize fibers to be spun into super-strength electronic conducting yarn. The yarn
has numerous applications in medicine, energy and electronics. In the medical area, artificial muscles was one application
noted.
The three that were awarded the prize were Dr. Mei Zhang and Dr. Ray
H. Baughman of the UTD NanoTech Institute and Dr. Ken Atkinson of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
[CSIRO]. Dr. Atkinson is known as an expert in wool spinning technology at the Australian national laboratory.
The patent pending technology, which is co-owned by UTD and CSIRO,
indicate that the nanotube yarn spinning process can be applied to the production of a number of specific products. These
include building materials, conductive and protective textiles, displays, fuel cells, sensors, supercapacitors, and thermal
heat pipes.
The licenses for these patents are expected to be made available in
November.
JUNE 20th, 2005
Dow Corning Corporation with the announcement that AMD has approved
its thermally conductive grease ( TC-5022), for use with its microprocessors, also reported that customer testing of TC-5022
offered a 10 to 15 percent reduction in thermal resistance. The lower level of thermal resistance facilitates the transfer
of heat away from the integrated circuit package to the heat sink, which transfers the heat sink. With the resultant lower
package temperatures, designers have further flexibility in selecting lower cost packages.
Mike Eyman, member of Technical Staff at AMD confirmed the need for
the conductive grease, "Enhancing processor heat dissipation is an important industry focus, and AMD is committed to working
with market leaders such as Dow Corning to find innovative solutions to meet customers' needs. TC-5022 is an excellent product
that will enhance the cooling efficiency of AMD's server, workstation and desktop products."
JUNE 17th, 2005
Denso Corporation to Build New Wafer
Fabrication Facility - 17 Billion Yen Allocated
Denso Corporation, a major automotive components company in Japan
with its own semiconductor research, design and manufacturing facilities, has allocated 17 billion yen to build a new eight
inch wafer fabrication facility. The facility to be built at Denso's Kota facility, located in the heart of Japan, will have
the capacity, once complete, to produce 10,000 eight inch wafers per month. The facility, which was scheduled for the construction
phase this month, is expected to be on line in June of 2006.
Details released about the new facility indicate that it will have
a total floor space of 26,000 square meters with a 4000 square foot clean room. The facility will not reach peak production
of 10,000 eight inch wafers per month until the year 2010. The facility will produce integrated circuits for automotive applications.
By contrast, Denso's current wafer fab has an area of 283,000 square
meters and a capacity of 23,000 six inch wafers per month. That facility employs 3,800 employees. Worldwide, Denso employs
104,000 in all of its operations.
JUNE 17th, 2005
Trazar Obtains Exclusive License from Cubic
for RF Based Wafer Cleaning Device
Trazar Corporation has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement
with the Communications Business Unit of Cubic Defense Applications, a division of Cubic Corporations (AMEX:CUB). The agreement
for RF generators, which relates to both manufacturing and marketing of the products, is part of Trazar’s plan
to enter the megasonic cleaning segment of the semiconductor wafer production and medical markets.
Rick Lober, Senior Vice president of Cubic's Communications Business
Unit commented about the need for the commercial sector to make use of the RF generators, "Cubic Defense Applications is focused
on its core defense business, but our RF generator product line clearly has broader applications. This relationship provides
commercial customers the best access and support for their RF generator requirements.
The RF generators produce frequencies in the range of 350 KHz to
2 MHz at operating power levels between 100 and 1600 Watts.
JUNE 14th, 2005
The Center for Nanoelectronic Technology or more formally, the Fraunhofer-Center
Nanoelektronische Technologien CNT, is now open for business. The facility, located in Dresden, Germany, is run by the Fraunhofer
Society and two semiconductor manufactures, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG.
Industry partners and a number of research and economic development
organizations have planned to further fund the facility with over 700 million Euros in the coming years. The facility, which
was officially opened on May 31, 2005, is equipped with a clean room for the development of 50 nanometer semiconductor process
technologies.
JUNE 13th, 2005
Carsem Doubling Test Operations in Response to High Growth Turnkey Test Trend
Carsem, one of the larger semiconductor test and package contractors has made plans to double
the size of its Malaysia manufacturing operations. According to Allan Calamoneri, Carsem's Vice President of Test Business
Development the expansion is related to the need for chip companies to reduce costs, "As a result of escalating pressure to
reduce cycle times and costs, we are seeing a tremendous increase in our customer's desire to outsource their wafer probe
and final test requirements. For example, due to several key customers' increasing demands, we recently added 50 wafer probe
systems along with the associated testers and expect to add another 45 final test systems by the end of this year."
Mr. David Comley, Carsem's Group Managing Director indicated that
the trend looks as though it will be sustained for some time to come, "The turnkey test services segment of our business is
growing at a significantly faster rate that any other segment and we see this trend continuing for quite some time. Carsem
is fully committed to providing our customers with the test infrastructure and engineering support services they require in
order for them to meet their competitive demands."
Carsem for its first phase expansion plans will increase the size
of its S-Site facility from 40,000 square feet to 66,000 square feet. By the end of 2005, the second phase expansion will
bring the total area to 96,000 square feet. After the expansion, the S-Site and M-Site, which is a 14,000 square foot test
operation, will bring the total area for semiconductor wafer probe and final test from 54,000 square feet to 110,000 square
feet.
JUNE 13th, 2005
Fab Owners Association Continues to Grow
The Fab Owners Association (FOA) reports that it has added three more members. These include
one of the largest flash memory chip producers, Spansion LLC, as well as two associate members, National Semiconductor, one
of the worlds largest analog chip companies and Applied Materials, a major player in the semiconductor equipment market.
The addition of these two Integrated Device Manufacturers(IDMs),
brings the total wafer production capacity represented by the Fab Owners Association up to 600,000 eight inch equivalents
per month. In terms of semiconductor revenue, the members of the organization represent over $9.7 billion in annual revenue.
FOA's announced members that have been announced previously include
AMI Semiconductor, Cypress Semiconductor, Delphi Electronics, Fairchild Semiconductor, Intersil, Jazz Semiconductor, LSI Logic,
Micrel Semiconductor, ON Semiconductor, Spansion, and ZMD AG.
JUNE 13th, 2005
Rockwell Selects StratEdge for High Speed Assembly
Rockwell Scientific Company (RSC) has selected StratEdge for the packaging and assembly of
its RTH050 track and hold integrated circuit. That chip is noted for its very high bandwidth and operating speed. According
to Rockwell, the RTH050 has a 15GHz bandwidth and a 1Giga samples per second dual track and hold circuit.
Emphasizing that the selection was a direct result of StratEdge's
high frequency packaging technology was Casey Krawiec, Director of North American Sales at StratEdge, "This is a prime example
of a customer taking advantage of our high frequency packaging technology. The engineers at Rockwell Scientific recognized
the superior performance of our packages and our high frequency assembly expertise. They needed a package that could meet
all of their requirements including electrical, environmental, thermal, and next level assembly -- and we delivered."
M.J. Choe, Manager of RSC's Mixed-Signal Product Engineering department
also commented on StratEdge's technology, "The StratEdge package handles the high speed and frequencies of our chip while
providing a leaded package that can be easily assembled to our customers' boards."
JUNE 8th, 2005
Reports through the NeST Group, a provider of a wide range of engineering
development services, indicate that a wafer fabrication facility in Cochin, India, is to be built. The facility has been planned
for the manufacture of memory chips to be used in mobile handsets and other types of consumer products. The roadmap for the
facility is in three phases. The first phase is for a design center, which is to employ 200, the second phase a test facility
in 2007 and the third phase is a 12 inch foundry, to be built in 2008. The total project was estimated to cost $1 billion
and has reportedly investors from the Middle East and Japan involved. The exact nature of the specific function or involvement
that the NeST Group had in the project was not disclosed. However, the NeST Group has plans to further expand its already
diverse operations in other areas. One of those areas is planar lightwave circuits for broadband communication applications.
The NeST Group provides product development services through the
NeST R&D Centre.
JUNE 3rd, 2005
New 3D Chip Packaging Technology to
Make Consumer Electronic Devices More Compact
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT)(TOKYO:6501) and Renesas Technology Corp.
have reported on a new stacked chip technology that reduces the package thickness of System in Package (SIP) products by over
60 percent. As a specific example, the package thickness of a two-layer SIP is reduced from 1.25 mm to 0.5 mm. For 10 LSI
chip layers, the new package technology permits a package thickness of just 0.5 mm.
Central to the technology is a through-hole interconnection process
that can be accomplished at low temperature, which is less than 50 percent of that previously required. The through hole electrodes
are formed on the back-side of wafers. Another feature of the technology is that it eliminates the need for wire bonding between
layers.
Details of the new technology are to be presented at the 2005 Electronic
Components and Technology Conference 2005 (ECTC 2005).
JUNE 2, 2005
imaging Technology international (iTi), a provider of equipment and tools to the industrial
ink jet market has completed a Series A funding round. Investors in the round included IKONICS Corporation and Severance Capital
Management. iTi presently offers a number of products for the ink jet market. These include a system used to measure and analyze
jet-able fluids used in print heads, a XY Materials Deposition System used in ink-jet process development, and a range of
large format printers. The company, which describes its growth as rapid, now sees a wide range of new markets its technology
can be applied to. According to Mr. R. Bruce Morgan, CEO of iTi, "iTi is well positioned to capitalize on the rapid adoption
of digital workflow in previously analog production processes in markets such as low-density electronics, flat panel displays,
pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Our investor group understands industrial ink jet is a transformational technology that
will drive digital processes into strategic manufacturing operations at large industrial users worldwide."
Mr. H. Leigh Severance of Severance Capital Management added to
Mr. Morgan's statement, "Ink jet technology is well known in the home and office printing markets, but it is the belief of
iTi and the investment group that this technology has the potential to play an even larger role in transforming traditional
analog manufacturing processes by introducing digital workflow into industrial production. The Company has a proven track
record supplying Fortune 500 manufacturers with industrial ink jet development tools and production systems, and I view this
as a ground-floor opportunity to invest in an important technology that will change the way many products get built in the
near future."
iTi plans to introduce a second production system in the coming
few weeks for the production of photo quality labels and to print electronics and pharmaceuticals on flexible substrates.
JUNE 1st, 2005
SMIC Obtains $600 Million through China Development Bank
After political problems with a loan application in the United States, Semiconductor Manufacturing
International Corporation ("SMIC") (NYSE:SMI)(SEHK:0981) has announced that it has entered into a $600 million 5 year loan
agreement with a group of banks in China. China Development Bank and China Construction Bank were credited with the arrangement
of the loan, which involved a number of other banks. The loan is expected to be used for the construction of three 12 inch
wafer fabs to be built in Beijing.
MAY 24th, 2005
Dimatix has announced that it has opened its Silicon Valley headquarters,
complete with a Silicon MEMS fabrication facility and R&D center. The facility, which measures 33,000 square feet, will
be used for the production of MEMS devices designed for precision nanofluid applications. These applications include the printing
of nano-particles on not just only paper surfaces, as done with ink-jet printers, but on a number of different types of surfaces
such as flexible substrate surfaces. As well, the MEMS devices produced at the factory will be capable of more than spraying
out ink. From the nanonozzles of this new generation of MEMS devices will come nanometalic based fluids.
John Batterton, Dimatix CEO and President listed the broad base
of new applications for the new MEMS devices, "We are entering a new era in which the ability to jet functional fluid materials
will enable improvements to manufacturing a broad range of electronic, bioscience and other products. We are pleased that
Dimatix is leading the way with our materials deposition technology."
Andreas Bibl, President of the Materials Deposition Division and
CTO of Dimatix, elaborated on the capabilities of the new MEMS technology, "Because materials are deposited only where needed,
additive digital material deposition will change the way products are built, enabling micro-production processes that are
extremely cost-effective, much less wasteful and more economical in small production volumes. Low-cost, high volume, precise
printing of nano-particle fluids have many applications, and will help strengthen manufacturing of electronic circuits and
other products in the United States."
Dimatix, formerly Spectra Inc., has been focused on the production
of printheads for ink jet printing applications. The Dimatix Materials Deposition Division has dedicated its efforts to expand
the technology to applications such as low-cost, low-impact environmentally-oriented manufacturing - like the production of
electronic circuits, RFID tags, flat panel displays, circuit boards and bioscience products.
MAY 24th, 2005
Tomato LSI Selects DongbuAnam Process for LCD Driver Chip Production
Tomato LSI Inc. (TLSI) has selected DongbuAnam Semiconductor, the main foundry in Korea, for
the production of its Display Driver chips. The chips are planned to be produced with Dongbu's high-voltage 0.18 micron
process this month. According to the President of TLSI, Seon-ho Choi, the chips will be used to drive video displays in cellular
phone applications. From the third quarter of this year, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 eight inch wafers per month will
be produced for TLSI, according to the Executive Vice President of Dongbu, Jae Song.
Tomato LSI, founded in 1999, is considered one of the fastest growing
companies in Asia.
MAY 23rd, 2005
New Snap On Technology to Lower Cost of Wafer Fab Construction
Patented technology from a Canadian company, PowerTech Inc., (TSX-V: PWB), will soon be used
to help build a number of new facilities in Quebec. At these construction sites will be PowerTech's PicBucket, an excavation,
backfilling, demolishing, and compaction machine. The machine, which PowerTech reports reduces the costs of excavation up
to 50 percent, permits the use of interchangeable tools that perform a variety of small and large construction jobs.. Some
of the PicBucket interchangeable options include shovel like instruments, compaction plates, backhoes, demolition devices
and an assortment of blades.
Carol Murray, CEO of PowerTech discussed the benefits of the product
in the context of costs, construction time and the effect on traffic congestion, "We are confident that these construction
sites will benefit greatly from the significant productivity advantages offered by our technology. The power and versatility
of our bucket can often cut excavation time in half. This performance translates into economic and social returns through
reduced construction costs and a shorter period of inconvenience for communities where the work is being carried out, particularly
with respect to traffic congestion. Moreover, during a demonstration we conducted on May 6 in Trois-RiviGeres for members
of the Association professionnelle de l'outillage des municipalitDes du QuDebec, we were pleased and proud to see to what
extent our technology made an impression. And it was that much more satisfying because those on hand were experts in the field."
In the ever-hurried semiconductor industry, where time-to-factory
yield is always important, the use of PicBucket may prove critical to increasing market share during high-revenue market windows.
MAY 23rd, 2005
Production Costs for Dendrimer Nanostructures May Drop Soon
Dendritic NanoTechnologies Inc. (DNT), a nanomaterials company reports that it has developed a new
process that may reduce the production costs of dendrimer nanostructures, critical for a number of pharmaceuticals, medical
imaging, electronics, and materials applications.
DNT's new dendrimer technology, it labels the Priostar family,
are derived from kinetically driven chemistry, which is based on polyfunctional branch cell reagents. DNT states that this
approach could result in substantial cost reductions, "Preliminary studies show a cost reduction of between two to three orders
of magnitude." Other technology benefits alluded to include the ability to scale the process and the capability to mass produce
precision nanostructures with consistently repeatable specifications.
Robert Berry, DNT's CEO, indicated that the company's technology may have
the potential to change the dynamics of the entire nanotechnology market all together, "Our new Priostar dendrimers, as nanoscale
building blocks, radically change the current economics of nanotechnology. They place DNT in the enviable position of controlling
a dominant nanoscale platform with many applications in multiple billion-dollar markets. This new technology is a potentially
disruptive technology since it will establish a new price point for an essential technology. Furthermore, Priostar extends
DNT's patent estate while accelerating commercialization of our dendrimer technology."
DNT also implied that the technology will put in reach the possibility
to economically meet strict Food and Drug Administration standards for biomedical applications, which require precision, scalability
and reproducibility.
Offering further explanation of the company's advancement in nanomaterials
manufacturing was Dr. Donald Tomalia, Chief Technical Officer at the company, "It takes approximately eight steps and one
month of processing time to create Generation 3 of a PAMAM generation. In contrast, Generation 3 of a Priostar dendrimer can
be created in three steps and just a few days. Our new dendrimer process also vastly reduces the amount of labor and reagents
normally required by the PAMAM process. An exciting and new feature of the Priostar family of dendrimers is the ability to
add extenders or functionality to the interior of the dendrimer to customize interior spaces and reactivity. These features
give the Priostar dendrimers customizable encapsulation properties that allow for greater flexibility to tailor a solution
for our customers."
MAY 23rd, 2005
Dowa Mining to Produce Nitride Materials
and Wafers for Gallium Nitride Applications - Hybrid Vehicles Mentioned
Unsubstanciated reports indicate that Dowa Mining Co. plans to start
mass production of nitride semiconductor materials in its fiscal 2006 year and Gallium Nitride (GaN) epi in the year 2007.
Integrated circuits based on such materials are expected to be used in inverters for hybrid automobiles and buses. Dowa expects
to generate over 10 billion yen on sapphire substrate GaN wafers in its fiscal 2008 year with an initial investment of 5 billion
yen.
MAY 23rd, 2005
Stone Pillar Reduces Test Plan Time 90 Percent
With its EDA market plan, Stone Pillar Technologies, Inc. has opened up the doors to the test
plan market. The company has just reported that National Semiconductor (NASDAQ: NSM) , one of the world's leading analog
and mixed signal semiconductor companies, has adopted its TestPlanManager for the automation of test flows.
According to Mark Poulter, electrical test manager at National Semiconductor's
Advanced Process Technology Development Group, National reduced the engineering time for the test flow creation time
from a week to just a half day. Besides the 90 percent in test development time saved, he noted a number of other benefits
that test engineers can appreciate, "TestPlanManager speeds the development of test flows and reduces errors by
automating many of the steps that previously had to be painstakingly implemented by hand. Skilled test engineers can
now focus on real technological challenges rather than on the administrative tasks of manual data entry that do not add value
for technology development."
Besides the automation of the test flow creation process, TestPlanManager
also earns credits with its ability to target the test plan for any one of a number of automated test equipment (ATE) platforms.
MAY 19th, 2005
Driven by a market that sees SOI process technology as an answer
to high power consumption for high speed consumer electronic products, Soitec (Euronext Paris), on top of a recent $100 million
plus purchase agreement, has reported a 57% percent increase in its 2004 - 2005 annual sales. With its annual financial release,
the SOI wafer suppler also reported a 248 percent sales increase of its SOI based 300 mm wafers - indicative of the popularity
of SOI for the latest generation of chips.
Soitec, which specifically noted microprocessors and automotive
markets as two growth catalysts, reported that overall sales for its 2004 - 2005 fiscal year came in at 138.9 million Euros,
up 57 percent from last year's 88.1 Euros. 300 millimeter wafer sales reached 42.1 million Euros, or 32 percent of total sales
compared to just 14 percent of sales in the 2003 - 2004 fiscal year.
The company projects that growth rates are expected to be higher
than 40 percent. In support of that projected growth rate, Soitec points to a $100 million purchase multi-year agreement for
300 millimeter SOI wafers, which is expected to unfold between July 2005 and June 2006, and to its multi-year supply agreement
of 200 millimeter and 300 millimeter wafers to leading microprocessor provider, AMD.
Soitec's latest advanced technology also has done well. The company
noted 4.2 million Euros in Picogiga related revenues, up 16.4 percent. Picogiga International, a unit of Soitec, develops
high performance transistor technology based on new materials technology. These transistors, according to researchers at Triquint
Semiconductor, a United States based GaAs chip company, have an output power density of 7 W/mm at 10 GHz.
MAY 19th, 2005
ChipMOS Furthers Ties With Himax
ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES LTD. ((NASDAQ:IMOS) announced its subsidiary ChipMOS Technologies, Inc.,
based in Taiwan, will extend its assembly and test services to Himax Technologies, Inc. until the end of 2008. Under the agreement
ChipMOS will increase the number of LCD Driver chips it will package.
Himax , also based in Taiwan, is a fabless semiconductor company
that focuses on driver technology for displays used in a variety of consumer applications. Founded in 2001, the company employs
about 350.
MAY 18th, 2005
Agilent's Reports on Chip, Test and Life Science Revenue
Agilent with the release of its quarterly earnings report for the three months ended April
30, 2005, its second quarter, reported individual results for its semiconductor, automated test equipment, and life sciences
operations.
Agilent for its most recent second quarter, reported Semiconductor
Products' orders of $464 million, up 5 percent from the same quarter a year ago, and up 22 percent sequentially. The book-to-bill
ratio for semiconductors also reached 1.12, which represented an increase from 0.97 for the year ago quarter and 1.00 in the
first quarter of its 2005 year.
Within the semiconductor group, orders for personal systems components,
which include optical mice and handset components increased 2 percent over last year levels. Networking systems components
also increased. They were up 11 percent over last year. In the network area, Agilent indicated that fiber optic and storage
components were a major component of the gains. Overall in the semiconductor group, total revenues were $414 million, down
8 percent over the year ago quarter and up 9 percent from the first quarter in 2005.
In the automated test equipment (ATE) area, where the company sells
into the semiconductor market, orders reached $171 million, up 7 percent over the first quarter in 2005 and up 25 percent
above the fourth quarter of Agilent's 2004 fiscal year. However the company reported that despite the gain, the recent quarter's
orders were down 40 percent from the same quarter a year ago. In the test area, Agilent indicated that sequentially, flash
memory and parametric test orders were down, but system on chip (SOC) and manufacturing test orders were up. ATE revenues
reached $181 million in Agilent's second quarter, up 17 percent sequentially, but down 32 percent year over year. Agilent
expects that the industry will recover in the second half. One reason is customer acceptance of its new SOC, flash and manufacturing
test products.
Life Science orders, which include Agilent's microarray chips, increased
17 percent in the latest quarter.
MAY 17th, 2005
MTBSolutions and MemsTech Form Foundry Services Unit
MTBSolutions and MemsTech have united to offer MEMS foundry and technical design services to
the North American market. As part of the agreement, MTBSolutions will offer technical and market support for foundry and
packaging services from MemsTech.
According to Mark DiOrio, CEO at MTBSolutions the agreement will
help small fabless MEMS companies compete, "North American customers now have access to cost effective high volume MEMS device
manufacturing complemented by highly experienced engineering and customer support. Smaller MEMS companies with well differentiated
technology can now compete effectively against larger scale companies who own their own fabs and assembly operations."
Mems Technology, a public company based in Malaysia, and MTBSolutions,
a private company based in San Jose, California will together offer technology expertise in the design and manufacture of
pressure sensors, silicon microphones, thermopile arrays, thermal cameras and low G accelerometers. MemsTech's foundry gives
fabless customers access to 0.6 micron CMOS MEMS technology, bulk and surface processes, and wafer to wafer bonding. MTBSolutions
is noted for its MEMS and integrated circuit package technology.
MAY 16th, 2005
CSIP and HiJian to Provide Low Cost Production for China's Chip Market
The China Software and Integrated Circuit Promotion (CSIP) Center has entered into an agreement
with HeJian Technology (SuZhou) Co., Ltd, to help reduce the cost of integrated circuit production and design. The two organizations
will cooperate in a program that will provide Multi Project Wafer services and technical support to China's growing semiconductor
industry.
MAY 12th, 2005
MCT, an IC Test Company, Receives $2.5 Million
Micro Component Technology,
Inc. (OTCBB:MCTI), a semiconductor test equipment company, announced it has received $2.5 million from Laurus Master Fund
Ltd. The financing was secured with a long-term convertible note. MCT's Chief Executive Officer, Roger E. Gower, indicated
that the financing will be used to win over new customers, "This additional financing with Laurus, together with our recent
actions to eliminate approximately $1.5 million of annual expense, affords us the needed liquidity to meet our financial needs
in these difficult markets, and to pursue recent customer opportunities associated with our Strip Solution product family."
MAY 11th, 2005
JMAR's Water Quality
System Used at Beverage Company - Potential Applications For Wafer Fabs
JMAR Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: JMAR), a microelectronics company
that has diversified into new applications based on related technology, will deliver and install its microorganism testing
system to Kimpen, S.A. DE C.V. of Merida, Mexico. Kimpen, a beverage company, will test the product for two months, and then
based on the test results will determine if the system will become a part of its Yucatan Peninsula factories. The final total
order, if all tests go well, will include 17 BioSentry real-time microorganism early-warning monitoring systems.
Ronald A. Walrod, CEO of JMAR stressed the need for water quality
consistency at beverage facilities, "In an operation of Kimpen's size, consistency of quality is a critical and challenging
benchmark. We believe that by providing the means for continuous monitoring for microorganisms and integrating detection data
into their centralized purity control system, we can help Kimpen maintain the highest standards of purity throughout its production
facilities."
JMAR has already been successful in the market with test installations
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