The latest news and information on semiconductor manufacturing business and market research, including company revenue reports, mergers & acquisitions, industry forecasts, and market research reports.
European Executives Put on Fresh Push for Support of Chip Industry Staff - 12/11/2008
Europe’s semiconductor industry will continue to see declining market share unless European governments increase subsidies and change taxation and labor policies, executives said at the SEMI Brussels Forum this week. While in Brussels, executives fanned out to lobby members of the European Commission and the European Parliament. More
Asyst to Lay Off 15% of Its Workforce Staff - 01/08/2009
Asyst Technologies Inc. said it will reduce its workforce by ~15% by the end of March, part of an effort to cut annual costs by $30M-$35M. CEO Steve Schwartz outlined other moves the company is making to reduce overhead, and said the company is focused on “on our most critical new products and customer relationships.”
More
IITC Set for Sapporo in June, Europe in 2011 Staff - 01/08/2009
The International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) will move from its traditional venue near the San Francisco airport to Sapporo, Japan, in early June. The conference will focus on 3-D technologies, packaging and system integration, novel materials and interconnect systems, and environmental issues, among others.
More
Carbone Lorraine Acquires Calcarb in Solar Push Staff - 12/31/2008
Carbone Lorraine has acquired Calcarb, a manufacturer of rigid graphite felt used as insulation in high-temperature furnaces used by the semiconductor and solar industries.
More
Elpida in Talks With Taiwan DRAM Makers David Lammers, News Editor - 12/29/2008
Japan’s Elpida Memory is discussing a possible four-way merger that would combine it with Taiwan’s Powerchip, ProMOS and the Rexchip Electronics joint venture. The talks come shortly after separate refinancing deals were arranged for Hynix Semiconductor in South Korea and Qimonda in Germany. Qimonda is betting on a new stacked capacitor DRAM design that was described at the recent IEDM conference.
More
Flash Vendors Facing Scaling Challenges David Lammers, News Editor - 12/23/2008
Toshiba engineers said at the recent IEDM that they have improved on the SONOS flash structure, creating a double-tunnel oxide structure that can extend flash to the 10 nm generation. Also at IEDM, flash pioneer Stefan Lai said he believes phase-change memories have the best chance to replace today’s floating gate memories. Lai said he “made a bad call” while at Intel in the late 1980s, rejecting NAND flash as unreliable.
More
ASML cuts 1,000 jobs, lowers guidance By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News - 12/19/2008
“Never before have we witnessed such a sharp and sudden fall-off in lithography system demand, triggered by an unprecedented mix of falling end-demand for semiconductors, weak memory prices and restricted access to capital for our customers,” said Eric Meurice, president and CEO of ASML.
More
ASAT Prepares for Lower Sales in Fiscal 2Q09 Staff - 12/17/2008
ASAT Holdings Ltd. today announced that revenue was up in the first quarter of fiscal 2009, but preliminary results show that numbers will be down again in the second fiscal quarter.
More
THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS Alexander E. Braun, Senior Editor, Semiconductor International January 7, 2009 Of Sand and Power
No one will argue against the necessity of applying every known (and developing) sour... More
Views on News David Lammers, News Editor, Semiconductor International November 7, 2008 Big Wafers, Big Prices
Dean Freeman, the Gartner semiconductor equipment analyst, threw out a zinger when he... More
Views on News David Lammers, News Editor, Semiconductor International October 23, 2008 When Is No Really a No?
An executive at a major IC manufacturer likes to tell the story about a meeting in 19... More
Decoupling Platform & Tool Development for Lower CoO Mark Danna, Owens Design Inc., Fremont, Calif., 12/01/2008
Collaborative development between OEMs and platform specialists can reduce internal R&D funding resources while speeding new equipment time-to-market....
Nanobama: The New Tech Regime Aaron Hand, Executive Editor, Electronic Media, 12/01/2008 Looking like nanoscopic cookies on a tray, the 3-D likenesses of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama created at the University of Michigan were an attempt to raise awareness of nanotechnology and science. With any luck, They'll help to explain to Obama that technology is much more than just communications....
Extreme Outsourcing Kevin Brewer, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations Axcelis Technologies Inc. Beverly, Mass., 10/01/2008 Imagine ordering a new car in the not too distant future. Soon after you place your order, delivery trucks pull into your driveway and begin unloading packages containing the engine, chassis, transmission and other parts. Automotive technicians arrive and begin to assemble the various components....
View All Stories
More Videos >>
Decoupling Platform & Tool Development for Lower CoO
