3-D through-silicon vias (TSVs). They've been a hot industry topic for more than a year now, but are they ready for volume manufacturing? What factors are contributing to the delay in their adoption? For some perspective and answers, check out the Editor's Picks section below to see what Pete Singer, Laura Peters and Jan Vardaman are saying. And you're invited to tune in to SI's "Through-Silicon Vias: Ready for Prime Time?" webcast on March 25th for further discussion on the topic. Remember you can always find more packaging news and events on our Packaging Technology Channel:

Sally Cole Johnson, Contributing Editor
scolejohnson@mac.com

ASE Inc. Seeks to Buy ASE Test Ltd.
PR Newswire Asia, 3/4/2008

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) has entered into a syndicated loan agreement with a banking syndicate led by Citibank NA, Taipei Branch, for a NT$24.75 billion term loan facility. Subject to the terms and conditions of the syndicated loan agreement, the facility may be drawn by ASE Inc. on or prior to June 3, 2008, to finance a portion of the consideration for the proposed acquisition by ASE Inc. of the outstanding ordinary shares of ASE Test Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary of ASE Inc., held by ASE Test shareholders other than ASE Inc. and its subsidiaries by way of a scheme of arrangement under Singapore law. More

ASAT Holdings Pre-Announces Higher-Than-Expected 3Q Revenues
PR Newswire, 3/4/2008

ASAT Holdings Ltd., a global provider of semiconductor package design, assembly and test services, expects revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, ended Jan. 31, 2008, will be ~$41.7M, representing an increase of ~4% above second quarter fiscal 2008 revenue of $40.2M. It is also above the guidance the company provided on Jan. 14, 2008, of revenue being inline with the prior quarter. More

Siliconware Wins Against Tessera in Patent Reexamination
Business Wire, 3/4/2008

On Feb. 29, 2008, the Patent Office issued an Official Action rejecting Tessera's 6,133,627 patent in ex parte reexamination. The Patent Office rejected every claim of the '627 patent that is in reexamination. More

Aptina Imaging Announces Camera Phone Packaging Technique
Business Wire, 3/4/2008

It doesn't stop with a new name. Aptina Imaging, a division of Micron Technology Inc., unveiled some new imaging technology initiatives enabling high-quality picture-taking experiences across the entire spectrum of applications, from the most cost-sensitive mobile phones to high-performance point-and-shoot digital cameras. More

Accretech Joins Sematech's 3-D Interconnect Program
Business Wire, 2/27/2008

Accretech Tokyo Seimitsu, a manufacturer of precision measuring and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and Sematech, the global consortium of chipmakers, announced that Accretech has become an associate member in Sematech's 3-D Interconnect Program located at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) of the University at Albany. More

Zygo Acquires Assets of Solvision
Market Wire, 2/28/2008

Zygo Corp. has acquired the assets of Solvision Inc., a Canadian-based company, including the shares of its Singapore subsidiary. With this acquisition, Zygo enters the market for inline inspection of flip-chip substrates and packaged ICs. Included in the acquisition is the patented Fast Moire Interferometer (FMI) technology for rapid 3-D inspection. More