Fabtech - News

Tool order: EV Group ships GEMINI wafer bonder to EPCOS

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:58:19 GMT

Electronic components, modules and systems manufacturer EPCOS has placed an order for EV Group’s GEMINI platform, a production manufacturing solution for high-volume wafer bonding applications for MEMS, 3D IC integration and advanced packaging. The tool will be installed at EPCOS's production facility in Munich, Germany for the manufacture of surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters embedded in RF devices.

Intel moves into software with Wind River acquisition

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:03:23 GMT

The acquisition of Wind River Systems Inc by Intel Corporation for approximately US$884 million sets the stage for the semiconductor manufacturer to grow revenue outside its current markets and attack the embedded systems market from both a software and device perspective. A key market in this sector is smart phones and other mobile devices. Wind River will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel, the company said.

WSTS sees semiconductor market declining nearly 22% in ‘09

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:19:34 GMT

At its recent forecasting meeting, the WSTS has projected a global semiconductor market decline of -21.6% for 2009, reaching US$194.8 billion in sales. The WSTS had previously expected only a -2.8% decline, which was issued in November, 2008.

TSMC expands leading-edge process development with IMEC

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:05:44 GMT

TSMC has extended it R&D efforts with IMEC to cover 22nm and beyond process technologies as well using IMEC as its extended European research centre. The two companies have collaborated on process development since 2005.

Luc Van den hove gets top job at IMEC

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Gilbert Declerck has relinquished the top position at IMEC but will continue to serve IMEC as Executive Officer and join the Board of IMEC International after 10 years holding the reins at the R&D facility. Luc Van den hove, who has spent his entire career at IMEC has been appointed as IMEC’s new President and Chief Executive Officer.

HAP GmbH signs exclusive sales deal with Carl Zeiss SMT

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:32:25 GMT

A new innovative photomask pellicle removal tool designed by HAP GmbH of Dresden, Germany is to be exclusively sold and distributed by Carl Zeiss SMT. HAP is semiconductor automation, sub-systems and tool assembly outsourcing company that has worked with Zeiss on other equipment.

Qualcomm targets 28nm devices by mid-2010

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:14:12 GMT

Qualcomm expects to tape out its first commercial products at the 28nm node via foundry partner TSMC, in mid-2010. Qualcomm and TSMC are working on both High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) and Silicon Oxynitride (SiON) based process technologies.

Second quarter IC sales to rise 4.9%, according to Gartner

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:16:43 GMT

Market research firm has made its first significant revision to its semiconductor sales forecast for 2009 that is actually less pessimistic than previous projections. Due to better than expected PC sales in Q1, coupled to guidance from a number of IC companies, Gartner expects global semiconductor sales to reach US$198 billion in 2009, a 22.4% decline from 2008 revenue of us$255 billion. Gartner had previously projected a 24.1% decline for 2009.

April semiconductor sales better than expected, says SIA

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:49:55 GMT

Worldwide semiconductor sales were better than expected in April, according to the SIA. Sales topped US$15.6 billion, 6.4% higher than March when sales were US$14.7 billion. However, April sales were 25% lower than April 2008 when sales were $20.9 billion. Seasonal sales patterns have returned, though at lower levels, SIA said. The SIA noted that the worldwide automotive market, which accounts for about 7% of total semiconductor sales, remains weak. Asia Pacific and Japan were the only two regions that saw improving market conditions, Month-on-Month.

Austriamicrosystems’ foundry unit offers through-silicon-via technology

Thu, 28 May 2009 20:01:07 GMT

Production-ready through-silicon-via technology is now available from austriamicrosystems' full-service foundry unit. With typical TSV depths of 200-300 μm, the offering is targeting 3D integration of CMOS ICs and sensor components. AMS says that customer-specific modifications as well as varying wafer thicknesses can be supported by the company's flexible manufacturing concept.

Tool order: Memory IC maker places follow-on order for Nanometrics metrology systems

Thu, 28 May 2009 19:45:54 GMT

Nanometrics has secured a follow-on order from a leading memory IC customer for multiple Atlas metrology systems. The company said that the systems will be delivered in the second quarter as part of the chipmaker's plan to leverage Nanometrics’ technology across high-volume manufacturing lines, in support of film thickness, wafer stress/bow, and optical critical dimension (OCD) metrology.

Design for e-beam methodology validated for 65-nm SOC apps, say eBeam Initiative collaborators

Wed, 27 May 2009 21:27:06 GMT

D2S, e-Shuttle, and Fujitsu Microelectronics, all steering group members of the eBeam Initiative, say they have validated the design for electron beam (DFEB) methodology for low-volume, 65-nm system-on-chip applications, without sacrificing performance, area, or power.

Jazz Semi launches multiproject wafer shuttle program

Wed, 27 May 2009 21:09:54 GMT

Jazz Semiconductor has launched the Direct multiproject wafer (MPW) shuttle program. The program offers quick, low-cost prototyping with access to high-performance processes, providing a vehicle to develop new designs in CMOS, SiGe, and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and to bring these to market quickly, without incurring the full cost of a complete photomask set.

Samsung, SanDisk sign flash memory cross-licensing, supply deals

Wed, 27 May 2009 20:55:40 GMT

Samsung Electronics and SanDisk have signed a definitive agreement to renew the cross-license of their semiconductor patent portfolios. The companies also agreed on a flash memory supply deal under which Samsung will continue to make available to SanDisk a guaranteed portion of its flash memory production output. The new agreements become effective when the current cross-license and supply agreements expire on August 14 and will run for seven years from that date.

Hemlock Semi starts operation of 8500-mt polysilicon plant in Michigan

Wed, 27 May 2009 20:41:29 GMT

Hemlock Semiconductor Group has begun operation of a new 8500-metric-ton polysilicon production facility several months ahead of schedule. The plant, located in Hemlock, MI, is the first phase of a planned $1 billion expansion at the site.

Equipment bookings inch higher in April

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:10:57 GMT

According to the latest book-to-bill figures from SEMI, equipment orders were US$253 million in April, up slightly from the incredible low of US$245.6 million in March, 2009. The book-to-bill ratio was 0.65, up from 0.56 in the previous month. March could now be the low point in equipment sales from North America-based IC equipment manufacturers. However, the April bookings are a massive 77% less than the US$1.09 billion in orders posted in April 2008.

Photronics restructures NanoFab agreement with Micron

Fri, 22 May 2009 13:49:45 GMT

As it continues to preserve cash, loss making photomask manufacturer, Photronics has been able to renegotiate the lease agreement at its joint venture mask shop with Micron Technology. The new operating lease agreement for the NanoFab facility will be reduced from US$3.8 million to US$2.0 million per quarter, and the lease term will be extended from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2014. Photronic said that the outstanding debt and assets associated with the facility will be reduced by approximately US$30 million.

Tool order: Leading memory manufacturer receives follow-on Lynx System from Nanometrics

Wed, 20 May 2009 10:54:43 GMT

Metrology company Nanometrics, Inc. has received a follow-on order for one of its Lynx cluster metrology systems from an unnamed DRAM and Flash memory manufacturer. The Lynx platform enables customers to leverage numerous process control technologies for monitoring steps throughout the manufacturing process and was equipped with 9010 metrology to support Optical Critical Dimension (OCD) metrology processes.

Semiconductor silicon wafer shipments lowest levels since 2001

Wed, 20 May 2009 10:50:51 GMT

New silicon wafer shipment numbers from SEMI, graphically show the steep decline in semiconductor production since the third quarter of 2008. In the first quarter of 2009, total silicon wafer area shipments were 940 million square inches, a 34% decline compared to the previous quarter and 57% below first quarter 2008 shipments. According to SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group, this is the lowest level in shipments since 2001.

Carl Zeiss SMT gives 2008 supplier award to M+W Zander

Tue, 19 May 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Carl Zeiss SMT, has given its 2008 supplier award to M+W Zander Products for its specialist minienvironment systems used in mask repair and mask inspection systems. All suppliers were evaluated based on a various criteria, including quality, technology, logistics and pricing.