Dongbu HiTek believes it is the first in the semiconductor industry to successfully integrate Yield Management System (YMS) and Fault Detection & Classification (FDC) tools as part of its wafer quality management operations. Dongbu HiTek has christened the new system Dongbu Early Trouble Detection and Analysis System (DETDAS), which it claims reduces fault detection and analysis from 2 to 3 days to less than one hour. 

The preliminary December 2007 Book-to-Bill Ratio for North America-based semiconductor equipment suppliers rose slightly from the previous month to reach 0.89. Orders came in at $1.23 billion on a three-month average, which is 9 percent higher than November 2007 but 18 percent lower than in December 2006. 

Intel Corporation has said that overall capital spending for 2008 has been set at $5.2 billion plus or minus $200 million, which, if plus, is $200 million higher than spending achieved in 2007. Capital spending was $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2007. 

NAND flash demand bit growth is projected to remain strong and surpass 130 percent in 2008, according to DRAMeXchange. Supply bit growth is expected to be in the range of 130-140 percent for the year, suggesting that supply/demand equilibrium by the second half of the year is possible, noted the market intelligence firm. 

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has had to revise upwards worldwide semiconductor sales figures for the year 2007 due to inaccurate accounting of DRAM sales data for the period January through September 2007. The error, though not explained, comes via the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), the body responsible for aggregating worldwide semiconductor sales figures. 

STMicroelectronics has pushed out the timing of the planned formation of Numonyx, its joint venture NOR flash memory operation with Intel Corporation, in light of tightening credit conditions and revised funding expectations. 

According to the SIA, worldwide sales of semiconductors rose to $23.1 billion in November, an increase of 0.7 percent from the October sales of $22.9 billion. Year-to-date sales of $231 billion are 2.8 percent ahead of the $225 billion in sales for the corresponding period of 2006.