Online information source for semiconductor professionals

Gigaphoton, the high-performance DUV laser light provider is to move its business management, logistical and training centres to its US headquarters in Oregon. It is hoped that the decision will mean better service for its increasing number of installed bases. The company has increased laser installed bases 10 times since the company’s inception in 2008.

Read more >>

Karl-Henrik Sundström, vice president and CFO of Dutch-based NXP Semiconductors, has stepped down from his position for personal reasons, effective July 2012.

Read more >>

According to VLSIresearch, Applied Materials is no longer the leading semiconductor equipment supplier, a position it has held as a right of passage for three decades. Recent comments from Applied’s Mike Splinter, regarding the capital spending impact of lithography tools on the company’s available TAM, suggest he was merely softening the blow he already knew, as lithography supplier, ASML took the top honours in 2011, the first time it has done so in the history of the company. Read more >>

Confirming the recent demonstration of annoyance by Applied Materials, Mike Splinter that spending on lithography equipment was eating into his company’s sales opportunities; TSMC has placed its largest single order this year with ASML. Read more >>

Oerlikon Group’s loss-making Oerlikon Solar, the originator of the turnkey thin-film business model with a-Si and tandem-junction thin-film technology, is being sold to Tokyo Electron (TEL) for US$275 million. Oerlikon is focusing on its other engineering divisions as part of revenue growth avenues. The deal is expected to be concluded over the next few months with more details to be provided on Monday when quarterly results are reported. TEL had been a sales representative in Asia for the thin-film technology. Read more >>

Globalfoundries said that it has agreed terms with AMD to acquire the remaining stake the fables firm had in the company, three-years after spinning-off its IC manufacturing operations. Read more >>

The Plastics Electronics Conference, co-located with SEMICON Europa since 2010, has been acquired by trade group, SEMI. The conference the organizing committee, which included industry and academic leaders in the field of organic and inorganic large area electronics (OLAE will serve as a Plastic Electronics Special Interest Group, guiding SEMI activities and services worldwide. SEMI said the conference and exhibition format would be extended to other regions in the future. Read more >>

Citing a DRAM glut, weak pricing and a strong Yen currency, Elpida Memory has filed for bankruptcy protection in an effort to restructure the company. A ‘sponsor’ is being sort, though it was clear from Micron Technology management recently that they were interested in some deal with Elpida. The company has debts of approximately US$5.5 billion.  Read more >>

TSMC has placed further orders with Applied Materials and Novellus Systems. Ending the week with two separate batches of orders valued at US$72.43 million was Applied Materials, while Novellus received a purchase order valued at approximately US$17.2 million. Read more >>

Boosted by foundry and logic IC manufacturers spending habits over the winter months, the SEMI book-to-bill ratio continued a 4-month recovery in January with a 0.95 ratio. North America-based semiconductor equipment suppliers posted US$1.18 billion in orders in the first month of the year, which could have been higher if there were any lithography companies based in the US. Though bookings and billings remain below 2011 levels, January’s preliminary booking figure is on par with August 2011 levels. Coupled to key equipment suppliers recent comments regarding expected spending in 2012, the upwards trend started in December, 2011 looks set to continue in the first-half of the year. Read more >>