Online information source for semiconductor professionals

Have spent the last 2-years mapping its carbon footprint, IC manufacturer austriamicrosystems is targeting to become 100% carbon neutral by 2015. The Austria-based firm said that it had already achieved a 50% reduction of CO2 equivalents or 31,000 tons by the end of 2010 and expects CO2 emission equivalents to decline by more than 9,000 tons in 2011, by switching to 100% green electricity based mainly on hydro-electric power sources. The compnay wants other semiconductor firms to follow its example. Read more >>

Metrology equipment supplier, Nanometrics has opened its Singapore Advanced Metrology Center to support its customer base in Asia. The centre is expected to provide dedicated support throughout Asia for customers requiring advanced modelling of complex structures and recipe development. It will also serve as a training centre for regional customers and Nanometrics’ branch offices. Read more >>

Following disruption to production after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan in March, Renesas Electronics has released a second updated preliminary schedule for its Naka wafer fabrication factory in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki. The update states that the company has moved its scheduled resumption of test and mass production at the company’s 200mm wafer fabrication lines from June 15 to June 1, and expects production to be back at the pre-earthquake level by the end of July. Read more >>

A final assessment by Freescale of its seriously damaged manufacturing facility in Sendai, Japan is to not reopen the facility. In April 2009, Freescale announced plans to close its Sendai operations, winding down operations through 2011, before the March 11th 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Japan near Sendai. Read more >>

Specialist IC foundry, TowerJazz  is to acquire Micron Technology’s 200mm facility in Nishiwaki City, Hyogo, Japan at a cost of approximately US$140 million. TowerJazz will pay US$40 million in cash and issue approximately 20 million ordinary shares to fund the deal. The proposed purchase would nearly double TowerJazz’s current manufacturing capacity by 60,000 wafers per month. Read more >>

An investment of US$160 million by Infineon Technologies to expand its production capacity and to upgrade its manufacturing facilities in Malacca, Malaysia is intended to boost its business opportunities in power semiconductors, particularly within the Asia Pacific region. The expenditure will also be allocated to research & development projects at the facility, according to the company. Infineon noted that 42% of its revenues in 2010 came from the Asia region including Japan. Read more >>

Renesas Electronics has only one front-end IC fab still out of action after the March 11 Tohoku earthquakes, though several plants are still suffering from rolling blackouts, providing only limited production between blackouts. Renesas also noted in an updated report as to the recent impact the disaster has had on its Japan-based manufacturing that eight factories were still experiencing shortages of electricity and fuel supply and unstable logistics networking among other effects caused by the earthquake. Read more >>

Renesas Electronics has detailed the operational status of its group of semiconductor manufacturing facilities after the recent disaster and power supply issues dogging manufacturers to kick-start production. Read more >>

After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, ON Semiconductor was able to restore fab operations at its fabs located in Niigata, Gifu, Kasukawa and Hanyu and Aizu. However, the IC manufacturer has said that services such as fuel, electricity, gases, water, chemicals and other logistical issues have meant that fabs at Aizu and Gunma have been temporarily shut down. Restoration of reliable services was expected to be restored near the end of the first quarter, the company said. Read more >>

Update 4. An 8.9-magnitude earthquake off the north-east coast of Japan was said by experts to be the largest to hit the country in over a century. A massive tsunami 10-metre (33-foot) high battered coastal towns and cities across the northeast coast with Sendai, north of Tokyo affected the most by the disaster. Saturday, March 12th news of a hydrogen explosion at a nuclear power station on the coast in Fukushima and the potential for further deterioration are dominating news channels around the globe. Read more >>