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Edwards and Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) are to jointly develop a perfluorocarbon (PFC) gas abatement system dielectric film etching processes that will also be able to abate carbon monoxide. The ‘PA-01E’ abatement tool will also be developed with input from Adtec Plasma Technology Co., Ltd., of Japan. Read more >>

UMC has said that it has produced working 45nm SRAM test chips using its high-k/metal-gate (HKMG) process technology. According to UMC, this is a major step in validating the technology for inclusion at the 32/28nm nodes. Read more >>

IM Flash Technologies (IMFT) has claimed the technology leadership for NAND flash production with the news that its 300mm fab in Lehi, Utah has entered production of its 34nm process technology. The monolithic 32Gb NAND device is said to fit into a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package (TSOP), with the die only 172mm² in size. Read more >>

In order to reduce its revenue breakeven level, as well as manage cash and working capital and decrease expense by $10 to $12 million on an annual basis, Intevac, Inc. announced its plans to reduce the company’s worldwide workforce by 15%. The reduction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter, which ends on 31 December 2008. Read more >>

TSMC has said that the initial production ramp of AMD GPU’s using its 40nm node general purpose process technology has started. The main production ramp is expected in 2009, including other devices and customers, the foundry said. TSMC said that both its 40nm General Purpose (G) and Low Power (LP) process technology versions had begun ramping. Read more >>

ASM International has said that Applied Materials and Francisco Partners had decided to end negotiations to purchase a key part of ASM’s ‘front-end’ wafer processing division. Discussions had progressed until now to include an offer from Applied to purchase the ALD and CVD activities for between $400 and $500 million while a revised offer meant that Francisco Partners was offering between $225 million and $300 million for the remaining units that include epitaxy and vertical furnaces. Read more >>

Jazz Semiconductor, Inc. has licensed its high-precision RF models and design kits for RF and high digital content System-on-Chip (SoC) products, with Fujitsu Microelectronics Limited. The arrangement creates a time-to-market advantage for RF CMOS customers who need 90nm and 65nm technology, while also providing ongoing royalties to Jazz. Read more >>

Panasonic is extending its four-year collaboration with IMEC to cover a broader range of advanced technology that includes networks, wireless, and biomedical fields. The research partners are to establish the Panasonic IMEC Center, with research carried out at Leuven, Belgium and IMEC’s research unit at Holst Centre in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Read more >>

A major NAND flash memory manufacturer has placed a development tool order with Mattson Technology for its Suprema platform photoresist strip system. The tool is expected to be used in the development of 2X NAND flash devices. The IC manufacturer is a current customer of Mattson. Read more >>

Qimonda AG has said that it is now in volume production of its 65nm Buried Wordline technology at its 300mm fab in Dresden, Germany. First revenue from its 65nm 1Gbit DDR2 devices were received in October, the company said. Qimonda is currently producing several hundred 300mm wafers per month of the new technology. Read more >>