Online information source for semiconductor professionals
News
Toshiba to relocate Thai operations to new semiconductor facility
Toshiba has announced it will build a new production facility to relocate its semiconductor operations and redress the problems caused by the 2011 floods and to meet future growth demands. The plant, which will be operated by subsidiary Toshiba Semiconductor Thailand Ltd (TST), will be 135,000 square metres and be due for completion in the spring of 2013, production will begin in the subsequent months.
Carlos Lee appointed new director general of EPIC
The European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) has announced that Carlos Lee will become its new director general with immediate effect. The announcement, made at the association’s recent annual general meeting, will see Lee replace Thomas Pearsall, who has been with the organization since its formulation in 2003.
â??Velocityâ?? the new buzzword in Intelâ??s PQS annual awards
The usual suppliers that include the major sector players and host of
Japanese firms dominated Intel’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award
system in 2011. However, the word ‘velocity’ has become the new
measuring stick, with Nikon winning an ‘Achievement’ category award for
‘velocity.’ In total 19 companies received Intel’s PQS honour in 2011
and 2 companies as Achievement winners. In the Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award category system, Intel acknowledged 9 suppliers in 2011.
Read more >>Centrotherm subsidiary joins Sematechâ??s FEP to research low-temperature processing techniques
Sematech has announced that the centrotherm photovoltaics AG
subsidiary, centrotherm thermal solutions, will join its Front End Program
(FEP) to develop low-temperature processing techniques for use in
high-performance logic and advanced memory applications such as metal oxide
RRAM devices.
Spansion and SK Hynix announce NAND partnership
Spansion and SK Hynix have announced that they will work
together to deliver Spansion SLC NAND products at the 4x, 3x, and 2x nodes to
the embedded market. The alliance, which will make its first Spansion SLC NAND
products available from the second quarter of 2012, will see the companies
enter into a patent cross-licensing agreement in order to facilitate commercial
manufacture.
Tokyo Stock Exchange delists bankrupt Elpida
Elpida Memory has had its stock removed from the Tokyo stock market after filing for bankruptcy protection on February 27th 2011. Elpida began trading shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in November 2004 but has reported losses in all five quarters preceding December 31st 2011.
Tool Order: Himax Technologies places repeat order for EV Groupâ??s IQ Aligner system
Himax Technologies, a leading producer of CMOS image
sensors, semiconductor devices and power management devices, has placed a
repeat order for an IQ Aligner UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) system from
EV Group. The IQ Aligner system will be shipped and installed at Himax’s Tainan facility in Taiwan.
Tool Order: Camtek tapped for US$3.5 million worth of Falcon wafer inspection tools
Camtek, the automated and technological solution provider, has announced that it has booked orders exceeding US$3.5 million for its Falcon family of automated wafer inspection products. The order was from an unnamed global outsourced semiconductor assembly and test house (OSAT) and pertains to various applications within the backend semiconductor process. The product delivery will come in the current and following two quarters.
Read more >>Intel consolidates its lead as the worldâ??s top chipmaker
Industry market monitor IHS iSuppli has confirmed that American multinational chipmaker Intel has extended its lead in the semiconductor industry after a successful 2011. The announcement follows the company's posting of its financial figures earlier this year; Intel's income represents 15.6% of the total semiconductor industry revenue. Second placed Samsung Electronics represents 9.2% of the industry after seeing only marginal growth. Samsung has been gaining on Intel's market share in recent years following the release of its hugely successful Galaxy SII handset in 2011 and securing a contract to supply some of the chips for Apple's iPhone.
Read more >>February book-to-bill passes parity as equipment orders reach US$1.33 billion
The recovery in equipment sales continued for the fourth consecutive
month with North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment
posted $1.33 billion in orders in February 2012. The SEMI book-to-bill
went over parity at 1.03 for the first time since September 2011 and the
best bookings since August 2011. The bookings recovery is also the steepest seen since the last major up-cycle that started in mid-2009.
Read more >>