Online information source for semiconductor professionals

After a two-year term at solar equipment supplier Spire, Dr. Avishai Kepten has returned to the semiconductor equipment sector as Vice President and General Manager of Rudolph Technologies, Metrology Business Unit. Dr. Kepten had previously spent six years at Novellus Systems, as Director of Technology and Director of New Product Development of the Electrofill Business Unit.     Read more >>

Arizona State University's (ASU) developed training program for professionals has announced details for the 2009 ‘Facility Manager's Development Program' (FMDP), due to start in September this year. Read more >>

Further to its approximately 14% cut in staff numbers in October 2008 – only seven months ago, Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has again announced that it is letting staff go in a further attempt at cutting operating costs to stay competitive. Approximately 235 staff, or 20% of its global workforce will be axed from the company’s books, yielding an estimated $25 million in savings per annum. Read more >>

Xilinx, Inc. has announced plans to restructure the company, including getting rid of 6% of its workforce, or 200 employees, which would have a pre-tax charge of US$11-US$13 million for the June quarter, mostly dealing with severance pay expenses. Read more >>

Qimonda AG has announced it will be cutting 1,000 employees from its Portuguese unit, while also suspending the contracts of the 800 remaining workers for the next six months.  This unit had stopped production last month, since parts from Dresden’s Qimonda factory failed to ship. Read more >>

In a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, MEMC Electronic Materials is to reduce its headcount at its Korean subsidiary by 200 adding to recent cuts at its manufacturing plants in the U.S. that brings the total job losses to approximately 400. Read more >>

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. announced its Korean subsidiary would experience another 200 job cuts.  By the end of 2Q, job cuts will take place at MEMC Korea Co., according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in a report by the St. Louis Business Journal. Read more >>

MKS Instruments has made a further downward revision to its first quarter earnings and announced a further round of job losses, first announced in December, 2008, which equated to a workforce reduction of approximately 10% or 292 positions. The combined December and March reductions total 23% of its global workforce or approximately 600 jobs. Read more >>

Silicon-on-Insultaor (SOI) wafer specialist, Soitec said it would be reducing its total headcount by less than 10% as of March 31, 2009 in-light of continued weak market demand. The wafer producer has approximately 1,000 employees at the end of 2008. The headcount reduction could be higher with plans now in place to encourage voluntary redundancies and other headcount reduction incentives. Read more >>

Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation has followed the lead of several companies in the semiconductor industry and announced cost-cutting measures. The company plans to reduce its global workforce by 12%, with any related charges incurred being accounted for in the second fiscal quarter of 2009. Read more >>