SÜSS MicroTec AG has increased its shareholding in SUSS MicroOptics S.A. to 100%. SUSS MicroOptics is a leading company for high-quality refractive and diffractive micro-optics.

Advantest Corporation uncrated the next-generation high-speed DRAM test system, T5511, offering 8Gbps test speed. It can be deployed from R&D through to volume production.

SEMI-GAS Systems, ultra-high-purity gas source and distribution system maker, will outfit the University of Nebraska - Lincoln’s new Nanoscience Metrology Facility. Applied Energy Systems will provide field services.

President Barack Obama toured the SUNY - Albany Nano-Tech Complex today, speaking about the economy and education in the CNSE NanoFab Extension Building.

A leading, US-based IDM ordered about $5 million of front- and back-end semiconductor automatic optical inspection (AOI) tools from Camtek Ltd.

CEA-Leti has introduced the “LETI-3S” concept, for “Silicon Specialty Solutions.” The research is oriented to start-ups, component integrators, fabless or fablite chip companies, and equipment/consumable suppliers.

Solid State Technology and SEMI will present the 2012 Best of West product awards at SEMICON West 2012, July 10-12 in San Francisco. Best of West recognizes important product and technology developments in the microelectronics industries.

I recently had the good fortune to moderate the SEMI Northeast Forum on 450mm in Albany.

Carl Zeiss won orders for its EUVL actinic aerial image metrology system, AIMS EUV, from 2 of the 4 members of SEMATECH’s EMI partnership. The tool allows chip makers to review defects in advanced masks needed for EUVL.

KLA-Tencor Corporation (NASDAQ:KLAC) debuted the CIRCL suite high-throughput defect inspection/metrology/review system for implementation at lithography, outgoing quality control (OQC) and other process modules in semiconductor manufacturing lines.

Hexagon Metrology released the Optiv Classic 321GL tp benchtop vision-measuring metrology system for the North American market. It suits electronics and precision parts inspection, including micro-holes, fiber optics, filters, and more.

Strong lithography spending, as well as several acquisitions and divestures in the space, brought changes to the critical subsystems of semiconductor/related markets sector, says VLSIresearch. 

With a book-to-bill ratio of 1.13, North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment saw a sixth climb in the ratio, which has steadily improved since it hit 0.71 in September 2011, shows SEMI.