SEMICONDUCTOR NEWS

Digi-Key Corporation and MEMSIC announce global distribution agreement Fri, Mar 8, 2013 Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation today announced the signing of a global distribution agreement with MEMSIC, a provider of MEMS sensor components, sophisticated inertial systems, and leading-edge wireless sensor networks.
STMicroelectronics proximity sensor solves smartphone hang-ups Fri, Mar 8, 2013 Smartphones are set to become even more flexible and more satisfying to use, thanks to a unique sensor system developed by STMicroelectronics. Combining three optical elements in a single compact package, the VL6180 is the first member of ST’s FlightSense family and uses a new optical-sensing tec...
Nanoelectronics Conference will focus on semiconductor industry’s future Fri, Mar 8, 2013 How the semiconductor industry can create the next generations of nanoscale computing technology will be one of the themes of the 2013 International Conference on Frontiers of Characterization and Metrology for Nanoelectronics, to be held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIS...
Broadcom tops three ABI Research wireless connectivity IC competitive assessments Fri, Mar 8, 2013 Broadcom has been ranked number one vendor in three recent competitive assessments released by ABI Research on wireless connectivity IC markets. One was for overall wireless connectivity ICs, another on Bluetooth ICs, and a final on Wi-Fi ICs.
	Mediatek trumps Qualcomm in RF with world’s smallest transceiver Fri, Mar 8, 2013 ABI Research finds that Mediatek has delivered the world’s smallest multimode transceiver. Coming just a week after Qualcomm announced its intentions to produce RF front ends for high tier LTE smartphones, Mediatek releases the world’s smallest RF transceiver which is also the world’s first 40nm ...
	Strategic approach to R&D is goal at National Photonics Initiative Event Thu, Mar 7, 2013 More than 100 representatives from government and the photonics industry convened in Washington, D.C., on February 28 to identify focus areas for a national photonics initiative (NPI), engaging academia, industry, and government in a collaboration to address barriers to continued U.S. leadership ...
AIXTRON sees signs of market stabilization in report of 2012 fiscal year Thu, Mar 7, 2013 Management expects demand for MOCVD production equipment to potentially improve as demand for LEDs increases later in the current year.
'Key' EUV milestone, DSA progress, more reported at SPIE Advanced Lithography Thu, Mar 7, 2013 Over 2,000 industry professionals attended last week’s SPIE Advanced Lithography, where important progress reports were revealed on extreme ultraviolet (EUV), lithography, directed self-assembly (DSA), metrology, and related topics. The event ran February 24-28 in San Jose, California.
STMicroelectronics makes analog 130nm H9A CMOS process available through CMP Thu, Mar 7, 2013 Semiconductor technology leaders ST and CMP help universities, research labs and companies prototype next generation of Systems-on-Chip.
Aptina and LFoundry to partner on CMOS image sensor manufacturing Thu, Mar 7, 2013 LFoundry to manufacture wafers for Aptina following LFoundry’s purchase of Micron’s Avezzano, Italy semiconductor fabrication facility.
EPIC to develop industry database and interactive map Wed, Mar 6, 2013 The European Photonics Industry Consortium recently embarked on an ambitious project to map all the companies in Europe active in photonics, which amounts to over 3000 companies.
	January DRAM, NAND flash sales indicate a promising year Wed, Mar 6, 2013 Industry consolidation to just three big DRAM suppliers and a reduction in capital expenditures among these manufacturers helped propel DRAM average selling prices (ASPs) up 13% year over year in January, which contributed to a 19.9% jump in the total memory market and a 6.2% increase for the tot...
	Car infotainment semiconductor market hits speed bump in 2013 Wed, Mar 6, 2013 Following a healthy expansion in 2012, the growth of the global automotive semiconductor market will decelerate slightly this year because of a slowdown in the aftermarket and portable navigation device (PND) segments.
Diodes Incorporated closes acquisition of BCD Semiconductor Wed, Mar 6, 2013 Diodes Incorporated today announced that it has completed its acquisition of BCD Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited in an all cash deal, valued at approximately $151 million.
Short-range wireless technology IC market to reach almost 5 billion units shipped in 2013 Wed, Mar 6, 2013 The total market for open short-range wireless (SRW) technology based ICs, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, NFC, and GPS, is expected to reach almost 5 billion units in 2013 and grow to nearly 8 billion by 2018, according to ABI Research. This includes standalone wireless connectivity ICs, wirel...
eMemory’s eNVM SIPs reach 5 million wafer production record Wed, Mar 6, 2013 eMemory announced today that the accumulated number of customers’ wafers incorporating eMemory’s eNVM SIPs have now surpassed 5 million production mark.
	Fab Spending Forecast: Equipment spending is expected to remain flat in 2013 Wed, Mar 6, 2013 Fab equipment spending for Front End facilities is expected to be flat in 2013, remaining around $31.7 billion, increasing to $39.3 billion in 2014 — a 24% increase.
Dongbu HiTek and Cortus to develop platform for the MCU market Tue, Mar 5, 2013 Korean foundry Dongbu HiTek and French IP provider Cortus are to develop a design platform combining Dongbu HiTek’s embedded flash technology and Cortus processor and peripheral IP.
Toshiba develops intelligent, wearable vital signs sensor module Tue, Mar 5, 2013 Toshiba Corporation today announced that it has developed an intelligent vital signs sensor module: Smart healthcare Intelligent Monitor Engine and Ecosystem with Silmee, that simultaneously senses information on key vital signs, Electric Cardio Gram, pulse, body temperature and movements, and th...
	EV Group to develop equipment to enable covalent bonds at room temperature Tue, Mar 5, 2013 EV Group (EVG), a supplier of wafer bonding and lithography equipment for the MEMS, nanotechnology and semiconductor markets, today announced that it is developing equipment and process technology to enable covalent bonds at room temperature.