As part of the strategy for transforming the system LSI business and securing an asset light business model, Toshiba has signed a MoU with Sony, expressing the intent to dissolve Nagasaki Semiconductor Manufacturing (NSM) and to transfer 300mm wafer fabrication lines there from Toshiba to Sony.

IBM seems to be shifting away from semiconductor manufacturing, and planning to rely on Samsung and GlobalFoundries as foundry suppliers. Both foundries are set to have wafer fabs for foundry operations in the US, which could help cement relations.

Solar panel producer Suntech Power Holdings Co. said Wednesday it is buying 375 megawatts of wafer manufacturing capacity in China for $127 million.

In addition to the ISO/TS16949 certification, Grace has successfully rolled out its Automotive Zero Defect Program, which offers a set of tighter process control measures during wafer processing.

LDK said it expects third-quarter revenue of $610 million to $640 million, up from a previous forecast of revenue of $570 million to $600 million. LDK revised higher its wafer shipments outlook to 550MW to 570MW from its prior outlook of 520MW to 550MW.

"Silicon shipments reflect the tremendous recovery experienced by the semiconductor industry this year," said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "While current data suggest that growth rates are moderating, we expect that the industry will continue to be positive for the next two years."

Rudolph Technologies has received an order for its multiple PrecisionWoRx VX4 probe card test and analysis systems from a customer in Taiwan to facilitate capacity expansion.

IBM and Infineon Technologies have closed a transaction to sell 100% of the share capital of Altis Semiconductor to a new corporation. They have also entered into supply agreements with Altis, and will continue to use Altis' production facility in France.

Germany's LFoundry, an analog and mixed-signal foundry, has completed its previously-announced acquisition of Atmel's wafer fabrication operation in Rousset, France.

Chinese wafer supplier Huantai Silicon has suspended its partnership with the country's solar cells and panels giant Suntech Power on their joint venture Glory Silicon, and will jointly build a new venture with U.S. veteran wafer producer MEMC Electronic Materials.

According to Semiconductor Industry Capacity Statistics (SICAS), total industry IC capacity dropped 2.9% in the first quarter of 2010 from the prior quarter.

ASML has announced that four TWINSCAN XT:1900Gi lithography systems have joined its "One Million Wafer Club" of scanners that have processed more than one million silicon wafers within 12 months, underlining the importance and acceptance of this advanced technology in mainstream chip manufacturing.

Net income for the first quarter of 2010 was US$27.5 million, compared to net losses of US$51.1 million a year ago. "We were pleased with the successful ramp into high volume of new technologies such as embedded wafer-level ball-grid array (eWLB) and the continued growth of our business in advanced technologies such as hybrid flip-chip and wafer level packaging..."

Nanda Technologies has raised US$4 million from Capital-E and KfW working alongside existing shareholders. The company said it will use the money to support pre-production evaluations at semiconductor manufacturers.

Abu Dhabi-backed foundry Globalfoundries is planning to spend US$2.5 billion to increase its 300mm wafer manufacturing capacity by 50% in 2010, according to Udo Nothelfer, company VP and general manager of Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany.

FormFactor, which makes probe cards used for testing wafers directly, has opened a new facility in Singapore as part of efforts to grow its business in Asia.

India has seen how the Gulf state of Abu Dhabi has, with a budget of US$10 billion, set about manouvering its way into a key place in the semiconductor industry with the creation of Globalfoundries.

Sematech has claimed that it continues to make progress in 450mm fab technology, saying that it is in the "test wafer generation" stage in the arena.

LDK Solar is scheduled to complete the installation of more than 50 MaxEdge wafering systems in October.

Japan's Sumco, the world's No.2 maker of silicon wafers used to make chips, said it tumbled to a first-half loss on weaker wafer demand from chipmakers.

Pure Wafer, a provider of silicon wafers and wafer services based on reclaimed wafers, has announced plans to raise £2.3 million (US$3.8 million) and restructure its debt, along with its delayed interim financial results to Dec. 30, 2008.

MEMS packaging may take an evolutionary leap forward into wafer-level packaging, driven by large IDMs and foundries, analysts said. "TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) and others are talking about making MEMS parts...and they have the resources to do the package too.

Spruce Pine, a modest, charmingly low-key town in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, is at the heart of a global billion-dollar industry.

Shares of MEMC Electronic Materials fell the day after the wafer maker's second-quarter profits dropped 96% on another steep fall in sales, though its semiconductor business showed improvement even as its solar end continues to struggle.

Hynix Semiconductor has said it would cut its investment in a new production facility by 45% and extend the investment period.

With Siltronic's aging Portland factory weathering one of the steepest downturns in its history, the German silicon wafer manufacturer is raising the prospect of renewal to city officials.

US semiconductor maker Ramtron International has announced that it has entered into a foundry services agreement with IBM. The companies plan to install Ramtron's F-RAM semiconductor process technology in IBM's Burlington, Vermont, advanced wafer manufacturing facility.

Amkor Technology swung to a net loss of US$623 million in 4Q08, compared to a profit of US$32 million in the previous quarter. The US packaging and testing house has said its 1Q09 sales to drop 30-38% sequentially with gross margin between 5% and negative 2%. Meanwhile, Amkor estimated to see its second straight quarterly loss in 1Q09.

Zarlink Semiconductor has taken proactive measures to protect its foundry base. This is following MHS Electronics UK Ltd.'s advice that it is likely to cease wafer shipments to Zarlink from the analog foundry in Swindon, UK.

FormFactor, which specializes in wafer probe cards, has announced a global reorganization and cost reduction plan. As part of the plan the company will reduce its workforce by 22%.

Driven by increasing demand from mobile devices and automotive applications, wafer-level packaging (WLP) is moving up to higher I/O counts and finer pitches, experts said. Other WLP trends to watch in 2009 include high-power and high-accuracy precision devices, through-silicon vias (TSVs), fan-outs, and embedded flash.

Wafer shipments at the world's top two foundries, TSMC and UMC, are set to plunge further than anticipated in 4Q, but the picture for 1Q is even uglier with "historic lows" looming for utilizations, according to an analyst report.

Fab capacity utilisation in Q3 was high for advanced processes and 300mm fabs but overall showed a decline, according to the latest Semiconductor Industry Capacity Statistics (SICAS) report, with the foundry industry experiencing sharp declines in capacity, actual wafer starts and capacity utilisation.

The decision by Samsung to abandon its six-inch, or 150-millimeter, wafer fabrication lines and focus production on its eight-inch and 12-inch wafer lines reflects a desperate attempt to improve the efficiency of its product lineup.