IC packaging and testing service provider STATS ChipPAC has reported net income of US$25.1 million for third-quarter 2009, compared to profits of US$2.2 million in the prior quarter and US$7.9 million a year ago. Gross margin for the quarter reached 20.2% compared to 15.1% in the second quarter and 18.5% in third-quarter 2008.

This purchase for automated NSX Inspection Systems with Discover yield management software reflects a trend to incorporate real-time process control into advanced back-end fabrication processes, according to Rudolph Technologies.

In recent times, copper has been rapidly gaining a foothold as a substitute material for gold in wire bonding. Some of the advantages include superior electrical and thermal conductivity, less intermetallic compound growth and greater mechanical stability.

Backend tool giant Kulicke & Soffa Industries has raised its revenue outlook for its fiscal fourth quarter ending October 3.

Nakaya Microdevices, Amkor Technology and Toshiba have jointly announced the start of their joint venture will be postponed. The operation was initially scheduled to begin on October 1.

Investors have speculated about a Temasek exit from the chip industry since its failed attempt to buy out and delist Stats Chippac two years ago. Stats Chippac and Chartered Semiconductor have slashed costs to weather the global slowdown that came amid slumping semiconductor prices and more competition from Taiwan.

PTI will provide final manufacturing services to Spansion at the Suzhou facility pursuant to a Supply Agreement between Spansion LLC and PTI. "We expect an uninterrupted supply of products to our customers after the transfer of ownership of the Suzhou facility...

Back-end production capacity will be reduced at a plant in Mie Prefecture, Toshiba's main NAND flash memory production site, and shifted to a subsidiary in Thailand. Some procedures will also be outsourced to a foundry in Taiwan.

Amkor swung to a profit of US$9 million in second-quarter 2009. "Overall unit shipments were up 43% sequentially with advanced laminate and flip chip packages up nearly 60%," said company COO Ken Joyce. "We are increasing our estimated capital additions for the full year 2009 to approximately $150 million."

Over the past several years, IDMs have seen the price of silicon fabrication fall, while the cost of packaging, assembly and test has steadily been on the rise.

Semiconductor packaging/assembly/test companies are gently ratcheting up their manufacturing capacity, but it won't be enough to prevent a culling of the herd, with nearly 20 (mostly older) facilities likely to be shuttered within a span of two years, according to new analyses from Gartner.

Amkor Technology has announced net loss for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009 was US$22 million, compared to a net loss of US$623 million in the prior quarter. Gross margin for the quarter was 12%, and the company expects its gross margin climb to between 17% and 19% in the current quarter.

Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), a Taiwan-based IC packaging and test services provider, has expressed interest in the packaging and test unit of STMicroelectronics, two industry sources close to ASE told mergermarket.

The Top-10 advanced packaging companies garnering market share on Gartner's just-released preliminary list for 2008 include Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE, Kaohsiung, Taiwan), Amkor Technology (Chandler, Ariz.), Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL, Taichung, Taiwan), STATS ChipPAC (Singapore), Powertech Technology (Taipei, Taiwan), UTAC (Singapore), ChipMOS Technologies (Hsinchu, Taiwan); King Yuan Electronics (Hsinchu, Taiwan); Carsem (Ipoh, Malaysia); and Unisem (Ipoh, Malaysia).

Singapore's chip-packaging and testing firm STATS ChipPAC has said that it will not proceed with an exercise to reduce its capital because it was unable to obtain debt financing amid the financial turmoil.

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.

Taiwanese semiconductor company ASE Group plans to invest about one billion yuan in a Chongqing factory for consumer electronic products and components in April 2009, reports China Business News. However, ASE has denied the paper.

Amkor Technology has announced that as part of the company's overall cost reduction efforts in response to current economic conditions, its Compensation Comittee approved the recommendation by senior executives that their base salaries be reduced beginning in January 2009. The salaries of the Company's US payroll named executive officers will be reduced by 10%, except for the Company's CEO, who recommended that his salary be reduced by 50%.