Axcelis Technologies, a supplier of ion implantation and cleaning systems, has announced a global workforce reduction of approximately 235, or 20% of its employees, since year end 2008.

Nanometrics has begun shipping its Lynx cluster metrology systems, as a follow-on order to a leading memory manufacturer as part of its plan for high-volume manufacturing of its latest DRAM and flash memory technologies.

Tessera Technologies has said that it won a patent dispute over small-format semiconductor packaging products, with the International Trade Commission issuing a cease-and-desist order against rivals Motorola, Qualcomm, Freescale Semiconductor and Spansion.

A new optical recording method could pave the way for data discs with 300 times the storage capacity of standard DVDs, Nature journal reports. Researchers describe their method as "five-dimensional" optical recording and say it could be commercialized.

Japan's top chipmaker Toshiba has said it will end production of mobile phones in Japan due to plummeting demand amid an economic slump. The company said its only domestic plant for mobile phones will halt operations in October.

Japan's economy has seen its worst ever quarterly performance, with GDP shrinking 4% in the first three months of 2009. The world's second biggest economy, which depends heavily on exports, has been hit hard by the global downturn.

Taiwan's health authorities on Wednesday reported the island's first confirmed case of Influenza A (H1N1), in a foreign male who arrived by plane from Hong Kong earlier this week. A(H1N1) flu has claimed about 79 lives worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Europe's depleted semiconductor sector needs a strong leader to unite the continent's chipmakers around common goals if chip manufacturing in the region is to survive, the European head of industry association SEMI said.

Strong macro factors could boost solar companies, though weak demand, falling module prices and dim profit reports from Chinese solar companies could pressure the sector in the near term.