KLA-Tencor has introduced the TeraScanXR, bringing high-resolution reticle-, aerial-, and wafer-plane inspection capability to the 32-nm node.

Applied Materials said on Monday the value of a sales agreement to supply solar production equipment to a private buyer has been slashed to US$250 million from US$1.9 billion due a worsening global economy.

KLA-Tencor will reduce its global workforce by a further-10% as part of an effort to reduce its quarterly operating expenses to US$140 million to US$145 million by the end of calendar year 2009, down from the previously announced target of US$165-170 million per quarter.

Agilent Technologies has announced a 2700 employee layoff and a major restructuring of its electronic measurement business in response to what the company described as the "most severe global downturn" in its history.

Lam Research is cutting 375 jobs or 10% of its workforce as part of a restructuring effort the company estimates will save it up to US$95 million a year.

VLSI Research said ASML overtook TEL for the second spot in its annual ranking of equipment suppliers. Applied Materials remained on top, while KLA-Tencor and Lam Research were in the fourth and fifth spots. The Top 10 declined slightly faster than the total IC manufacturing equipment industry, which dwindled 25.1% to $41.8 billion.

Deposition equipment maker Aixtron AG of Aachen, Germany has reported revenue of ？274.4m for full-year 2008, up 28% on 2007’s ？214.8m (and the third consecutive year of growth).

Global semiconductor equipment maker Analog Devices on Wednesday reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter after a bout of cost-cutting, and forecast earnings in line with estimates for the current quarter.

Chipmaking equipment orders received by Japanese manufacturers fell to the lowest level in more than seven years in January, according to preliminary figures released by an industry group on Wednesday. The book-to-bill ratio, which stands for orders divided by billings, came to 0.55, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan said.

Applied Materials, the world's largest manufacturer of semiconductor production equipment, posted its first quarterly loss since 2003 and said it would cut back production, sending its shares sliding 3.2%.

Applied Materials lowered its earnings forecast Monday, saying it expects sales at the low end of its projected range for the first quarter as the chip-tools maker struggles through what it described as "unprecedented business conditions."

ASML Holding NV, a key equipment supplier to Intel and other chip makers, swung to a fourth-quarter net loss, hurt by a slumping semiconductor market as customers struggled to get credit.

EV Group (EVG) and Brewer Science have announced the installation of an EVG 500 series wafer-bonding system at Brewer Science's Taiwan applications lab. Located in Hsinchu Science Park, this joint effort offers customers localized support in the Asia-Pacific region for 3D IC and other advanced process development programs.

KLA-Tencor, a microchip manufacturing equipment maker, slashed its sales estimate for the fiscal second quarter, citing economic turmoil and the ongoing decline of the semiconductor industry.

Unlike the SEMI Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Subscription (WWSEMS) data, the World Fab Forecast and its related Fab Database reports track any equipment needed to ramp the fab, upgrade, expand, or change its wafer size regardless if it is new equipment, used equipment, or transferred equipment, while WWSEMS tracks only new equipment.

"Never before have we witnessed such a sharp and sudden fall-off in lithography system demand, triggered by an unprecedented mix of falling end-demand for semiconductors, weak memory prices and restricted access to capital for our customers," said Eric Meurice, President and Chief Executive Officer of ASML. "This steep decline in our business activity is forcing us to adjust our organization in order to lower our cost base significantly."

European semiconductor industry executives are launching a concerted push to convince European government leaders to increase support for chip manufacturing and the equipment and materials infrastructure.

Gartner today lowered its capital and equipment spending forecast for the second time in as many months, warning that the next year could see a capital spending decline of about 17% and capital equipment revenue decline of 18%. The revised forecast comes after Gartner in October suggested 2009 equipment demand would be slower than anticipated.

Orders for Japanese equipment used to make semiconductors fell 27.8% in July from the same month last year as chip makers reined in spending, calculations based on industry data showed on Tuesday. Orders in July came to 93.90 billion yen (US$856 million), down 0.2% from June, based on monthly order values taken from the industry group's preliminary report.

Under these agreements, Motorola will supply CMCC with GSM network equipment and a range of services. The expanded and optimized GSM networks will then be deployed across 16 provinces and municipalities within the coverage area of CMCC, namely Beijing, Tianjin, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Henan, Hunan, Guangdong, Yunnan, Fujian, Hubei, Shanxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangxi, Anhui and Guizhou. These contracts also enable China Mobile to deliver enhanced and value-added multimedia functionality and services.

Aquest Systems confirmed Thursday that on July 9 it sent Asyst Technologies an offer to buy the chip manufacturing equipment maker for US$6.50 per share in cash. Privately held Aquest, which is based in Sunnyvale, CA is a developer of automation technologies for the semiconductor industry.

Japan's Tokyo Electron (TEL) said orders for its tools to make semiconductors and flat panel display equipment fell a quarterly 35% to a five-year low in April-June on weak demand from memory makers. But the world's No.2 chip equipment maker expects orders to pick up in the current quarter as makers of computer memory chips spend more on production lines to meet year-end demand for faster computers and mobile phones.

Wafer processing equipment maker Aviza Technology has received its largest ever order from a GaAs manufacturer, supplying multiple tools to Taiwan foundry WIN Semiconductor, and says that the deal reflects under-provision of capacity elsewhere. Aviza's Delta fxP CVD tool “We have received multiple system orders in the past from WIN and other III-V customers, but not of this magnitude,” said Kevin Crofton, the senior vice-president of Aviza's product business units.

Applied Materials announced its Applied E3 advanced equipment and process control solution, a comprehensive factory automation (FA) software package for improving the productivity and reducing the costs of semiconductor, flat panel display and photovoltaic solar cell manufacturing. Utilizing proprietary algorithms, the Applied E3 system can boost process capability by more than 30%, reduce unscheduled down time, and shorten cycle time to achieve up to a 20% increase in overall equipment effectiveness.

KLA-Tencor has shuttered its Tucson, Ariz.-based facility, which was once part of ADE, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The move impacts 100 jobs. KLA-Tencor recently acquired ADE, a supplier of silicon wafer inspection gear. Lam also recently had a layoff, which involved 5% of its workforce.

In two separate cases, the companies accused each other of falsely claiming to hold patents that were essential to the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) 3G (Third-Generation) standard. Vendors who make equipment that complies with the standard must pay licensing fees to the developers who contribute patents to it.