By Francoise von Trapp On Jul. 08, 2011
Last time I visited Leti on the Minatec Campus was in October 2009.  Recently, when I was back for Leti’s Annual Research Reviews, Mark Scannell, head of the 3D integration program, took me on another tour. A lot has been going on here in the past 2 years. For one thing, the building I saw going up in its early stages has been completed.  There’s now a showroom displaying all the nifty Read More>>
By Francoise von Trapp On Nov. 21, 2010
SEMATECH’s story is one that is truly built upon the essence of collaboration.  SEMATECH is not a traditional research center.  Rather, it is a technology research consortium that exists to serve the best interests of its worldwide members and partners. Originally established in Austin, TX as an experiment in combining government and industry to further the development of semiconductor technologies, Read More>>
By Francoise von Trapp On Nov. 01, 2010
It’s no secret that Japan has its own ideas of how to do pretty much everything.  The culture is an interesting mix of ancient tradition, ceremony, modernization, and technological advancement.  The centuries-old Imperial Palace and grounds, home to the sitting Emperor, is surrounded by the steel-and-glass cosmopolitan city of Tokyo.  A complex, intricate, state-of-the-art public transportation Read More>>
By Francoise von Trapp On Sep. 02, 2010
A year ago, things weren’t looking so great for Aviza Technologies. According to Kevin Crofton, executive VP, SPTS and managing director of the UK division, the company was in Chapter 11, mainly because its thermal division in Scotts Valley was heavily DRAM focused and was deeply affected when that market collapsed. Then to add fuel to the fire, Qimonda, one of its main customers, went into Read More>>
By Francoise von Trapp On Aug. 09, 2010
It’s a good story that’s been 30 years in the making. From its founding by Erich and Aya Maria Thallner in 1980 and subsequent launch of the world’s first double-sided mask aligner for the emerging MEMS market five years later; to its most recent industry-first launch of a fully-automated wafer bonding system for high-brightness light emitting diode (HB-LED) manufacturing; EV Group has adhered Read More>>