Foundry Freeway

Today's Feature

- New - Are Shortages on the Horizon?
Over the course of the downturn, distributors and the companies that make up their supply base have cut back their capacity to gain savings. Now that an upturn seems likely in the next few months, demand may exceed supply again, causing shortages. Distribution executives think the possibility is not presently large, but theyıre watching their supply base closely. (e-inSITE)

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Foundries

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Business News
- New - UMC Finishes Dismal 2001 with Q4 Loss
United Microelectronics Corp. finished 2001 with a dismal fourth quarter, when sales dropped nearly 40 percent and pre-tax losses totaled $180 million. The only good news gleaned from the company's short statement Thursday (Jan. 31) was that it had narrowed its pre-tax losses in the fourth quarter to $131 million, from $149 million in the third quarter. The company offered no guidance on its capital expenditure plans for 2002 or its expectations for the coming quarters. (EE Times)
- New - Tower Semiconductor Ltd. Announces Fourth Quarter and Twelve Months Results
Tower Semiconductor Ltd. announced results for the fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2001. Sales for the fourth quarter of 2001 were $8.8 million vs. $29.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2000, and $9.9 million in the immediately preceding quarter, ended September 30, 2001. The Company reported a loss for the fourth quarter of 2001 of $9.3 million or $0.41 loss per share, including non-capitalized Fab 2 expenses (net) of $4.5 million, compared with an earning of $0.4 million, or $0.03 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2000, including non-capitalized Fab 2 expenses (net) of $0.9 million, and compared with a loss of $12.4 million, or $0.6 per share, in the preceding quarter ended September 30, 2001, including non-capitalized Fab 2 expenses (net) of $4.7 million Sales for the twelve months ended December 31, 2001 were $52.4 million vs. $104.8 million in the twelve months ended December 31, 2000. The Company reported a loss of $38.5 million or $1.92 per share, including non-capitalized Fab 2 expenses (net) of $14.0 million, compared with a loss of $4.0 million, or $0.26 per share, in the twelve months ended December 31, 2000, including non-capitalized Fab 2 expenses (net) of $1.7 million. (ChipCenter: WebScan)
- New - 1st Silicon Appoints New Sales Director For Western North America
1st Silicon (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. announces the appointment of Mr. Terry Snowden to the position of Director of Sales. Mr. Snowden will be based at the company's Silicon Valley office in San Jose. Mr. Snowden will be responsible for western North American sales, reporting to the company's VP of Sales, Mr. Andrew Brown. (ChipCenter: WebScan)
- New - Chartered Expects Losses to Widen
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Ltd. of Singapore posted a net loss of $127.2 million for its fourth quarter of 2001, and warned that despite meeting its expectations, worse is yet to come. The third largest chip manufacturer today posted fourth quarter revenue of $76.1 million, down 4 percent sequentially and down 76 percent from $318.7 million a year-ago. The company posted a net loss of $127.2 million, or 9 cents per share, down from a net income of $77.4 million, or 6 cents per share a year-ago. (Electronic News)
- New - Chartered Semiconductor reports Q4 loss narrower than forecast
Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing reported a fourth-quarter loss per ADS of 92 cents -- narrower than its previous forecast of a loss of 95-97 cents per ADS -- but substantially lower than earnings per ADS of 56 cents in the same quarter last year. Fourth-quarter sales for the company fell to 76.066 mln usd from 318.683 reported a year earlier. (e-inSITE)
- New - TSMC Beats Expectations
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) posted fourth quarter net income of about $129.2 million (4.5 billion Taiwanese dollars), a 79 percent decline from record figures in the year-ago quarter. However, the company said this was a 265 percent increase on a sequential basis, from about $35.4 million (1.2 billion TWD). The Hsinchu, Taiwan-based company also beat analyst expectations, posting diluted earnings of 0.26 TWD per share, 1 cent above the analyst consensus. (e-inSITE)
Customers
- New - Fujitsu to Use China Foundry to Build Memory Chips
China's first contract chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), said on Friday it has sealed a deal to make high-end memory chips for Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. SMIC officials said the company would make 0.18 micron and 0.22 micron chips used in mobile phones and portable electronics for the leading Japanese chipmaker, which will provide the necessary technology. (Electronic Buyers' News)
News
- New - Singapore Beats Out Taiwan and China to Land AMD/UMC Wafer Fab
Advanced Micro Devices and UMC late Thursday announced they will form a joint venture to build and operate a 300mm wafer fab in Singapore to make PC processors and other logic products. UMC will also become a foundry to make AMD processors to augment output from the chip firm's own fab in Dresden, Germany. The joint venture, called AU Pte Ltd., will start production in 2005 at the 0.065-micron processing node. (Electronic Buyers' News)

Processes

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Technology
- New - TSMC Claims Progress on 0.10-Micron Process
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) announced that it has demonstrated and produced the first chips, based on its new, leading-edge 0.10-micron (100-nm) process technology. The silicon foundry giant is also accelerating the development of its 0.10-micron technology by moving the process into initial production by the third or fourth quarter of 2002. (Electronic Buyers' News)

Equipment

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Technology
- New - Sematech Tackles Photomask Development
Barriers in photomask production and technologies have become so challenging that International Sematech has decided to dedicate more than half of its lithography R&D budget to solving problems in mask making and reticle materials, said the Austin-based semiconductor consortium. 'The challenges of mask making have broadened in scope and deepened in complexity in the last decade,' said Kurt Kimmel, program manager for Sematech's Mask Strategy Program. (EE Times)

Production

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Business News
- New - Semiconductor Players Unfazed by China Threat
The local semiconductor industry is still confident of luring potential investors into the country despite China's recent entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), which is expected to make it more attractive to investors. The fact that China has been admitted to the WTO should act as a 'stimulus or catalyst' for the Philippine government to accelerate its plans for improvement, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI) executive director Ernie Santiago said in a press statement. (e-inSITE)
- New - Amkor Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results
Amkor Technology, Inc. announced fourth quarter 2001 revenue of $352 million, up 5% sequentially and down 45% year over year. Fourth quarter assembly & test revenue was $297 million; wafer fab revenue was $55 million. Excluding amortization of goodwill and acquired intangibles and a non-cash amortization of deferred debt issuance costs, Amkor's fourth quarter net loss was $103 million, or ($0.63) per share, compared to a profit of $71 million, or $0.45 per share, in Q4 of 2000. (ChipCenter: WebScan)
Capacity
- New - AMD and UMC To Collaborate on 300-MM Wafer Fabrication Facility in Singapore
AMD and UMC have announced a comprehensive alliance under which the two companies will establish a joint venture to own and operate a state-of-the-art, 300-mm wafer fabrication facility in Singapore for high-volume production of PC processors and other logic products. AMD and UMC also announced plans to collaborate in the development of advanced process technologies for semiconductor logic products. (ChipCenter: WebScan)
- New - Oki Cuts Wafer Output at Two Fabs; Denies Layoffs
Oki Electric Industry Co. denied Japanese press reports that it was laying off any workers at two fabs to cut chip production. Shusaku Sumida, president of Oki Semiconductor Inc., San Jose, Calif. said output is being reduced to reflect the current slump, but without any layoffs. 'We are controlling production by reducing the number of wafer starts. That means we can temporarily furlough workers on a rolling schedule several days a month,' he added. (Electronic Buyers' News)
- New - Mitsubishi, Sumitomo Merge Silicon Operations
Mitsubishi Materials Corp. and Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. announced they are set to officially merge their silicon operations Feb. 1, creating the second-largest silicon wafer supplier. The new Tokyo-based company, Sumitomo Mitsubishi Silicon Corp. (Sumco), said its combined sales will represent almost 25 percent of the $5.2 billion silicon wafer market. (e-inSITE)
Technology
- New - MEMC Begins Production of Defect-free Silicon Wafers
MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. announced it has begun volume production of what it claims is a defect-free silicon wafer. The St Peters, Mo.-based company's wafer has been dubbed Optia, and MEMC claims it has none of the surface defects most wafers suffer from. A defect-free silicon wafer would allow semiconductor manufacturers to achieve higher production yields. (Electronic News)

Resources

ChipCenter Reference Library
This is your access point for lots of good information covering applications, design tools, consultants, intellectual property, trade shows and standards.
Standards Watch
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