DCI Acquires Test Sockets Maker Liberty Research Inc. Santa Clara, Calif.-Dimensions Consulting Inc. (DCI) has acquired Liberty Research Inc., a Santa Clara-based maker and supplier of test and burn-in sockets. Effective with the acquisition, Liberty Research management and personnel became a business unit of DCI.
ASE, OSE Order More K&S Model 8028 Ball Bonders Taiwan -Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) has placed orders with Kulicke & Soffa Industries for K&S Model 8028 ball bonders worth $44 million, representing the Willow Grove, Pa. firm's largest 8028 order.
N.C. Chiang, vice president of IC assembly operations for OSE, said the bonders will be used to support a continuing ramp-up in the production of semiconductors packaged in plastic BGAs.[ase.com] [ose.com.tw] Fairchild Semi Moves to Larger Maine Quarters South Portland, Maine-Fairchild Semiconductor International, a direct descendent of Silicon Valley's most famous startup with 8,400 employees, has moved its corporate headquarters to a larger building here. Fairchild became an independent company in March 1997, and has since acquired Raytheon Semiconductor in Mountain View, Calif., and the Power Device Division of Samsung Electronics in Puchon, S. Korea. Chip Scale Review Applies for Business Membership in BPA New York-Chip Scale Review has applied for business membership in BPA International, a worldwide circulation auditing organization. BPA International will verify circulation for Chip Scale Review based on demographic and geographic coverage. "Chip Scale Review has grown in a remarkably short time to become the leading publication serving the advanced IC assembly and packaging world," notes Publisher Gene Selven. "The BPA International audit will provide our advertisers with the assurance that their hard-earned advertising dollars are reaching the audience that authorizes, specifies and buys their products." The audit will be completed over the next 1.5 years. [chipscalereview.com] [bpai.com] TRW Group Demonstrates World's Fastest Digital Chip Redondo Beach, Calif.-The TRW Space & Electronics Group has demonstrated the world's fastest digital IC, a frequency divider operating at a clock frequency of 69 GHz (69 billion cycles/second). The chip was made using Indium Phosphide, an advanced semiconductor material with high-speed performance superior to silicon or gallium arsenide, and described at December's IEDM Conference.
The TRW circuit was fabricated using Indium Phosphide heterojunction bipolar transistors. A unique feature of these transistors, according to TRW, is the removal of collector material beneath the base layer, which results in a cantilevered base layer resting on a pedestal-like collector layer.[trw.com] ASAT Ltd. Financial Restructuring Completed Hong Kong-The financial restructuring of IC packaging foundry ASAT Ltd. has been completed, the company announced recently. Under the new ownership structure, ASAT is 50% owned by QPL, former majority owner, and 50% owned by a financial investor group led by Chase Asia Equity Partners. The investors are Olympus Capital and Orchid Asia. T.L. Li continues as ASAT's chairman, while Jerry Lee assumes operating responsibilities on a day-to-day basis."It's been a tremendous year," said Dick Brancato, president of ASAT USA, Fremont, Calif. "The whole team has worked hard to turn ASAT around and get back to its roots of providing leading edge technology with a superior customer service quotient." [asat.com] Speedline, Universal Will Market Unicam Software Speedline Technologies and Universal Instruments have announced separate agreements to resell Technomatix Technologies' factory software. The Franklin, Mass.-based Speedline, a division of Cookson Group plc., said it will market Technomatix' Unicam software to Speedline's existing customer base. "Unicam software offers our customers a single manufacturing engineering solution for all assembly machines, including pick-and-place systems," said Russell Schlager, Speedline's vice president of marketing. Universal Instruments, Binghamton, N.Y., will resell Unicam software for optimization and offline programming of Universal's GSM platform, other surface mount applications and through-hole assembly equipment. [speedlinetechnologies.com] IDI Wins Technology Award Kansas City, Kan.-Interconnect Devices Inc. (IDI) received the "Technology of the Year" Award for the ICT probe from the Silicon Prairie Association. The award was presented recently during the Silicon Prairie Assocation's sixth annual awards ceremony convened to honor the best innovations in Kansas City technology. [idinet.com] Tecan Components Opens U.S. Subsidiary Oriskany, N.Y.-Tecan Components of Weymouth, England, is now offering its electroformed stencil technology through its new U.S. subsidiary, Chepaume Industries, here. The office is located at 6001 Airport Rd., Oriskany, NY 13424, phone 315.768.7001. [chepaume.com] Call for Information on IC Packaging Foundries
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