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Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Breaks Ground Aizu-Wakamatsu, Japan-Fujitsu AMD Semiconductor Ltd. (FASL), a joint venture of Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale, Calif. and Japan's Fujitsu, recently broke ground for a new $1.5 billion megafab targeted for the manufacture of flash memory ICs. Construction began in late July and work is to continue "around the clock" to meet a planned completion of clean room facilities by December. Initial production is planned for the second half of next year. The new facility will be able to produce 7,500 200-mm wafers/week at peak capacity. [amd.com] [fujitsu.com] Sony Plans IC Design Center in Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa.-Sony Electronics plans to establish the Sony Semiconductor Design Center in Pittsburgh this fall aimed at developing technologies for broadband ICs. The Design Center is located in Pittsbrugh's "Digital Greenhouse," which was originally formed with Cadence, Oki Electronics, Sony and several Pennsylvania-based universities. It focuses primarily on products for the digital video and networking markets. [sel.sony.com] Joel Schoubert Promoted to Quad's International Service Manager Willow Grove, Pa.-Joel A. Schoubert has been promoted to international service manager at Quad Systems Corp., a supplier of SMT assembly systems. He joined Quad in 1995 as an international technical trainer and service engineer. Schoubert earned an electrical engineering degree from CEI, Vaugirard, Paris. [quad-sys.com] Knox Takes Helm as Vice-President,GM at Speedline's ACCEL Division Plano, Texas-Paul Knox has joined Speedline ACCEL, a manufacturer of cleaning and reflow systems, as vice president and general manager. Formerly, Knox was business unit manager for reflow products at Speedline's ELECTROVERT subsidiary. He joined ELECTROVERT in 1996 and has held managerial and engineering posts with Boeing Military Airplanes and Will Pemco Inc. Knox earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Oklahoma State University. [speedline.cookson.com]
Industry Veteran Laite Joins Signetics High Technology Inc. San Jose-Jim Laite has joined Signetics High Technology Inc. as vice president of sales for the Eastern Region, reporting to Greg Johnson, vice president of sales. Laite is stationed near Baltimore, Md. A veteran of the semiconductor packaging industry, Laite was most recently sales director for Advanced Interconnect Technologies (the merger of Hana and Astra Microtronics Tech-nology), responsible for sales and support in the Eastern U.S. Earlier, he held a similar post, which included the East Coast and Canada, for ASAT Inc., a multi-national supplier of assembly and test services. His experience also includes an account manager's post at Shinko Electric America, and engineering management and process engineering jobs at the Raytheon Company, Quincy, Mass. Laite earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa. [jlaite@signeticsusa.com][signetics.com] Motorola Demonstrates Flip-Chip, Fine-Pitch PBGA Package Tempe, Ariz.-Motorola's Digital Research Labs have demonstrated a flip-chip plastic BGA package (FC-PBGA) capable of routing hundreds of I/O from the die, with array pitches as low as 150 microns. The fine-pitch capabilities are designed to enable smaller die sizes, more direct interconnection and faster operation for devices such as leading-edge microprocessors. "The reduction of die pad pitch from today's state-of-the-industry 225 microns down to 150 microns enables significant performance increases in microprocessors," according to Simon Thomas, vice president/director Interconnect Systems Laboratory for Motorola's Semiconduc-tor Products Sector. For I/O-intensive devices that may be pad constrained at current pitches, moving to 150 microns may provide greater than 250 percent increase in I/O density, Motorola notes. Now in the development stage, this packaging technology is expected to be implemented for Motorola's future advanced CMOS products. [motorola.com]
IBM's Copper, Low-K Dielectric Technology Is Attracting Interest Little Falls, N.J.-IBM's announcement earlier this year that it will integrate copper with a new low-K dielectric in 130-nm chips is drawing several converts to this type of semiconductor structure, according to the report, The Global Outlook for Emerging Semiconductor Materials and Processes. Published by Kline & Company, a consulting firm in Little Falls that tracks the electronics market, Michael Corbett, business manager at Kline says, "No less than six additional fabricators described copper/low-k development efforts at the recent International Interconnect Technology Conference in Burlingame, Calif. "The prospect for integrating new materials in semiconductors will present major growth opportunities for electronic chemicals and materials suppliers," Corbett adds. [klinegroup.com]
Quad Systems Promotes Perotta to VP Willow Grove, Pa.-Quad Systems has appointed John Perrotta to vice president of technical services and support. He will be responsible for customer service, training, telephone technical support and applications engineering. Perotta joined Quad in 1995 as production manager. Until his recent promotion, he served as senior director of quality assurance. [quad-sys.com] Allteq Industries Moves to New Quarters Livermore, Calif.-Allteq Industries, manufacturer of post-wirebond inspection equipment, has left its Fremont location for expanded quarters here. The company's new address is 115 Pullman St., Livermore, CA 94550. The new phone number is 925.243.6400, fax 925.243.6419. [allteq.com] B2B Website Handles Surplus Gear Palo Alto, Calif.-KeyAssets.com has launched what it claims is the first business-to-business website aimed at bringing together buyers, sells and service providers for high-value surplus semiconductor equipment sales. The website includes well-documented and graphical listings of equipment in a global database. Key Assets' management says the site is different from other B2B exchanges because of its vertical focus on semiconductor equipment. Speedline Appoints Joseph Zhou Semi Products Marketing Chief Franklin, Mass.-Cookson's Speedline Technologies has appointed Joseph Zhou marketing director for semiconductor products. He will be responsible for developing product and marketing strategies related to Speedline's semiconductor industry business. Zhou joined Speedline from IBM Microelectronics, where he served as a program manager for the Business Alliances Program. Earlier, he was a process engineer in semiconductor research and development for IBM. He earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of New York, a master's degree in electrical engineering from Syracuse University and an MBA from Pace University. [speedlinetechnologies.com]
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