Power Integrations (Nasdaq: POWI) today announced a comprehensive settlement of its patent disputes with ON Semiconductor and its subsidiary, Fairchild Semiconductor. Consistent with the terms of the term sheet disclosed on October 9, the companies have entered into a definitive agreement that ends all litigation between them, including lawsuits in Delaware, California, Taiwan and China. Power Integrations (PI) has received a cash payment of $175M from ON; neither company granted any licenses to the other.
Semiconductors
Dr. Necip Sayiner Joins Rambus Board of Directors
Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ: RMBS), a silicon IP and chip provider dedicated to delivering data faster and safer, today announced the appointment of Dr. Necip Sayiner to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. With over twenty-five years of semiconductor expertise, Dr. Sayiner is an experienced executive with a proven track record of successfully increasing company revenue growth and profitability. Prior to joining the Rambus board, he was executive vice president and general manager at Renesas Electronics Corporation, following their acquisition of Intersil, where he served as president and CEO.
Renesas Expands Access to Portfolio of Leading-Edge IP Licenses
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE:6723), a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today announced expanded access to its highly sought portfolio of intellectual property (IP) licenses that allow designers to meet a broad range of customer requirements in a rapidly changing industry. Starting today, customers will have access to IPs such as advanced 7nm (nanometer) SRAM and TCAM, and leading-edge standard Ethernet time-sensitive networking (TSN) IP. Furthermore, Renesas is working on providing a system IP which includes PIM (processing in memory), which attracted attention as an AI accelerator, presented in a conference paper in June 2019.
Micron Brings 3D XPoint Technology to Market With the World’s Fastest SSD
Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), today announced a breakthrough in nonvolatile memory technology with the introduction of the world’s fastest SSD, the Micron X100 SSD. The Micron X100 SSD is the first solution in a family of products from Micron targeting storage- and memory-intensive applications for the data center. These solutions will leverage the strengths of 3D XPoint technology and usher in a new tier in the memory-to-storage hierarchy with higher capacity and persistence than DRAM, along with higher endurance and performance than NAND.
Semiconductor Acquisitions Regain Momentum in 2019
After slowing in the past couple years, semiconductor merger and acquisition activity strengthened in the first eight months of 2019 with the combined value of about 20 M&A agreement announcements reaching $28.0 billion for the purchase of chip companies, business units, product lines, intellectual property (IP), and wafer fabs between January and the end of August.
New Architected Material Shape-Changes to Tune Its Qualities
Architected materials are comprised of micron and nanoscale structures like crossbeams, arches, domes, and spirals, much like the elements of a building’s architecture. Researchers from the California Institute of Technology, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and ETH Zurich have made an architected material that shifts the shapes of these structures. When a slight current is applied, nanoscale beams thicken and bend into arches that increasingly bow as the current is boosted. The material maintains the new shape even when the current is off, and the shape can be changed back by reversing the current. Both are novel characteristics.
North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts September 2019 Billings
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.95 billion in billings worldwide in September 2019 (three-month average basis), according to the September Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI. The billings figure is 2.4 percent lower than the final August 2019 level of $2.00 billion, and is 6.0 percent lower than the September 2018 billings level of $2.08 billion. “Monthly billings of North American equipment manufacturers declined for the second consecutive month,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI.
FEFU and FEB RAS Scientists Are Close to Integrating Silicon Electronics and Spintronics
Scientists from Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) and the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FEB RAS) developed the nanoheterostructure consisted of a nanocrystal magnetite film (Fe3O4) covering a silicon substrate with an additional layer of silicon oxide (SiO2/Si). Its magnetic and magnetotransport properties may help to design highly efficient hybrid semiconductor devices with new spintronic elements. The related article was published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.
ESD Alliance Takes SMART Design to SEMICON Europa
The Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner, today unveiled SMART Design, the first system-centric series showcasing advances in electronic system design to be held at SEMICON Europa. SEMICON Europa will begin Tuesday, November 12, through Friday, November 15, at Messe München in Munich, Germany. SMART Design is scheduled for Wednesday, November 13, from 2:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. in TechARENA 1, Hall B1.
MKS Announces Release of Ultra-Fast C-Series Mass Flow Controllers
MKS Instruments, Inc. today announced the release of its next generation C-Series Mass Flow Controllers. The C-Series Mass Flow Controller uses Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology combined with a fast-acting control valve and MKS’ proprietary algorithms resulting in an ultra-fast control time of less than 100 milliseconds. The C-Series product is available in several configurations with multiple I/Os, process connections and flow ranges to address a wide variety of customer applications.
