Sales & orders
PVA TePla subsidiary Crystal Growing Systems has delivered its vertical gradient furnace (VGF) production plant to Freiberger Compound Materials. Freiberger has already succeeded in producing a 100mm diameter indium phosphide (InP) monocrystal with a crystal orientation of 100. These crystals are required to produce very fast electronic components not only for telecommunications equipment, in particular, but also for optical components, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) producer MEMSCAP has won a design in of its pressure module transducer for cockpit instruments made by Aerosonic. MEMSCAP will provide Aerosonic with its TP 3100 pressure module transducer that will be fully integrated into business and civil aircraft instruments. Aerosonic produces a line of mechanical and electromechanical cockpit instruments that include altimeters, airspeed and rate of climb indicators, and microprocessor controlled air data test sets. Many of these instruments require no backup power as they transfer flight data to the pilot using only the air pressure (from the aircraft probes) as a power source. Aerosonic will be using the MEMSCAP transducers on a new line of microprocessor-based instruments including a standby altimeter and airspeed indicator being designed for the new Cessna Mustang. MEMSCAP's TP 3100 pressure transducer has received the International DO178B level B from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority in May 2004 (Bulletin 531, May 13, 2004).
Elpida Memory and Micron Japan (MJP) have filed a petition for imposing countervailing duties on imports into Japan of DRAMs manufactured in Korea by Hynix Semiconductor. Japan's Minister of Finance has accepted the petition that covers all types of DRAM and modules fabricated by Hynix as well as any other company that purchases Hynix DRAM and then exports that product to Japan. Elpida Memory and MJP says that they began investigating a countervailing duties petition last year after similar petitions filed in both the United States and the European Union created an influx of subsidised Hynix-fabricated DRAM products into the Japanese market.
Honeywell is implementing price increases of between 4% and 14% for part of its electronic chemicals product line. The company says that the increases are due to large volatility and increasing prices for hydrocarbon-based products that have resulted in elevated raw material prices, distribution costs and utilities for products supplied to the semiconductor industry. Solvents including isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and acetone, among others, are some of the most heavily impacted with raw materials increasing 20-35%. For other products, manufacturing and distribution costs have increased by 5-10% as a result of the higher energy prices. At the same time, a shortage in raw material for phosphoric acid has increased its price by more than 20%. Honeywell Electronic Materials will implement the price increases effective July 1, 2004.
Toshiba has selected Asyst Technologies' Performance Automation Architecture for a 300mm fab in Oita, Japan. The automation architecture combines automated material handling (AMHS), atmospheric loadports, RFID tracking and automation optimisation software and services.
