EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Offline semiconductor facilities in Japan cannot ramp to full production until the aftershocks cease, a leading analyst asserts.

BOSTON -- What various companies are saying about how the March 11 earthquake in Japan is affecting their production. Updates as of March 29.

SAN JOSE – The 90-day moving average orders for North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers rose 26.7% year-over-year in February, according to the industry's top trade group.

JUNDIAI, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL -- Foxconn will reportedly open a manufacturing plant about 60 km north of Sao Paulo where it will build for Apple.

VELLINGE, SWEDEN – Contract manufacturer PartnerTech has informed its customers that the crisis in Japan affects parts of its supply chain, and may cause disorders in the supply of certain products.

ARLINGTON, VA – JEDEC Solid State Technology Association announced a broad spectrum of ongoing standards development work related to 3D-ICs. 

The Solid State Memories Committee (JC-42) has been working since June 2008 on definitions of standardized 3D memory stacks for DDR3. The DDR4 standard will be implemented with 3D support from the start.

The Multiple Chip Packages Committee (JC-63) is currently developing mixed technology pad sequence and device package standards. An active Task Group of the Low Power Memories Subcommittee (JC-42.6) is developing standards for wide I/O mobile memory with TSV interconnect stacked on system on a chip application processors.

The Silicon Devices Reliability Qualification and Monitoring Subcommittee (JC-14.3) has been working on reliability interactions of 3D stacks and has released JEP158: 3D Chip Stack with Through-Silicon Vias (TSVS): Identifying, Understanding and Evaluating Reliability Interactions.  In addition, reliability test methods developed by JC-14.1 and JC-14.2 and quality documents developed by JC-14.4 are applicable to 3D-IC packaged and unpackaged evaluations and qualifications.

GARBSEN, GERMANY – LPKF is expanding its space here, adding a 32,000 sq. ft. building and combining R&D departments there.

LPKF plans to move into the new building in June.

The old building will be used for manufacturing laser systems.

The expansion investment is about 5 million euros.

The firm has hired 100 new employees during the past two years, for a total of 470.

MELBOURNE, FL – Contract electronics manufacturer Anuva Manufacturing Services has acquired the assets of BT Manufacturing Co.

No financial terms were disclosed.

Privately held Anuva builds printed circuit board assemblies, subassemblies, and systems.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Automated inspection equipment makers Viscom and CyberOptics today announced an OEM agreement to equip the former's solder paste inspection line with the latter's sensors.

SAN JOSE -- Sanmina-SCI today announced the resignation of Hari Pillai, president and chief operating officer.

WASHINGTON – The US State Department is seeking public comments on whether existing regulations governing defense and other exports should be modified or repealed.

THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN – Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corp. surpassed $1.5 billion in global sales for the first time last year, generating $500 million in the fourth quarter alone. The record-setting total represents a 64% year-over-year sales increase.

The largest annual sales gains were in Europe (120%), Africa (118%), Asia-Pacific (115%), and the Middle East (78%).

The company is projected to reach nearly $1.8 billion in worldwide sales for 2011.