News
MINNEAPOLIS – EMS provider HEI Inc. announced 2007 net sales fell 22% year-over-year to $38.38 million.
Net sales for microelectronic operations were $22.7 million, a decrease of 27% compared to 2006. Sales for AMO operations were $15.7 million, a decrease of 12%.
Microelectronics was hit by lower demand for legacy business resulting from a series of consolidations in the telecommunications industry, offshore outsourcing by a medical products customer, and a reduction in flexible substrate sales to the company’s primary external customer, who reduced orders to consume excess inventories, reports HEI.
Net sales for microelectronic operations were $22.7 million, a decrease of 27% compared to 2006. Sales for AMO operations were $15.7 million, a decrease of 12%.
Microelectronics was hit by lower demand for legacy business resulting from a series of consolidations in the telecommunications industry, offshore outsourcing by a medical products customer, and a reduction in flexible substrate sales to the company’s primary external customer, who reduced orders to consume excess inventories, reports HEI.
Gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 4%, compared to 16% in 2006. The reduction was a result of lower sales volumes, which did not contribute as much to cover fixed operating costs. In addition, the decline in gross margin in the current fiscal year compared to the prior was a result of a lower volume of higher margin design, development, verification, and validation contracts at the AMO segment, says the company.
MADISON, WI – State Senator Mark Miller will introduce legislation that would set up an electronics waste recycling program in Wisconsin, according to published reports.
RICHARDSON, TX – Asset InterTech Inc. has acquired International Test Technologies of Ireland. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
BALVE, GERMANY – Solder materials supplier Balver Zinn Group has acquired a global license for solder pastes and wire using Nihon Superior’s SN100C alloy.
The licensees will sell SN100C bars and ingots in territories only assigned by Nihon Superior; DKL services the UK and Ireland, while Balver Zinn covers areas from the Atlantic coast of Europe to India.
Balver Zinn also said its recently acquired Cobar business unit will introduce a suite of Pb-free paste wire and flux products. Existing Cobar products will not be affected.
SN100C is a patented nickel-stabilized SnCu alloy, based on the eutectic Sn99.3Cu0.7% with a trace amount of nickel.
The licensees will sell SN100C bars and ingots in territories only assigned by Nihon Superior; DKL services the UK and Ireland, while Balver Zinn covers areas from the Atlantic coast of Europe to India.
Balver Zinn also said its recently acquired Cobar business unit will introduce a suite of Pb-free paste wire and flux products. Existing Cobar products will not be affected.
SN100C is a patented nickel-stabilized SnCu alloy, based on the eutectic Sn99.3Cu0.7% with a trace amount of nickel.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Notebook PC unit sales are forecast to increase at a cumulative average growth rate of 18% per year this decade (2000-2010) compared to a CAGR of 4% for desktop PCs, reports IC Insights.
PCs have accounted for a third or more of the world's IC revenues since the early 1990s. Through the end of this decade, the status of PC systems will not change, despite periods of slow annual growth rates for units shipped and worldwide revenues from products. Stronger growth rates, however, are materializing worldwide in the notebook segment, says the research firm.
Of a PC system's total cost, an estimated 30% is represented by IC components in 2007. This percentage is expected to rise steadily through by 2011, partly because PC system prices will fall slightly faster than IC ASPs. IC content in PCs will also be driven higher by the growth of embedded cameras in computers, which will contain CMOS image sensors, analog-to-digital converters, and image signal processors, along with the advent of solid-state disks and hard-disk cache systems built with NAND flash memory ICs, says IC Insights.
Of the $220.3 billion IC market in 2007, 33% is estimated for PC-related devices. While several other existing and new IC system applications are showing stronger growth rates, the huge PC segment is expected to account for no less than 32% of the integrated circuit market through 2011.
PCs have accounted for a third or more of the world's IC revenues since the early 1990s. Through the end of this decade, the status of PC systems will not change, despite periods of slow annual growth rates for units shipped and worldwide revenues from products. Stronger growth rates, however, are materializing worldwide in the notebook segment, says the research firm.
Of a PC system's total cost, an estimated 30% is represented by IC components in 2007. This percentage is expected to rise steadily through by 2011, partly because PC system prices will fall slightly faster than IC ASPs. IC content in PCs will also be driven higher by the growth of embedded cameras in computers, which will contain CMOS image sensors, analog-to-digital converters, and image signal processors, along with the advent of solid-state disks and hard-disk cache systems built with NAND flash memory ICs, says IC Insights.
Of the $220.3 billion IC market in 2007, 33% is estimated for PC-related devices. While several other existing and new IC system applications are showing stronger growth rates, the huge PC segment is expected to account for no less than 32% of the integrated circuit market through 2011.
MANASSAS, VA – A recently published study on proper flip chip cleaning confirms an optimized cleaning process will ensure all flux residues from the die-attach process be removed from the narrow capillaries between the flip chip and the substrate.
Zestron, the study’s author, found the cleaning process has to be adapted to the low standoff of flip chip components, which is influenced by bump height. Other important factors affecting the cleaning process are bump pitch and array, as well as flux type and volume, wafer passivation, and the time prior to cleaning, the firm says.
Zestron, the study’s author, found the cleaning process has to be adapted to the low standoff of flip chip components, which is influenced by bump height. Other important factors affecting the cleaning process are bump pitch and array, as well as flux type and volume, wafer passivation, and the time prior to cleaning, the firm says.
Cleaned assemblies were subjected to long-term reliability tests to determine the achieved cleanliness level, Zestron says.
SAN JOSE, CA – Worldwide semiconductor sales in October rose to $23.1 billion, an increase of 5% year-over-year, and an increase of 2% sequentially, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today.
BANNOCKBURN, IL – October rigid PCB shipments were down 0.8% and bookings were down 1.7% year-over-year, IPC said today. Flexible circuit shipments were down 8.6% and bookings were up 0.2% year-over-year.
LOS ALTOS, CA – Third-quarter PC shipments were up 15.5% year-over-year, says research firm Henderson Ventures.
PC growth has rebounded with the help of low-cost shipments to the emerging economies, along with the slowly growing acceptance of Microsoft’s Vista operating system, and global PC shipments growth has been accelerating, reports Henderson.
For 2007, unit shipments are predicted to hit 264 million, a growth rate of 11.6%, says the firm.
The traditional two-year cycle is forecast to continue through 2009, but without a major dent in the expected growth rate for next year.
The introduction of WiMax is expected to have a positive impact on PC purchases in 2009; as WiMax becomes an accepted technology, laptop computer owners will increasingly want to acquire the capability via a new portable PC, much as PC owners traded up when WiFi became available, says Henderson.
Also, the impact of the Vista OS is likely to peak in 2009. However, global saturation, including many emerging markets, will tamp down the achievable growth rates for the foreseeable future. And even though a sizeable 10.2% increase is predicted for 2009, that pace is far below peak levels achieved in the past, including the 17.9% burst in 2005, reports the researcher.
PC growth has rebounded with the help of low-cost shipments to the emerging economies, along with the slowly growing acceptance of Microsoft’s Vista operating system, and global PC shipments growth has been accelerating, reports Henderson.
For 2007, unit shipments are predicted to hit 264 million, a growth rate of 11.6%, says the firm.
The traditional two-year cycle is forecast to continue through 2009, but without a major dent in the expected growth rate for next year.
The introduction of WiMax is expected to have a positive impact on PC purchases in 2009; as WiMax becomes an accepted technology, laptop computer owners will increasingly want to acquire the capability via a new portable PC, much as PC owners traded up when WiFi became available, says Henderson.
Also, the impact of the Vista OS is likely to peak in 2009. However, global saturation, including many emerging markets, will tamp down the achievable growth rates for the foreseeable future. And even though a sizeable 10.2% increase is predicted for 2009, that pace is far below peak levels achieved in the past, including the 17.9% burst in 2005, reports the researcher.
SCHAUMBURG, IL – Motorola announced today that chief executive Ed Zander will step down, effective Jan. 1.
TEDDINGTON, UK – A National Physical Laboratory investigation into the suitability of XRF systems for screening electronics parts found PIN (semiconductor diode) and SiLi detector-based systems suitable for RoHS compliance measurements in plastics and solders, but proportional counter based systems are not.
All systems successfully detected lead at or above 1%, the group also revealed, easily beating the 4% threshold for determining tin whisker mitigation.
The group tested 15 systems with a range of 40 typical components and assemblies. Eleven different systems were evaluated at 12 different sites. Systems based on PIN, SiLi and proportional counter detectors were included. Eleven systems were benchtop instruments; four were portable. Forty different samples were included in the study, ranging from contaminated plastic components through bulk solder alloys, to solder joints and solder-terminated components, says NPL.
XRF systems using PIN or SiLi detectors generally proved efficient at distinguishing between noncompliant components (containing typically 2000+ ppm of restricted substances) and compliant components (typically <500 ppm of restricted substances). For levels between 500 ppm and 2000 ppm, the use of additional techniques may be required to provide discrimination, NPL says.
The PIN or SiLi detectors also proved efficient at distinguishing compliant and non-compliant systems containing >1000 ppm cadmium. Below this level, however, additional techniques may again be required to provide discrimination. The lower RoHS limit for cadmium of 100 ppm did result in a number of false detections for this element, the company reports.
Proportional counter-based systems were capable of registering the presence of RoHS-banned elements at levels >3%; e.g., such as found in some plastics. Below this level, however, their ability to detect any banned substances was questionable, and use for such applications is not recommended.
For tin whisker mitigation applications, lead levels in excess of 4% are required for solder samples. All systems successfully detected lead at or above this level, provided the sample size was large enough to fill the measurement window. Indeed, all systems proved capable of detecting/measuring lead levels above 1% in solder, according to NPL.
The use of these instruments for both the applications studied (RoHS compliance or tin whisker mitigation) requires operators have both a thorough knowledge of the instrument themselves, and a good understanding of the structure and materials involved in the test samples. These are required to prevent incorrect interpretation of the data provided. Recommendations on instrument practice to obtain meaningful, repeatable results are given.
In conclusion, XRF systems offer a viable method of screening for RoHS compliance and tin whisker mitigation, says NPL. Compared to chemical analysis, these systems offer lower unit and operating cost and faster results. Smaller sample sizes are also possible. However, use of these systems does require a semi-skilled operator.
All systems successfully detected lead at or above 1%, the group also revealed, easily beating the 4% threshold for determining tin whisker mitigation.
The group tested 15 systems with a range of 40 typical components and assemblies. Eleven different systems were evaluated at 12 different sites. Systems based on PIN, SiLi and proportional counter detectors were included. Eleven systems were benchtop instruments; four were portable. Forty different samples were included in the study, ranging from contaminated plastic components through bulk solder alloys, to solder joints and solder-terminated components, says NPL.
XRF systems using PIN or SiLi detectors generally proved efficient at distinguishing between noncompliant components (containing typically 2000+ ppm of restricted substances) and compliant components (typically <500 ppm of restricted substances). For levels between 500 ppm and 2000 ppm, the use of additional techniques may be required to provide discrimination, NPL says.
The PIN or SiLi detectors also proved efficient at distinguishing compliant and non-compliant systems containing >1000 ppm cadmium. Below this level, however, additional techniques may again be required to provide discrimination. The lower RoHS limit for cadmium of 100 ppm did result in a number of false detections for this element, the company reports.
Proportional counter-based systems were capable of registering the presence of RoHS-banned elements at levels >3%; e.g., such as found in some plastics. Below this level, however, their ability to detect any banned substances was questionable, and use for such applications is not recommended.
For tin whisker mitigation applications, lead levels in excess of 4% are required for solder samples. All systems successfully detected lead at or above this level, provided the sample size was large enough to fill the measurement window. Indeed, all systems proved capable of detecting/measuring lead levels above 1% in solder, according to NPL.
The use of these instruments for both the applications studied (RoHS compliance or tin whisker mitigation) requires operators have both a thorough knowledge of the instrument themselves, and a good understanding of the structure and materials involved in the test samples. These are required to prevent incorrect interpretation of the data provided. Recommendations on instrument practice to obtain meaningful, repeatable results are given.
In conclusion, XRF systems offer a viable method of screening for RoHS compliance and tin whisker mitigation, says NPL. Compared to chemical analysis, these systems offer lower unit and operating cost and faster results. Smaller sample sizes are also possible. However, use of these systems does require a semi-skilled operator.
The work was carried out as part of a project in the materials processing metrology program of the UK Department of Trade and Industry.
DALLAS — A Titan Global Holdings subsidiary has completed the acquisition of the assets of EMS firm Nexus Nano Electronics.
Titan Nexus, a unit of Titan Electronics Group, combines Nexus and Titan Electronics, which include a pair of board shops: Titan PCB East and Titan PCB West.
Nexus had revenues of $12 million and $16 million in the periods ended June 30, 2007 and June 30, 2006, respectively. Nexus has 90 employees in its facilities in Brandon, VT, and Woburn, MA.
With the acquisition, Titan upgraded its fiscal 2008 revenue guidance to $45 million. The firm previously guided for $30 million in revenues.
