SINGAPORE – Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: KLIC) ("Kulicke & Soffa", "K&S", "we" or the "Company") announced its collaboration with TSMT (Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology Corp), a worldwide leading LCD SMT (Surface Mount Technology) solutions provider, to advance mini LED backlight and direct emissive displays for high-volume adoption.

Mini LED technology in displays is anticipated to increase rapidly over the coming years, providing new opportunities for Kulicke & Soffa's advanced display portfolio. TrendForce, a world leading market intelligence provider, anticipates mini LED wafer shipments will increase at a CAGR of 38%, to over 8M four-inch equivalent wafers, through 2027. During this period, LED die size is expected to be reduced significantly in both backlighting and direct emissive applications, accelerating the transition from more typical semiconductor die-attach approaches, to dedicated advanced display approaches. The Company's dedicated advanced display solutions – PIXALUX™ and LUMINEX™ – support demanding market requirements with new-levels of throughput and high-accuracy placement capabilities. Leveraging these innovative dedicated solutions as well as the collective process knowledge of both K&S and TSMT, this collaboration seeks to overcome today's process challenges to accelerate the mass adoption of advanced display technology.

PIXALUX™ quickly became the largest installed base of ultra-fast dedicated mini LED placement equipment shortly after its 2018 introduction. Today, LUMINEX™ extends K&S leadership by providing a dedicated laser-based mini and micro LED transfer solution that enhances flexibility, yield and productivity for panel and display manufacturers. LUMINEX is designed to transfer small die with high accuracy and throughput.

"We are excited to enhance our long-term relationship with K&S to deliver high-volume manufacturing solutions for mini LED backlighting and direct emissive displays. Through joint efforts, LUMINEX™ has achieved an impressive production throughput of 540K units per hour (UPH) at 15µm 3-sigma accuracy, broadening the market reach for this technology. We are currently working on improving the yield from 99.99% to 99.999%," said John Wu, TSMT's President.

"Our comprehensive advanced display portfolio directly serves the technology needs of major display markets rapidly transitioning to advanced display technology. Key markets transitioning include high-volume televisions, IT displays, as well as both large and small format direct-emissive displays. Today, LUMINEX™ is the most compelling high-volume manufacturing solution for mini-LED transfer and we are extending its capability to micro LED," said Chan Pin Chong, Kulicke and Soffa's Executive Vice President, Products and Solutions.

The throughput of LUMINEX™ is scalable through its various modes of operations – Precision Correction Mode (PCM), Multi-pattern Placement (MPP) and SCAN Mode. In the scan mode, it is capable of throughput of over 30M UPH. While LUMINEX™ is preparing to move into high-volume adoption for mini-LED applications, initial micro LED development results are encouraging and the Company has achieved 4µm 3-sigma accuracy for direct die placement of 40µm x 80µm die. This solution is also suitable for Micro LED in Package (MIP) applications.

TEMPE, AZ – Amtech Systems, Inc. ("Amtech") (NASDAQ: ASYS), a manufacturer of capital equipment, including thermal processing and wafer polishing, and related consumables used in fabricating semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon power, analog and discrete devices, and electronic assemblies and modules focusing on enabling technologies for electric vehicles (EV) and clean technology (CleanTech) applications, today announced that Michael Whang stepped down as Chief Executive Officer, effective August 8, 2023. The board has appointed Bob Daigle, current Chairman of the Board, with the additional role of Chief Executive Officer, effective August 8, 2023. To support the transition, Mr. Whang will remain as an advisor until February 8, 2024.

“I’d like to thank Michael for his service to Amtech over the past 19 years and for the last three years as Chief Executive Officer. Michael led during the challenging COVID period and positioned the Company well for the future. Amtech has tremendous growth opportunities driven by demand for Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductors required for the emerging electrical vehicle industry, the acceleration of advanced packaging to support the emerging artificial intelligence server market, and investments that will be made to build a more resilient global supply chain in the broader electronics industry. Our mission is to fully capitalize on these growth opportunities and deliver the profitability essential to creating shareholder value,” stated Bob Daigle, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Amtech Systems.

Mr. Daigle has served on the Amtech Board since August of 2021 and as Chairman of the Board since March of 2022. He served in various senior executive roles during his 30+ year tenure at Rogers Corporation. While at Rogers, Mr. Daigle built and led the High Frequency Circuit Materials business and the Power Electronics Solutions business. Mr. Daigle holds a B.S in Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

BILLINGSTAD, NORWAY – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has awarded Kitron a sub-contract for production of AN/ASQ-242 Integrated Communications, Navigation, and Identification (CNI) modules for the F-35 Lightning II-program. Deliveries will secure a backlog into 2025 and have a total value of more than USD 13 million.

Production will take place at Kitron’s plant in Norway.

The sub-contract relates to the Long-Term Supply Agreement announced on 21 September 2015 and 24 November 2016, and covers Lot 16 through Lot 17.

Northrop Grumman’s ICNI-system provides F-35-pilots with more than 27 fully integrated operational functions. Using its industry leading software-defined radio technology, Northrop Grumman’s design allows the simultaneous operation of multiple critical functions while greatly reducing size, weight, and power demands on the advanced F-35 fighter. These functions include Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), automatic acquisition of fly-to-points, and various voice and data communications such as the multifunction advanced data link.

Norway is one of the international partner countries participating in the F-35 program. Under a manufacturing license agreement between Kitron and Northrop Grumman, Kitron will manufacture sub-assemblies for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

HALFMOON, NY – PVA, a global supplier of automated dispensing and coating equipment, is excited to announce its participation in productronica India 2023, in collaboration with its distributor, Maxim. productronica India, the International Trade Fair for Electronics Development and Production, will take place Sept. 13-15, 2023 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bengaluru, India.

PVA’s Asia Pacific Sales Manager Paul Kim will be in attendance to engage with industry professionals and to showcase the latest advancements in conformal coating and dispensing technology.

PVA offers flexible robotic conformal coating/dispensing systems that are ideal for selective coating, potting, bead, meter-mix dispensing applications, and more. With state-of-the-art valves, PVA ensures precise and consistent coating applications, offering an array of coating options to meet various requirements and specifications.

With PVA’s advanced dispensing and coating technology, electronics manufacturers can achieve superior protection for their PCBs, safeguarding them against environmental factors and ensuring reliable performance.

As a trusted innovator in precision application solutions, PVA is committed to providing cutting-edge technologies that enhance production processes and drive efficiency in various industries.

For more information about PVA, please contact PVA at info@pva.net or (518) 371-2684.