Although some have predicted exploding growth for thin-film photovoltaic technologies, the sector's expansion is likely to be tempered by dropping polysilicon prices, according to a new report from IC Insights.

The ever-optimistic Kinam Kim of Samsung Electronics noted that some people in industry say the limit of scaling is ~5 nm, to which he said, "I do not agree."

Solar power leaders remain hopeful in what could be a huge upturn in US solar demand, but continue to be careful about the rest of 2009 after being hit hard from the global credit predicament.

Synopsys has announced that its DesignWare DDR3/2 PHY and digital controller IP is the first DDR3 IP that has been fully verified in test silicon at 1600 Mbps, the maximum data-rate of the JEDEC DDR3 specification. DesignWare DDR3/2 PHY and the digital controller IP are available now in advanced process technologies for foundries.

As if the current downturn weren't challenging enough, the semiconductor industry is also headed for increasing challenges from higher design costs and production at smaller geometries, according to Aart de Geus, chairman and CEO of Synopsys.

SanDisk CEO Eli Harari once plotted to dethrone the iPod with a series of "iDon't" ads--a marketing campaign that cast Apple iPod users as fad-driven sheep, and promoted his company's Sansa media players as the smart alternative.

Pioneering Taiwan industry leader Morris Chang says better focus is needed. "I think that the Chinese side is still intent on building their own integrated supply chain. They are assisting their design companies and their foundries. It's such a shortsighted policy..."

Micron Technology on June 1 announced that it has signed an agreement to sell a majority interest in its imaging solutions business, Aptina Imaging. Micron will retain a 35% minority stake in the independent, privately held company.

Intel is interested in building another chip manufacturing plant in southern Israel by 2012 at a cost of US$2.5 billion, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported on Monday.

Socle Technology has announced its partnership with Catena and CoreSonic to develop a comprehensive design platform on Chartered's 65nm process with integrateable wireless subsystems.

Solar power stations that concentrate sunlight could generate up to one-quarter of the world's electricity needs by 2050. The technology, best suited to the desert regions of the world, could also create hundreds of thousands of new jobs and save millions of tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

The past several semiconductor downturns have resulted in transitions from one generation of packaging to the next. This one's no exception.

There is no such thing as a final deadline for the Qimonda negotiations, the company's insolvency administrator clarifies. The search for an investor continues.

Nikon has said it will reorganize its lithography operations, cutting 800 production workers in Japan and 200 marketing and support staff worldwide. By October, Nikon plans to combine four production subsidiaries into two, focused on IC and display equipment.

President Obama said on May 27 that he will use US$467 million in economic-stimulus money for initiatives that in two years will double the country's capacity for clean, renewable energy.

SanDisk and Samsung Electronics on May 27 announced they have reached an agreement to renew the cross license of their semiconductor patent portfolios. The companies have also signed a flash memory supply agreement under which Samsung will continue to make available to SanDisk a guaranteed portion of its flash memory production output.

Wind-farm developer Renewable Energy Holdings on May 29 said it has signed a non-binding deal of intent to buy PVStrom Energy Systems GmbH & Co KG's photovoltaic development assets in Sicily, Italy for an undisclosed amount.

Mentor Graphics has reported a narrower loss for its fiscal first quarter on higher sales, and its top executive said the semiconductor market appears to have stabilized.

Japan's Toshiba plans to raise its chip production in July to levels not seen since it implemented output cuts in January, national broadcaster NHK has reported, in a move that would reflect an improvement in nationwide output levels.

Singapore chip foundry Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing has said it hasn't received a bid from Advanced Technology Investment.

Canadian silicon processor Timminco has said it reached an agreement with Germany's Q-Cells for the supply of solar-grade silicon, replacing a contract signed in 2008 for the five-year period through 2013.

Solar power plants in deserts using mirrors to concentrate the sun's rays have the potential to generate up to a quarter of the world's electricity by 2050, a report by pro-solar groups said on Monday.

Japanese electronics giant Toshiba plans to reduce fixed costs 10% more than previously announced, a news report said on Sunday.

A scandal involving the chairman of parent Samsung did no harm to the reputation of Samsung Electronics, which won the title of South Korea's overall most-admired company in the Asia 200 survey.

Corsair has announced that the 6GB Dominator GT 2000MHz CAS 8 has passed Intel's XMP-Ready certification for Core i7 Extreme Edition processors, making it the fastest memory kit to gain Intel's stamp of approval.

SanDisk CEO Eli Harari said 2009 could turn out to be "significantly better" than anticipated at the start of the year as big cutbacks in flash memory production bring balance back to an industry stung by oversupply.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says that a new solar energy plant will stimulate Australia's economy and make the country a leader in renewable energy.

LDK Solar, a China-based maker of wafers for solar cells, has reported a loss of US$22.5 million, or 21 cents per American depositary share.

Axcelis Technologies, a supplier of ion implantation and cleaning systems, has announced a global workforce reduction of approximately 235, or 20% of its employees, since year end 2008.

Nanometrics has begun shipping its Lynx cluster metrology systems, as a follow-on order to a leading memory manufacturer as part of its plan for high-volume manufacturing of its latest DRAM and flash memory technologies.