AUSTIN – The popularity of e-books, particularly Amazon’s Kindle, drove electronic paper display shipments to 5 million units in 2009, up 417% year-over-year, says DisplaySearch.

“Seeing this growth for a new application, especially in the second half of last year, is a vote of confidence from consumers who seem to have embraced e-books,” said Hiroshi Hayase, DisplaySearch director of small/medium displays. “Momentum from e-book popularity last year combined with new, larger-screen products hitting the market right now means that this trend will continue, so we will see large shipment volume increases in the first half of 2010.”

Amazon’s Kindle e-book, with a 6" display, captured 66% of the total EPD market in 2009, says the research firm. This market domination is expected to increase as the Kindle DX, with a 9.7" display, is positioned to compete with Apple’s iPad, released earlier this month, which uses a 9.7" TFT LCD.

“We expect to see other service providers increase their presence in the US and expand e-book adoption in Europe and Asia as well,” Hayase added.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Electronic component orders took another leap in March, mimicking increases in January, according to the monthly report compiled by the Electronic Components Association.

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WASHINGTON, DC – The US International Trade Commission has determined not to continue an initial determination involving patent violations of certain flash memory chips being imported into the US.

The investigation began Dec. 18, 2008, based on a complaint filed by Spansion Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA. The complaint named more than 30 respondents.

On Mar. 12, the complaint and notice of investigation were amended to terminate several respondents from the investigation and to add certain entities as respondents.

On Mar. 15, Spansion filed a consent motion for partial termination of the investigation as to all asserted claims of the patent. The next day, the ALJ granted Spansion’s motion.

None of the parties petitioned for review of the ID, and the commission has determined not to review it.

HERNDON, VA – The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative is organizing four new initiatives to address gaps in organic substrate technologies.

These initiatives will focus on warpage (understanding the causes of, and establishing methods for measuring), wiring density and holistic modeling.

The first proposed initiative is Primary Factors in Warpage. This initiative will focus on gaining a greater understanding of the causes of warpage, particularly in first- and second-level assembly, to better control it. The team will identify key material properties, process parameters, reflow profiles, package pitches, environmental factors and other contributors that impact warpage.

The second is Warpage Qualification Criteria. This initiative proposes to define a qualification method and criteria that will more accurately predict results (e.g., sample size, precondition, variations of material and processes) and establish measurement methods (dimensional and test).

Third, Wiring Density Program plans to develop a system-optimized, next-generation plus one technology that focuses on prioritized areas to achieve maximum wiring density at minimal cost (e.g., material set, low-cost lithography/laser, plating, inspection and test).

Finally, Holistic Modeling Process has a goal of developing a multilevel design tool to optimize package designs for electrical, mechanical and thermal performance. The team proposes to identify critical materials properties and proposed specifications for a specific package type; determine data depth/accuracy in critical materials properties required for model effectiveness, and develop a holistic approach by involving data experts from materials, packaging and substrate suppliers.

Discussions at iNEMI’s Packaging Substrates Workshop identified and prioritized technology requirements for next-generation organic substrates and packages.

Subsequent discussions identified opportunities to address industry needs and defined these new initiatives. These initiatives are in the organizational stage; anyone interested can participate in the regular teleconferences.

“There are very challenging issues and gaps for the industry in the substrate and packaging areas that, if not addressed collaboratively, will impact the continued miniaturization and increasing densities of today’s electronics,” said Bill Bader, CEO of iNEMI. “There is a real concern that substrate technology could become a limiting factor for electronics, both in terms of performance and of continued industry growth.”