NEWBURYPORT, MA – Rochester Electronics and BAE Systems have partnered to add more than 250,000 solutions for end-of-life semiconductors used in military and aerospace applications.

Developed from Rochester's wafer and die bank inventory, the recreated semiconductor devices are manufactured with the authorization of the original semiconductor manufacturer, and are guaranteed to be form, fit and functional replacements that match the original semiconductor's performance.

BAE provides the Advanced Component Obsolescence Management product and obsolescence management services.

The partners have produced a “decoder ring” that translates Rochester wafer and die products to finished goods manufacturing part numbers. Rochester wafer and die storage lab stores more than 10 billion die.

No financial terms were disclosed.

MUNICH -- Global demand for surface mount placement equipment remained at a high level this fall, with North America and Europe making up for persistent shortfalls in China.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Despite the continuing global macroeconomic problems, semiconductor inventory overbuild early this year, and current DRAM oversupply, semiconductor revenues will grow 3.1% to $305 billion in 2012, according to IDC.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Worldwide media tablet shipments rose 23.9% sequentially in the third calendar, reaching 18.1 million units, according to IDC.

WESTLAKE, OHIO – Nordson Corp. reported record fiscal fourth-quarter sales of $331 million, up 14% year-over-year.

Fourth-quarter net income was nearly $55 million, up 2.1% compared to 2010.  Sales included an 8% increase in organic volume and a 3% increase from acquisitions. Backlogs at the end of the quarter were up 2% to $131 million.

Quarterly sales increased at a double-digit rate in all segments and all geographies compared to the year ago period, the firm says. Adhesive Dispensing Systems segment sales were up 14%. Advanced Technology Systems segment sales grew 15%. Industrial Coating Systems segment sales increased 11%.

Nordson is the parent company of Asymtek, YesTech, Dage and EFD, among others.

Sales for fiscal 2011 were $1.2 billion, up 18% over 2010. Net income for the year was $222.4 million, up 32.3% year-over-year.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2012, sales are expected to be in the range of $270 million to $281 million. This sales outlook indicates growth will be in the range of flat to up 4% compared to the first quarter a year ago.

SUNNYVALE, CA — Rambus will team with the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan on the development of interconnect and 3D packaging technologies, the companies announced today.

SANTA CLARA, CA – As global LCD TV brands ramp up production for the fourth quarter, LCD TV production is nearing a record high, with 19.8 million units in October, and is expected to maintain that level in November, says NPD DisplaySearch.

November is estimated to be the highest record, with 19.9 million units built by the surveyed brands globally, says the research firm.

TV demand outlook is turning positive for unit volume in the near term, but the focus is on inexpensive and simple-feature sets. TV brands, including leading global vendors, are planning to carry new TV sizes and low-specification LCD TVs to create business opportunities and drive traffic in 2012.

Despite strong sell-through results in North America and China, LCD TV brands are cautiously controlling their inventories. For December through February, LCD TV brands are planning to reduce production to prevent overstocking for the slow season in the first quarter of 2012. Global LCD TV production plans of surveyed LCD TV brands will fall to 13.4 million in January. LCD TV panel suppliers will need to continuously control their capacity utilization in the coming months, even as panel prices stabilize, says NPD DisplaySearch.

Shortages of hard disk drives caused by the flooding in Thailand are expected to last until the first quarter of next year, impacting production of notebook PCs and LCD monitors. In particular, NPD DisplaySearch foresees mobile PC brands cutting low-margin mobile PC production (netbook PCs or 15.6" mainstream models). Beginning in the second quarter of 2012, mobile PC production volumes could increase substantially as a result of channel refilling and new 2012 model launches, says the firm.

Monitor brands that have high attach rates to desktop PCs or have higher presence in the China market are being impacted strongly by the HDD shortage and the slowing demand outlook, while standalone monitor brands are less affected. However, in the China do-it-yourself market, demand is weakening due to increases in HDD prices.

SAN JOSE – Technical presentations are requested for the first SEMA and SMTA Solar Engineering and Reliability Conference, scheduled for Mar. 21-23 in the Silicon Valley.

Presentations should be original, unpublished and noncommercial in nature, and address experiments, new techniques, processes and procedures used in the manufacture of photovoltaic and other solar power generation and energy-saving technologies, in addition to general standards, outlook and issues for PV systems.

Potential topics include cell and module manufacturing technology; global solar outlook; quality control; test and reliability; material evaluations (sealant, EVA, backsheet, junction box, etc.); inverter/microinverter manufacturing and reliability/balance of systems; PV module failure analysis; general module hazardous issue (electrical/fire); module warranty and traceability; tabbing and stringing; lamination; flash/IR/electroluminescence testing; manufacturing reliability and safety standards and development, and module reliability testing programs.

Abstracts of 350 words or fewer are due Jan. 13.

Submit abstracts at http://www.smta.org/solar/call_for_papers.html or to Patti Hvidhyld at patti@smta.org.

THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN -- Digi-Key and Aspen Labs have produced an online schematic drawing tool said to easily create the blueprint for any design while also allowing access to Digi-Key’s components listing.

SAN JOSE — Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment bookings plummeted 38% year-over-year in the third quarter as slower end-product demand and rising inventories took their toll.

SANTA ANA, CA -- Powerwave Technologies has filed suit against Microelectronics Technology and MTI Laboratory in a California US District Court claiming patent infringement.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – A new quantitative test methodology helps determine how much strain packages can take before reliability degradation.