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MILPITAS, CA -- Solectron Corp. today named Dr. Linda Capuano senior vice president of design and engineering, a new position, responsible for services and collaborative engineering.

WASHINGTON -- With Congressional action to mark up DTV legislation approaching rapidly, 31 CEOs and corporate presidents of leading U.S. high-tech companies are calling on the House and Senate Commerce Committees to enact a "hard date" now for the successful conclusion of the transition from analog to digital television.

Among those who signed the letter are Alcatel North America President and CEO Hubert de Pesquidoux, Aloha Partners President and CEO Charles Townsend, AT&T Chairman and CEO David Dorman, Cisco Systems President and CEO John Chambers, Dell President and CEO Kevin Rollins, Intel Corporation Chairman Craig R. Barrett, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, QUALCOMM CEO Paul E. Jacobs, Texas Instruments President and CEO Richard K. Templeton, and T-Mobile USA President and CEO Robert Dotson.

GLEN COVE, NY -- Photocircuits Corp., once the largest independent manufacturer of printed circuit boards in North America, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing involves only the company’s U.S. operations and does not affect its Costa Rica or Philippine operations. The company is seeking a new long-term equity investor.

FRANKLIN, MA – Speedline Technologies has been granted a patent for an analysis technique used to quantify the amount and geometry of solder paste between printed deposits.

US Patent 6,891,967 describes a technique that uses the texture of solder paste to identify its position relative to the pad and soldermask.

DES PLAINES, IL — Kester will hike prices on many of its fluxes, thinners and other chemical products in response to rising costs for raw materials used in chemical products.

The move is effective Oct. 15.

New Tripoli, PA – High demand for digital consumer and mobile applications is driving demand for high-density packages, according a recent report by The Information Network. The group projects total HDP market growth of 32% in 2005, reaching 1.5 billion units.

“High-density packages result in a smaller overall package when compared to packaged components performing the same function,” said Dr. Robert N. Castellano, president. “They are ideal for small portable devices such as cellphones, digital audio and Bluetooth-enabled products.”

The report projects 21% growth in 2006, to 1.8 billion units.

The HDP was dominated by the Communications sector in 2003, which held a 82.9% share, followed by the Consumer sector with an 11% share. These sectors are predicted to rise 76.4% and 18%, respectively, by 2008.

System-in Package (SiPs) represented 61.1% of the MCM-L market in 2003 but will grow to a 72.9% share in 2008.

“From a technical perspective there is indeed a difference between MCM, MCP and SiP in the incorporation of passive components,” added Dr. Castellano. “From a market analysis perspective, there really is no differentiation among these three terms due to the commonality of advantages, namely: small size, lower cost of ownership, enhanced electrical performance and reduced time to market.”