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SAN JOSE – Stanford professor of engineering Roger Howe will keynote the 5th Annual MEMS Packaging symposium, the MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council announced. On May 16, Howe will discuss recent developments in the field. Howe, who has decades of experience with MEMS, also chaired the MEMS Technical Committee of IEEE Electron Devices Society from 1998 – 2001. The conference takes place May 16-17 in San Jose. Other presentations include MEMS-based market evolution; emerging trends; packaging technologies, and consumer and industrial applications. Graduate students, professors and university researchers will also present their latest work on MEMS packaging and related topics. To register or learn more about the symposium, contact Bette Cooper, bcooper@meptec.org or visit www.meptec.org.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC is accepting comments on IPC-9592, Performance Parameters for Power Conversion Devices. The document standardizes the performance parameters for power conversion devices, including the computer and telecommunications industries. The specification also sets the requirements for design, qualification and conformance testing, manufacturing quality processes, and regulatory requirements. Comments are due June 2. A copy of the document and the comment form are available at ipc.org/PCSMeeting. The nearly 100-page proposal was developed by the IPC Power Conversion Subcommittee, chaired by Dr. Scott Strand of IBM. The next committee meeting will take place June 26-27 in Schaumburg, IL.

BRADENTON, FL – Connector analyst Ron Bishop will keynote the IICIT Connector & Interconnection Technology Symposium in May. The keynote will be about The World Connector Industry with special focus on the outlook for 2007 and 2011. Bishop is president of Bishop & Associates Inc., a consulting firm, and a noted expert on the connector industry. The conference takes place May 8-9, in Dedham, MA. For more information and registration, visit http://www.iicit.org.

SAN FRANCISCO – On April 2, Korea's National Assembly passed legislation similar to a series of European Union regulations, including the RoHS, WEEE and ELV (End of Life Vehicles) directives. The regulation goes into effect Jan. 1, 2008.

But while the Act Concerning the Resource Recycling of Electrical/Electronic Products and Automobiles has elements of the EU directives, it is also unique, according to Michael Kirschner of Design Chain Associates. Like EU’s RoHS Directive and China’s legislation, he says, the regulation omits a detailed scope (certain classes of automobiles and electronics initially equivalent to that of Korea’s preexisting Act on the Promotion of Saving and Recycling of Resources), substance restrictions and concentration limits, design for environment requirements, and so on. Presidential Decrees and Ordinances from the Ministry of the Environment will define these concepts.

Items to be specified in the next step of legislation include precise definitions and lists of “Electrical and Electronic Equipment”; “Automobile,” and “Hazardous Substances” and their threshold limits and a Mandatory Annual Recycling Objective for Automobiles, along with evaluation methods. Test Methods of Hazardous Substances will be published. And an individual or collective scheme for recycling will be set up, among other actions.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Growing video usage, Microsoft Vista, and aggressive pricing will all contribute to skyrocketing sales of wide-format LCD desktop computer monitors during the next five years, making this the dominant format by 2009, iSuppli predicts. Worldwide sales of wide-format LCD monitors are set to grow to 146.9 million units by 2011, rising at a CAGR of 74.3% from only 9.1 million units in 2006, according to the firm. In 2007, end-user sales will nearly quadruple to 35.8 million units. Revenue will grow to $20.9 billion by 2011, rising at a 55% CAGR from $2.3 billion in 2006. In 2007, revenue will triple to $6.7 billion. By 2009, wide-format LCD monitors will account for the largest share of the LCD monitor market, surpassing traditional-format displays, iSuppli predicts. The biggest battleground in 2007 is expected to be in the 19", 20" and 22" wide markets. The 20" wide panels offer a higher resolution than the 19" wide-format LCD panels, and are generally considered to be a better fit for Microsoft’s Windows Vista, but price has trumped performance. Twenty-inch panel suppliers have responded with more aggressive price moves. With the winner of this battle poised to become the market leader in the LCD monitor market, the stakes are considerable. Adoption rates for wide-format monitors are expected to be higher for consumers than for corporations.

OSLO, NORWAY – Telecom power systems supplier Eltek is buying Valere Power for cash and stock worth up to $130 million, the company said today. Eltek will pay Valere shareholders $83 million in cash plus stock equal to 9.1% of Eltek Energy AS and 9.9% of a joint venture. The total value of the acquisition is between $120 and $130 million, Eltek said. Valere Power is backed by private equity investors, including Alcatel Ventures, Dali-Hook Partners, JP Morgan Partners and Sierra Ventures. Valere Power had revenues of $88 million in 2006 and expects revenues up to $130 million in 2007, Eltek said. Valere's first-quarter revenues grew 44% year-over-year to $26.2 million. Valere chief executive and founder Andrew Marsh will become CEO of the new company, while the current head of Eltek Energy, Knut Aven, will become vice president for international telecom sales.