Semiconductor

The world’s largest chip maker, Intel Corp., said it plans to invest billions to help ease a global shortage of flash memory chips used in mobile phones. Intel said about 45 percent of its first billion flash memory chips were …

MANASSAS, Va.-Toshiba Corp. and SanDisk Corp. signed an agreement to create a new semiconductor company, FlashVision L.L.C., to produce advanced flash memory using fabrication space at Dominion Semiconductor in Manassas, Va. Under the strategic joint venture, the companies plan to …

FREMONT, Calif.-Consumers are accustomed to the sleek and small handsets available in the market today. But as the data revolution unfolds, the components needed to facilitate new functions threaten to increase the size of handsets. Intarsia Corp., a radio-frequency technology …

EDINBURGH, Scotland-Motorola Inc. announced plans to acquire a manufacturing site in Dunfermline, Scotland, for its European semiconductor operations. The facility, currently owned by Hyundai, is expected to employ 1,350 people and will produce the company’s DigitalDNA solutions, based on 8-inch …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Metricom Inc. and National Semiconductor entered a strategic alliance to develop Metricom’s Ricochet modem technology for the information appliance market. National will integrate Ricochet technology into its information appliance reference designs, such as the Geode and WebPad wireless …

Analysts covering Motorola Inc.’s stock were surprised and irritated last week after the company unexpectedly indicated wireless handset profits would face pressure the rest of the year. Though the company exceeded Wall Street’s earnings estimate by a penny, Motorola’s stock …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, worldwide sales of semiconductors totaled $14.5 billion in February, an increase from $10.9 billion during the same period last year. Asia Pacific and Japan led all regions with 45.4-percent and 42.5-percent growth …

IRVINE, Calif.-Toshiba Corp. has developed a complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor that incorporates an analog-to-digital converter and achieves the industry’s lowest power consumption in this class of device, according to Toshiba America Electronics Components Inc. The new sensor, available …

SAN DIEGO-Peregrine Semiconductor and Symbol Technologies said they plan to jointly develop solutions for the Bluetooth wireless personal area networking market. The deal combines Peregrine’s Ultra-Thin Silicon Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor technology and radio-frequency integrated circuit development prowess with Symbol’s …

Com-Net Ericsson Com-Net Ericsson Critical Radio Systems Inc. will introduce several new products at the International Wireless Communications Expo in Las Vegas ranging from trunked and conventional radios to a new voice-over-Internet Protocol product. The Panther 300P portable and Panther …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $14.8 billion in January, an increase from $11.1 billion reported in January of 1999. The report noted that telecommunications-based semiconductor products, flash memory and digital signal processors …

Agilent Technologies Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced a number of new test-solution products and made improvements to others. The Agilent 84000 RFIC series model A20E is a low-cost test solution developed specifically for high-volume semiconductor manufacturers that make radio-frequency power-amplifier integrated …

DALLAS-Specialty manufacturer Dallas Semiconductor Corp. announced its latest battery-management chip, which significantly reduces the size and cost of battery electronics. According to the company, the DS2438 Smart Battery Monitor makes battery-management features formerly relegated to high-end systems cost-effective for a …

Crown Castle International Crown Castle International Corp. announced Michael G. Ramke has been named vice president of business development for the United States and Philip M. Kelley has been named vice president of business development internationally. Ramke served as vice …

PALM SPRINGS, Calif.-Speaking at a Goldman Sachs Technology Symposium, the head of Texas Instruments Inc.’s wireless business unit said the company expects last year’s accelerated pace in the market for wireless phones to continue into this year. Gilles Delfassy, vice …

NEW YORK-Siemens AG’s U.S. business units recorded increases in both sales and orders for the first quarter of fiscal 2000, ended Dec. 31, 1999, compared with the previous year. Sales for the first quarter rose 19 percent from $3.1 billion …

Expectations among industry financial analysts that Motorola Inc.’s fourth quarter earnings will exceed consensus estimates of 81 cents per share caused the company’s stock to skyrocket Friday to $150 a share. Motorola is expected to release fourth quarter earnings today. …

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-According to a report just released by Strategies Unlimited, a Silicon Valley market research firm, the worldwide market for Radio Frequency semiconductor devices in cellular telephones will grow from $3.9 billion in 1999, to $7.7 billion in 2004. …

SINGAPORE -Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and L.M. Ericsson announced they jointly plan to develop advanced wireless communications technologies. The technologies, radio frequency CMOS and BiCMOS, will support a range of wireless products, including Bluetooth applications. Both technologies developed will be based …

NEW YORK-In the last seven years, semiconductor processing capacity has increased by about 2,600 percent while battery technology has improved by approximately 65 percent on a watts basis, said Phillip Redman, program manager, wireless/mobile communications for The Yankee Group, Boston. …

TEMPE, Ariz.-Motorola Labs said it has built the world’s thinnest functional transistor using a class of perovskite materials that will enable future transistors to be smaller and faster while consuming less power. Perovskites are a class of crystalline oxide materials …

DENVER-Newly formed UltraRF, the former semiconductor division of Spectrian Corp., announced a new amplifier integration technology, in addition to details of its focus as an autonomous business unit. UltraRF produces laterally diffused metal oxide silicon and bipolar transistors. The company …

Cue Corp., Irvine, Calif., has entered into an agreement with STMicroelectronics Inc. to develop an AM/FM decoder chip for Cue’s new SkySpeed.com network for mobile Internet applications for automotive and consumer products. “We expect that within a year the SkySpeed …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Spectrian Corp. said its semiconductor division will operate as an autonomous business unit named UltraRF. “With its formation as an independent business unit, UltraRF is now free to design products for a diverse group of customers, including those that …

Tessco Tessco Technologies Inc. appointed Kevin P. Demery vice president and unit director of product and brand development. He will be responsible for electronic commerce, product management, strategic planning and all marketing communications. Demery has held senior sales and marketing …