PI Opens UK, France Subsidiaries
Nanopositioning specialist Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG, OF Karlsruhe, Germany, has founded a UK sales and support office, PI (Physik Instrumente) Ltd., in Harpenden, England. The company also recently opened a sales office in Pantin, France (PI France). PI said continued growth prompted it to develop subsidiaries from its partnerships in France and Great Britain, which date to the early 90s, and will enable it to better focus on its nanopositioning and piezo technology business. (5/9/2008)
Indium Promotes Karl Pfluke
Indium Corp. of Clinton, N.Y., has promoted Karl Pfluke to senior account manager for the Metals & Chemicals Business Unit, responsible for sales in North America with primary focus on the solar energy market. Pfluke, who is based in North Carolina, joined Indium in 2001 as a technical support engineer and was named market development specialist in 2004. In 2005 he became regional sales manager for the southeastern US. He has a degree in manufacturing engineering technology, is certified by the Metal Powder Industries Federation as a powder metallurgy technologist and by the Surface Mount Technology Association as a process engineer. Pfluke is a member of the IPC Solder Alloy Standards Development Group and has presented numerous technical papers. Indium supplies materials to the electronics assembly, semiconductor fabrication and packaging, solar photovoltaic, and thermal management markets. (5/7/2008)
Chip Makers Team for Move to 450mm Wafers
Chip makers Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) Ltd. announced they are partnering to drive the semiconductor industry transition to larger, 450-mm wafers starting in 2012. The total silicon surface area of a 450-mm wafer and the number of printed die (individual computer chips, for example) it can contain is more than twice that of a 300-mm wafer; bigger wafers help lower the production cost per chip, the companies said, and also cut down on air pollution, gases that contribute to global warming, and water used in the manufacturing process. Historically the industry has changed to a larger wafer size every 10 years to enable continued industry growth by keeping integrated chip (IC) manufacturing and applications at a reasonable cost. "The transition to 450-mm wafers will benefit the entire ecosystem of the IC industry, and Intel, Samsung, and TSMC will work together with suppliers and other semiconductor manufacturers to actively develop 450-mm capability," said Cheong-Woo Byun, senior vice president, Memory Manufacturing Operation Center, Samsung Electronics. The companies will cooperate with the semiconductor industry to help ensure that all of the required components, infrastructure and capability are developed and tested for a pilot line by the target date of 2012 and said they will continue to work with International Sematech (ISMI) in coordinating industry efforts on 450-mm wafer supply, standards setting and developing equipment test-bed capabilities. (5/6/2008)
Lumenis Realigns Ophthalmic Unit
Medical and aesthetic laser maker Lumenis Ltd. of Yokeam, Israel, said it has realigned its ophthalmic business unit to report to Gideon Sturlesi, who will lead the unit in addition to his duties as corporate vice president for business development. Sturlesi replaces Jake Vander Zanden, vice president and ophthalmic unit general manager, who is leaving the company. Before joining Lumenis, Sturlesi was co-founder of Galil Medical Ltd. and CEO of its US business and venture fund group. He was also founder and CEO of several startups in diverse medical applications and is a partner in the Ofer Hi-Tech Group, which has invested approximately $150 million in Lumenis since 2006. (5/6/2008)