SEAJ Reports Orders Fall for 14th Straight Month in May
Orders in Japan in May for chipmaking equipment manufactured by Japanese and foreign makers fell 18.7%, down for the 14th consecutive month.

Rohm and Haas Reports 2Q Sales up 17%
Rohm and Haas Co. today reported second quarter 2008 sales of $2.567B, a 17% increase over the same period in 2007.

Carbon Nanoprobes Announces Production Agreement with MEMS Foundry
CNProbes has executed an agreement with a MEMS Foundry for production of CNProbes' flagship product, a carbon nanotubeprobe tip for use in the atomic force microscope (AFM). 

SanDisk Loss Leads Semiconductors Down
SanDisk shares plunged 24% due to a surprising second quarter loss that drove down values for related semiconductor makers.

Cadence Reports Q2 Revenue of $329M
Cadence Design Systems Inc. reported second quarter 2008 revenue of $329M.

MEMC Reports Second Quarter Results
 MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. reported second quarter 2008 net sales of $531.4M, which represents an increase of 6.0% from first quarter 2008 net sales.

ET Solar Group Appoints Chief Technology Officer
With over 12 years of experience in the solar industry, Jeff Lu brings extensive expertise in photovoltaic (PV) product development,

Ferrotec Ups Output of Silicon Equipment in China
Japan's Ferrotec Corp. is increasing Chinese production of equipment used to manufacture solar cell materials by 40% to 50 units a month in response to growing demand.

Technologists Assess 3-D Interconnects at SEMATECH Workshop
A host of industry experts involved in the development and implementation of 3-D interconnect technology gathered at a SEMATECH-led workshop, comparing application requirements to those proposed by the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).

Mentor Consulting Slashes Time-to-Mask at Dongbu HiTek
Mentor Graphics Corp. announced that its consulting division has successfully completed an engagement at Dongbu HiTek, resulting in a reduction in tape-to-mask turnaround time.

Applied Breaks Ground for Taiwan Expansion
Applied Materials held a groundbreaking for an expansion project of its Tainan Manufacturing Center.

Applied Materials Analyst Briefing at SEMICON West
Corporate Participants * George Davis Applied Materials Inc. - SVP, CFO * Mike Splinter Applied Materials Inc. - President, CEO * Tom St. Dennis Applied Materials Inc.

Photronics Announces Resignation Of CEO
Photronics Inc.  announced today that Michael J. Luttati will step down as Chief Executive Officer of the Company and as a member of the Board of Directors effective immediately.

Novellus Analyst Event at Semicon West 2008
A transcript of the July 14 Novellus Analyst Event at Semicon West 2008.

Intel Tries Out Some Quiet Time in Austin
Tuesday mornings are now officially quiet time at Intel's Austin, Texas, operations. No meetings are scheduled, and other interruptions are minimized. "The intent was to give people a half-day of continuous uninterrupted time to work," said Brad Beavers, Intel's Austin site manager.

Ruiz Departure Will Not Impact N.Y. Fab, AMD Says
Hector Ruiz will remain at AMD as executive chairman in charge of the company's secretive "asset smart" strategy designed to streamline costs and drive long-term profitability.

DC Chemical Wins $609M Polysilicon Deal in Taiwan
DC Chemical Co. Ltd. said Thursday it had signed a $609M contract with a Taiwanese silicon wafer company to supply polysilicon.

Satyam and ISMI to Validate Nex-Gen Fab Automation
Indian IT services company Satyam Computer Services has partnered with International Sematech Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI) to develop software to validate the automation capabilities of advanced semiconductor factory equipment.

SEMI: N.A. Equipment Posts June Book-to-Bill of 0.85
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.03B in orders in June 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.85 according to the June 2008 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.

DuPont Expands Capacity for Vespel Parts
 DuPont announced that production for its high growth DuPont Vespel parts and shapes has begun in Singapore -- the newest facility for the high performance parts.