The
semiconductor manufacturing food chain experienced a surge in
mergers-and-acquisitions activity in recent months. Leading the
way was Intersil, which bolstered its position as an analog/mixed-signal
chipmaker through a cash-and-stock buyout of Xicor. Akrion jumped
into the single-wafer, wet-process tool market with its purchase
of Verteq. On the analytical front, Particle Measuring Systems
bolstered its contamination-monitoring product line with the acquisition
of Molecular Analytics from SAES Getters. Employees of advanced
process control specialist Ibex formed NeuMath, then purchased
the Ibex name and significant assets. Materially speaking, ATMI
sold its gallium nitride substrates and epitaxy business to Cree,
while Isonics bought EnCompass, a test-wafer supplier and wafer-recycling
service provider.
