'ROUND THE CIRCUIT

INDUSTRY NEWS

Rally helps '98 chip sales

A fourth-quarter rally helped to keep worldwide semiconductor sales in 1998 from falling further than forecasts predicted they would, SIA reports. The trade association says that global sales last year reached $125.6 billion, a decrease of 8.4% from the 1997 total of $137.2 billion. The total was forecast to drop more than 10%, according to SIA. Sales in December were $11.3 billion, while sales in the fourth quarter increased 10.5% over the third quarter of 1998. SIA notes that December was the first month in 1998 when two of the world markets showed growth over the previous year. Sales in the Asia-Pacific region in the last month of 1998 grew 2.4% over December 1997 to $2.5 billion. Sales also rose in Europe by 5% to $2.7 billion. The growth "bodes well for favorable sales in 1999," according to George Scalise, president of the industry trade association.

Lam teams for etch advances

Lam Research and National Semiconductor have teamed up to develop etch processes for production of ICs with linewidths of 0.18 to 0.13 µm. The partners will use Lam's TCP 9600PTX metal etch cluster tool at National's advanced technology group development facility in Santa Clara, CA. The tool manufacturer says the partnership will enable it to develop methods for aluminum etching, dual-damascene, and related advanced manufacturing processes.

Site offers free standards

A Web site offers standards information developed by more than 300 organizations. Hosted by CSSinfo of Ann Arbor, MI, the site is a comprehensive database with safety, quality, and design standards covering a range of industries and subjects. Areas covered include electronics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, environmental safety and management, quality management, and aerospace. The database is open to the public with no charge for searching. Documents can either be ordered on-line for print delivery or downloaded in Adobe PDF format. Standards are available from organizations such as ISO, ASTM, ASME, ANSI, and IDEMA. The URL is http://www.cssinfo.com. Information: 734/930-9277.

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