ESNA spoke with ReSolve, part of Arrow's newly launched reverse logistics group, which also includes Intechra, an IT asset disposition services company and Converge, an independent distributor, to discuss the importance of a reverse supply chain logistics program. 
The aftermath of Japan's earthquake last month has left the electronics supply chain struggling with production stoppages and shipment delays of electronic components and raw materials supply.
Because the DRAM market is highly volatile the current buyer's market could quickly swing into a seller's market during the second half of 2011. Buyers will need to keep an eye on several key issues.
Soitec supplies SOI substrates to CSMC for PDP drivers, other ICs
Bernin, France — The Soitec Group has inked a deal to supply silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates to CSMC Technologies Corp., a pure-play specialty analog foundry based in China. Soitec is sampling SOI substrates for high voltage (HV) and CMOS applications initially targeted at color plasma display panel (PDP) driver ICs and other mixed-signal and analog applications. The company says chip designers are increasingly using SOI to eliminate latch-up, minimize current leakage, and reduce package size.
Soitec said it’s starting to see higher demand for SOI projects in China. “Over the last two years, we have experienced a strong acceleration of interest in SOI substrates in China mainly by the majority of the largest local foundries and institutes. Today these development projects are moving to first production ramp up and we expect a significant growth of SOI based products in China in the coming years,” said Paul Boudre, chief operating officer, Soitec Group, in a statement.
CSMC is a pure-play specialty analog foundry in China providing fabless design houses and integrated device manufacturers with a wide range of manufacturing services. The company manufactures ICs and power discrete processes at production technology nodes ranging from 0.13 micron to 0.5 micron. These devices are used in a wide range of applications including consumer electronics, communications devices, personal computers and more.
Soitec says designers of chips for analog and mixed-signal applications are increasingly choosing SOI in large part because it dielectrically isolates all the transistor devices from each other, which eliminates chip-killing “latch-up.” It also minimizes current leakage, which saves energy at high operating temperatures, and saves board space, using 40 percent less space than traditional pn-isolation technologies. For digital CMOS applications, SOI increases performance by up to 30 percent and decreases power consumption by up to 50 percent, according to Soitec.
Soitec is exhibiting at Semicon China, March 16-18 in Shanghai.
Delphi Automotive intros an aluminum cable as an alternative to more expensive copper cabling in automotive applications.