Investment & Expansion
Rapaneau, Germany, with installation of a new automated manufacturing line.
This capability enables Entegris to manufacture out of Germany both 150mm
and 200mm Ultrapak wafer carriers for the semiconductor industry. Ultrapak
is designed to protect and transport silicon wafers by eliminating wafer
rotation and by reducing contamination. The products are constructed from
ultrapure polypropylene materials to provide a clean shipping environment,
decreasing particle generation and outgassing and increasing product shelf
life.
Wafer probe card supplier FormFactor has opened a Europe service centre in
Dresden, Germany. This adds to operations located in North America and Asia.
FormFactor has 200mm and 300mm wafer test products based on its proprietary
MicroSpring interconnect technology and processes.
US ferroelectric developer Ramtron International has signed an agreement
with Wells Fargo Business Credit to provide a secured $3.0mn revolving line
of credit. The credit facility provides for interest at a floating rate
equal to the prime lending rate plus 0.50% per annum and a term of three
years. Security for the credit facility includes non-European accounts
receivable and inventories. The company plans to use the credit facility for
working capital requirements. The company also develops and markets
ultra-high-performance memory products through its subsidiary, Enhanced
Memory Systems.
ON Semiconductor commented on large share volumes traded on April 1, 2003.
The total changing hands was 5.9mn shares, including a block trade of
approximately 5.2mn shares. Texas Pacific Group (TPG), ON Semiconductors
majority shareholder, saidt hat it has not sold any of its position and did
not represent any of the share volume traded on April 1. The company
believes that the block trade involved the sale of stock by a single
institutional investor.
Keith Jackson, ON Semiconductor president and CEO, was puzzled, saying that
there wasn "any company-specific news that we would expect to prompt such
a large trading volume".
