TAOYUAN, TAIWAN – Leading PCB fabricator Unimicron will reenter the notebook PCB market through a subsidiary in China. According to Digitimes, Unimicron will invest in a subsidiary located in Hunan, China in order to return to the notebook PCB market. The company, Chuan-Chang (transliterated name), is currently 40% owned by Unimicron.

Digitimes reported that Chuan-Chang plans to start production in April, with a capacity of 600,000 square feet per month. Initial volume production will consist of six- to eight-layer notebook PCBs. The company is planning to increase production output to 1.2 million square feet in the beginning of the fourth quarter.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Rudolph Technologies, Inc. has been awarded a favorable verdict in its patent infringement suit against Camtek, Ltd.

A jury determined that all models of Camtek's Falcon inspection system infringe on Rudolph's US patent no. 6,826,298 – “Automated Wafer Defect Inspection System and a Process of Performing Such Inspection.” The patent covers the continuous inspection of wafers using strobing illumination.

The jury rejected Camtek’s claims that the patent was invalid and awarded Rudolph $6.8 million.

Rudolph plans to pursue intellectual property protection for this technology outside the U.S.