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SAN JOSE – Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached $7.83 billion in the second quarter, down 26% sequentially and 29% year-over-year, SEMI reported.

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $6.99 billion, down 30% compared to a year ago, and 13% compared to the first quarter, SEMI said.

“Spending for new semiconductor equipment is down considerably, as anticipated,” said Dan Tracy, senior director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI. “Overall 2008 spending will approach 2005 levels, with a recovery expected for next year.”

The data were gathered in cooperation with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan from more than 150 global equipment companies that provide data monthly.

PISCATAWAY, NJ– The co-founder and chairman of the board, emeritus at Intel Corp., Gordon E. Moore, will receive the IEEE Medal of Honor for his entrepreneurial and engineering contributions to the advancement of semiconductor technology.

SAN JOSE –Texas Instruments VP of emerging medical applications Doug Rasor will keynote the upcoming Medical Electronics symposium: Technology Concepts Enabling Product Reality.

His talk, How Technology will Revolutionize Healthcare in the 21st Century and Beyond, will highlight the third annual MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council event.

The event takes place Sept. 25 at Arizona State University in Tempe.

Other sessions will include Revolutionary Concepts in Medical Electronics; Advanced Materials for Medical Electronics; Key Enabling Technologies, and Next Generation of Bio-Medical Systems.

For more information and to register, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.meptec.org.

ARLINGTON, VA -- August orders for electronics components rose, reversing a summer dip, the Electronic Components Association said today. Orders remained flat year-over-year, however, the trade group said.

In a press release, president Bob Willis said the cycle is following historical seasonality trends. "Historically, we've seen a summer downturn followed by an acceleration in orders during the fall. I suspect that this is what's happening here."

ECA said it altered the baseline year of its monthly order index from 1996 to 2006 to better reflect the current market. The switch resulted in greater volatility in the adjusted four- to five-week results, but 12-month average results are not affected. Also, the trade group now tracks only North American orders, which ensures greater reporting consistency among manufacturers participating in the survey, ECA said.

WASHINGTON – While enactment of the RoHS Directive made waves, what’s been less visible is enforcement. This week, Fern Abrams, IPC’s director of government relations and environmental policy, discussed the association’s role with regard to RoHS and other looming “green” issues.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Driven by government mandates, global shipments of automotive MEMS sensors are expected to nearly double from 2006 to 2012, according to iSuppli Corp.

iSuppli forecasts worldwide automotive MEMS sensor shipments will grow to 935.7 million units in 2012, rising at a CAGR of 12% from 2006.

Global auto MEMS sensor revenue will increase to $2.1 billion in 2012, increasing at a CAGR of 8%.

“Driving the rapid growth of the automotive MEMS sensor market in the United States and Europe is a set of chassis safety-related mandates that makes compulsory the implementation of electronic stability control systems and tire-pressure monitors,” said Richard Dixon, senior analyst for MEMS at iSuppli.

Shipments of MEMS pressure sensors for tire pressure monitoring systems are expected to reach 179 million units in 2012, up from 43.1 million in 2006. Shipments of MEMS inertial and pressure sensors used in ESC systems will increase to 158 million units in 2012, rising at a CAGR of 17%.

“These applications will allow the automotive MEMS sensor market to outgrow the automotive and car electronics segments over the next few years,” Dixon said.

A substantial market driver will emerge in 2009 when Europe’s stringent emission–control regulations go into effect, said the firm. This will boost demand for powertrain pressure sensors. Other healthy MEMS markets include high-g accelerometers for airbags.

“Mandates are reshaping the supply chain,” said JÃ©rÃ©mie Bouchaud, principal analyst for MEMS at iSuppli. “In the case of ESC systems, transitioning rapidly from an expensive option to a standard function in just a few years will create a space for newcomers and threaten established second-tier suppliers.”

Bouchaud added the market transparency brought by government mandates may herald greater commoditization and price erosion in MEMS sensor products, as all suppliers provide products that conform to government specifications, and which accommodate a range spanning the most expensive to the cheapest available vehicle.

This will reshape the competitive landscape for MEMS sensors because of increased competition, Bouchaud added.