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Technology Stocks : Amkor Technology Inc (AMKR) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Oravetz who wrote (516)	1/25/2000 1:32:00 PM
From: tech101	Respond to of 1056

Thanks for the news, Jim. I think there was a news story 6-12 months ago about Amkor's efforts in chips-in-a-package, which is a technology break through and the next generation packaging technology. Amkor is the technological leader in chip packaging with more than 160 patents registered or in the pipe-line. It's unlikely for any strategically important new technology in semiconductor packaging without Amkor's involvement. And packaging is playing a more critical role and taking a larger share in the semiconductor product pricing structure.

To: Jim Oravetz who wrote (516)	1/26/2000 12:27:00 PM
From: tech101	Respond to of 1056

They Forget, or Maybe, Just Don't Know Amkor -- the Biggest Independent Wireless Chip Packer in the World behind the Scene: Wall St. Eavesdropper Chip stocks on a roll By Jeff Clabaugh, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: 10:45 AM ET Jan 26, 2000 NewsWatch Last year was a great one for many of the big players in the computer chip industry. Morningstar says the average chipmaker's stock was up 201 percent in 1999. That means many of those stocks have gotten pricey in recent months, but Morningstar's Laura Pavlenko Lutton thinks there are still some wise buys out there. The trick is figuring out what products that use computer chips are gaining in popularity. You don't have to think too hard to figure out one good answer. Wireless communications. With cell phone use expected to more than double in the next two years, it's likely to be one of the largest growth areas for chipmakers in the coming years. Lutton thinks RF Micro Devices (&NBSP;RFMD: news, msgs) is one good choice. The company's largest customer is Nokia (NOK: news, msgs) and its sales growth has been phenomenal over the past three years, averaging 150 percent. RF Micro Devices is also operating in the black, something Lutton considers a novelty among the smaller chipmakers. There's also Vitesse Semiconductor (VTSS: news, msgs). Its client list includes some of the biggest telecom infrastructure equipment makers and the company is also growing rapidly. And there's one chipmaker Lutton thinks Wall Street has overlooked. Altera (ALTR: news, msgs) makes chips that customers program themselves and it may be appealing right now because it's been overshadowed by its programmable chip-making rival Xilinx (XLNX: news, msgs). Altera isn't far behind and it may come back into favor soon. And if you're looking for a blue chip among the chipmakers, Lutton suggests Texas Instruments (TXN: news, msgs). It has become the dominant player in the wireless chip market. Texas Instruments has a 50 percent market share for a type of chips used in cell phones and its earnings growth has been solid in recent quarters. Read the full story ... cbs.marketwatch.com

To: Jim Oravetz who wrote (516)	1/26/2000 12:57:00 PM
From: tech101	Respond to of 1056

Encouraging News: new deal for amkr by: huntress_8 1/26/00 12:34 pm Msg: 11087 of 11088 PALM BAY, Fla., Jan 26, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Intersil Corporation, the world's leading provider of silicon technology for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), announced today it is incorporating an ultra-thin, small footprint packaging breakthrough by Amkor Technology to further optimize its PRISM II WLAN chipset for high speed, low cost and smaller sized wireless networking devices. Utilizing flush leads, Amkor's MicroLeadFrame (MLF) packaging has a 50 percent smaller footprint and roughly half the parasitic lead inductance of conventional 4.4 mm. TSSOP packages. Reduced electrical parasitics is particularly critical in high frequency RF applications; Intersil expects that MLF packaging can be effectively utilized in WLAN chip sets targeting applications as high as 8GHz. Due to its size, manufacturing cost and RF characteristics, MLF packaging is becoming the package of choice among wireless manufacturers. "By combining Amkor's advanced MLF packaging capabilities with Intersil's silicon integration expertise, the ability to further reduce the size of WLAN card form factors is significantly improved," said Larry Ciaccia, vice president and general manager of PRISM Wireless Products at Intersil. "This effort is driven by the market's need for smallest size, lowest cost WLAN form factors and easiest-to-build solutions for cutting-edge wireless products. Intersil is poised to meet this demand through a very aggressive chip set integration roadmap resulting in continuous performance improvements and higher levels of integration -- and advanced packaging solutions are a key component to this process." "The combination of excellent RF performance and low cost in Amkor's Micro LeadFrame packaging complements Intersil's advanced silicon germanium (SiGe) process technology," said Terry Davis, Amkor's MLF product manager. "The package is the interface between the chip and the system board, and to make a product such as PRISM II successful, it must be engineered so that it does not compromise the performance of the IC, while at the same time provide a rugged, reliable, and cost-effective interconnect." In addition to a substantially smaller footprint, MLF packaging significantly reduces package profile height (< OR = 1 mm.), enabling WLAN products to be incorporated into emerging thin profile modules. Thinner- profile packages are particularly useful in the design of wireless PCMCIA cards; today's cards require chips built into both sides of the board. MLF packages will enable one-sided PCMCIA PWB surface mount assemblies, thus reducing OEM manufacturing costs. Initial designs with Amkor's MLF technology have resulted in a 75 percent footprint reduction (16 mm. SQ vs. 62 mm. SQ) in the PRISM HFA3983 Power Amplifier. MLF designs are also in progress for the RF and IF functions of the chip set's RF front end. Intersil's Baseband Processor and Medium Access Controller (MAC) product families will incorporate Ball Grid Array (BGA) packaging, which also significantly reduces the footprint size and opens the door for small form factor WLAN modules. About PRISM II Intersil's PRISM II Chip Set is the world's most complete silicon solution for the design of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Comprised of five highly integrated ICs incorporating advanced silicon germanium (SiGe) and sub-micron CMOS technology, PRISM II delivers all the required analog and digital circuitry for the PHY and MAC layers, providing a complete, "antenna- to-computer" solution for high-data rate WLANs. PRISM II has been chosen by the world's leading telecom, networking, and computer companies as a key part of high performance wireless products for home or office. messages.yahoo.com