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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Demosthenes who wrote (29440)	4/9/1999 1:06:00 AM
From: Jeffrey D	Respond to of 70976

Hmm, how can we fuel this recovery more? Hey, I know, let's do China! Jeff << U.S. Semiconductor Industry Welcomes U.S.-China -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Filed: Thursday, April 08, 1999 6:55 PM EST WTO Accession Announcement LOS ANGELES (April 8) XINHUA - The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) Thursday welcomed the announcement that the United States trade representative and China have made significant progress toward China's accession to the World Trade Organization. "Our industry would very much like to see China join the WTO when a commercially viable agreement is reached," said the San Jose, California-based SIA, the leading voice of the U.S. chip industry, in a statement. "Such an agreement should increase U.S. exports and help expand China's market for American semiconductor companies." In the next decade, the SIA said, China is expected to become one of the largest semiconductor markets in the world. The association estimates China currently to be a semiconductor market of 8 billion U.S. dollars. In part, the SIA said, the growth of the market in recent years can be attributed to Chinese government reforms to open the Chinese market to increased international trade and investment. For instance, Chinese tariffs on semiconductors, which were 20 percent in 1995, have been reduced to 6-10 percent. Continued liberalization of Chinese trade and investment rules would further permit growth in the Chinese market for semiconductors, to the mutual benefit of U.S. semiconductor producers and the Chinese information technology industry, the SIA said. "We highly commend the Administration's efforts and progress and strongly support China's WTO accession on commercially viable terms," the statement said. Citing the PC market as an example, the SIA noted that many experts believe the market potential in China for American semiconductor companies could potentially double over the next few years. In the U.S., there is one personal computer for every three people, while in China, there is only one PC for every 400 people. SIA member companies comprise more than 90 percent of U.S.-based semiconductor production. Collectively the U.S. chip industry employs a domestic workforce of 276,000 people. Copyright © 1999, Xinhua News Agency, all rights reserved. >

To: Demosthenes who wrote (29440)	4/9/1999 1:09:00 AM
From: Jeffrey D	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Sign me up! Jeff << Learn the Processes of Semiconductor Fabrication This Spring at UC Berkeley Extension; Two-day Intensive Course Teaches the Basics -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story Filed: Thursday, April 08, 1999 6:18 PM EST BERKELEY, CALIF. (April 8) BUSINESS WIRE -April 8, 1999--Constant advances in the semiconductor industry make it difficult for even experienced engineers to keep up with new technologies. Nontechnical professionals often enter this rapidly changing industry without complete knowledge of the processing technologies that are standard in the field. This spring, UC Berkeley Extension will offer "The ABCs of Semiconductor Fabrication," a two-day course designed to describe the basic processes and provide a working vocabulary for those who need to get "up-to-speed." The course will take place on two Saturdays, May 15 and 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the UC Berkeley Extension Fremont Center, 47655-B Warm Springs Blvd., Fremont. The fee is $895. For more information or a detailed brochure, call 510/642-4151. To enroll, call 510/642-4111, or visit Extension's Web site and enroll online at www.berkeley.edu/unex. The course will describe, in simple terms, the major fabrication processes for integrated devices. It is intended for nontechnical individuals associated with the semiconductor industry, such as those working in sales, marketing and administration, as well as engineers, process technicians patent attorneys and line operators who wish to learn the fundamentals of fabrication. Instructor Mark Lancaster, M.S., a process engineer at Hewlett-Packard, will begin with a general review of the basic concepts of physics and chemistry as they relate to fabrication technology, followed by a discussion of semiconductor processes. By the end of the course, participants will understand the basic processes required to fabricate integrated devices, grasp the basic vocabulary and have an overview of the devices used as the building blocks for integrated circuits. This course is part of UC Berkeley Extension's Continuing Education in Engineering series of "ABCs" courses. These courses are designed to provide nontechnical professionals with a basic understanding of the complicated processes and technologies associated with their industries. For more information on the ABCs courses, call UC Berkeley Extension Continuing Education in Engineering department at 510/642-4151. >>