PRESS RELEASE | Nijmegen, the Netherlands, January 19, 2023

Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) will intensify its cooperation with acoustic microscopy expert PVA TePla Analytical Systems GmbH. The cooperation offers exciting opportunities for both organizations to benefit from the synergies that exist between them.

Successfully determining which materials and processes are reliable for packaging is crucial to the mass commercialization of power and WBG semiconductors. Flawless basic materials are the key to flawless products. Cracks, cavities, detachment, or inclusions result in failures during the subsequent production process, which can be avoided with the help of reliable material analysis.

To realize this in its Thermal High-Performance packaging program, CITC is going to use the PVA TePla Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) 302 HD2 system. The microscope system provides non-destructive quality control capabilities and will therefore allow CITC to assess the reliability of the sinter die attachment to the leadframe.

The collaboration will also see both parties sharing information with their respective businesses to showcase the technical capability and infrastructure on offer at both organizations. Finally, PVA TePla and CITC will be exploring opportunities to jointly develop research opportunities.

Peter Czurratis, Managing Director of PVA TePla is excited about the partnership: “CITC is an upcoming and leading research center focused on new semiconductor wafer technologies and new trends in packaging and systems integration. Their cooperation with semiconductor companies and universities provides us with an excellent research platform for defining our future roadmap for the next generation of acoustic microscopes.”

CITC Business Development Manager, Marco Koelink, is also looking forward to this collaboration: “PVA TePla is one of the leading suppliers of Scanning Acoustic Microscopes. Through this collaboration, CITC will gain access to advanced analytical capabilities that will help us not only to analyze and identify bond layer failures, but also better understand material performance and predict failures at an early stage. That is a crucial capability in the development of robust and reliable bonding technologies.”

About CITC
Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) is a non-profit joint innovation center specializing in heterogeneous integration and advanced chip packaging technology. CITC has created an effective ecosystem in which companies, research and educational institutes work on bridging the gap between academics and industry. CITC’s contribution to the ecosystem is to provide access to innovation, infrastructure and education.
www.citc.org

About PVA TePla
With experience and know-how, PVA TePla AG has for many years supported important manufacturing processes and technological developments, primarily in the semiconductor, hard metal, electrical/electronics, and optical industries, but also in the forward-looking fields of energy, photovoltaics, and environmental technology.
https://www.pvatepla.com/en

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PRESS RELEASE | Nijmegen, the Netherlands | January 16, 2023

Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) today announced the appointment of Mark Luke Farrugia as its new general manager. As of March 1, Farrugia will take over the responsibilities from general manager Jeroen van den Brand, who fulfilled the role ad interim.

Farrugia has an extensive background in the semiconductor backend industry. Prior to this appointment, he worked for almost sixteen years at NXP Semiconductors and most recently as technical director at Nexperia Semiconductors.

He explains why he is now switching to CITC: “Innovation work within semiconductor packaging has been my greatest professional passion for the past 27 years. Breakthrough innovation requires a dedicated organization having the right focus, knowledge and passion and determination, and I see this in CITC.”

In his position as general manager, Farrugia will be responsible for the further development of CITC as an internationally distinctive and well-recognized center of semiconductor and photonic chip packaging technology. “CITC is a young organization, and therefore needs to put itself on the semiconductor packaging map. This should be done by understanding the needs and expectations of the industry, building and enhancing the right competences, and by collaborating with other organizations. I look forward to working with the CITC team, as well as scouting and mentoring the next generation, dealing with the highly complex puzzle of understanding what the various industry stakeholders would like to achieve, and ultimately, to delivering results that have a meaningful impact on the industry.”

Roel Fonville, chair of the CITC Supervisory Board, expresses that this is what qualified Farrugia for the position at CITC: “The Supervisory Board is enthusiastic about the appointment of Mark Luke Farrugia as general manager of CITC. Mark Luke has substantive expertise, an up-to-date business network, entrepreneurial thinking and a strong drive to further internationalize CITC as an innovation center in the field of packaging.”

The position of general manager became vacant following the sad passing of CITC founder and first general manager Barry Peet in July 2022.

About CITC
Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) is a non-profit joint innovation center specializing in heterogeneous integration and advanced chip packaging technology. CITC has created an effective ecosystem in which companies, research and educational institutes work on bridging the gap between academics and industry. CITC’s contribution to the ecosystem is to provide access to innovation, infrastructure and education. CITC was founded in 2019 with strategic partners TNO and Delft University of Technology and powered by Holland Semiconductors. It is also supported by local and regional governments.
www.citc.org

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Roger Wood to retire as CEO effective July 7, 2023; Robert Blanding named as successor and has been appointed President of Tosoh Quartz, Inc. (TQI) effective January 1, 2023.

Tosoh Corporation announced today that Mr. Roger E. Wood, Chief Executive Officer, and President of Tosoh Quartz Inc. will retire as CEO effective July 7, 2023. Mr. Wood will step down from his duties as President as of January 1, 2023, and remain CEO until July 7, 2023, at which time he will retire from the company. Robert Blanding, currently Chief Financial Officer, will take on the role of President and successor as of January 1, 2023.

Mr. Wood possesses more than 45 years of management experience in the semiconductorrelated quartz industry with Tosoh Quartz, Inc., and has been CEO & President since 2006. Mr. Wood joined the organization in 1978 as the sixth employee when it was known by its former name, Weiss Scientific Glassblowing Company, and has held many roles across the company as it has grown. Weiss was acquired by Japan-based Tosoh Corporation in 1994, and was renamed Tosoh Quartz, Inc. in 2000. Tosoh Quartz Inc., headquartered in Portland, OR also has operations in Durham, England.

“I am grateful to have spent 45 years with this great company, and very honored to have had the opportunity to lead it for the last sixteen years. I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed the innovation and creativity that enabled us to support the Semiconductor industries growth from its infancy to its current status. I believe the future holds even greater opportunities and I
am confident that Robert Blanding, as our new President, is the right choice to lead us on this path.”

Mr. Blanding joined TQI in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer and has a wealth of manufacturing and technology industries experience, along with a proven record of leadership in global businesses. Prior to TQI, Mr. Blanding spent three years at HP Inc. as a Senior Director within the ink and toner businesses; three years at ESCO Corporation (now part of the Weir Group) as the Vice President of Finance for the Products and Mining Divisions; and eighteen years at Intel Corporation in a variety of operational finance roles including eight years directly supporting manufacturing organizations as well as a role in Intel Capital, supporting mergers and acquisitions and an international role supporting the Europe, Middle East, and Africa sales region. Mr. Blanding holds a BA in Business Administration from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

About Tosoh Quartz Inc.
Tosoh Quartz Inc. and Tosoh Quartz Japan, lead the industry in the production of quartz glass products for use by the semiconductor industry in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Tosoh Quartz Inc. has been operating in the Portland area since 1970 and in Durham, England since 1993, and is a member of Tosoh Corporation’s Advanced Materials Division along with sister
companies Tosoh Quartz Corporation (Japan), Tosoh Quartz Co., Ltd. (Taiwan), Tosoh SGM Corp. (Japan), Tosoh TSC (China), Tosoh SMD and Tosoh SMC.

Tosoh Corporation is the parent company of a Japanese chemical and specialty products and materials group that comprises over 100 companies worldwide and a multiethnic workforce of more than 12,000 people. 

Tosoh’s principal markets include the chemical and petrochemical, construction, automotive, consumer electronics, information technology, bioscience, and environmental markets. 

Tosoh is a global chemical company that supplies manufacturers with the materials they need to produce the things that make modern life all that it is and everything it can be.

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Kitchener, Ontario, January 11, 2023 – PEER Group® will showcase its full suite of innovative testing, connectivity, and automation solutions at booth A836 during SEMICON Korea. The annual tradeshow and conference, which is happening February 1-3, 2023 at COEX in Seoul Korea, is the country’s preeminent semiconductor industry event.

“South Korea continues to be a very important market for us and we look forward to showcasing our entire suite of products and services during SEMICON Korea,” says Bob Kane, PEER Group’s Director of Factory Sales, Asia.

PEER Group is the semiconductor industry’s largest supplier of testing, connectivity, and automation software. “Most factory automation engineers are familiar with our flagship test application, SECSIM Pro®+,” remarks Kane, while adding: “Beyond testing, our connectivity and automation products are being used to power more than 90,000 active equipment connections in fabs around the world and our Professional Services team has automated more than 130 tool platforms while helping customers achieve more than 120 fab acceptances.”

Visitors to booth A836 will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from PEER Group’s global sales team, as well as members from Toward Future, PEER Group’s exclusive sales partner serving Korea. To learn more, and to schedule a meeting during SEMICON Korea, visit PEER Group’s event page.

About PEER Group
PEER Group® is the largest supplier of innovative factory automation software products for the semiconductor industry. Since 1992, our solutions have helped the world’s most advanced OEMs and factories reduce time to market and lower costs by solving their equipment automation, data management, and process control problems. A multi-award winning company, PEER Group has been named a Best Workplace by Great Place to Work Canada 11 times, and most recently was one of six recipients of Intel’s 2022 EPIC Outstanding Supplier Award, which recognizes the absolute top performers in the Intel supply chain. Follow PEER Group on LinkedIn and Twitter at @PEERgroup_Inc..

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January 12th, 2023 – Tempe, AZ: Moov, a data-fueled marketplace for used semiconductor equipment, today announced David Duke as Head of Enterprise Partnerships. A 27-year semiconductor industry veteran, Duke has led over $1bn in strategic fab level sales and exclusive remarketing of semiconductor equipment, including developing and running the largest equipment resale operations in the world at GlobalFoundries and GE Capital.

“We are excited to welcome equipment remarketing pioneer and semiconductor industry veteran, David Duke, to Moov,” said Moov CEO and co-founder Steven Zhou. “David’s expertise stems from decades of experience devoted to semiconductor equipment, first as an exec at top equipment manufacturers focusing on their service offerings, and then building the largest remarketing programs in the world at GE Capital and GlobalFoundries. This is the type of world-class talent we know will continue to make Moov successful as we deepen our global partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers in 2023 and beyond.”

Duke has held executive positions at semiconductor equipment behemoths AMAT, KLA, and Cymer (ASML), with focus on equipment services. At GE Capital, Duke served as VP of Sales, leading US and European sales of semiconductor and test equipment. At GlobalFoundries, Duke was responsible for acquisitions, valuations, and recovery of surplus assets, building GlobalFoundries’ remarketing process to world-class standards. Most recently, Duke served as President of US and Korea for precision deposition equipment manufacturer Kateeva.

“I was initially drawn to Moov because Moov’s approach is highly ethical, transparent, and truly has customers' best interests in mind,” said David Duke, Head of Enterprise Partnerships at Moov. “With the technology, marketplace data, and full aftermarket service suite Moov offers, manufacturers can more robustly incorporate used equipment into their enterprise procurement strategy and recoup capital on pre-owned assets at a scale never before possible.”

Duke will be responsible for establishing and growing Moov’s newly minted Enterprise Partnerships division. In this role, he will oversee strategic enterprise partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers to leverage surplus equipment in a way that moves the needle strategically beyond individual tool sales. Moov offers chipmakers a compelling solution to resell idle assets. Moov’s global marketplace and wealth of secondary capital equipment market data offers sellers immediate access to global demand and data-driven valuation solutions to make more intelligent decisions. Moov’s global team offers expertise in equipment sales including compliance with trade and financial regulations. The new Enterprise Partnerships division will focus on complex, multi-asset sales including supporting manufacturers’ equipment needs during fab acquisition or divestiture. For more information on Moov’s strategic equipment remarketing services contact [email protected].

About Moov Technologies Inc.
Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, Moov is a technology-driven marketplace and asset management platform that matches buyers and sellers of pre-owned semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Built by a team with more than 50 years of experience in the manufacturing equipment brokerage industry, Moov’s platform ensures accurate listings and faster transactions. CEO Steven Zhou and Managing Director Maxam Yeung co-founded the company in 2017. To learn more, please visit Moov.co.

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