Kitchener, Ontario, November 3, 2022 – PEER Group®, the largest supplier of innovative factory automation software products, has announced the appointment of industry veteran Torsten Werneke as its new European OEM Account Manager.

“Throughout my time in the semiconductor industry, PEER Group has always been an impressive company,” says Werneke. “The quality and design of their products, focus on customer satisfaction, and honesty and openness made it an easy decision to join as the new European OEM Account Manager.”

Werneke has more than 25 years of industrial software development and process management experience in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. Based in Friedrichshafen, Germany and working out of PEER Group’s Dresden office, he will be responsible for supporting all current European OEM customers while expanding PEER Group’s presence in Europe.

“There is much excitement in the European semiconductor industry,” says Werneke. “Factories are taking advantage of significant investments to expand production and equipment makers are looking for ways to enhance their tool automation and data collection capabilities to help support this expansion. PEER Group provides the products and solutions for precisely these challenges.”

Previous to working at PEER Group, Werneke, who holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Chemnitz University of Technology, spent time as a process engineer at Infineon Technologies before founding itemic AG, an APC platform supplier for lithography, CMP, and etching tools. After selling itemic’s core technology to ASML, Werneke launched another venture manufacturing high-end ultra-flat light panels for commercial applications.

“As we get ready to celebrate next year’s twentieth anniversary since the opening of our European office, I am pleased to welcome Torsten to the PEER Group team,” shares Mike Barrett, Director, Global OEM Sales at PEER Group. “His industry knowledge and software development expertise will be of great value to the European equipment makers looking to automate their tools and get accepted into semiconductor fabs.”

Werneke, along with other members of PEER Group, will be attending SEMICON Europa, happening November 15-18. To schedule a meeting with him during the show, visit PEER Group's SEMICON Europa event page and complete the form.

About PEER Group
PEER Group® is a leading 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 is 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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Established in July of 1982 by Sig, Kail, and Mariellen Wathne (hence the name, “SiKaMa”), Sikama was founded to design, develop, and manufacture high quality reflow soldering and curing systems utilizing a first of its kind high efficiency conductive heating technology to support the demands of the electronics industry.

After nearly 40 successful years, Sikama was purchased by Herb Weigel. Keeping with the mission originated by the founders, Herb’s goal is to elevate Sikama’s products to keep pace with the demands of the industry and exceed customer expectations. With an enhanced product roadmap and a growing number of services to support customers, Sikama is positioned better than ever to meet the increasing demands of its customers.

Sikama continues to grow its production space and team to meet the increasing demand for small footprint, high efficiency, and long-lasting products. In addition, with the launch of the fluxless EA UP1200, the company is positioned better than ever to meet the needs of the most demanding applications.

Here’s what was happening in 1982 when Sikama was founded:

• Time Magazine’s Machine of the Year was The Computer
• Biggest Blockbuster of 1982 was E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
• Superbowl XVI Champions were the San Francisco 49ers
• Billboard’s #1 Song was Physical by Olivia Newton-John
• Adobe was founded in California by Chuck Geschke and John Warnock

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Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) and Henkel announced today that the organizations have formalized an agreement to collaborate on the development of high-thermal die attach solutions for RF and power electronics. Under the terms of the partnership, Henkel will supply commercialized and developmental pressureless sintering die attach formulations and CITC will provide testing and analysis of the materials within next-generation package designs.

CITC’s Thermal High-Performance Packaging program focuses on thermo-mechanical design strategies and device packaging platforms that integrate low-stress, high-reliability rugged interconnect solutions. As die attach and molding materials are often limiting factors for the optimal operation of RF and power packages, Henkel is the ideal partner or innovation in this application area.

In addition to ongoing work in its state-of-the-art R&D centers, Henkel wants to accelerate time-to-market for its semiconductor packaging materials through strategic relationships across industry, government, and academia. CITC, which collaborates with leading power and RF device packaging companies, provides a unique opportunity to characterize and analyze Henkel’s high-thermal die attach formulations as an enabler for leading-edge device designs.

“Henkel’s pressureless sintering die attach materials are already proven in certain mobile applications,” explained Ramachandran “Ram” Trichur, the company’s Global Market Segment Head, Semiconductor Packaging Materials. “We want to extend that success to other sectors such as automotive, where large, high-power chips are the norm. Our pressureless sintering solutions are unique because they deliver the simple, low-stress processability of conventional die attach adhesives and very high thermal conductivity capabilities. The work at CITC will augment our in-house projects, allowing additional performance and reliability validation.”

The new die attach technology has the potential to enable the replacement of lead (Pb) within RF and power semiconductor devices that incorporate larger die on copper leadframes, allowing the introduction of high operating temperature gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) power die technologies. Many of CITC’s partners are actively integrating these new chip structures, making the cooperative project an excellent proving ground for Henkel’s pressureless sintering platform.

“In Henkel, we have found a material innovator that will enable the development of power and RF devices with a holistic approach that leverages the latest in die attach technology,” concluded CITC General Manager, Jeroen van den Brand. “With many major power device manufacturers based in Europe, and in Nijmegen in particular, we view this partnership as vital to satisfying the current and future demands within these important market sectors.”

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 Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2021, Henkel reported sales of more than 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of about 2.7 billion euros. Henkel employs about 53,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX.
www.henkel-adhesives.com/electronics

Contact
CITC: Marco Koelink | M +31 6 15 15 66 41 | E [email protected]
Henkel: Ruud de Wit | M +31 6 43 37 21 08 | E [email protected]

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Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES), a leading manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor advanced packaging, life sciences, and “More-than-Moore” applications, today announced that Russ Sanchez has joined the company’s senior leadership team as Vice President of Quality and Managing Director of YES’s new Technology Center in Chandler, Arizona.

Mr. Sanchez, who is based in Chandler, is a seasoned operations and business leader with over two decades of experience driving excellence in the manufacturing operations of semiconductors, microelectronics, printed electronics, antenna technology, and hard drives.

“Russ has an impressive track record of developing technology centers and manufacturing operations to support the growth of high-technology sector customers,” said Rezwan Lateef, President of YES. “His ability to implement quality systems and to partner closely with our customers to realize their next-generation devices will be invaluable as we move into the next phase of our company’s growth.”

Mr. Sanchez came to YES from NthDegree Worldwide Technologies, where he was Vice President of Operations. Before that, he held a variety of roles within Manufacturing and Quality at technology companies including Airgain, NXP Semiconductors, ST Microelectronics/Western Digital Corporation, Hynix Semiconductor of America, and Philips Semiconductors. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

About YES
Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES) is a preferred provider of high-tech, cost-effective equipment for enhancing surfaces and materials. The company’s product lines include thermal processing systems, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, and wet process equipment used for the precise surface modification of semiconductor substrates, semiconductor and MEMS devices, LED displays, and biodevices. Customers ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies rely on YES systems to create and volume-produce innovative products in a wide range of markets. YES is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a growing global presence. For more information, please visit yieldengineering.com.

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A long-term, strategic, enterprise-level technology collaboration aims to further increase production efficiencies and reduce costs for Micron and its suppliers.

Cambridge, MA, July 13, 2022 – Today, Athinia™ announced that Micron Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: MU), a global leader in innovative memory and storage solutions, plans to use the Athinia™ data analytics platform to create a pioneering data collaboration ecosystem that will help lead a continued journey of digital transformation with Micron’s critical suppliers. Athinia™’s state-of-the-art AI-driven quality control methodology will be able to further improve process and device yield, reduce costs and accelerate time to value generation using select data and insights from Micron’s supply chain. Athinia™, launched in December 2021, is a partnership between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (DAX:MKGAF) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR).

“The secure architecture provided by Athinia™ will allow Micron and its suppliers to share a single source of real-time data without compromising data ownership, governance, privacy and security,” said Laura Matz, CEO of Athinia™ and Chief Science and Technology Officer of Merck, KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “Through data sharing and collaboration, the platform leverages machine learning-driven analytics to solve critical challenges.”

Using Athinia™’s platform, Micron’s suppliers will be able to share their process and manufacturing data as well as key parameters, offering secure collaboration on a much larger population of critical data analytics. Micron and its suppliers can expect to see improvements in yields, shortened qualification times and enhanced quality.

“Micron is leading the industry in adopting the Athinia™ platform for its new ecosystem. Through data collaboration, Athinia™ can help to achieve key objectives for the semiconductor industry such as the improvement of material quality and sustainability, supply chain resilience as well as the acceleration of innovation cycles,” said Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and CEO Electronics. “Ultimately, data analytics and collaboration will allow a wide range of benefits to the entire semiconductor industry.”

“The production and delivery of semiconductors is absolutely vital to our collective welfare and security,” said Alexander C. Karp, co-founder and chief executive officer of Palantir Technologies Inc. “We are committed to ensuring that Micron and Athinia™ have the software they need to address the supply chain challenges involved in the distribution of one of the world’s most essential and important products.”

About Athinia Technologies LLC
Data for Pioneers. Athinia™ provides a data analytics platform that brings manufacturers and materials suppliers together to share, aggregate, and analyze data to unlock efficiencies and time to market, while improving quality, supply chain and sustainability. All this without taking ownership of data.

Athinia™ is a partnership between Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (DAX:MKGAF), and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NYSE:PLTR). Athinia is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, USA. Athinia operates independently from the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. More information can be found at www.athinia.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 60,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2021, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 19.7 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics in electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.

About Palantir Technologies Inc.
Foundational software of tomorrow. Delivered today. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com.

For more information please contact [email protected]

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Sikama International is excited to exhibit at SEMICON West 2022 this July, presenting the innovative Electron Attachment fluxless reflow technology, our upcoming 40th anniversary, and an extensive product line for a broad range of applications providing customers with the highest efficiency, smallest footprint, and most versatility in the industry. Our patented Electron Attachment technology, developed in partnership with AirProducts™, provides unmatched performance offering truly safe and residue-free fluxless reflow. The system is operated with N2 cover gas and an H2/N2 blend with less than 5% hydrogen, ensuring safe operation. The EA UP1200 utilizes an electrically isolated ceramic roller transport mechanism to move the work item from zone-to-zone through the oven. The work item is deoxidized in the EA zones prior to reflow which eliminates the need for flux coating or washing. This technology has shown to be superior to formic acid processes time and time again. In addition, this revolutionary breakthrough offers the safest and lowest cost per wafer yet for the semiconductor packaging industry.

Sikama is looking forward to discussing their full product line at SEMICON West this year. Visit our booth #1447 to learn more and enter to win an iPad Air!

• Read more about Sikama International at SEMICON West 2022 – “Reliable, Repeatable, Responsible Reflow”

Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES), a leading manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor advanced packaging, life sciences, and “More-than-Moore” applications, today announced that it has promoted Dan O’Connell to Vice President of Strategic Accounts.

Mr. O’Connell joined YES in November of 2021 as Senior Director of Key Account Management. In his newly expanded role, he will work closely with the company’s Sales, Marketing and Technology teams to nurture strategic customer relationships and ensure YES’s alignment with current and future customer technology requirements.

“Dan’s extensive strategic account experience in the semiconductor industry has contributed to our rapid growth,” said Rezwan Lateef, President of YES. “His proven ability to develop strong industry relationships aimed at enabling technology roadmaps, coupled with his intimate knowledge of Advanced Packaging processes, make Dan a valued addition to our senior leadership team.”

Prior to joining YES, Mr. O’Connell held senior key account management positions of increasing responsibility at ASM Pacific Technology Ltd., Tokyo Electron (TEL), LAM/Novellus, and Ebara. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

About YES
Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES) is a preferred provider of high-tech, cost-effective equipment for enhancing surfaces and materials. The company’s product lines include thermal processing systems, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, and wet process equipment used for the precise surface modification of semiconductor substrates, semiconductor and MEMS devices, LED displays, and biodevices. Customers ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies rely on YES systems to create and volume-produce innovative products in a wide range of markets. YES is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a growing global presence. For more information, please visit yieldengineering.com.

• Read more about YES Names Dan O’Connell as Vice President of Strategic Accounts

CHANDLER, AZ — Yield Engineering Systems (YES) has leased 123,000 square feet within the Price Corridor in Chandler, Arizona. The facility will support YES in serving the region’s thriving semiconductor industry.

YES develops and manufactures thermal, deposition, and wet process equipment that is used in semiconductor, life sciences, and display manufacturing. The Chandler facility will house a “Technology Center” with R&D functions, cleanroom operations, advanced manufacturing, customer support, and office space.

“Our new Technology Center will provide us with valuable proximity to key customers and vendors, as well as access to the highly skilled workforce that defines Chandler’s business ecosystem,” said Rezwan Lateef, President of YES. “We are grateful to Chandler’s Economic Development team, Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and Arizona Commerce Authority for their assistance with this major milestone in our mission to serve the semiconductor market as a preferred provider.” Mark Donahue is the local YES manager overseeing the project.

The company plans to have approximately 100 highly educated employees based at the Chandler facility, mostly in technology and engineering positions. The multi-million-dollar capital investment to build out the space will enable the development of advanced technology that supports the US semiconductor manufacturing sector.

“YES marks another California-based company drawn to Arizona, highlighting the state’s unmatched business climate,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “We are grateful to YES for their commitment to Arizona, creating new jobs while strengthening the state’s robust semiconductor supply chain.”

"The Greater Phoenix semiconductor ecosystem has quickly become a top global destination for leading manufacturers like YES," said Chris Camacho, President and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. "This multimillion-dollar investment provides high-quality job opportunities for residents, and we look forward to supporting YES in its future growth and successful integration into the market."

“The long-term vision for Price Corridor continues to be realized as we welcome another dynamic and market-leading company to Chandler,“ said Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke. “We would like to thank YES for their investment and trust in Chandler, as we know there are many options throughout the world for cutting-edge facilities like this.”

Yield Engineering Systems’ Chandler facility adds to the state’s booming semiconductor industry. In the past six months, EMD Electronics announced an expansion of its chemical delivery systems business at a new factory in Chandler, creating over 100 jobs and Edwards announced a new manufacturing facility also in Chandler, creating 200 jobs.

Media Contacts
Victoria Barnes, Yield Engineering Systems, [email protected]
Alyssa Tufts, Arizona Commerce Authority, [email protected]
Stephanie Romero, City of Chandler, [email protected]

About Yield Engineering Systems (YES)
Yield Engineering Systems, Inc. (YES) is a preferred provider of high-tech, cost-effective equipment for enhancing surfaces and materials. The company’s product lines include thermal processing systems, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, and wet process equipment used for the precise surface modification of semiconductor substrates, semiconductor and MEMS devices, LED displays, and biodevices. Customers ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies rely on YES systems to create and volume-produce innovative products in a wide range of markets. YES is headquartered in Fremont, California, with a growing global presence. For more information, please visit yieldengineering.com.

About the Arizona Commerce Authority
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona's economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: attract, expand, create - attract out-of-state companies to establish operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to expand their business in Arizona and beyond; and help entrepreneurs create new Arizona businesses in targeted industries. For more information, please visit azcommerce.com and follow the ACA on Twitter @azcommerce.

About City of Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona has built a reputation as a Community of Innovation. Life in Chandler goes beyond a thriving and dynamic business community with progressive entrepreneurship. Known for its rich diversity, the City offers an outstanding quality of life for all generations with great schools and recreational opportunities. Chandler has grown to become the state's fourth largest City with a population of more than 281,000. Chandler has been named one of the nation's Best Places to Find a Job and Best Cities for Women in Tech. The City also is one of the safest communities in the nation and boasts AAA bond ratings from all three national rating agencies, one of only 40 communities to achieve this distinction. For more information, visit the City website, or connect with the City on social media.

• Read more about Yield Engineering Systems (YES) Signs Lease for Technology Center in Chandler, AZ

Nijmegen, the Netherlands, April 12, 2022

Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Electronics & Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC) in Torbay, UK. The move offers an exciting opportunity for both organizations to collaborate and benefit from the synergies that exist between the two centers.

EPIC is located within a rich cluster of microelectronics and photonics packaging specialists. The center offers businesses access to labs, offices, >€3M of prototyping capability and a classified cleanroom. Dutch-owned EFFECT Photonics have chosen EPIC as their R&D facility and have benefited from extensive local funding to support this growth. Other businesses located within EPIC include Spanish MEMS innovators Nanusens and photonics packaging specialists Bay Photonics.

CITC is a non-profit innovation center specializing in heterogeneous integration and advanced chip packaging technology for semiconductor and photonic applications. It is a place where companies, research and educational institutes work together on bridging the gap between academics and industry and creating a new generation of packages providing smart, safe and rugged housing for chips.

The MoU will see both parties sharing information with their respective businesses to showcase the technical capability and services on offer at both centers. EPIC and CITC will also be exploring opportunities to add each other’s centers to future funding bids with a view of generating additional revenue for both projects.

Both centers have close links to relevant universities and higher education partners therefore encouraging collaboration between academia will also be explored.

EPIC Centre Director, Wayne Loschi, is excited about the partnership: “There are so many clear opportunities for collaboration which will benefit our respective centers and our businesses. We’d love to see our companies working closer with CITC to improve innovation and equally we’d welcome more Dutch companies to join EFFECT Photonics within EPIC”.

CITC Business Development Manager, Marco Koelink, is also looking forward to starting the relationship: “EPIC offers a rich ecosystem in microelectronic and photonic R&D and assembly activities. Collaboration, especially in photonic packaging is crucial to develop high-volume and low-cost solutions for meaningful application areas such as communications, medical and automotive. CITC and EPIC jointly strengthen their value proposition in providing access to innovation, infrastructure and education”.

• Read more about CITC formalizes collaboration with EPIC UK