Tony Casassa has served as the General Manager of METTLER TOLEDO THORNTON since 2015, after having joined the company in 2007 to lead the US Process Analytics business. Prior to spending the last 16 years with METTLER TOLEDO, Tony held various business leadership positions for 2 decades with Rohm and Haas Chemical. A common thread… Read More
DVCon Europe is Coming Soon. Sign Up Now
I’m a fan of DVCon, a fan of Accellera and a fan of Munich, hosting DVCon Europe once again. This year’s event runs from November 14th through 15th (with some events on the 16th) at the Holiday Inn Munich in the City Center. Phillippe Notton (CEO, SiPearl) will deliver a keynote on “Energy Efficient High-Performance Computing in the… Read More
KLAC- OK quarter in ugly environment- Big China $ – Little Process $ – Legacy good
- KLA has an OK quarter in an ugly market- bouncing along bottom
- Like Lam & ASML, China was huge at 43% represents more risk
- 2/3 Foundry/logic, 1/3 memory – Process tools were weak
- No change, stable , no visibility on recovery
Quarter and guide were good in continued ugly industry
As expected KLAC reported earnings at the … Read More
LRCX- QTR OK but outlook mixed- At half of revs, China is huge risk- Memory poor
- LRCX has OK QTR but “challenging outlook” – Memory still sucks
- China at 48% is a huge risk given potential of more sanctions
- Leading & trailing logic both poor- no recovery in sight yet
- Memory spending at historical lows for NAND
Quarter came in OK but outlook seems weak and unclear
Revenues came in at $3.48B… Read More
A New Ultra-Stable Resistivity Monitor for Ultra-Pure Water
I am straying from my normal range of topics here, but confess I am developing an interest in semiconductor metrology since it takes me back to my physics and math roots. Even better I get to learn about the state of the art in ultra-pure water for semiconductor applications, an area where resistivity monitors play a role since resistivity… Read More
Electronics Production Trending Up
Production of electronic devices is finally on the uptrend following a post-pandemic slump in late 2021. According to IDC, smartphone shipments versus a year ago turned negative in 3Q 2021 at -6%. The decline hit a low of -18% in 4Q 2022. Since then, smartphones have been recovering. IDC data is not yet available, but Canalys estimated… Read More
ASML- Longer Deeper Downcycle finally hits lithography – Flat 2024 – Weak Memory – Bottom?
- ASML reports in-line QTR but future looks flat for 2024
- Downcycle finally hits litho leader- ASML monopoly solid as ever
- Memory remains bleak – New China sanctions unclear
- Recovery timing is unclear but planning for an up 2025
In Line Quarter and year as expected
Overall revenues came in at Euro6.7B with EPS at Euro4.81, more… Read More
ASML- Absolutely Solid Monopoly in Lithography- Ignoring hysteria & stupidity
- This past weeks over-reaction to Canon echoes the Sculpta Scare
- Nanoimprint has made huge strides but is still not at all competitive
- Shows basic lack of understanding of technology by some pundits
- Chip industry has been searching for alternatives that don’t exist
Much ado about nothing much…..
This past week we … Read More
Silicon Catalyst Welcomes You to Our “AI Wonderland”
Regardless of where you grew up you probably know the story of Alice in Wonderland. The story is over 100 years old, but holds up to the present day, thanks in part to some magic from Disney. It evokes visions of a place that elicits admiration and wonder, to create a place of magical charm. In the context of AI, it takes on a more relevant… Read More
SPIE- EUV & Photomask conference- Anticipating High NA- Mask Size Matters- China
– SPIE EUV & Photomask conference well attended with great talks
– Chip industry focused on next gen High NA EUV & what it impacts
– Do big chips=big masks? Another Actinic tool?
– AI & chip tools, a game changer- China pre-empting more sanctions
cHBM for AI: Capabilities, Challenges, and Opportunities