Chinese major multicrystalline silicon wafer producer LDK Solar Wednesday announced that it had secured a 200-million-yuan loan from China Development Bank and received approval for a one-billion-yuan credit line from Agricultural Development Bank of China.

The group also has developed a 32nm process and says customers will be able to move to the more power-efficient 28nm technology without a major redesign. Among the members of the joint development alliance is GlobalFoundries, a manufacturing company formed by AMD and Advanced Technology Investment.

Universal Display is showcasingits UniversalPHOLED phosphorescent OLED technology at Finetech Japan's first ever LED/OLED Lighting Technology Exposition.

Chief executives from 28 large corporations, including Google, Cisco, Research in Motion (RIM) and Intel, sent President Barack Obama a letter on Mar. 25, urging him to support the Patent Reform Act of 2009. The problem, they say: Litigation costs and patent infringement damages are stifling innovation.

Annual growth in China's gross domestic product (GDP) slowed in the first quarter of 2009 to 6.1%, the National Bureau of Statistics has announced.

In its third layoff in recent times, silicon wafer supplier MEMC Electronic Materials has cut about 200 more jobs, according to a regulatory filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Renesas Technology, Japan's second-largest chipmaker, aims to return to profit next fiscal year by cutting labor, research and productions costs.

Sanyo Electric Co Ltd developed a front-projection projector that can fill a 100-inch screen at a distance of 63cm.

NEC LCD Technologies Ltd released the "NL2432HC22-45A," a 3.5-inch semi-transmissive LCD panel module that features significantly improved reflection properties.

Micronic Laser Systems AB (STO:MICR), today received an order for a Prexision-8 laser pattern generator from a captive mask shop in Asia. The tool will be shipped in the second quarter of 2009.

In a recent interview, Globalfoundries vice president of manufacturing systems and technology Tom Sonderman said that the company plans to make GPUs using 28nm processes in the near future.