PHOTO CREDITS: COWBOY HAT AND COWBOY-GUITARIST COURTESY OF GETTY; RUNNING HORSE, LIZARD, BUTTERFLY AND MEDALLION ELEMENTS COURTESY OF HEMERA.

This year's version of Semicon Southwest convenes in an atmosphere of greatly reduced expectations, a climate of battered bottom lines that's not been conducive to industry prosperity. The chipmaking sector continues to suffer through an extended, double-dip downturn with no recovery seen until well into next year. Despite the prevalent teeth-gnashing among SEMI members, more than 300 exhibiting companies will showcase their wares on Oct. 15-16 at the Austin Convention Center. The exhibitors tend to be regional and other suppliers of components, subsystems, critical materials, and niche process and metrology equipment. This year's technical program is smaller than in years past, but still features several useful, informative workshops and courses. One of the leading conferences on green manufacturing technologies, "A Partnership for PFC Emissions Reductions" (cosponsored by SEMI, SIA, SESHA, and International Sematech), returns on Monday, Oct. 14, while a related workshop on EHS issues in advanced lithography holds forth the following morning. On the two show days there are three well-focused SEMI Standards Technical Education Programs (STEPs) at the convention center, dealing with assessment and control of ESD and ESA in tools, analysis
of gauge measurement capability, and equipment performance tracking. The Austin Marriott at the Capitol hosts a weeklong slate of SEMI North America standards meetings, ranging from ATE to metrics to traceability. When you're walking the show floor, be sure to stop by Booth 1000 and say hi to the MICRO crew.