A judge has delayed an antitrust trial involving Rambus until next year, according to reports. The trial was supposed to start Sept. 28. The trial is delayed to Jan. 11, 2010.

The case involves Rambus against Micron, Hynix and Samsung. ''Rambus has accused the companies of engaging in price-fixing and hurting sales of its RDRAM memory chips, which are used in computers,'' according to the report from Reuters. ''Capstone Investments analyst Jeff Schreiner said in a note to clients the California state-level trial was delayed due to the 'grave condition' of a Samsung attorney.''

That article can be read here.

In a report, Daniel Amir, an analyst at Lazard Capital Markets, said this about Zoran:

''Zoran shutting down Emblaze mobile phone business. We have learned that Zoran is closing its Emblaze business in Israel and laying off 40 people. The Emblaze division is responsible for the Mobile Phone Imaging business. Our impression is that after initial traction with LG a couple years ago, the company has not been able to gain any significant traction with other customers or mobile phone OEMs. As part of Zoran’s cost cutting measures, management has taken steps to cut this division.''

As reported, TSMC is struggling to ramp up its 40-nm process, due to yield issues. Now, TSMC appears to have delayed its high-k/metal-gate technology. Originally, TSMC's high-k/metal-gate offering was slated for the first quarter of 2010, according to the firm. That technology is slated for its 28-nm node. That article can be read here.

South Korea's Dongbu is reportedly moving away from the pure-play foundry model. Dongbu is devising its own LCD display drivers, making it an IDM/foundry, sources said. The company declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Dongbu's parent company is in financial trouble. That article can be read here.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University claimed to have found a replacement for silicon.

Physicists Yulin Chen, Zhi-Xun Shen and their colleagues tested the behavior of electrons in the compound bismuth telluride. ''Such material could provide a leap in microchip speeds, and even become the bedrock of an entirely new kind of computing industry based on spintronics, the next evolution of electronics,'' according to SLAC.

That article can be read here.

Sun has canceled its ''Rock'' processor project, according to The New York Times. That article can be read here.

Waiting for Godot? How about fab investments? Christian Gregor Dieseldorff, an analyst at SEMI, is looking for signs of increasing investments in fabs.

''The latest data from SEMI’s World Fab Forecast, taken quarter by quarter, shows some increase in investment for both fab construction projects and fab equipping in the (second) half of 2009, with the trend continuing into 2010. For 2010, investments in fab construction projects are expected to nearly double and spending on equipping fabs may increase by about 90 percent, year over year, off the extremely low levels expected this year,'' he says in a report.

That article can be read here.

Seven banks have looked into the financial health of 45 Korean conglomerates. They listed ''nine as financially problematic,'' according to The Korea Times. The troubled chaebols: Dongbu, Kumho Asiana, GM Daewoo Auto & Technology, Aekyung, Hynix, Eugene, Daeju, Tong Yang Major and Taihan Electric Wire, the report said. That article can be read here.

Renesas and NEC Electronics are set to merge. This summer, NEC Electronics will idle its Roseville, Calif.-based fab ''twice for two-week furloughs,'' according to the Sacramento Business Journal. The move impacts 750 workers. That article can be read here.

What's up with fab tool vendor Aviza? According to Digitimes, Aviza is talking to Taiwan's Foxsemicon and Csun ''about a buyout.'' Aviza declined to comment. That article can be read here.