Micron names Durcan CEO

Micron Technology Inc. Saturday named Mark Durcan chief executive of the U.S. semiconductor device maker, replacing Steven Appleton, who died in a plane crash. Appleton, 51, was killed Friday when the small plane he was in crashed in Boise, where the company has its headquarters. "Steve's passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large," the company said in a statement posted on its Web site. Micron said Durcan, 51, who had been president and chief operating officer since 2007, also will serve on Micron's Board of Directors. The board also said board director Robert E. Switz has been named chairman of the board and Mark W. Adams becomes president. "We are fortunate to be able to appoint someone with Mark's operations and technical leadership experience to serve as the company's CEO," Switz said. "Mark has been instrumental in Micron's success in his role as president and COO and has garnered the respect of the company, his team members and the industry at large." Durcan said the company is "deeply saddened by Appleton's death "and will miss his hand at the helm." "I have provided the board my ongoing commitment to work with the management team and continue to move the company forward," Durcan said. Micron manufactures DRAM, NAND and NOR flash memory, as well as other memory technologies, packaging solutions and semiconductor systems.