Monthly Archives: April 2016

This article originally appeared on EECatalog.com.

By Venetia Espinoza, BrightVolt

Are the power solutions the IoT needs arriving quickly enough?

The massive game-changing potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices has been limited by a lack of effective power solutions. The solid-state thin film battery market is forecasted to reach $1.3 bil­lion worldwide by 2021 as published by Custom Market Insights. Fueling this growth is the rise of IoT—wear­ables, medical devices and sensors. Traditional battery technologies simply cannot provide the new features and designs that these new applications demand.

However, arriving on the market are thin-film, flexible batteries which are ultra-thin, flexible, rollable, stretch­able and can withstand high temperatures.

Many applications are still emerging, and their require­ments are evolving fast. Because target specs are also very diverse, each with unique requirements for power, thinness, cost, safety, shelf life, reliability, and flex­ibility, a customized power source makes sense.

BrightVolt is one company tackling the demand for small powered solutions.

Figure 1: Traditional battery technologies are giving way to new designs, which can reduce design complexity. (Courtesy BrightVolt)

Low power/long battery life—As IoT infrastructure becomes ubiquitous, many use-cases require designing and building low power and small form factor batteries, both primary and rechargeable. BrightVolt’s Flexion™ batteries have 3.0V, multiple capacity options such as 10, 14, 20, 25mAh and varied tab con­figurations such as extended tab, terminal support, terminal support with ACF. They also have attachment options such as ultrasonic welding, soldering, conductive epoxy and conductive film and a shelf life of 3-5+ years.

Customized—Battery designs are available that are as thin as 0.37mm. For example, BrightVolt Flexion batteries were designed to operate continuously over a wide temperature range (-10 ºC to +60 ºC). They utilize a patented solid polymer electrolyte and contain no volatile liquids or gelling agents. Self-connecting battery terminals using anisotropic conductive film. BrightVolt can custom-build the size, shape, power, capacity, tab configurations and attachment options that are needed for these diverse requirements.

Scalable Manufacturing—BrightVolt has already shipped millions of units. Scalability is our key differentiator. We can take a solution from prototype to full production and anything in between. Our enduring quality, durability, and built-in intelligence is what makes us the best choice for custom product designs.

Safe—It is now possible to find batteries that are non-toxic, non-corrosive and environ­mentally friendly. It’s also important to choose an Inherently safe design that reduces the need for additional battery safety circuitry. Polymer matrix electrolyte provides outstanding thermal stability with no volatile liquids or gels.

Medical Miracles and Thin Batteries

Nanotechnology itself dates back to the 1980s, when U.S. engineer Eric Drexler coined it. Today, nanotechnology and tiny batteries are changing the medical device industry.

Applicable medical uses include the ability to use small form batteries to power the circuitry associated wit skin-based monitoring devices that can detect the glucose levels, for example. Trans­dermal drug delivery and patches could change how injectable drugs are delivered in a more effective time-released manner through a battery-powered patch.

Additionally, the combination of a nanosensor used in conjunction with a smartphone could be used to track auto­immune diseases and cancer. It could also be an effective screening tool for rejection in patients with organ transplants.

Sensors, Smart Packaging and the IoT

It is anticipated that the temperature monitoring market will reach over $3.2 billion by 2020. Smart sensor labels answer the needs for numerous indus­tries, particularly perishable goods. These printed electronics devices and labeling enable the IoT to reduce waste and improve consumer safety.

This technology allows pharmaceutical companies to keep temperature-sensitive products safe and effective, while pre­venting the unnecessary ruin of usable products. Retailers who use temperature-monitoring labels during shipment of produce and other food products as well as cosmetics and off-the-shelf healthcare items will have immediate insight with regards to both shelf life and food safety.

Some of the most ubiquitous wearables are fitness trackers like FitBit and Jaw­bone that hit the market like wildfire in 2013. 1 in 5 Americans today wear this technology to track their activity levels, sleep and more. Wearables will continue to evolve in size, usability, form factors and diverse power needs.

Assisted living and eldercare is another compelling and demanding wearable technology market. Wearable sensors for this market pose massive potential in generating big data for IoT, with a great applicability to biomedicine and ‘ambient assisted living’ (AAL). ‘Ambient intelligence’ in eldercare is being sensi­tive and responsive to the presence of people. Recent advancements in several technological areas have helped the vision of AAL to become a reality. These tech­nologies include of course smart homes, assistive robotics, and, in small form: e-textile, mobile and wearable sensors.

Another significant advancement is detecting common medical issues such as sleep apnea, which used to require an uncomfortable in-clinic sleep study. No more. Today, a patient can wear a device overnight in the privacy of their own home and send the results off to their physician. Other exciting uses include trackers in clothing, interactive toys, games and more.

Embedding Security

Target’s $10 million 2013 class action data breach lawsuit and privacy issue hammered home just how devastating security fraud really is. Since that time, many credit cards are now embedded with an EMV chip but there’s an even better solution emerging. Not only will a small form battery the size of a postage stamp power these new cards, a com­puter chip randomizes the code number about every hour, adding to its security. This renders the card useless to anyone who has written down your card number, expiration date and code. This applica­tion will effectively eliminate ‘card not present’ fraud. Other ultra-thin battery uses in a credit card could allow for a tiny screen on your card itself that displays your balance.

When Apple launched its biometric ID fingerprint reader on its iPhone 5S, many people adjusted quickly to the convenience of the fingerprint password. Building on that same technology, travel documents including drivers’ licenses and passports, as well as vital health information, can be included in one ultra-thin battery-powered, pocket-sized card that fits in your wallet.

Conclusion

By assessing the considerations outlined in this article, a product designer can effectively achieve a small-form factor product able to reliably operate with the right battery. Custom batteries can eliminate design complexities and opti­mize battery use for many applications.

About the Author

Venetia Espinoza is in charge of market­ing at BrightVolt, a worldwide leader in the design, development and scale manufacturing of thin film batteries. She holds more than 25 years of marketing and product experience with premier technology companies. She also served as Vice President and General Manager of Softcard, a joint venture established by industry giants Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. She holds an MBA and BS de­gree in Industrial Engineering.

Gigaphoton Inc., a major semiconductor lithography light source manufacturer, announced its new excimer laser brand “GIGANEX” on April 1, 2016.

Gigaphoton has announced they will develop a highly reliable excimer laser, “GIGANEX,” utilizing their considerable technical capabilities acquired by their experience in semiconductor lithography, for use in the fields of FPD production, flexible device processing, semiconductor fabrication, etc. Moving forward, Gigaphoton intends to explore further possibilities in excimer lasers, together with new innovative partners, to provide GIGANEX solutions.

Gigaphoton President and CEO Hitoshi Tomaru explains. “Our company has accumulated experience as a major semiconductor lithography light source manufacturer over more than 15 years, and in fiscal 2016 we are embarking on a new challenge – to expand the range of applications of our lasers into other fields. I expect Gigaphoton’s technology to expand even further and continue to contribute to the industrial world.”

Details of GIGANEX will introduced at SID Display Week, which will be held May 24-26, 2016.

Year-over-year unit-shipment growth in the small and medium display market was flat in 2015, reaching 2.8 billion units; revenue rose 4 percent over the previous year, to reach $43.9 billion. Samsung Display led the 9-inch-and-smaller display market in 2015, with 23 percent of all revenue, followed by Japan Display at 16 percent, LG Display at 13 percent and Sharp at 10 percent, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

While overall small-medium display unit shipments did not grow in 2015, increasing demand for high-resolution smartphone displays caused active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display unit shipments to grow 54 percent, and low-temperature polysilicon thin-film transistor (LTPS TFT) LCD display unit shipments to rise 10 percent, over the previous year. As AMOLED and LTPS TFT LCD shipments rose, however, amorphous silicon (a-Si) TFT LCD shipments declined 10 percent year over year in 2015, according to the latest IHS Small-Medium Display Market Tracker.

“To compete in the increasingly saturated small-medium display market, smartphone manufacturers are shifting from a-Si TFT display technology to high-performance displays that rely on AMOLED and LTPS TFT technology,” said Hiroshi Hayase, senior director, IHS Technology. “In fact, with Apple’s iPhone line reportedly relying on AMOLED in the future, Japan Display and Sharp officially announced that by 2018 they would invest in mass production of AMOLED displays, joining leading AMOLED suppliers Samsung Display and LG Display.”

small-medium_display_chart_IHS2

As the mobile phone market slows, display manufacturers are looking to new in-cell and on-cell touch-screen solutions that offer consumers thinner and brighter displays, while shortening the supply chain for smartphone manufacturers. As panel makers promote these new solutions, and offer aggressive pricing as well, in-cell and on-cell touch solutions are expected to comprise half of all smartphone displays shipped in 2017, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

With the advent of active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) used in smartphones, new touch solutions are emerging that boast greater flexibility, lighter weight and other feature improvements. Emerging touch solutions for flexible displays are expected to grow more than 50 percent in 2016 compared to the previous year, which will bolster revenue levels, according to the latest IHS Touch Panel Market Tracker.

“Since Samsung announced their Galaxy S6 Edge smartphone last year, flexible displays have grabbed consumer and industry attention,” said Calvin Hsieh, director of display research for IHS Technology. “Flexible AMOLED displays offer many more features than traditional rigid AMOLED and LCD displays, which is an attractive proposition for device makers and consumers.”

Mobile_Phone_Touch_Chart_CH

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.38 billion in orders worldwide in March 2016 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.15, according to the March Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 1.15 means that $115 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in March 2016 was $1.38 billion. The bookings figure is 9.4 percent higher than the final February 2016 level of $1.26 billion, and is 0.9 percent lower than the March 2015 order level of $1.39 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in March 2016 was $1.20 billion. The billings figure is 0.5 percent lower than the final February 2016 level of $1.20 billion, and is 5.3 percent lower than the March 2015 billings level of $1.27 billion.

“Order activity remains steady and is on par with both the previous quarter and one year ago,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “3D NAND and advanced logic are the key drivers for investments.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Billings
(3-mo. avg)

Bookings
(3-mo. avg)

Book-to-Bill
October 2015

$1,358.6

$1,325.6

0.98
November 2015

$1,288.3

$1,236.6

0.96
December 2015

$1,349.9

$1,343.5

1.00
January 2016

$1,221.2

$1,310.9

1.07
February 2016 (final)

$1,204.4

$1,262.0

1.05
March 2016 (prelim)

$1,198.5

$1,380.5

1.15

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), April 2016

Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ:ATRO) ( Astronics ), a supplier of products to the global aerospace, defense, electronics and semiconductor industries, announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Astronics Test Systems (“ATS”), has been awarded a number of follow-on orders from its largest customer valued at approximately $20 million.  These orders are for additional production test systems, retooling, services, and support.  The orders will mostly be reflected in the second quarter of 2016 s bookings, while revenue will be concentrated in the third quarter of 2016.

Peter J. Gundermann, President and CEO of Astronics, noted: “These orders mark the third year of our involvement with this customer since we started deliveries in 2014.  We believe this is a testament to the uniqueness and capabilities of our test solutions and the value add our ATS team provides.  As we look forward, we are encouraged by our customer’s continued interest in our capabilities and anticipate extending the reach of our capabilities into new programs and new applications as opportunities allow.  The return on invested capital in this business has been beyond expectations, and we expect the future to continue to bode well for us.”

The expectation of these orders was included in the previously provided range of projected revenue for the Test Systems segment in 2016, which was approximately $93 million to $109 million.

The global notebook PC display market fell 23 percent year over year in the first quarter (Q1) of 2016, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight. Due to the low profitability of high definition (HD) notebook PC panels, panel makers have begun to decrease production, in favor of full HD (FHD) panels. FHD panels are therefore expected to enjoy high growth through 2018 and could become mainstream in notebook PCs in three years. However, there still are many customers concerned more about price than specification upgrades. In addition to FHD resolution, some panel makers have begun promoting even higher ultra HD (UHD) resolution.

“Microsoft introduced its high resolution Surfacebook last year, which is one reason higher definition displays are now becoming the key differentiator for premium notebooks,” said Jason Hsu, senior principal analyst for display supply chain at IHS Technology.

Price erosion struck the notebook PC market hard in 2015, as PC manufacturers by and large produced low-cost notebooks to maintain market share, rather than introducing new and innovative designs. In fact, half of all notebook PCs sold in 2015 were priced below $500, and laptops costing $300 or less grew to encompass 15 percent of the total market in the fourth quarter. While PC replacement was driven in the past by specification upgrades, today’s consumers mainly use their PCs to browse the Web or check emails, so consumers have become less concerned with upgraded replacements and notebook PC sales continue to decline.

“Performance is no longer the key motivation for customers to replace older PCs,” Hsu said. “Industry players are now reviewing what might be the next driving force for laptops and finding that displays could play a larger role.”

Notebook_Display_Chart_IHS_2

While a good differentiator for premium devices, higher resolution displays also tend to lead to higher power consumption and shorter battery life, which is a dilemma for the industry. “UHD panels are mostly used in premium notebook PC models, which also usually have thinner and lighter form factors,” Hsu said. “There is therefore less room for brands to increase battery capacity these days, which is why notebook PC brands are urging panel makers to find ways to lower power consumption by higher-resolution displays.”

Displays using oxide and low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) panels are designed to address the need for higher resolution and low power consumption. Apple has been very aggressive in adopting oxide-substrate panels for its iMac and iPad Pro product lines, and the company is reportedly introducing oxide panels in its upcoming line of Macbooks. With Apple leading, Samsung Display and LG Display are now increasing investment in expanded oxide-panel manufacturing capacity.

While today’s LTPS capacity is mainly used for smartphone panel production, it will also be coming soon to notebook PCs and tablet panels. JDI, AUO, Tianma and other panel makers are actively promoting LTPS panels for notebook PCs, and IHS anticipates the first LTPS notebook panels to be in commercial production by 2017 or even sooner.

“With panel demand falling this year, panel makers may have to balance the pressure between fab utilization and profitability,” Hsu said. “Investing in next generation technology may not yield immediate returns while continued reliance on mature technologies may decrease ongoing profitability.”

Park Systems announced today the appointments of Charlie Park as Senior Vice President of Global Sales, and Jong-Pil Park as Vice President of Production.

“The addition of these highly talented executives is a continuation of Park’s strategic business focus on global expansion,” states Dr. Sang-il Park, Park Systems Founder and CEO. “The new appointments establish the groundwork for an integrated world-wide targeted sales operation and will jointly aggressively increase our production capabilities to meet anticipated product demands.”

Charlie Park’s role as Senior Vice President of Global Sales will focus on further establishing Park Systems trademarked global Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) brand. He brings over three decades of global sales and marketing experience at leading companies including Samsung Electronics where during his tenure as Senior VP he expanded global operations, leading the sales & marketing divisions in both the Korean and European Headquarters. He has had numerous global assignments in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands and will use his successful global sales experience to implement Park’s long-term strategy for growth and innovation leadership in Atomic Force Microscopes.

Jong-Pil Park, PhD-ME, newly appointed Vice President of the Production Division will expand the highly successful production capabilities of Park AFM with quality-driven state-of-the-art systems and leading-edge performance capabilities. His successful 30 year career as an engineering-based expert in production and quality management include operations vice president at Motorola Korea, production VP at Doosan Infracore Co and at Huneed Technologies Company, and a senior engineer at Defense Technology & Quality. His leadership skills combined with technical knowledge of automated atomic force microscope equipment will expand Park Systems world-renowned production systems to meet the AFM needs for an expanding world market.

By Rania Georgoutsakou, director of Public Policy for Europe, SEMI

In a global industry, monitoring regulatory developments across different regions can be a challenge. Add to that the additional complexity of communicating with a (global) supply chain, then consider that each company has to individually reach out to its suppliers and customers. This results in numerous communications on the same issue up and down the supply chain, and the benefits of industry collaboration within associations such as SEMI become clear.

To help companies keep up with the latest developments in the EU, here’s a list of recent and upcoming regulatory initiatives and how SEMI member companies are collectively addressing these:

  • SEMI FAQ – EU F-Gas regulation and semiconductor manufacturing equipment
  • Review of EU Machinery Directive now underway
  • EU PFOA restriction under discussion
  • 2016 EU Blue Guide is available

A SEMI webcast on EU regulatory developments (March 2016) provided a more detailed overview of these and other developments and how companies should prepare – the webcast is available to view for SEMI member companies only, please click here and select the “EU Regulation Webcast”.

Manufacturing equipment containing pre-charged chillers – new SEMI FAQ provides guidance on how to comply with EU F-Gas law

The EU F-Gas regulation that entered into force in January 2014 creates new restrictions on placing on the EU market pre-charged chillers containing certain fluorinated gases (F-gases).

A new SEMI FAQ on the EU F-Gas regulation provides guidance on what this law is about, how it impacts semiconductor manufacturing equipment and what steps companies importing affected equipment should be taking to ensure compliance.

If your company is importing semiconductor manufacturing equipment containing pre-charged chillers into the EU, then you need to make sure you can account for the f-gases in the chiller under the new F-Gas quota system that the law has established, by obtaining an ‘authorisation’ from a ‘quota holder’ and registering in the ‘EU HFC Register’.

For more details and compliance timelines, check out the SEMI FAQ.

EU Machinery Directive – review now underway – have your say!

The EU Machinery Directive sets out the basic requirements machines must satisfy in order to be placed on the EU market and is a major piece of EU law for semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

The review is part of the regular EU regulatory review process to ensure legislation is ‘fit for purpose’ and does not automatically imply that the Machinery Directive will be revised. It is being run by an external consultant and a final report is expected in April 2017.

The focus of the review will be on 9 product categories, including machines for metal working, engines and turbines, robotics and automation and will also explore whether there are discrepancies in the interpretation of the directive between various member states and to what extent it is aligned to other pieces of legislation.

SEMI is putting together a working group to contribute to review of the EU Machinery Directive. If you are a member company and want to get involved, please contact [email protected]

PFOA restriction under discussion – SEMI requests derogations for the industry

The EU is currently drafting a law to restrict the manufacture, use and placing on the market of PFOA, its salts and PFOA-related substances under EU REACH. The restriction would apply both to substances and mixtures and to articles containing these substances.

SEMI has been calling for a derogation for substances and mixtures used in photolithography processes and for articles contained in semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

SEMI has collected and submitted evidence to substantiate members’ recommendations for:

  • a derogation period of at least 10 years for semiconductor manufacturing equipment, to allow equipment manufacturers to communicate with their the supply chain, identify components potentially containing restricted substances, source substitute parts that are tested and validated and requalify the equipment.
  • non-time-limited derogation for spare parts for legacy semiconductor manufacturing equipment, i.e. equipment that was already on the EU market before the restriction entered into force and before the derogation for semiconductor manufacturing equipment expires.
  • non-time-limited derogation for second-hand semiconductor manufacturing equipment, to ensure that companies can still import used equipment from outside the EU or from another EU member state.

SEMI has also voiced its concerns around the proposed concentration limits and the non-availability today of standardized practicable analytical methods that can be applied to a variety of materials to test whether an article would comply with the restriction.

The EU proposed restriction will be published in the next month and the final decision on the restriction is expected by the end of 2016.

Product regulatory compliance in the EU – 2016 Blue Guide now published

The Blue Guide provides guidance on how to implement EU product rules, including for example the EU Machinery and EMC Directives. A 2016 revised version is now available to download – click here.

The Blue Guide addresses:

  • what constitutes placing a product on the EU market
  • obligations of the various actors in the supply chain (manufacturer, importer, authorized representative etc.)
  • product requirements
  • conformity assessment
  • accreditation
  • market surveillance carried out in the EU

For an overview of SEMI’s advocacy work in Europe, please click here.

To find out more and get involved, please contact [email protected]

Join us for the 10th SEMI Brussels Forum – the industry’s major annual event bringing together company executives and decision-makers to discuss opportunities for the micro/nano-electronics industry in Europe: www.semi.org/BrusselsForum

ams AG (SIX: AMS) today took a step forward in its long-term strategy of increasing manufacturing capacity for its high-performance sensors and sensor solution integrated circuits (ICs), holding a groundbreaking event at the site of its new wafer fabrication plant in Utica, New York.

An artist’s rendering of a semiconductor fab at the Marcy site.

The ceremony featured New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri, local dignitaries and senior executives from ams and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

ams sensor solutions are relied upon globally by manufacturers of smartphones, tablets and other communications devices, automakers, audio and medical equipment manufacturers and others. ams sensors are used in hundreds of millions of devices to recognize light, color, gestures, images, motion, position, environmental and medical parameters and more.

With construction work now underway on the new fab, ams remains on track to reach its target for the first batches of wafers made at the plant in the first half of 2018.

Production capacity at the Utica fab will supplement ams’ existing 180nm and 350nm CMOS and SiGe fab at its headquarters near Graz, Austria. Adding this additional volume to its in-house chip manufacturing facilities positions ams to meet the forecasted growth in demand for its high-performance sensor solution ICs.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has made public-private partnerships an important part of this  Nano Utica initiative, which exceeds 4,000 projected jobs over the next decade. Designed to replicate the dramatic success of SUNY Poly’s Nanotech Megaplex in Albany, NANO Utica further cements New York’s international recognition as the preeminent hub for 21st century nanotechnology innovation, education, and economic development.

The Governor says the addition of ams and others to Nano Utica is creating an economic revolution around nano-technology in the Mohawk Valley region, and that the economy there is “gathering momentum unlike ever before.”

The new fab, which is being built to ams’s specifications and which ams will operate under a 20-year lease, is expected initially to offer capacity of at least 150,000 200mm-wafer equivalents per year. Planned expansion thereafter will eventually see the plant operating at a capacity of more than 450,000 200mm-wafer equivalents per year.

The new fab is located close to a campus of SUNY Polytechnic Institute in New York’s Tech Valley, the largest region focused on technology manufacturing in the US and home to other nanotechnology and semiconductor companies. The fab will be capable of producing wafers at the 130nm node, and more advanced nodes in the future.

Today’s celebratory event at the new fab site also marked the success of the partnership behind the project to build, equip and operate another high-technology manufacturing facility in the State of New York. This partnership has benefited from a wide-ranging collaboration between public sector bodies such as the New York governor’s office, the City of Utica and the State University of New York, and various private sector institutions including ams, the fab’s sole leaseholder.

Approximately 250 people gathered at the construction site to see Lt. Governor Hochul and ams CEO Alexander Everke break ground for the foundation of what will be, on completion in 2018, one of the world’s largest analog wafer fabs.

“Building this new wafer fab enables ams to achieve its plans for growth and to meet the increasing demand for sensor solutions produced at advanced manufacturing nodes. Our decision to locate the facility in New York was motivated by the availability of a highly skilled workforce, the proximity to prestigious educational and research institutions, and the favorable business environment, backed by public and private partners,” Mr. Everke said. “What we will create together in Utica will be the most productive ‘More than Moore’ fab worldwide,” he added.