Yearly Archives: 2016

Scientists with the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for the first time discovered how to make perovskite solar cells out of quantum dots and used the new material to convert sunlight to electricity with 10.77 percent efficiency.

The research, Quantum dot-induced phase stabilization of a-CsPbI3 perovskite for high-efficiency photovoltaics, appears in the journal Science. The authors are Abhishek Swarnkar, Ashley Marshall, Erin Sanehira, Boris Chernomordik, David Moore, Jeffrey Christians, and Joseph Luther from NREL. Tamoghna Chakrabarti from the Colorado School of Mines also is a co-author.

In addition to developing quantum dot perovskite solar cells, the researchers discovered a method to stabilize a crystal structure in an all-inorganic perovskite material at room temperature that was previously only favorable at high temperatures. The crystal phase of the inorganic material is more stable in quantum dots.

Most research into perovskites has centered on a hybrid organic-inorganic structure. Since research into perovskites for photovoltaics began in 2009, their efficiency of converting sunlight into electricity has climbed steadily and now shows greater than 22 percent power conversion efficiency. However, the organic component hasn’t been durable enough for the long-term use of perovskites as a solar cell.

NREL scientists turned to quantum dots-which are essentially nanocrystals-of cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3) to remove the unstable organic component and open the door to high-efficiency quantum dot optoelectronics that can be used in LED lights and photovoltaics.

The nanocrystals of CsPbI3 were synthesized through the addition of a Cs-oleate solution to a flask containing PbI2 precursor. The NREL researchers purified the nanocrystals using methyl acetate as an anti-solvent that removed excess unreacted precursors. This step turned out to be critical to increasing their stability.

Contrary to the bulk version of CsPbI3, the nanocrystals were found to be stable not only at temperatures exceeding 600 degrees Fahrenheit but also at room temperatures and at hundreds of degrees below zero. The bulk version of this material is unstable at room temperature, where photovoltaics normally operate and convert very quickly to an undesired crystal structure.

NREL scientists were able to transform the nanocrystals into a thin film by repeatedly dipping them into a methyl acetate solution, yielding a thickness between 100 and 400 nanometers. Used in a solar cell, the CsPbI3 nanocrystal film proved efficient at converting 10.77 percent of sunlight into electricity at an extraordinary high open circuit voltage. The efficiency is similar to record quantum dot solar cells of other materials and surpasses other reported all-inorganic perovskite solar cells.

The research was funded in part by the Energy Department’s Office of Science and by the SunShot Initiative.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by The Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.

The SunShot Initiative is a collaborative national effort that aggressively drives innovation to make solar energy fully cost-competitive with traditional energy sources before the end of the decade. Through SunShot, the Energy Department supports efforts by private companies, universities, and national laboratories to drive down the cost of solar electricity to $0.06 per kilowatt-hour. Learn more at energy.gov/sunshot.

Murata to acquire IPDiA


October 12, 2016

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and IPDiA S.A. today announced that Murata Electronics Europe B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Murata is about to acquire IPDiA, a 3D silicon capacitor technology developer headquartered in France, and IPDiA will become a subsidiary of Murata. The transaction is expected to close before the end of October.

This acquisition will enhance Murata’s position as a provider of high reliability capacitors. It is part of Murata’s strategy to strengthen its core business within the communication (mobile) market, and to expand into new applications within the automotive and medical markets.

IPDiA, headquartered in Caen, France, was formed in 2009 and has around 130 employees today. The company is dedicated to the manufacturing of leading edge Integrated Passive Devices, specializing in silicon sub-mounts for lighting and 3D silicon capacitors for medical, industrial, communication and high reliability applications. The company operates design centers, sales and marketing offices and a manufacturing facility (silicon wafer FAB) certified ISO 9001 / 14001 / 18001 as well as ISO TS 16949 for the automotive market and ISO 13485 for medical devices.

As a result of this acquisition, IPDiA will be integrated into Murata, and IPDiA’s products and solutions will be commercialized as part of Murata’s product portfolio.

“Combining IPDiA’s 3D silicon capacitor technologies with Murata’s current technologies and product portfolio will enable us to expand our combined offering and meet our customers’ high reliability requirements, such as high temperature or high voltage, in automotive and other demanding markets”, says Toru Inoue, Executive Vice President, Components Business Unit, Murata.

In addition, Franck Murray, IPDiA CEO commented, “In the last 7 years, we have worked intensively to establish and strengthen our presence in the electronics industry. IPDiA’s patented technology has enabled silicon passive components to be considered as a superior solution in specific markets where high performance and miniaturization are required. We wish to benefit from Murata’s world recognized expertise and sales force to further expand our products and business. We look forward to working with Murata to enhance their leading position in the passive market”.

Silvaco, Inc., a provider of electronic design automation software and semiconductor IP, today announced that Dr. Raul Camposano has joined Silvaco’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB).  Dr. Camposano brings an accomplished record in industry and academia to the TAB, where he will contribute his expertise in semiconductor design to Silvaco’s leadership team to advance the company’s technology roadmap.

Dr. Camposano is currently CEO of Sage-DA, and held positions of CTO, Senior Vice President, and General Manager at Synopsys for more than ten years.  He also previously served as CEO of EDA startups Xoomsys and Nimbic, which was acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2014.  Prior to joining Synopsys, Dr. Camposano was concurrently a professor of Computer Science at the University of Paderborn, and Institute Director for Design of Integrated Circuits at GMD.  His early career was as a research staff member at IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center. A distinguished author and researcher, he has published over 70 technical papers and three books, and was an Advisory Professor at Fudan University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was elected Fellow of the IEEE in 1999. Dr. Camposano holds a B.S. and M.S. in EE from the University of Chile, and a Ph.D. in CS from the University of Karlsruhe.

Operating under the leadership of Silvaco’s CEO David L. Dutton, the TAB is a collaborative team of industry and academic experts leveraging their industry knowledge and subject matter expertise to assist the Silvaco management and technology team to refine its technology vision and roadmap. Dr. Camposano joins Dr. Siegfried Selberherr and Dr. Jin Jang as outside experts on the TAB.

“It is an exciting time to join Silvaco’s TAB, as the company has been growing its technology portfolio to take on the significant technology challenges facing the semiconductor design community,” said Dr. Camposano.  “I look forward to helping develop the technology vision necessary to meet those challenges.”

“We are privileged to be able to announce the addition of Dr. Camposano to our technology advisory board,” said David L. Dutton, CEO of Silvaco.  “His deep expertise and experience in both the technology and business of semiconductor design will be of tremendous assistance as we further develop our growth strategies.”

Total wafer demand is expected to return to historical growth rates over the next five years. However, what is uncharacteristic of the past is the wide range of decline and growth that will be logged by specific product categories and technologies. Semico’s recent report Semico Wafer Demand Model Update Q3 2016 indicates that the compound annual growth rates by detailed product breakouts range from a -4.1% decrease all the way up to 11.3% growth, exemplifying the diverse applications within the semiconductor industry.

“The products experiencing growth or decline have a significant impact on the need for certain types of production capacity such as 200mm versus 300mm; logic, memory or other; and advanced versus mature process technology”, says Joanne Itow, Managing Director Manufacturing for Semico. “The process technologies covered in wafer demand model ranges from >1000nm down to 7nm.”

Key findings include:

* Semiconductor revenues are expected to fall 2.5% in 2016
* Total wafer demand in 2016 is expected to exceed 100 million 300mm wafer equivalents
* The main reason for the increase in wafer demand in 2016 is due to continued increases in Other MOS Logic (Automotive, Consumer, Audio, etc.), NAND, DRAM, Discretes/Sensors and Optoelectronics
* DRAM chip revenue is expected to decline 14.7% in 2016
Semico Research’s report, Semico Wafer Demand Model Update Q3 2016, study number MA112-16 , includes an excel spreadsheet which provides wafer demand by 18 product categories and 14 technology nodes over a 10 year time frame from 2010 to 2020. There is also a summary write-up which provides insight into the recent changes compared to the previous quarter.

Other data contained in the report:
* Wafer demand by product (discrete/sensor, Opto, Analog, Communications, MCU, MPU, DRAM, NAND, NOR, SRAM, etc.) by process node (≥1000nm-7nm)
* Silicon wafer shipments from 2010-2020

MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG)’s annual MEMS & Sensors Technology Showcase at MEMS & Sensors Executive Congress® 2016 (November 9-11, 2016 in Scottsdale, AZ) highlights some of the newest and most unique MEMS/sensors-enabled applications in the industry. MSIG today announced the shortlist of finalists who will compete for the title of winner at this year’s event.

i-BLADES’ Smartplatform
i-BLADES’ mobile Smartcase is a new modular accessory that dramatically accelerates time to market and reach for MEMS and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. It lets new technologies quickly reach mass-market mobile consumers through one integrated smartphone accessory — a mobile phone case. It not only provides protection but also a Smartplatform that forms a “hard-wired” smartphone connection, enabling add-on MEMS and IoT technologies. Developers can add new sensors to Smartcase directly or through snap-on Smartblade modules.

With i-BLADES, technologies can quickly go onto hundreds of millions of smartphones as an after-market opportunity, making smartphones “smarter.” i-BLADES partnered with Bosch to deploy successfully the BME680 sensor faster than via other routes. For more information, visit: www.i-blades.com or watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVcOewMhopE&feature=youtu.be

Chirp Microsystems’ MEMS-Based Ultrasonic Sensing Solution
Today’s VR and gaming systems are limited by their reliance on complex computer vision techniques for controller tracking, resulting in higher cost, limited tracking area and lack of mobility due to high power consumption. Chirp Microsystems’ ultrasonic tracking technology addresses these limitations, offering solutions that enable truly mobile VR and AR systems at attractive price points suitable for multiple tiers of products.

Chirp Microsystems’ new ultrasonic time-of-flight (ToF) technology uses pulses of ultrasound to measure an object’s range with millimeter accuracy. This ultra-low power ultrasonic ToF technology enables low-latency, millimeter-accurate 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) inside-out controller tracking for VR/AR and gaming systems. This system solution is enabled by Chirp’s ultra-low power ultrasonic ToF sensor, which offers ultra-wide field-of-view, noise and light immunity, fast sample rate, and small package size. The ToF sensor is a system in package (SiP) that combines a MEMS ultrasound transducer with a power-efficient digital signal processor (DSP) on a custom integrated circuit. In wearable applications, Chirp’s ultrasonic SiP provides a transformative and intuitive touchless gesture interface. For more information, visit: www.chirpmicro.com

Integrated Device Technology’s Gas Sensor for Air Quality and Breath Detection
Integrated Device Technology’s (IDT’s) new highly sensitive gas sensor family based on the ZMOD3250 targets indoor air quality with a roadmap that includes environmental (outdoor) air quality and breath detection. The ZMOD3250 family detects total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and odors, and can be used to selectively identify several VOCs, including formaldehyde, ethanol and toluene. The company is promoting several features and applications of this new gas sensor product line, including the off-gassing detection of chemicals from common home and office materials, odor detection, selective measurements among VOCs and detection of several breath components.

IDT’s flagship product, the ZMOD3250, features a unique silicon microhotplate with nanostructured sensing material that enables a highly sensitive measurement of gas. The accompanying ASIC provides a flexible solution for integration of the sensor with various consumer devices, including mobile phones, wearables and appliances. Packaged in a 12 pin LGA assembly (3.0 mm x 3.0 mm x 0.7 mm), the sensor emulates a sensor array with a single sensor element. Suitable for a wide range of applications, the sensor features programmable-measurement sequence and highly integrated CMOS design. To request more information about the ZMOD3250, visit: www.idt.com or watch video: http://www.idt.com/video/uv-sensor-and-gas-sensor-demonstration-idt

Valencell’s Biometric Gaming
Biometric input adds a new element to gaming. For example, fitness games can use heart rate as a key control measure, or action games can require users to hold their breath while their characters are swimming. Audio earbuds, headsets, armbands and wrist devices — all of which make good use of MEMS/sensors — are natural peripherals for gaming — and as well as for exercising.

Valencell has created a demonstration game that not only involves real-time biometric data to affect the gaming experience, but also collects meaningful health metrics in the background. This has implications not only for the gaming industry, but also for healthcare and medical markets. In fact, healthcare practitioners are integrating biometric game play into physical therapy and surgery recovery protocols to measure and manage recovery processes. Valencell will demonstrate the game as well as its biometric output and analysis. For more information, visit: www.valencell.com or watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMTJP6OBmjA

Vesper’s Wake-on Sound MEMS Microphone
Always-listening MEMS microphones may signal a new era of ubiquitous sensors that can run indefinitely on small batteries. That’s good news for developers of TV remote controls, smart speakers, smartphones, intelligent sensor nodes, hearables and other electronic devices. It’s even better news for consumers who want to cut the power cord but end up incessantly charging devices or replacing batteries, even when those devices aren’t in regular use.

Vesper — developer of the world’s only piezoelectric MEMS microphones — will demonstrate VM1010, the first quiescent-sensing MEMS microphone, during MEMS & Sensors Technology Showcase. VM1010 alleviates the heavy power consumption typical of speech recognition–which consumes up to 1000 µW or more. Because it supports wake-on sound at practically zero power draw (a mere 3 µA of current while in listening mode), VM1010 reduces standby power by two orders of magnitude and can increase standby time by a factor of 100.

Vesper will also demonstrate the extremely fast response time of VM1010, showing how it can go to full power within microseconds, quick enough to record what a user is saying and capture keywords and other acoustic event triggers. For more information, visit: www.vespermems.com or watch video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhFtrjbpffE

Astronics Corporation (NASDAQ:ATRO), a supplier of advanced technologies and products to the global aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries, announced that it has appointed three new independent directors to its Board: Jeffry D. Frisby, Warren C. Johnson and Neil Kim.  The appointments expand the Board to nine directors, eight of whom are independent.

Kevin T. Keane, Chairman of the Board, commented, “We are fortunate to add directors that bring such extensive experience in leading world-class aerospace and semiconductor companies.  Jeff, Warren and Neil each bring unique talents and valuable perspectives to our already strong board.  The expansion of the Board is critical to our succession plan and provides for necessary continuity to support Astronics’ continued success.”

Jeff Frisby, age 60, brings significant aerospace experience spanning nearly 40 years.  He spent 17 years with Triumph Group, Inc. (NYSE:TGI), a global company that designs, engineers, manufacturers, repairs and overhauls a broad portfolio of aerostructures, aircraft components, accessories, subassemblies and systems, as President and CEO and prior to that as President of the Aerospace Systems Group.  He began his career at Frisby Aerospace, which was later acquired by Triumph.  Mr. Frisby currently serves on the board of Quaker Chemical Corporation (NYSE:KWR).  He is a graduate of the Wayne Calloway School of Business and Accountancy at Wake Forest University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business.

Warren C. Johnson, age 57, brings noteworthy aerospace experience from his 33-year career at Moog Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of precision control components and systems.  Prior to his retirement, Mr. Johnson was President of the Moog Aircraft Group.  He began his career as a Development Engineer and held various positions of increasing responsibility, leading Moog’s efforts to streamline aerospace product development cycle time and lean activities.  Mr. Johnson holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University.  He completed a Sloan Fellows M.B.A. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Neil Kim, age 58, was with Broadcom Corporation, a developer of semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, since 2000 and held progressively advanced positions of responsibility until its acquisition in January 2016.  He retired as Executive Vice President, Operations and Central Engineering, and was responsible for the company’s global manufacturing, including foundry operations, supply chain management and corporate procurement operations.  Prior to Broadcom, he held a variety of senior technical, research and development engineering positions with Western Digital Corporation and Micropolis Corporation.  Mr. Kim is named as inventor on 33 patents, previously served as a director for the Global Semiconductor Alliance and currently is a member of the Board of Directors for Silicon Laboratories Inc., (NASDAQ:SLAB), Signetics Korea (KOSDAQ:033170) and Korea Circuit Co. LTD (KS:007810).  He received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) are a new type of battery developed in recent years, typically using graphite as both the cathode and anode material. DIBs can operate across a wider voltage window with safer performance, and are cheaper than conventional lithium ion batteries.

Schematic structure of the DIB. Credit: TANG Yongbing

Schematic structure of the DIB. Credit: TANG Yongbing

Prof. TANG Yongbing and colleagues from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, had previously developed a novel and low-cost aluminum-graphite DIB (AGDIB) using Al foil as both the anode and current collector. Although the AGDIB exhibits high energy density, it is far from a practical application due to poor stability caused by the crack and pulverization problem of Al foil during cycling.

To solve this problem, Prof. TANG and his colleagues designed a 3D porous Al foil coated with a uniform carbon layer (pAl/C) both as the anode and the current collector for the DIB. The 3D porous structure of Al alleviates the mechanical stress caused by the volume change of Al during electrochemical cycling, and shortens the ion diffusion length as well. The carbon layer helps buffer the Al volume change, and alleviates undesirable surface reactions through SEI film formation.

Therefore, owing to the synergistic effect of the porous and conductive structure of the pAl/C anode, the DIB exhibits an excellent long-term cycling stability of over 1000 cycles with 89.4% retention of capacity at 2C current rate (charging/discharging within 30 minutes). It’s worth noting that the energy density of this DIB is estimated to be 204 Wh kg-1 at a high power density of 3084 W kg-1 (charging/discharging within 4 minutes), which is two times larger than best commercial lithium ion batteries and the best performance of any reported DIBs.

Prof. TANG and colleagues believe that this novel DIB, characterized by low cost, high rate, high energy density and long-term cycling capabilities, shows great potential for industrial applications in the energy field such as portable electronics and electric vehicles.

This research was supported by the Guangdong Innovation Team and the National Natural Science Foundation of China and published online in Advanced Materials.

200mm fabs on the rise


October 11, 2016

One year after the debut of the industry’s first 200mm Fab Outlook report, SEMI has issued an October 2016 update, with the improved and expanded report forecasting 200mm fab trends out to 2020.  This extensive report features trends from 2009 to 2020, showing how 200mm fab activities and capacity have changed worldwide.  SEMI’s analysts updated information on almost 200 facilities, including new facilities and closures of existing facilities.

Examining 200mm capacity over the years, the highest level of 200mm capacity was recorded in 2007 and the lowest following this peak in 2009 (see figure). The capacity decline from 2007 to 2009 was driven by the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, which caused the closure of many facilities, and the transition of memory and MPU fabrication to 300mm fabs from 200mm.

Global_200mm_chart_700px

Since 2009, installed 200mm fab capacity has increased, and by 2020, 200mm capacity is expected to reach 5.5 million wafers per month (wpm), though still less than the 2007 peak.  According to SEMI’s data, by 2019, installed capacity will reach close to 5.38 million wpm, almost as high as capacity in 2006.  From 2015 to 2020, 200mm facilities are forecast to add 618,000 wpm net capacity. This increase is a combination of fabs adding capacity and fabs losing capacity

Two applications account for the growing demand for 200mm: mobile devices and IoT. Rising fab capacity from 2015 to 2020 will be driven by MEMS devices, Power, Foundry and Analog.  By region, the greatest increases in capacity are expected to be in China, Southeast Asia, Americas, and Taiwan. Another trend is also observed: 200mm fabs are increasing the capacity to provide process capability below 120nm. Higher capacity does not mean more fabs, but fewer, larger fabs. In fact, the number of fabs in 2020 is almost the same as the count seen in 2009.  So 2020 capacity heads toward industry highs while in comparison 2009 had the lowest levels off the 2007 peak.

The Global 200mm Fab Outlook to 2020, published by SEMI in October 2016, includes two files: a 92-page pdf file featuring trend charts, tables and summaries and an Excel file covering 2009 to 2020 detailing on quarterly basis and fab-by-fab developments.

Flat-panel display (FPD) equipment sales are expected to attain their highest sustained three-year level in the history of the industry. FPD equipment spending will rise 89 percent, hitting $12.9 billion in 2016. Increased spending levels will continue, reaching $13 billion in 2017, then declining slightly to $11.8 billion in 2018, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).

fpd equipment

“Investments in new FPD factories had been trending upwards for the past several years as Chinese panel makers continue to relentlessly build new FPD factories to make the country the largest FPD producing region in the world,” said Charles Annis, senior director at IHS Markit. “In fact, China will surpass long-dominant South Korea in capacity share by the second quarter of 2017.”

According to the IHS Markit Display Supply Demand & Equipment Tracker, in addition to the substantial number of sixth-generation (Gen 6) and Gen 8 factories (fabs) being built in China, the two largest panel makers in the country, BOE and China Star, are rushing to construct Gen 10.5 fabs that process enormous glass substrates, targeting efficient production of 65-inch and 75-inch panels. FPD makers in South Korea and Japan have now started ceding the LCD market to producers of lower-cost displays in China. They are also starting to shutter their large-area LCD factories, to focus on active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) panel production, where they still have a technology edge. Declining capacity in other regions is now balancing supply and demand, which is further encouraging Chinese makers to press their advantage and build even more factories. China will account for sixty-five percent of all FPD equipment spending, on average, between 2016 and 2018.

The FPD industry is in the midst of an unprecedented and rapid display technology shift from LCD to AMOLED for mobile applications. Samsung Display has led this change to-date with the success of its own AMOLED displays for Galaxy-based products and expansion of AMOLED panel sales to other smartphone makers looking to differentiate their products with high-end displays. Panel makers in South Korea and Japan are rushing to build new AMOLED fabs, so as not to miss out on the market shift. Chinese makers, backed by joint ventures with regional governments, are also building a large number of AMOLED factories, because they view AMOLED as a potential opportunity to upgrade from trailing-edge to leading-edge display manufacturing.

“Not only are there an extraordinary number of new FPD factories under construction, but many of the new factories are also some of the most expensive ever built,” Annis said. “Of course, the Gen 10.5 factories have much more capacity, but the capital costs are more than twice that of typical Gen 8 factories, due to the size of machines and unique facility requirements.”

Almost all of the new AMOLED factories plan to produce flexible, plastic-based displays. Most of these new factories are adopting highly complicated, high-mask-count LTPS-TFT processes that require more high-resolution exposure lines and other supporting equipment. The new flexible AMOLED lines now under construction are almost 50 percent more expensive than the rigid AMOLED factories constructed only a few years ago.

“FPD equipment makers are scrambling to ramp-up capacity to meet customer demand and take advantage of the best sales opportunity ever,” Annis said. “Even so, equipment companies know how cyclical the market is, so they need to manage the additional capacity and staff they are now putting in place, when the market eventually starts to slow down.”

The IHS Markit Display Supply Demand & Equipment Tracker covers metrics used to evaluate supply, demand and capital spending for all major FPD technologies and applications.

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, announces the move of its United Kingdom (UK) team into a larger office facility. Located in Theale, this new office quadruples the working area and laboratory space to better accommodate the UK team’s 90-percent growth since the Murata acquisition in Dec. 2014.

“Our team had outgrown our old facility—both in seating capacity and in lab space to accommodate new product development—and it was time to move into a larger office,” says Mark Moffat, managing director of Peregrine Semiconductor Europe. “Our new ‘home’ not only better suits our current team, but it has the capacity for our projected growth. With a prime location in the Thames Valley, we are able to tap into the abundance of talent in this region and build a team that is driving Peregrine’s growth in areas like 5G and power management.”

Peregrine’s new UK office is located in the heart of the Thames Valley at 1420 Arlington Business Park in Theale, Berkshire. The 4,600-square-foot office includes two fully equipped laboratories.

A global company, Peregrine’s corporate headquarters are in San Diego, Calif. In addition to the Theale office, Peregrine has offices in Arlington Heights, Illinois; Seongnam-si, South Korea; and Shanghai, China.