Category Archives: 3D Integration

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a technology company that helps enterprises, service providers, and governments accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, today announced that the company’s 3D planar electromagnetic (EM) simulator, Momentum, has been certified for GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) 22FDX®, 22nm Fully-Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FD-SOI) technology.

Keysight’s Momentum is a 3D planar EM simulator used for passive circuit modeling and analysis. It accepts arbitrary design geometries (including multi-layer structures) and uses frequency-domain Method of Moments (MoM) technology to accurately simulate complex EM effects including coupling and parasitics.

As a result of the certification, designers can now perform accurate EM simulation with GF’s cutting-edge 22FDX technology, facilitating analysis of electromagnetic effect and behavior in today’s ever shrinking and complex designs. Momentum stack-up files are integrated with the latest 22FDX PDK available from GF.

“The certification of GF 22FDX for Keysight’s EM simulator is testimony to the continuous collaboration between GF and Keysight under Keysight’s Foundry Program,” said Punmark Ngangom, RFIC Foundry Program Manager for Keysight Technologies. “Our mutual customers will now be able to leverage Keysight’s GF certified Momentum stack-up files, which are available with GF’s standard 22FDX PDK package.”

Keysight’s Momentum has also been certified for RF/mmWave-optimized metal options with different inductors, attaining highly precise correlation with silicon measurements and circuit models up to 100 GHz per GF’s certification standards.

GOWIN Semiconductor Corp., a developer of programmable logic devices, announces 2 new additions to the current families of embedded memory FPGA devices, the GW1NR-LV4MG81 and GW1NSR-LX2CQN48.  As computing functions are being distributed to edge locations, the need for silicon to adapt to these new uses is becoming prevalent.  The 2 new embedded FPGA devices were designed with low power, small package size, and low cost in mind.

Adopting an edge to cloud infrastructure is challenging.  Each portion of the chain has its own unique characteristics in design.  For the edge, size of sensor or data gatherer affects product real estate; power consumption affects the power source, especially battery life.  The new embedded memory FPGA devices solve these issues by enhancing the integration of multiple devices into a nice, single package device.

“GOWIN’s vision has always been one of developing new products for customer’s needs,” said Jason Zhu, CEO of GOWIN Semiconductor.  “We saw a lack of product integration at the edge and aimed to fix this with easy to use solutions at cost-effective price points.”

The GW1NR-LV4MG81 is a 4K LUT FPGA fabric with 64Mb internal high-speed memory.  The package size is ultra-small, 4.5mm x 4.5 mm PBGA and .83mm thick.  A great logic device for applications where the thickness is an issue.  Power consumption has been optimized to the lowest possible using TSMC’s 55nm LP process.  And up to 69 user IO’s are available supporting GOWIN’s flexible IO structures.

In a 5mm x 5mm QFN package, the GW1NSR-LX2CQN48 is GOWIN’s first device that combines a 2K LUT FPGA fabric with 32Mb internal high-speed memory and an Arm Cortex M3 microprocessor.  With additional user programmable flash, internal SRAM, ADC, and both USB2.0 and MIPI D-PHY interfaces, this makes the GW1NSR-LX2CQN48 a true SoC to solve low power requirements at the edge and elsewhere.

GOWIN offers a complete all-in-one toolchain for both FPGA fabric programming and Cortex M3 programming.  In addition, a complete library of IP cores and reference designs are available to assist in developing platform solutions.  All of these resources are available for download on GOWIN’s website, www.gowinsemi.com.

Japan is at the heart of the semiconductor industry as the era of artificial intelligence (AI) dawns. SEMICON Japan 2018 will highlight AI and SMART technologies in Japan’s industry-leading event. Registration is now open for SEMICON Japan, Japan’s largest global electronics supply chain event, December 12-14 at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo.

Themed “Dreams Start Here,” SEMICON Japan 2018 reflects the promise of AI, Internet of Things (IoT) and other SMART technologies that are shaping the future. Japan is positioned to help power a semiconductor industry expansion that is enabling this new path ahead, supplying one-third of the world’s semiconductor equipment and half of its chip IC materials.

According to VLSI Research, seven of the world’s top 15 semiconductor equipment manufacturers in 2017 are headquartered in Japan. In the semiconductor materials market, Japanese companies dominate silicon wafers, photoresists, sputtering targets, bonding wires, lead frames, mold compounds and more. For SEMICON Japan visitors, the event is the ideal platform for connecting with Japan’s leading suppliers.

The SMART Application Zone at SEMICON Japan will once again connect SMART industries with the semiconductor supply chain to foster collaboration across the electronics ecosystem.

SEMICON Japan Keynotes

SEMICON Japan opening keynotes will feature two young leaders of Japan’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry sharing their vision for the industry:

Motoi Ishibashi, CTO of Rhizomatiks, will discuss the latest virtual and mixed reality technologies. Rhizomatiks, a Japanese media art company that staged the Rio Olympic Games closing ceremony, will orchestrate the opening performance at SEMICON Japan 2018. The company is dedicated to creating large-scale commercial projects combining technology with the arts.

Toru Nishikawa, president and CEO at Preferred Networks, will explore computer requirements for enabling deep learning applications. Preferred Networks, a deep-learning research startup, is conducting collaborative research with technology giants including Toyota Motors, Fanuc, NVIDIA, Intel and Microsoft.

Registration

For more information and to register for SEMICON Japan, visit www.semiconjapan.org/en/. Registration for the opening keynotes and other programs will open October 1.

This premier international conference, sponsored by the IEEE Electronics Packaging Society (IEEE EPS), covers a wide spectrum of electronic packaging technology topics, including components, materials, assembly, interconnect design, device and system packaging, wafer level packaging, Si photonics, LED and IoT, optoelectronics, 2.5D and 3D integration technology, and reliability.

The ECTC Program Committee, with more than 200 experts from broad-ranging technical areas, is committed to creating an engaging technical program for all. ECTC typically attracts more than 1,400 attendees from over 25 countries. Last year’s 68th ECTC in San Diego, California, had 1,738 attendees, with 331 papers and interactive presentations featured in 41 sessions.

The 69th ECTC program will include six parallel technical sessions in the mornings and afternoons over three days, along with other special topic panel discussions to present high-level trends and best practices in the industry. Professional Development Courses (PDCs) will also be offered by world-class experts, enabling participants to broaden their technical knowledge base.

The technical program and PDCs will be supplemented by Technology Corner Exhibits, which provide an opportunity for leading companies in the electronic components, materials, and packaging fields to exhibit their latest technologies and products. Last year’s 68th ECTC matched our record number of 106 exhibitors.

Please submit an abstract between 250 and 750 words that describes the scope, content, and key points of your proposed technical paper at www.ectc.net. You are also welcome to submit proposals for PDCs. All abstracts and manuscripts must be original, free of commercial content, and non-confidential.

Deadlines to Remember:

  • 0.08.2018| Abstracts and PDC Proposals Due

12.10-2018| Authors Notified of Acceptance

01.02.2019| Advance Online Registration Opens

  • 02.23.2018| Manuscripts due for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings.

SEMI announced today the October 9 deadline for presenters to submit abstracts for the annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference(ASMC). ASMC, May 6-9, 2019, in Saratoga Springs, New York, will feature technical presentations of more than 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts covering critical process technologies and fab productivity.

ASMC 2019 will feature keynotes, a panel discussion, networking events, technical sessions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing, and tutorials. The conference will also feature a special student poster session to highlight student projects related to semiconductor manufacturing.

Selected speakers will present to IC manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, chief technology officers, operations managers, process engineers, product managers and academia. All technical papers will be published by IEEE, and authors also may receive an invitation to publish their papers in a special section for ASMC 2019 to be featured in IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing. Technical abstracts are due October 9, 2018, and can be submitted here. 

ASMC 2019 will cover the following topics:

  • Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials
  • Advanced Patterning / Design for Manufacturability
  • Advanced Process Control
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing
  • Big Data Management and Mining
  • Defect Inspection and Reduction
  • Discrete and Power Devices
  • Enabling Technologies and Innovative Devices
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancements
  • Factory Automation
  • The Fabless Experience
  • Green Factory
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • MOL and Junction Interfaces
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • Yield Enhancement/Learning
  • Yield Methodologies
  • 3D Packaging and Through Silicon Via

ASMC, in its 30th year, continues to fill a critical need for the industry, providing a venue for professionals to network, learn and share knowledge about semiconductor manufacturing best practices.

Details on how to upload abstracts can be found here. To learn more about the conference and the selection process, please contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or call 1.202.393.5552.   

Papers co-authored by device manufacturers, equipment or materials suppliers, and/or academic institutions that demonstrate innovative, practical solutions for advancing semiconductor manufacturing are highly encouraged.

ASMC is organized by SEMI Americas to connect more than 2,000 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics manufacturing

IC Insights forecasts total semiconductor capital expenditures will rise to $102.0 billion this year, marking the first time that the industry has spent more than $100 billion on capital expenditures in one year.  The $102.0 billion spending level represents a 9% increase over $93.3 billion spent in 2017, which was a 38% surge over 2016.

Figure 1 shows that more than half of industry capital spending is forecast for memory production—primarily DRAM and flash memory—including upgrades to existing wafer fab lines and brand new manufacturing facilities. Collectively, memory is forecast to account for 53% of semiconductor capital expenditures this year. The share of capital spending for memory devices has increase substantially in six years, nearly doubling from 27% ($14.7 billion) in 2013 to a forecast of 53% ($54.0 billion) of total industry capex in 2018, which amounts to a 2013-2018 CAGR of 30%.

Figure 1

Of the major product categories shown, DRAM/SRAM is forecast to show the largest increase in spending, but flash memory is expected to account for the largest share of capex spending this year (Figure 2).  Capital spending for the DRAM/SRAM segment is forecast to show a 41% surge in 2018 after a strong 82% increase in 2017.  Capital spending for flash memory is forecast to rise 13% in 2018 after a 91% increase in 2017.

Figure 2

After two years of big increases in capital expenditures, a major question looming is whether high levels of spending will lead to overcapacity and a softening of prices.  Historical precedent in the memory market shows that too much spending usually leads to overcapacity and subsequent pricing weakness.  With Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, Intel, Toshiba/Western Digital/SanDisk, and XMC/Yangtze River Storage Technology all planning to significantly ramp up 3D NAND flash capacity over the next couple of years (and new Chinese memory startup companies entering the market), IC Insights believes that the future risk for overshooting 3D NAND flash market demand is high and growing.

Roger Carpenter, a Google hardware engineer with 30 years of experience in electronic design automation and chip design, has been elected to the Silicon Integration Initiative board of directors. Si2 is a research and development joint venture that provides standard interoperability solutions for integrated circuit design tools.

Before joining Google, Carpenter held executive roles at three EDA firms: Magma Design Automation, Javelin Design Automation and Envis. His design experience includes positions at Wave Computing, Broadcom, Chromatic Research and Xilinx. A holder of more than a dozen patents, Carpenter received a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

John Ellis, Si2 president and CEO, said that Google’s membership on the Si2 board reflects the increasing impact of vertical integration in the electronics industry.  “A recent Si2 industry survey showed that over 80 percent of our end users develop some specialized, internal design tools. This proprietary software meets their unique needs and performance requirements,” Ellis said.

“Directly accessing the Si2 OpenAccess data base by making use of our Application Programming Interface, designers and integrators have greater control over their bottom line by optimizing their design flow and, in turn, shortening product time-to-market. It’s critical that system houses like Google, along with their unique semiconductor design software needs, are now represented on the Si2 board.”

The twelve members of the Si2 board represent leading semiconductor manufacturers and foundries, fabless companies, and EDA software providers.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced an important step in its transformation, continuing the trajectory launched with the appointment of Tom Caulfield as CEO earlier this year. In line with the strategic direction Caulfield has articulated, GF is reshaping its technology portfolio to intensify its focus on delivering truly differentiated offerings for clients in high-growth markets.

GF is realigning its leading-edge FinFET roadmap to serve the next wave of clients that will adopt the technology in the coming years. The company will shift development resources to make its 14/12nm FinFET platform more relevant to these clients, delivering a range of innovative IP and features including RF, embedded memory, low power and more. To support this transition, GF is putting its 7nm FinFET program on hold indefinitely and restructuring its research and development teams to support its enhanced portfolio initiatives. This will require a workforce reduction, however a significant number of top technologists will be redeployed on 14/12nm FinFET derivatives and other differentiated offerings.

“Demand for semiconductors has never been higher, and clients are asking us to play an ever-increasing role in enabling tomorrow’s technology innovations,” Caulfield said. “The vast majority of today’s fabless customers are looking to get more value out of each technology generation to leverage the substantial investments required to design into each technology node. Essentially, these nodes are transitioning to design platforms serving multiple waves of applications, giving each node greater longevity. This industry dynamic has resulted in fewer fabless clients designing into the outer limits of Moore’s Law. We are shifting our resources and focus by doubling down on our investments in differentiated technologies across our entire portfolio that are most relevant to our clients in growing market segments.”

In addition, to better leverage GF’s strong heritage and significant investments in ASIC design and IP, the company is establishing its ASIC business as a wholly-owned subsidiary, independent from the foundry business. A relevant ASIC business requires continued access to leading-edge technology. This independent ASIC entity will provide clients with access to alternative foundry options at 7nm and beyond, while allowing the ASIC business to engage with a broader set of clients, especially the growing number of systems companies that need ASIC capabilities and more manufacturing scale than GF can provide alone.

GF is intensifying investment in areas where it has clear differentiation and adds true value for clients, with an emphasis on delivering feature-rich offerings across its portfolio. This includes continued focus on its FDXTM platform, leading RF offerings (including RF SOI and high-performance SiGe), analog/mixed signal, and other technologies designed for a growing number of applications that require low power, real-time connectivity, and on-board intelligence. GF is uniquely positioned to serve this burgeoning market for “connected intelligence,” with strong demand in new areas such as autonomous driving, IoT and the global transition to 5G.

“Lifting the burden of investing at the leading edge will allow GF to make more targeted investments in technologies that really matter to the majority of chip designers in fast-growing markets such as RF, IoT, 5G, industrial and automotive,” said Samuel Wang, research vice president at Gartner. “While the leading edge gets most of the headlines, fewer customers can afford the transition to 7nm and finer geometries.  14nm and above technologies will continue to be the important demand driver for the foundry business for many years to come. There is significant room for innovation on these nodes to fuel the next wave of technology.”

Immersion Corp. (Nasdaq: IMMR), a developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, today announced that Tom Lacey will become the company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer and the newest addition to the Immersion Board of Directors, effective immediately. Lacey succeeds Carl Schlachte, the company’s prior Interim CEO, who is resigning as a director of Immersion.

Lead independent director Sharon Holt has been named Chairman of the Immersion Board.

“We are delighted to have Tom Lacey join us as Interim CEO and a member of the Immersion board,” said Ms. Holt. “Tom is a world class executive who brings a wealth of experience and talent during this important time for Immersion. We are confident that Tom’s leadership and industry expertise will serve Immersion well during his time as Interim CEO as well as during his ongoing service on our Board of Directors. The board looks forward to expeditiously completing the process of hiring a permanent CEO.”

Tom Lacey, the Interim Chief Executive Officer and new Immersion board member, said, “I have gotten to know Immersion well, and I am thrilled to join as both Interim CEO and as a member of the board. I am looking forward to working with the employees, management, customers and board of Immersion to help capitalize on the opportunities ahead.”

With 30 years of experience in the industry, Lacey has a proven track record of successfully leading a diverse group of technology companies.

From May 2013 to June 2017, Lacey served as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Xperi Corporation (formerly Tessera; Nasdaq: XPER), a technology licensor in mobile computing and communications, memory and data storage, and 3-D integrated circuit technologies. He also currently serves as a director of DSP Group (Nasdaq: DSPG). Prior to these roles, he held a number of senior leadership positions at Components Direct, Phoenix Technologies Ltd., Applied Materials, Inc., Flextronics International, and International Display Works. Prior to that, Lacey held various management and executive positions at Intel Corporation for 13 years, including Vice President Sales and Marketing, President of Intel Americas, and Vice President and General Manager, Flash Products.

Global semiconductor industry revenue grew 4.4 percent, quarter over quarter, in the second quarter of 2018, reaching a record $120.8 billion. Semiconductor growth occurred in all application markets and world regions, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).

“The explosive growth in enterprise and storage drove the market to new heights in the second quarter,” said Ron Ellwanger, senior analyst and component landscape tool manager, IHS Markit. “This growth contributed to record application revenue in data processing and wired communication markets as well as in the microcomponent and memory categories.”

Due to the ongoing growth in the enterprise and storage markets, sequential microcomponent sales grew 6.5 percent in the second quarter, while memory semiconductor revenue increased 6.4 percent. “Broadcom Limited experienced exceptional growth in its wired communication division, due to increased cloud and data-center demand,” Ellwanger said.

Memory component revenue continued to rise in the second quarter, compared to the previous quarter, reaching $42.0 billion dollars. “This is the ninth consecutive quarter of rising revenue from memory components, and growth in the second quarter of 2018 was driven by higher density in enterprise and storage,” Ellwanger said. “This latest uptick comes at a time of softening prices for NAND flash memory. However, more attractive pricing for NAND memory is pushing SSD demand and revenue higher.”

Semiconductor market share

Samsung Electronics continued to lead the overall semiconductor industry in the second quarter with 15.9 percent of the market, followed by Intel at 13.9 percent and SK Hynix at 7.9 percent. Quarter-over-quarter market shares were relatively flat, with no change in the top-three ranking. SK Hynix achieved the highest growth rate and record quarterly sales among the top three companies, recording 16.4 percent growth in the second quarter.