Category Archives: Device Architecture

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (“SMIC”; NYSE:  SMI; SEHK: 981), the largest and most advanced foundry in mainland China, announces the laying of the foundation stone to mark the official launch of its capacity expansion project at SMIC’s TianJin facility. After the project’s completion, SMIC TianJin is expected to become the world’s largest integrated 8-inch IC production line.

SMIC TianJin is located in the Xiqing Economic Technological Development Area, Tianjin, and currently has a mature 8-inch IC production line with a capacity of 45,000 wafers/month. After completion of the expansion project, SMIC TianJin’s capacity will reach 150,000 8-inch wafers/month. The project’s progress and capacity arrangement will depend on customers’ needs. The main product applications supported by the project include IoT related IC’s, fingerprint identification, power management, mixed signal processing, and automotive electronics.

The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, said: “The launch of capacity expansion of our 8-inch production line is another milestone in the history of SMIC TianJin. SMIC TianJin has long been running at full capacity, and this expansion will significantly ease the balance of demand and supply and provide more high-quality capacity to our clients. Moreover, SMIC’s capacity distribution throughout mainland China will be further optimized.”

The TianJin Deputy Mayor, Mr. Shushan He, the Secretary of Xiqing Area, Mr. Xuewang Wang attended the ceremony. The Chairman of SMIC, Dr. Zixue Zhou, and the CEO and Executive Director of SMIC, Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, together laid the foundation stone for the new project.

Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY), a developer of RFID-enabled solutions, and long-standing partner NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI), are proud to announce a new industry first innovation, providing 12-inch wafers for long range solutions in addition to the current industry standard 8-inch. This solution will deliver a significant increase in production capacity, improved assembly quality and efficiency, and most importantly, a reduction in manufacturing waste and electricity. Avery Dennison is the first to provide inlays with NXP’s new 12-inch offering.

A larger wafer diameter allows more semiconductor devices to be produced from a single wafer, doubling the amount of dies per wafer compared to existing 8-inch wafer formats. This increased utilization of existing materials simultaneously reduces both chemical and packaging waste and energy consumption.

The innovation is another positive step in making the manufacturing process more sustainable, while simultaneously increasing production to meet future industry demand. “We worked closely with NXP to create a solution that would truly offer a higher production output and at the same time be more sustainable,” said George Dyche, director, Global RFID Innovation and Product Line Management, Avery Dennison RFID.

The chips can also be incorporated into Avery Dennison’s SmartFace Technology, which removes the plastic material in RFID products and replaces it with a paper substrate to reduce environmental impact. SmartFace Technology has already been used in a number of Avery Dennison RFID Inlays and the introduction of the new wafer will reduce the environmental impact of RFID solutions further.  “Sustainability has long been part of our approach to do business together. We are proud to work closely with our partners across the entire value chain to address the environmental and social impacts of our solutions,”  added Helen Sahi, senior director, Sustainability, Avery Dennison.

“Bringing together both parties’ expertise, Avery Dennison and NXP introduce this innovation for more sustainability in semiconductor industry. Our collective responsibility drives us to work collaboratively to address the environmental and social impacts of our solution proactively, while the 12-inch wafers significantly increases NXP’s supply capacity,” said Ralf Kodritsch, segment manager RFID Solutions, NXP.

Businesses worldwide are recognizing the increasing value of RAIN RFID in this area. By building on innovation and providing technologies that directly address societal demands, exciting times and opportunities for the RAIN RFID industry lie ahead.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has commenced mass production of System-on-Chip (SoC) products with 10-nanometer (nm) FinFET technology for which would make it first in the industry.

Following the successful mass production of the industry’s first FinFET mobile application processor (AP) in January, 2015, Samsung extends its leadership in delivering leading-edge process technology to the mass market with the latest offering.

“The industry’s first mass production of 10nm FinFET technology demonstrates our leadership in advanced process technology,” said Jong Shik Yoon, Executive Vice President, Head of Foundry Business at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue our efforts to innovate scaling technologies and provide differentiated total solutions to our customers.”

Samsung’s new 10nm FinFET process (10LPE) adopts an advanced 3D transistor structure with additional enhancements in both process technology and design enablement compared to its 14nm predecessor, allowing up to 30-percent increase in area efficiency with 27-percent higher performance or 40-percent lower power consumption. In order to overcome scaling limitations, cutting edge techniques such as triple-patterning to allow bi-directional routing are also used to retain design and routing flexibility from prior nodes.

Following the introduction of Samsung’s first-generation 10nm process (10LPE), its second generation process (10LPP) with performance boost is targeted for mass production in the second half of 2017. The company plans to continue its leadership with a variety of derivative processes to meet the needs of a wide range of applications.

Through close collaboration with customers and partners, Samsung also aims to cultivate a robust 10nm foundry ecosystem that includes reference flow verification, IPs and libraries.

Production level process design kits (PDK) and IP design kits are currently available for design starts.

SoCs with 10nm process technology will be used in digital devices launching early next year and are expected to become more widely available throughout 2017.

Peregrine Semiconductor Corp., founder of RF SOI (silicon on insulator), announces that the UltraCMOS PE42723 high linearity RF switch has won an ECN IMPACT Award in the market disruptor category. In addition, the PE42723 switch was named a finalist in the microwaves & RF category, and the PE29100 gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor (FET) driver was recognized as a finalist in the power sources & conditioning devices category. Winners were announced today, Oct. 13, during the awards ceremony.

“For almost three decades, Peregrine has been on the cutting edge of delivering game-changing products to the electronics market,” says Kinana Hussain, Peregrine’s director of marketing. “It is truly an honor to be recognized with an ECN IMPACT Award, especially in the coveted market disruptor category. Products like the PE42723 enable the cable industry to deliver equipment that is fully compliant with today’s stringent communication standards.”

The ECN IMPACT Awards recognize the products and services that have the greatest impact on the electronic components industry. The market disruptor category highlights a product that forever changed the electronic engineering industry or a particular vertical within the industry.

The PE42723 is an RF switch that boasts the highest linearity specifications on the market today. An upgraded version of the successful PE42722, this new RF switch offers enhanced performance in a smaller package. Like its predecessor, the PE42723 exceeds the linearity requirements of the DOCSIS 3.1 cable industry standard and enables a dual upstream/downstream band architecture in the next generation cable customer premises equipment (CPE) devices.

The PE29100 is the world’s fastest GaN FET driver. Built on Peregrine’s UltraCMOS technology, this new GaN driver empowers design engineers to extract the full performance and speed advantages from GaN transistors. Designed to drive the gates of a high-side and a low-side GaN FET in a switching configuration, the PE29100 delivers the industry’s fastest switching speeds, shortest propagation delays and lowest rise and fall times to AC-DC converters, DC-DC converters, class D audio amplifiers and wireless-charging applications.

SEMI recently completed its annual silicon shipment forecast for the semiconductor industry. This forecast provides an outlook for the demand in silicon units for the period 2016–2018. The SEMI forecast shows polished and epitaxial silicon shipments totaling 10,444 million square inches in 2016; 10,642 million square inches in 2017; and 10,897 million square inches in 2018 (refer to table below). Total wafer shipments this year are expected to exceed the market high set in 2015 and are forecast to continue shipping at record levels in 2017 and 2018.

“Silicon shipment volumes have been gaining strength in recent months, after a soft start at the beginning of the year,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “This positive momentum is expected to continue and result in modest annual growth for the segment this year, 2017 and into 2018.”

2016 Silicon Shipment Forecast

Total Electronic Grade Silicon Slices* – Does not Include Non-Polished Wafers

(Millions of Square Inches, MSI)

Actual

Forecast

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018
MSI

9,826

10,269

10,444

10,642

10,897
Annual Growth

11%

5%

2%

2%

2%

Source: SEMI, October 2016

* Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or “chips” are fabricated.

All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users. Data do not include non-polished or reclaimed wafers.

SEMI today announced the retirement of Dennis (Denny) McGuirk, SEMI’s president and CEO. McGuirk has served on the board of directors and has led SEMI, the global industry association representing more than 2,000 companies in the electronics manufacturing supply chain, since November 2011. McGuirk will continue to lead SEMI in his current capacity until a successor is appointed.

While at SEMI, McGuirk has had responsibility for driving member satisfaction through SEMI’s global operations – anchored by eight international SEMICON expositions – and SEMI products and services including: Standards, market intelligence, business and technical programs, and industry advocacy. Over the past five years, the electronics manufacturing supply chain has undergone major changes as digital mobility, industry consolidation, and regional investment shifts have reshaped the industry. During this period, McGuirk provided stewardship and new direction to SEMI’s operations, expositions, communities, and partnerships.

“Upon joining, Denny realigned SEMI’s operations to be financially sustainable,” said Y.H. Lee, chairman of SEMI’s board of directors. “Denny has been a consistent and hospitable SEMI ambassador at our SEMICON tradeshows around the globe. We thank Denny for his service and many contributions and wish him well in his retirement.”

“After five years at SEMI, the time is right for me to retire. I am grateful to have worked with SEMI’s exceptional members and outstanding employees – the semiconductor industry is one of the most innovative and fast-paced industries in the world, where only the truly excellent thrive. It’s been great to lead a truly global association such as SEMI with achievements at both regional and international levels. I’m committed to ensure a smooth transition to my successor for the continued success of SEMI.”

A leading executive search firm has been engaged to assist in identifying and evaluating candidates, who can assume the responsibility to continue to focus on the growth and prosperity of SEMI members and drive SEMI’s 2020 vision.

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

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.

Nothing raises more suspicion today: 2015 – 2016 have been exciting years for the GaN power business: 600V GaN is today commercially available, after many ups and downs. And GaN power IC has debuted, opening new market perspectives for GaN companies. According to Yole Développement (Yole), the “More than Moore” market research and strategy consulting company, GaN power business is expected to reach US$280 million in 2021, with an 86% CAGR between 2015 and 2021. The market is driving by emerging applications including power supply for datacenter and telecom – AC fast charger – Lidar – ET – And wireless power.

gan hype circle

“Numerous powerful developments and key collaborations have been announced during this period and confirmed a promising and fast-growing industry,” commented Dr. Hong Lin, Technology & Market Analyst from Yole. Integrated Device Technology (IDT) and Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) – Infineon Technologies and Panasonic – Exagan and XFab – TSMC and GaN Systems for volume production and much more. All collaborations took place within only 2 years, between 2015 and 2016. In parallel Texas Instruments announced a 80V power stage in 2015 and a 600V power stage in 2016. From its side, Visic announced its first GaN product in 2015.

Yole’s analysts propose you to discover the status of the Power GaN industry with a new technology & market analysis titled Power GaN 2016: Epitaxy and Devices, Applications and Technology Trends. This report gives a deep understanding of GaN penetration in different applications (power supply, PV , EV/HEV , UPS , lidar…) and the state-of-the-art GaN power devices. It also review the industrial landscape, market dynamics and market projection.

Up until late 2014, 600V/650V GaN HEMTs’ commercial availability was still questionable, despite some announcements from different players. Fast-forward to 2016 end users can now buy not only low-voltage GaN (<200V) devices from EPC Power, but also high-voltage (600V/650V) components from several players, including Transphorm, GaN Systems, and Panasonic.

In parallel a new start-up, Navitas Semiconductor, announced their GaN power IC in March 2016, followed by Dialog Semiconductors revealing their GaN power IC in August 2016. The idea of bringing GaN from the power semiconductor market to the much bigger analog IC market is of interest to several other players too. For example, EPC Power and GaN Systems are both working on a more integrated solution, and Texas Instruments, a well-established analog IC player, has also been engaged in GaN activities, releasing an 80V power stage and 600V power stage in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Despite these exciting developments, the GaN power market remains small compared to the gigantic US$335 billion silicon semiconductor market. In fact, according to Yole’s investigation, the GaN power business was less than US$10 million in 2015.

“But before you think twice about GaN, remember that a small market size is not unusual for products just appearing on the market,” commented Dr Hong Lin. Indeed first GaN devices were not commercially available until 2010. According to Yole’s analysts, the most important point to be noticed is the potential of GaN power. Indeed they expect the GaN power business to grow, reaching a market size of around US$300 million in 2021 at a 2016 – 2021 CAGR of 86%. “The current GaN power market is mainly dominated by low voltage (<200V) devices in the forecasted period but the 600V devices should take off,” commented Zhen Zong, Technology & Market Analyst at Yole.

“More than 200 patent applicants are involved in the power GaN industry,” explained KnowMade in its GaN for Power Electronics: Patent Investigation report (KnowMade, August 2015). Such figure is showing the strong interest from power players in the GaN business. The take-off of patenting activity took place in the 2000s with a first wave of patent publications over the 2005-2009 period mainly due to American and Japanese companies. A second wave started in 2010 while first commercial GaN products, collaborations and mergers and acquisitions emerged.

“In the today’s power GaN market, it is crucial to understand the global patent landscape thorough in-depth analyses,” commented Nicolas Baron, CEO & Co-founder of Knowmade. “This approach helps the companies to anticipate the changes, identify and evaluate business opportunities, mitigate risks and make strategic choices.”

Enormous financial and technology hurdles continue to plague the development of 450mm wafers. Ambitious goals to put 450mm wafers to use have been scaled back.  IC manufacturers are instead maximizing their manufacturing efficiency using 300mm and 200mm wafers.  IC Insights’ Global Wafer Capacity 2016-2020 report shows that worldwide capacity by wafer size was dominated by 300mm wafers in 2015 and is forecast to continue increasing through 2020 (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Figure 1

  • 300mm wafers represented 63.1% of worldwide capacity at the end of 2015 and are forecast to increase to about 68% by the end of 2020.
  • The share of the industry’s monthly wafer capacity represented by 200mm wafers is expected to drop from 28.3% in 2015 to 25.3% in 2020. But, 200mm wafer capacity is predicted to increase every year over the next several years.
  • Capacity for wafers of ≤150mm diameter is forecast to remain relatively flat during the forecast period.

The number of 300mm wafer fabrication facilities in operation is forecast to keep increasing through 2020 (Figure 2). For the most part, 300mm fabs are, and will continue to be, limited to production of high-volume, commodity-type devices like DRAMs and flash memories; image sensors and power management devices; and complex logic and microcomponent ICs with large die sizes; and by foundries, which can fill a 300mm fab by combining wafer orders from many sources.

Figure 2

Figure 2

  • The number of active volume-production 300mm fabs declined for the first time in 2013. A few fabs that were scheduled to open in 2013 were delayed until 2014. In addition, two large 300mm fabs owned by ProMOS closed in 2013.
  • At the end of 2015, there were 95 production-class IC fabs utilizing 300mm wafers (there are numerous R&D IC fabs and a few high-volume fabs around the globe that make “non-IC” products using 300mm wafers, but these are not included in the count).
  • Currently, there are eight 300mm wafer fabs scheduled to open in 2017, which would be the highest number in one year since 2014 when nine were added.
  • By the end of 2020 there are expected to be 22 more fabs in operation, bringing the total number of 300mm fabs used for IC fabrication to 117. The peak number of 300mm fabs may be somewhere around 125. For comparison, the most volume-production 200mm wafer fabs in operation was 210 (in December 2015 there were 148).