Category Archives: Device Architecture

Hua Hong Semiconductor Limited, a global pure-play 200mm foundry, today announced that its shipment of microcontroller (MCU) chips in the first half of 2016 grew to 1.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 50%, breaking the historical record. With its comprehensive embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) technology solutions to support 8-32bit MCU products including the automotive-grade eFlash MCU, the company actively taps potential in the emerging IoT market and strengthens business ties with world-class customers to steadily expand its footprint in the MCU foundry area.

According to IDC, a market research company, by 2020, there will be 29 billion interconnected devices and the global IoT market will grow to USD1.46 trillion, which implies a great prospect for MCUs market. Hua Hong Semiconductor has the eFlash/eEEPROM (embedded Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) process platform for high-end 32bit MCUs and the cost-effective 0.18um 3.3V/5V CE OTP/MTP (One-Time Programming/Multiple-Time Programming) process platform for entry-level 8bit MCUs.

To tap the great potential in the burgeoning MCU market, Hua Hong Semiconductor delivers a comprehensive range of scalable and cost-effective solutions that perfectly fit a wide range of energy-efficient and intelligent applications including IoT, wearables, smart grid, embedded smart devices, healthcare electronics, smart lighting, industry and automotive electronics. In addition, by combining the leading embedded memory storage techniques with low-cost CMOS RF technologies, or integrating flash and high voltage technologies, these solutions may further reduce cost and time-to-market.

With fast evolution of IC industry, functions of terminal products are becoming more versatile, product designs are getting more complex and posing higher demands for low power, which bring more demanding challenges to MCUs. Based on its eFlash/eEEPROM process platform, Hua Hong Semiconductor delivers customized Flash IP/EEPROM IP that features high read speed up to 60MHz and low power with standby current less than 0.1uA. While delivering outstanding performance and reliability, the platform allows data retention up to 100 years and endurance up to 100,000 cycles, enabling customers to develop premium MCUs that cater the needs of diversified applications.

“Over the past few years, through working with local and international customers and introducing high-standard MCU products based on Hua Hong Semiconductor’s eFlash/eEEPROM platform, we have developed a number of hot smart and IoT devices to consolidate our leadership in the MCU area,” said Mr. Fan Heng, Executive Vice President of Hua Hong Semiconductor. “We will further enhance our differentiated technologies and collaborate with our global partners to set the trends of the IoT ecosystem.”

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “China Semiconductor Industry: Expansion Plans Analysis and Trends (Government Policies and Guidelines, Import and Export Impact on Trade Partners, Key Concepts, Case Study, Key Strategies Adopted, Future Plans, and Recommendation to Players)” report to their offering.

The China semiconductor industry is expected to reach $157.66 billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 12.8% between 2016 and 2020, according to this report. The major driving factors for the China semiconductor industry are the growing demand for semiconductors from major verticals and favorable government initiatives. There are also various opportunities available for the growth of the China semiconductor industry such as investment from foreign players and emerging new concepts.

Integrated Circuit (IC) is expected to hold the largest market share by 2020. The IC segment accounted for almost two-thirds of the total semiconductor industry in China in 2015.

Key topics covered:

  • Market Penetration: Comprehensive information on semiconductor products and services offered by the top players in the China semiconductor industry
  • Mergers & Acquisitions: Detailed insights on latest merger and acquisition activities and expansion in the semiconductor industry
  • Market Diversification: Exhaustive information about mergers and acquisitions, contracts, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments in the China semiconductor industry
  • Competitive Assessment: In-depth assessment of market shares, strategies, products, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players in the China semiconductor industry

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast and ETH Zurich, Switzerland, have created a new theoretical framework which could help physicists and device engineers design better optoelectronics, leading to less heat generation and power consumption in electronic devices which source, detect, and control light.

Speaking about the research, which enables scientists and engineers to quantify how transparent a 2D material is to an electrostatic field, Dr. Elton Santos from the Atomistic Simulation Research Centre at Queen’s, said: “In our paper we have developed a theoretical framework that predicts and quantifies the degree of ‘transparency’ up to the limit of one-atom-thick, 2D materials, to an electrostatic field.

“Imagine we can change the transparency of a material just using an electric bias, e.g. get darker or brighter at will. What kind of implications would this have, for instance, in mobile phone technologies? This was the first question we asked ourselves. We realised that this would allow the microscopic control over the distribution of charged carriers in a bulk semiconductor (e.g. traditional Si microchips) in a nonlinear manner. This will help physicists and device engineers to design better quantum capacitors, an array of subatomic power storage components capable to keep high energy densities, for instance, in batteries, and vertical transistors, leading to next-generation optoelectronics with lower power consumption and dissipation of heat (cold devices), and better performance. In other words, smarter smart phones.”

Explaining how the theory could have important implications for future work in the area, Dr. Santos added: “Our current model simply considers an interface formed between a layer of 2D material and a bulk semiconductor. In principle, our approach can be readily extended to a stack of multiple 2D materials, or namely, van der Waals heterostructures recently fabricated. This will allow us to design and predict the behaviour of these cutting-edge devices in prior to actual fabrication, which will significantly facilitate developments for a variety of applications. We will have an in silico search for the right combination of different 2D crystals while reducing the need for expensive lab work and test trials.”

ARM and Intel Custom Foundry this week at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco an agreement to accelerate the development and implementation of ARM SoCs on Intel’s 10nm process. In their joint press releases, Intel and ARM said that the agreement will enable Intel Custom Foundry to use its upcoming 10nm FinFET platform for fabricating chip designs based on ARM’s Artisan Physical IP.

“The initial POP IP will be for two future advanced ARM Cortex-A processor cores designed for mobile computing applications in either ARM big.LITTLE or stand-alone configurations,” according to ARM’s press release. Intel’s release says that LG will be using the process to “produce a world-class mobile platform based on Intel Custom Foundry’s 10nm design platform.”

The Intel-ARM partnership could provide new foundry options for chipmakers like Qualcomm — and potentially Apple — beyond current industry bigwigs Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC).

Chips based on Intel’s 10nm process are expected at some point in 2017.

Innodisk, the worldwide service provider for flash and DRAM product, unveiled its Next Generation innovation in flash storage design technology last week during its VIP product launch at the Hyatt Hotel in Santa Clara, CA. The M2DOM storage product made its U.S. debut in front of technology leaders and the press showing that it was designed with space in mind. Speaking at the event was Randy Chien, Innodisk’s Chairman & CEO along with the U.S. Branch’s President, Victor Le and C.C. Wu, EVP. Also taking the stage was David Chen, VP SSD BU for Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. to discuss its involvement in the product’s development.

“We have a long history with Marvell and are so pleased that Innodisk could collaborate on a product that successfully demonstrates both company’s innovativeness,” said Randy Chien, Innodisk Chairman & CEO.

“Marvell is very pleased to support Innodisk in bringing to market the new M2DOM products,” said Dr. David Chen, Vice President of SSD Business at Marvell Semiconductor, Inc. “With 20 years of market leadership in storage, Marvell is committed to working with ecosystem leaders like Innodisk to deliver ground-breaking innovations that drive the industry forward.”

The Next Generation is All About Space

Innodisk’s vertical SSD, the M2DOM product, saves up to 90 percent more space as compared to a standard M.2 product having a horizontal design. This tiny form factor has high performance and comes in capacities up to 256GB. By adding a housing and board connection of this device, the designer has ample space to lay out the motherboard. Fulfilling various needs of embedded systems, Innodisk’s M2DOM product is compatible with multiple interfaces such as SATA, PCIe and USB.

During the Flash Memory Summit at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Innodisk will debut another flash storage product powered by the Marvell controller. The 3ME series supports the PCIe 3.0 x1 interface providing high performance in this small form factor.

GlobalWafers Co., Ltd. and SunEdison Semiconductor Limited (NASDAQ:SEMI) announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition by GlobalWafers of all of the outstanding ordinary shares of SunEdison Semiconductor in a transaction valued at US$683 million, including SunEdison Semiconductor outstanding net indebtedness.

Under the terms of the agreement, SunEdison Semiconductor shareholders will receive US$12.00 per share in cash for each ordinary share held, representing a 78.6% premium to the average closing price of SunEdison Semiconductor’s common stock for the 30 trading days prior to this announcement and a 44.9% premium to the closing price of SunEdison Semiconductor’s ordinary shares as of August 17, 2016, the last trading day prior to this announcement.  The transaction has been unanimously approved by both GlobalWafers’ and SunEdison Semiconductor’s boards of directors.

The transaction will be structured as a scheme of arrangement under Singapore law, and is subject to the approval of the shareholders of SunEdison Semiconductor, as well as other customary conditions including approvals from relevant regulatory authorities and the High Court of the Republic of Singapore.  SunEdison Semiconductor has requested and obtained a waiver from the Securities Industry Council of Singapore of the application of the Singapore Code on Take-overs and Mergers to the scheme of arrangement.

“We are very excited by this transaction,” said Doris Hsu, Chairperson and CEO of GlobalWafers.  “We believe this combination is unique in that it merges two of the market’s key suppliers with minimal overlap in customers, products and production capacities.  The combined company will bring together GlobalWafers’ unparalleled operating model and market strengths with SunEdison Semiconductor’s expansive global footprint and product development capabilities.  We will remain focused on our customers and will strengthen and build on our product offerings to deliver even greater value to our customers and shareholders,” Hsu concluded.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement that delivers a significant premium to our shareholders,” said Shaker Sadasivam, President and Chief Executive Officer of SunEdison Semiconductor.  “We believe this transaction is in the best interest of our company.  We look forward to a smooth process to facilitate an efficient closing, which we hope can occur before the end of the year.”

GlobalWafers will finance the transaction, including payment of the purchase price and payment of SunEdison Semiconductor’s debt facilities at closing, through existing cash on hand and committed acquisition financing from the Bank of Taiwan, Hua Nan Commercial Bank, Mega International Bank, Taipei Fubon Bank, and Taishin International Bank.

GlobalWafers expects a number of strategic and operational benefits from this transaction, including:

  • Meaningful expansion of GlobalWafers’ production capabilities
  • Greater breadth in GlobalWafers’ product and global customer base, including greater access to the E.U. and Korea, as well as SOI product technologies
  • Significant increase in GlobalWafers’ financial scale

Related news: 

SunEdison Semiconductor announces manufacturing consolidation

SunEdison Semiconductor solidifies polysilicon supply

Is silicon’s heyday over? New materials challenge the industry workhorse

Reno Sub-Systems, a developer of high-performance radio frequency (RF) matching networks, RF power generators and gas flow management systems for semiconductor manufacturing, today announced that it has secured its first platform design win for its Electronically Variable Capacitor (EVC) matching network. The order comes from a tier-one equipment manufacturer and will be installed as the default standard on its etch systems in a leading global semiconductor manufacturer’s high-volume production facility. Reno secured the design win following successful beta testing with the end customer.

Leading semiconductor manufacturers are driving semiconductor OEMs to improve film characteristics and process consistency between chambers and systems. These challenges are becoming greater as technology nodes shrink and move to multiple patterning, finFET logic gates, 3D NAND and through silicon via (TSV) devices.

“Our EVC matching network was specifically designed to address the most challenging plasma-related deposition and etch processes,” said Bob MacKnight, CEO of Reno Sub-Systems. “Microsecond RF tuning is essential for 14nm and below high volume manufacturing.”

The new, disruptive EVC technology enables unprecedented RF matching speeds not possible with vacuum variable capacitors (VVCs), which is the current industry standard. Reno’s patented EVC technology facilitates the speed, accuracy and plasma stability unachievable by RF matches being used for etch and deposition processes today.This run-to-run repeatable and accurate Instantaneous Match technology enables the precise, high-aspect ratio, selectively anisotropic sharp-edge plasma processing required for next-generation devices, including 3D structures.

“We recently completed our Series B round of funding to ramp to high-volume manufacturing,” said MacKnight. “Having received our first major production order validates our technology and we are proud to be shipping in volume.”

One of the most critical issues the United States faces today is preventing terrorists from smuggling nuclear weapons into its ports. To this end, the U.S. Security and Accountability for Every Port Act mandates that all overseas cargo containers be scanned for possible nuclear materials or weapons.

Detecting neutron signals is an effective method to identify nuclear weapons and special nuclear materials. Helium-3 gas is used within detectors deployed in ports for this purpose.

The catch? While helium-3 gas works well for neutron detection, it’s extremely rare on Earth. Intense demand for helium-3 gas detectors has nearly depleted the supply, most of which was generated during the period of nuclear weapons production during the past 50 years. It isn’t easy to reproduce, and the scarcity of helium-3 gas has caused its cost to skyrocket recently — making it impossible to deploy enough neutron detectors to fulfill the requirement to scan all incoming overseas cargo containers.

Helium-4 is a more abundant form of helium gas, which is much less expensive, but can’t be used for neutron detection because it doesn’t interact with neutrons.

A group of Texas Tech University researchers led by Professors Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin report this week in Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing, that they have developed an alternative material — hexagonal boron nitride semiconductors — for neutron detection. This material fulfills many key requirements for helium gas detector replacements and can serve as a low-cost alternative in the future.

The group’s concept was first proposed to the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and received funding from its Academic Research Initiative program six years ago.

By using a 43-micron-thick hexagonal boron-10 enriched nitride layer, the group created a thermal neutron detector with 51.4 percent detection efficiency, which is a record high for semiconductor thermal neutron detectors.

“Higher detection efficiency is anticipated by further increasing the material thickness and improving materials quality,” explained Professor Jiang, Nanophotonics Center and Electrical & Computer Engineering, Whitacre College of Engineering, Texas Tech University.

“Our approach of using hexagonal boron nitride semiconductors for neutron detection centers on the fact that its boron-10 isotope has a very large interaction probability with thermal neutrons,” Jiang continued. “This makes it possible to create high-efficiency neutron detectors with relatively thin hexagonal boron nitride layers. And the very large energy bandgap of this semiconductor — 6.5 eV — gives these detectors inherently low leakage current densities.”

The key significance of the group’s work? This is a completely new material and technology that offers many advantages.

“Compared to helium gas detectors, boron nitride technology improves the performance of neutron detectors in terms of efficiency, sensitivity, ruggedness, versatile form factor, compactness, lightweight, no pressurization … and it’s inexpensive,” Jiang said.

This means that the material has the potential to revolutionize neutron detector technologies.

“Beyond special nuclear materials and weapons detection, solid-state neutron detectors also have medical, health, military, environment, and industrial applications,” he added. “The material also has applications in deep ultraviolet photonics and two-dimensional heterostructures. With the successful demonstration of high-efficiency neutron detectors, we expect it to perform well for other future applications.”

The main innovation behind this new type of neutron detector was developing hexagonal boron nitride with epitaxial layers of sufficient thickness — which previously didn’t exist.

“It took our group six years to find ways to produce this new material with a sufficient thickness and crystalline quality for neutron detection,” Jiang noted.

Based on their experience working with III-nitride wide bandgap semiconductors, the group knew at the outset that producing a material with high crystalline quality would be difficult.

“It’s surprising to us that the detector performs so well, despite the fact that there’s still a little room for improvement in terms of material quality,” he said.

One of the most important impacts of the group’s work is that “this new material and its potential should begin to be recognized by the semiconductor materials and radiation detection communities,” Jiang added.

Now that the group has solved the problem of producing hexagonal boron nitride with sufficient thickness, as well as crystalline quality to enable the demonstration of neutron detectors with high efficiency, the next step is to demonstrate high-sensitivity of large-size detectors.

“These devices must be capable of detecting nuclear weapons from distances tens of meters away, which requires large-size detectors,” Jiang added. “There are technical challenges to overcome, but we’re working toward this goal.”

IC Insights will release its August Update to the 2016 McClean Report later this month. This Update includes an update of the semiconductor industry capital spending forecast, an analysis of the IC foundry industry, and a look at the top-25 semiconductor suppliers for 1H16, including a forecast for the full year ranking (the top 20 1H16 semiconductor suppliers are covered in this research bulletin).

The top-20 worldwide semiconductor (IC and O-S-D—optoelectronic, sensor, and discrete) sales ranking for 1H16 is shown in Figure 1. It includes eight suppliers headquartered in the U.S., three in Japan, three in Taiwan, three in Europe, two in South Korea, and one in Singapore, a relatively broad representation of geographic regions.

The top-20 ranking includes three pure-play foundries (TSMC, GlobalFoundries, and UMC) and six fabless companies. If the three pure-play foundries were excluded from the top-20 ranking, China-based fabless supplier HiSilicon ($1,710 million), U.S.-based IDM ON Semiconductor ($1,695 million), and U.S.-based IDM Analog Devices ($1,583 million) would have been ranked in the 18th, 19th, and 20th positions, respectively.

IC Insights includes foundries in the top-20 semiconductor supplier ranking since it has always viewed the ranking as a top supplier list, not a marketshare ranking, and realizes that in some cases the semiconductor sales are double counted. With many of our clients being vendors to the semiconductor industry (supplying equipment, chemicals, gases, etc.), excluding large IC manufacturers like the foundries would leave significant “holes” in the list of top semiconductor suppliers. As shown in the listing, the foundries and fabless companies are identified. In the April Update to The McClean Report, marketshare rankings of IC suppliers by product type were presented and foundries were excluded from these listings.

Overall, the top-20 list shown in Figure 1 is provided as a guideline to identify which companies are the leading semiconductor suppliers, whether they are IDMs, fabless companies, or foundries.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Thirteen of the top-20 companies had sales of at least $3.0 billion in 1H16.  As shown, it took $1.86 billion in sales just to make it into the 1H16 top-20 semiconductor supplier list.  There was one new entrant into the top-20 ranking in 1H16 as compared to the 2015 ranking—AMD, which replaced Japan-based Sharp.  In 2Q16, AMD registered a strong 23% increase in sales while Sharp was moving in the opposite direction logging a 13% decline in its 2Q16/1Q16 revenue.

Intel remained firmly in control of the number one spot in the top-20 ranking in 1H16.  In fact, it increased its lead over Samsung’s semiconductor sales from only 20% in 2015 to 33% in 1H16.  The biggest upward move in the ranking was made by Apple, which jumped up three positions in the 1H16 ranking as compared to 2015. Other companies that made noticeable moves up the ranking include MediaTek and the new Broadcom Ltd. (the merger of Avago and Broadcom), with each company moving up two positions.

Apple is an anomaly in the top-20 ranking with regards to major semiconductor suppliers. The company designs and uses its processors only in its own products—there are no sales of the company’s MPUs to other system makers.  IC Insights estimates that Apple’s custom ARM-based SoC processors had a “sales value” of $2.9 billion in 1H16, which placed them in the 14th position in the top-20 ranking.

In total, the top-20 semiconductor companies’ sales increased by 7% in 2Q16/1Q16.  Although, in total, the top-20 2Q16 semiconductor companies registered a 7% increase, there were seven companies that displayed a double-digit 2Q16/1Q16 jump in sales and only two that registered a decline (Intel and Renesas).

The fastest growing top-20 company in 2Q16 was Taiwan-based MediaTek, which posted a huge 32% increase in sales over 1Q16.  Although worldwide smartphone unit volume sales are forecast to increase by only 5% this year, MediaTek’s application processor shipments to the fast-growing China-based smartphone suppliers (e.g., Oppo and Vivo), helped drive its stellar 2Q16/1Q16 increase.  Overall, IC Insights expects MediaTek to register about $8.8 billion in sales in 2016, which would represent a 31% surge over the $6.7 billion in sales the company had last year.

As expected, given the possible acquisitions and mergers that could/will occur over the next few years, the top-20 ranking is likely to undergo a significant amount of upheaval as the semiconductor industry continues along its path to maturity.

The year 2016 is not expected to be a good one for the total memory market and the main culprit is DRAM. Declining shipments of desktop and notebook computers, the biggest users of DRAM, as well as declining tablet PC shipments and slowing growth of smartphone units have created excess inventory and suppliers have been forced to greatly reduce average selling prices in order to move parts. A DRAM ASP decline of 16% coupled with a forecast 3% decline in DRAM unit shipments is expected to result in the DRAM market declining 19% in 2016 (Figure 1), lowest among the 33 IC product categories IC Insights tracks in detail. This steep decline will be a drag on growth for the total memory market (-11%) and for the total IC market (-2%) in 2016.

Figure 1

Figure 1

Big swings in average selling price are not new to the DRAM market. Annual DRAM average selling price increases of 48% and 26% in 2013 and 2014 propelled the DRAM market to more than 30% growth each year. In fact, the DRAM market was the strongest growing IC product segment in each of those years (Figure 2). Then, marketshare grabs and excess inventory started the cycle of steep price cuts in the second half of 2015 and that continued through the first half of 2016.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Figure 3 plots changes in annual DRAM average selling prices starting in 2007.  Looking more like the profile of an alpine mountain range, DRAM ASP growth has taken several dramatic upward and downward turns since 2007, confirming the volatility of this IC market segment. When coupled with strength or weakness in DRAM unit shipments, bit volume demand, and the amount of capacity and capital spending dedicated to DRAM production each year, this market can turn quickly up or down.

Figure 3

Figure 3

On a positive note, DRAM ASPs strengthened in late 2Q16 and are forecast to continue growing through the balance of 2016 and into 2017.  The boost to DRAM ASP is expected to come from demand for enterprise (server) systems, which have been selling well due to the need to process “big data” (e.g., the Cloud and the Internet of Things).  Also, low-voltage DRAM continues to enjoy solid demand for use in mobile platforms, particularly smartphones.  Demand from new smartphone models is expected to help contribute to increasing DRAM ASPs through the end of this year and into 2017.

The upward DRAM ASP trend may be short lived, however, as two China-based companies, Sino King Technology in Hefei, China, and Fujian Jin Hua IC Company, plan to enter the DRAM marketplace beginning in late 2017 or early 2018.  It remains to be seen what devices and what technology the two new entrants will offer but their presence in the market could signal that another round of price declines is around the corner.

Further trends and analysis relating to DRAM and the total memory market through 2020 are covered in the 250 plus-page Mid-Year Update to the 2016 edition of The McClean Report.