Category Archives: Device Architecture

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.

Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached US$16.7 billion in the second quarter of 2018, 1 percent lower than the previous record quarter and 19 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago, SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing supply chain, reported today.

The data are gathered jointly with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from more than 95 global equipment companies that provide monthly data. The quarterly billings data by region in billions of U.S. dollars, quarter-over-quarter growth and year-over-year rates by region are as follows:
2Q2018
1Q2018
2Q2017
2Q18/1Q18
(Qtr-over-Qtr)
2Q18/2Q17
(Year-over-Year)
Korea
4.86
6.26
4.79
-22%
2%
China
3.79
2.64
2.51
44%
51%
Japan
2.28
2.13
1.55
7%
47%
Taiwan
2.19
2.27
2.76
-4%
-21%
North America
1.47
1.14
1.23
29%
20%
Europe
1.18
1.28
0.66
-7%
80%
Rest of World
0.96
1.27
0.62
-24%
56%
Total
16.74
16.99
14.11
-1%
19%

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org) and SEAJ, September 2018

The Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) from SEMI provides comprehensive market data for the global semiconductor equipment market.

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

By Michael Droeger

Over the past three decades, most of the world’s innovations have centered largely on business models and involved iterative advances of existing technologies, with none matching the global impact of the top 10 semiconductor industry discoveries and advances, Dr. Morris Chang, founder of TSMC and the IC foundry model, said at SEMICON Taiwan 2018 this week.

Few have as clear a perspective on the transformative power of semiconductors as Dr. Chang, founder of TSMC and father of the IC foundry model. Keynoting the IC60 Master Forum celebrating the 60th anniversary of the invention of the integrated circuit (IC), Dr. Chang listed what he considers the 10 key semiconductor industry innovation milestones since 1948:

1. Invention of the transistor by Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain – 1948

2. Silicon transistor – 1954

3. Integrated circuit – 1958

4. Moore’s Law – 1965

5. MOS technology

  1. MOS FET – 1964
  2. Silicon gate – 1967
  3. CMOS  – 1970

6. Memory

  1. DRAM – 1966
  2. Flash – 1967

7. Outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) – 1960s

8. Microprocessor – 1970

9. VLSI systems design – 1970-1980

  1. IP and design tools – 1980-present

10. Foundry model – 1985

Among the most consequential semiconductor advances may be yet to come, Dr. Chang said, citing innovations including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, new device architectures, Extreme Ultraviolet lithography (EUV), 2.5D/3D packaging, and new materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes.

Dr. Chang argued that because bringing an innovation into production is immensely more expensive than proving a theory in a lab, innovators are not always the ones to implement and benefit from their novel ideas. Today, innovation costs are skyrocketing, driving more consolidation across the supply chain.

Michael Droeger is director of marketing at SEMI.

Originally published on the SEMI blog.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $39.5 billion for the month of July 2018, an increase of 17.4 percent compared to the July 2017 total of $33.6 billion. Global sales in July 2018were 0.4 percent higher than the June 2018 total of $39.3 billion. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“The global semiconductor industry posted its highest-ever monthly sales in July, easily outpacing last July and narrowly ahead of last month’s total,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Sales were up year-to-year across every major semiconductor product category and regional market, with the China and Americas markets leading the way with growth of greater than 20 percent.”

Regionally, sales increased compared to July 2017 in China (29.4 percent), the Americas (20.7 percent), Europe (11.7 percent), Japan (11.5 percent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (5.7 percent). Sales were up compared to last month in China (1.7 percent) and the Americas (0.4 percent), held flat in Asia Pacific/All Other, and decreased slightly in Japan (-0.1 percent), and Europe (-2.4 percent).

For comprehensive monthly semiconductor sales data and detailed WSTS Forecasts, consider purchasing the WSTS Subscription Package. For detailed data on the global and U.S. semiconductor industry and market, consider purchasing the 2018 SIA Databook.

Dr. Gary Patton, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Worldwide Research and Development at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, will deliver the opening keynote address at the inaugural GSA Silicon Summit – East, being held Tuesday, October 9 in Saratoga Springs, NY.

The conference is presented by the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership (Saratoga Partnership), Saratoga County, NY’s economic development agency; the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), a leading voice for the worldwide semiconductor industry; and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), a regional economic and business development organization.

A well-recognized industry leader in semiconductor technology R&D with over 30 years of semiconductor experience, Gary Patton is responsible for GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ semiconductor technology R&D roadmap, operations and execution. His address will discuss “Market Drivers for Moore and Beyond Moore Semiconductor Technologies.”

“We are delighted that Gary Patton, a distinguished technologist, innovator, visionary and thought leader in the semiconductor industry, will be launching the first GSA Silicon Summit – East with his keynote,” said Shrikant Lohokare, Executive Director and Senior Vice President, GSA. “I can see Gary’s unique insights into technology inflections and emerging market opportunities they enable at the leading edge of Moore’s Law and Beyond setting the tone for a fantastic program and discussions to follow.”

“Gary Patton is the perfect choice to kick off Silicon Summit – East, which focuses the eyes of the semiconductor world squarely on Saratoga County,” said Marty Vanags, President of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership. “Gary’s leadership role in enabling GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ position as the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing operation demonstrates his success in driving innovative technology that delivers business results.”

Prior to joining GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Patton was Vice President of IBM’s Semiconductor Research and Development Center, where he was responsible for IBM’s semiconductor R&D and technology development alliances. A Fellow of the IEEE, he received the 2017 IEEE Frederik Philips Award for industry influence and leadership in the development of leading-edge microelectronics technology and collaborative research, and in 2016 was inducted into the VLSI Research Hall of Fame for his contributions to the advancement of the semiconductor industry over several decades.

Additional speakers confirmed at this time include Mukesh Khare, Vice President of the IBM Research Semiconductor Group; Gary Bronner, Deputy CTO and Senior Vice President of Rambus Labs/Rambus; and Huibert Verhoeven, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the IoT Division, Synaptics.  A complete list can be found at https://www.gsaglobal.org/2018sse/meet-the-speakers/.

Registration is now open for Silicon Summit – East at https://www.gsaglobal.org/2018sse/registration/. Complete information about the event, including the program and sponsorship opportunities, can be found at https://www.gsaglobal.org/2018sse/.

GSA Silicon Summit – East is the product of a strategic alliance established last year by the Saratoga Partnership and GSA, which represents more than 400 member companies in 32 countries that combine for over 75 percent of revenue in the $400 billion semiconductor industry. With a theme of “Harnessing Emerging Semiconductor Market Opportunities,” the event is designed to promote partnerships and drive efficiencies that advance semiconductor technology and business, while also informing the regional ecosystem on growth opportunities.

 

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: LSCC), a provider of customizable smart connectivity solutions, announced the appointment of Steve Douglass as the Company’s Corporate Vice President, R&D, effective immediately. Mr. Douglass brings extensive experience building and leading global high performing engineering and customer-facing teams that deliver industry-leading IC products and solutions. He has a proven track record of creating and executing business strategies that inspire customer innovation and deliver profitable results. Prior to Lattice, Mr. Douglass was the Corporate Vice President, Customer Technology Deployment at Xilinx, Inc.

Jim Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited to have Steve Douglass join Lattice. His proven ability to lead global FPGA and CPLD teams, and drive customer-focused innovation in targeted applications make him the perfect fit. His technical skills, market knowledge and leadership capabilities will help further strengthen Lattice as we drive sustained growth and profitability by accelerating the worldwide adoption of our ground-breaking hardware and software solutions.”

Mr. Douglass said, “I am excited to be joining Lattice and leading its R&D efforts. Lattice has an excellent programmable product offering built by a talented engineering team. I look forward to the opportunity to further strengthen the portfolio with market driven innovations that will help deliver profitable growth for the Company.”

Steve Douglass brings to the role over 30 years of broad technology experience developing programmable solutions for many markets including wired and wireless communications, industrial, automotive and test and measurement. He is a 20-year Xilinx executive, most recently serving as Corporate Vice President, Customer Technology Deployment and leading the Worldwide Technical Sales and Support team since 2012. Prior to that, he held a wide range of leadership positions, including Vice President and GM, Advanced Products Division, and Vice President of Product Development.

Mr. Douglass was previously at Cypress Semiconductor for 13 years and served in various leadership roles, including Business Unit Director, CPLDs and FPGAs. He began his career as a Circuit Design Engineer at Intel Corporation. He was awarded 23 U.S. and International patents for FPGA and PLD architectures and circuits, and has received numerous industry honors including EDN’s Product of the Year and Innovator of the Year. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University. He also serves on Santa Clara University’s Electrical Engineering Industry Advisory Board.

SEMI Europe and AENEAS today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a strategic partnership to support the European electronics industry’s growth. Under the agreement, SEMI Europe and AENEAS will collaborate to bolster the industry through joint advocacy and communications, awareness building and the exchange of best practices.

As the global electronics industry enters a new area of digitalisation, Europe is aiming to take the research and development lead in smart applications such as autonomous transportation, augmented and virtual reality, wearables, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.

“To foster Europe as a centre of excellence in smart applications, we need to strengthen its electronics ecosystem by creating tighter connections among large companies, SMEs, research organisations and academia,” said Reinhard Ploss, AENEAS President. “Our strategic partnership with SEMI Europe will help drive greater technology innovation by bringing these critical players together and enable members of both associations to pursue growth opportunities at the European level.”

“With excellent RD&I institutes, globally competitive materials and equipment businesses, and semiconductor manufacturers, Europe is strategically positioned to lead in the global electronics value chain,” said Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe. Together, SEMI Europe and AENEAS are committed to working to drive closer European-level collaboration between industry and research institutions in pre-competitive areas to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the digital economy.”

AENEAS is a non-profit industry association established in 2006. The purpose of the association is to promote Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) in order to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry across the complete Electronics Components and Systems (ECS) value chain.

Semiconductor industry growth drivers artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive take center stage as more than 45,000 visitors gather at SEMICON Taiwan starting today. Showcasing the latest developments and innovations in the microelectronics supply chain, SEMICON Taiwan – September 5-7, at the Taipei Nanang Convention Center – is the largest semiconductor supply chain event in Taiwan. The event opens with Taiwan’s semiconductor industry revenue poised to grow 6 percent to $84.76 billion U.S. dollars ($2.6 trillion NT dollars) in 2018.

Taiwan leads the world in semiconductor foundry, package and test services and is second in chip design. SEMICON Taiwan features more than 2,000 booths and 680 exhibitors from around the world.

SEMICON Taiwan 2018’s IC 60 – Master Forum, a special event co-organized by SEMI and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), celebrates the 60th anniversary of the birth of the integrated circuit. With their sights set on emerging opportunities, Taiwan semiconductor industry luminaries will highlight the pioneering spirit and tenacious pursuit of smaller, faster, lower-power devices that gave rise to today’s ICs and are the heart of the digital economy.

Premier of Executive Yuan, Ching-de Lai will speak at today’s opening ceremony to highlight the administration’s support for the sustainable growth of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. Semiconductor heavyweights, academic professionals, and other officials – all key players in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry – are also expected at the ceremony.

With semiconductor processes ramping to the 5nm technology and below and novel techniques such as heterogeneous integration ushering in improvements to chip functionality, SEMICON Taiwan is the ideal platform for connecting, collaborating and innovating to take advantage of future opportunities.

New show floor features at SEMICON Taiwan include the Smart Manufacturing Journey to highlight future trends and opportunities in smart semiconductor manufacturing and the Smart Workforce Pavilion, which promotes the development of the semiconductor industry talent pipeline. In addition, 22 theme and regional pavilions and a series of forums and networking events spotlight market trends and cutting-edge technologies and open opportunities for cross-field and cross-region collaboration.

“Semiconductors are the backbone of the Taiwan’s economic growth and its leadership position in the global semiconductor industry,” said Terry Tsao, president of SEMI Taiwan. “As critical partners, Taiwan policy makers continue to work closely with the industry and will propose a series of reforms across tax, trade, talent, and technology to enrich the region’s investment climate and encourage industry upgrades.”

“Taiwan is in a strong position to help power future semiconductor industry growth with its highly specialized, fully integrated supply chains and years of management experience,” Tsao said. “Taiwan will long remain a key strategic player in the global semiconductor industry.”

For more event information, please visit SEMICON Taiwan. For a SEMICON Taiwan 2018 overview including featured speakers and the list of international forums, please click here.

The China IC Ecosystem Report, a comprehensive report for the IC manufacturing supply chain, reveals that front-end fab capacity in China will grow to account for 16 percent of the world’s semiconductor fab capacity this year, a share that will increase to 20 percent by the end of 2020. With the rapid growth, China will top the rest of the world in fab investment in 2020 with more than $20 billion in spending, driven by memory and foundry projects funded by both multinational and domestic companies, according to the new report released today by SEMI.

The report also shows that IC Design remained the largest semiconductor sector in China for the second year in a row with $31.9 billion in revenue in 2017, widening its lead over the long-dominant IC Packaging and Test sector. The ascent of China’s IC Design sector comes as the region’s equipment market is expected to claim the top spot in 2020 for the first time on the strength of the continuing development of its domestic manufacturing capability. China’s maturing domestic fab sector is also benefiting domestic equipment and materials suppliers. Both groups continue to see gains in their product offerings and capabilities, particularly in silicon wafer production. The China IC Ecosystem Report is produced by SEMI, the global industry association and provider of independent electronics market research.

The more than RMB140 billion (US$21.5 billion) accumulated by the National IC Fund, a critical component of the 2014 National Guideline to address China’s semiconductor trade deficit, has spurred rapid gains throughout the region’s IC supply chain. Semiconductors are China’s largest import by revenue. Phase 2 of funding aims to raise another RMB150-200 billion ($23.0-$30.0 billion).

Encouraged by the National Guideline and favorable policies, skilled overseas talent is returning to China, triggering an explosion of domestic IC Design start-ups that are benefiting from access to investment and favorable policies, the report shows.

Other highlights from The China IC Ecosystem Report include:

  • Currently 25 new fab construction projects are underway or planned in China. 17 – 300 mm fabs are being tracked as part of this investment and expansion activity. Foundry, DRAM and 3D NAND are the leading segments for fab investment and new capacity in China.
  • China’s IC Packaging and Test industry is also moving up the value chain by enhancing its technology offerings through mergers and acquisitions and building advanced capabilities to entice international integrated device manufacturers.
  • China’s IC materials market, currently dominated by Packaging materials, became the second largest regional market for materials in 2016, a position it solidified in 2017. China’s materials market is expected to grow at a 10 percent CAGR from 2015 to 2019, driven primarily by the region’s new fab capacity ramp in the coming years. Fab capacity will expand at a 14 percent CAGR during that period.

The China IC Ecosystem Report covers the latest semiconductor supply chain and market developments including the rise of China’s IC industry, national and local government policies, public and private funding, and their implications for China’s IC supply chain. The report also compares key domestic companies and their international peers segment by segment. To learn more and get a sample of the report, visit http://www.semi.org/en/china-ic-ecosystem-report.

Eugenia is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at SEMI. 

Originally published on the SEMI blog.