Category Archives: Device Architecture

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have achieved a breakthrough in manipulating light to render an object, such as an optical chip, invisible.

According to the recent study published in Nature Scientific Reports, the researchers conceived a new method that deflects and scatters light away from a “cloaking” chip surface so it is not detected.

An operational cloaking chip can be an extension of the basic technologies such as radar-absorbing dark paint used on stealth aircraft, local optical camouflage, surface cooling to minimize electromagnetic infrared emissions, or electromagnetic wave scattering.

“These results open the door to new integrated photonic devices, harnessing electromagnetic fields of light at nanoscale for a variety of applications from on-chip optical devices to all-optical processing,” says Dr. Alina Karabchevsky, head of BGU’s Light-on-a-Chip Group and a member of the BGU Unit of Electro-Optical Engineering and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology. “We showed that it is possible to bend the light around an object located on the cloak on an optical chip. The light does not interact with the object, thus resulting in the object’s invisibility.”

The next step is for researchers to overcome the significant challenge of developing a prototype.

Other group researchers who contributed to the study, Invisibility Cloaking Scheme by Evanescent Fields Distortion on Composite Plasmonic Waveguides with Si Nano-Spacer, include Yakov Galutin, an MSc student and a member of the BGU Electro-Optical Engineering Unit and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and Eran Falek, a student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

At the SC17 show, Micron Technology, Inc., (Nasdaq:MU) today announced a new 32GB NVDIMM-N offering twice the capacity of existing NVDIMMs, providing system designers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with new flexibility to work with larger data sets in fast persistent memory.

The solution is architected to support the increasing performance, energy efficiency and uptime requirements of data analytics and online transaction processing applications. Compared to server configurations using traditional far storage, deploying NVDIMMs can deliver up to 400 percent performance benefits.

As data center storage volumes grow, database queries increasingly need key datasets to be retained in-memory to improve access speeds due to the rising business requirement for higher availability. Many businesses are seeing increased value in placing fast memory near the processor to reduce the need to transfer data from far storage.

Persistent memory delivers a unique balance of latency, bandwidth, capacity and cost by delivering ultra-fast DRAM speeds for critical data. What sets it apart from standard server DRAM is its ability to preserve information in the event of a power loss. Micron’s technology provides a unique solution for near-memory data analysis and addresses rising bandwidth demands of data-rich applications in markets such as finance, medicine, retail, and oil and gas exploration.

NVDIMM has emerged as a critical persistent memory technology due to its ability to deliver the performance levels of DRAM combined with the persistent reliability of NAND. It reduces the bandwidth gap between memory and storage.

Applications which require frequent updates — such as journaling or transactional logging of metadata — now have the capability to leverage NVDIMM for these functions instead of traditional far storage. Micron’s NVDIMM allows customers to raise read-centric performance by 11 percent and write-centric performance by 63 percent for block level data.

“As data sets get larger and larger, data access becomes increasingly critical to application performance,” said Tom Eby, senior vice president for Micron’s Compute and Networking Business Unit. “Our new 32GB NVDIMM-N equips system architects with a high-capacity persistent memory solution that can dramatically increase throughput and improve total cost of ownership.”

VMware and Dell are collaborating with Micron to increase the performance for virtualized applications. With virtual persistent memory, customers can now run multiple operating systems in a virtualized environment while reducing overall network traffic.

“As the global leader in cloud infrastructure and business mobility, VMware recognized early the significant reduction of database and local storage latencies that Micron NVDIMM-N can bring to our virtualized customers using Dell PowerEdge servers,” said Richard A. Brunner, chief platform architect and vice president of Server Platform Technologies at VMware, Inc. “Using the 16 GB NVDIMM-N from Micron for the Dell PowerEdge 14G servers, a future version of VMware vSphere(R) intends to efficiently grow the number and size of virtualized persistent memory workloads in the data center while ensuring the benefits of live migration, check-pointing, and legacy storage optimizations for NVDIMM. VMware looks forward to the improvements that can arise when the server industry starts deploying the new 32 GB Micron NVDIMM-N to our customers.”

“Persistent memory solutions enables our customers to optimize intensive database and analytics workloads,” said Robert Hormuth, vice president and fellow, Server Division CTO at Dell EMC. “Micron’s advancement in persistent memory offering and Dell EMC engineering efforts to enhance NVDIMM capability of PowerEdge servers will boost application performance, reduce system crash recovery time and enhance SSD endurance for our customers.”

SEMICON Europa is quickly approaching on 14-17 November.  As the premier platform in Europe for discovering new technologies, finding solutions to electronics design and manufacturing challenges, and meeting the people and companies who are advancing electronics innovation, SEMICON Europa features over 60 presentations covering the entire electronics manufacturing supply chain.

BOSCH-300

SEMI interviewed one of the four keynotes presenting on November 14 during the Opening Ceremony, Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, CEO of Bosch Sensortec, about topics about developments and trends in IoT, Environmental Sensing, and Value Chain as well as the role of Europe.

SEMI:  IoT growth is slower than expected. Possible reasons are relatively high costs and lack of silicon integration and interoperable standards. However, expected progress over the next two years on all those fronts will fuel a market that “will very quickly double” its shipment rates. What do you see as key factors for a success of IoT solutions and what are today’s roadblocks?

Finkbeiner: Today, the IoT market is fragmented. The lack of standardization is limiting the implementation of new solutions, and only a cooperation of different competencies will bring us closer to a better result. Key success factors for doing so are customization, standardization and cooperation between different parties along the ecosystems and the value chain: all those elements will contribute to the progress of the IoT. In the end, it is the use case that really counts. If you have to pay for a solution, you will only do so if you are sure you will really benefit from it.  Some applications, which are already in the market, include the possibility of detecting the indoor air quality. When and where shall I open the window to get fresh air in order to improve the work environment? If a room is empty, there is no need to use the sensors to heat up or cool down. We can calculate the benefits – and those in charge of operation can measure how much it pays off.

SEMI:  Which role does the cooperation along the value chain play here?

Finkbeiner:  Cooperation is the key, and when we talk about the value chain, there are different competencies, e.g. hardware, software and collaboration with partners to generate smart sensors. These smart sensors accumulate and evaluate sensor signals and dates. Only valuable data is transferred via gateways into a cloud. It is not only about “making the value chain happen,” but also about having access to the market. No company on its own is able to access all markets, but with a net of partners we can. It is crucial to combine competencies in order to get access to the IoT market and accelerate penetration in different applications.

SEMI:  Smart buildings represent the second largest target of the IoT market. This is followed by connected vehicles and smart farms at about a billion devices each. Let’s take the automotive industry and major changes of today’s new players such as Tesla, Google or Uber entering the market. Do you expect or see already similar trends for in the field of Smart buildings or Smart Cities?

Finkbeiner: If we talk about environmental sensing, the answer will be “no.” Still, companies with competencies in the field of sensors or microcontrollers are the ones providing sensor solutions. However, if you talk about making use out of the data, companies like Google, Apple, or Amazon, will also be involved in the IoT market’s data business.

SEMI:   What are typical examples of Environmental Sensing you are referring to?

Finkbeiner: A typical example of environmental sensing is measuring the indoor air quality for energy management in a smart home or smart factory. Let´s take, for example, a fitness application: you can use an app to measure the humidity rate and the air quality. If the results do not show favorable conditions for doing sports, you will most probably decide not to exercise in that specific area, or during a specific time, or period. One of the first products on the market is a smart case for the smartphone developed by i-BLADES, which turns into a portable air quality monitor, thanks to the integrated gas sensor BME680. We currently see many such smart applications emerging on the market.  But there are also other applications: let´s take, for example, food watching. If food is aging, our sensor can recognize it – and an app can show it on your smart phone.

SEMI: The solutions available on the market are very fragmented today and adopting various often-interoperable standards. How do you think it will evolve?

Finkbeiner: There are applications with more obvious benefits than others. The best practices should be leveraged to develop standards. In fact, nobody wants to work with three or four different ecosystems and thus more standardization will be required. For instance, to run applications coming from different companies with just one app is a must. As soon as applications will grow, the standardization will grow, too. The growing number of applications increasingly drives up the number of use cases and as a result, more standardization will occur. It is a slow process, but it is indeed happening.

SEMI:  Bosch invested in a new 300mm Fab in Dresden, which is the biggest single investment in Bosch’s 130-year history. The fab will satisfy the demand generated by the growing number of internet of things (IoT) and mobility applications; the new location should manufacture chips on the basis of 12-inch wafers.  Bosch is one of the largest players in Dresden. This new investment is marking a big step: how important is it for you, as a global player, to belong to such an important innovation hub in Europe?

Finkbeiner: For Bosch, it is essential to be part of this microelectronics cluster in Dresden and to utilize the synergies around it. For the semiconductor industry, it is important to leverage the synergies of the different players in Dresden. Beyond this, if we talk about ecosystems for IoT applications and collaborations, it is also important to go to innovation hubs driving IoT products and solutions such as Berlin, Singapore and other places with a rich start-up ecosystem. Furthermore, a global footprint is also very important: a worldwide IoT community and a larger ecosystem, a connection with America and Asia. But then again: Europe is a very good place to be! In Europe, all competencies to make the IoT applications happen are available.

SEMI:   Which key areas will enhance the cooperation within innovation hubs across different innovation hubs in Europe?

Finkbeiner: When talking about hardware, Dresden comes into play. Dresden certainly brings the necessary competencies, for instance with universities and industry collaboration. Think about Silicon Saxony in Dresden or clusters around the Stuttgart region in Baden-Wurttemberg. Also presence on global hubs and markets, such as Silicon Valley in the U.S. West Coast or Shanghai in China, are important.

SEMI:  What do you expect from SEMICON Europa 2017 and why do you recommend attending in Munich?

Finkbeiner: SEMICON Europa is a very important platform for us. It is an opportunity to meet partners, customers, industry leaders, to exchange ideas and to get new insights. In addition, together with Stuttgart and Dresden, the Munich region as a location of significant electronics companies and technical universities is particularly important for us. We, at Bosch Sensortec also have a development site in Munich.

The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) today announced the 2017 award nominees for the GSA Awards Dinner Celebration. Featuring a new Master of Ceremonies format hosted by Wayne Brady, five-time Emmy winner and Grammy nominee, the celebration will take place on Thursday, December 7, 2017, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, California. The program will recognize companies that have demonstrated excellence through their vision, strategy, execution and future opportunity. These companies will be honored for their achievements in several categories ranging from outstanding leadership to financial accomplishments, as well as overall respect within the industry.

The 2017 Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award winner is Ray Stata, Cofounder and Chairman of Analog Devices, Inc.

The evening’s program will recognize leading semiconductor companies that have exhibited market growth through technological innovation and exceptional business management strategies. The award categories and nominees (in alphabetical order) are as follows:

View Nominee Announcement Video

Start-Up to Watch Award

  • DecaWave Ltd.
  • Innovium, Inc.
  • SiFive, Inc.

Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company Award

  • Aquantia Corporation
  • Luxtera, Inc.
  • Montage Technology
  • Silego Technology, Inc.

Most Respected Emerging Public Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving $100 Million to $500 Million in Annual Sales):

  • Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (MPS)
  • Parade Technologies, Ltd.
  • Power Integrations, Inc.

Most Respected Public Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving $500 Million to $1 Billion in Annual Sales):

  • ams AG
  • Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co., Ltd.
  • Silicon Labs

Most Respected Public Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving $1 Billion to $5 Billion in Annual Sales)

  • Analog Devices, Inc.
  • Dialog Semiconductor
  • Xilinx, Inc.

Most Respected Public Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Greater than $5 Billion in Annual Sales)

  • Infineon Technologies AG
  • NVIDIA Corporation
  • NXP Semiconductors N.V.

Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Up to $1 Billion in Annual Sales):

  • Parade Technologies, Ltd.
  • Silicon Labs
  • Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (Silicon Motion, Inc.)

Best Financially Managed Semiconductor Company Award (Achieving Greater than $1 Billion in Annual Sales)

  • Maxim Integrated
  • SK Hynix Inc.
  • Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

Analyst Favorite Semiconductor Company Award (chosen by analyst Rajvindra Gill of Needham & Company, LLC)

  • Microchip Technology Inc.
  • Micron Technology, Inc.
  • NVIDIA Corporation

Outstanding Asia Pacific Semiconductor Company Award

  • MediaTek Inc.
  • Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
  • Spreadtrum Communications

Outstanding EMEA Semiconductor Company Award

  • Graphcore
  • Infineon Technologies AG
  • STMicroelectronics
  • Valens

 

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited (AOS) (Nasdaq:AOSL) a designer, developer and global supplier of a broad range of power semiconductors and power ICs, today announced the release of AONS66916 production utilizing the latest Alpha Shield Gate Technology Generation 2 (AlphaSGT2). The AONS66916 has RDS(ON) * Qg  (FOM) and more robust capability for a greater safety margin. In synchronous rectification, it is essential to optimize the reverse recovery charge and reduce the voltage overshoot. These attributes enable higher efficiency and robustness to critical high density telecom and server applications.

The AlphaSGT2 provides ~30% lower RDS(ON) compared to AlphaSGT1 and is designed to be more robust with significant avalanche energy improvement. AlphaSGT2 technology reduces both conduction and switching losses. Thus, with AlphaSGT2 technology, circuit designers can prevent paralleling devices for lower turn-on resistance, enabling higher power density in power supply applications.

“The new AlphaSGT2 100V technology is designed for critical applications such as Telecom and Datacom power supplies where power density, high efficiency, and robustness is essential,” said Peter H. Wilson, Director of Product Marketing at AOS.

Technical Highlights

Part Number VDS (V) VGS (V) RDS(ON)MAX (mOhms) Qg (typ) (nC) ID @ TA = 25°C (A)
@ 10V
AONS66916 100 ±20 3.6 67 100

The AONS66916 is immediately available in production quantities with a lead-time of 15 weeks. The unit price of 1,000 pieces is $ 1.2.

Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited, or AOS, is a designer, developer and global supplier of a broad range of power semiconductors, including a wide portfolio of Power MOSFET, IGBT, IPM and Power IC products.

Automotive electronic system sales are forecast to rise by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2016 through 2021, which is the highest among six major end-use system categories (Figure 1), according to data presented in the 2018 edition of the IC Insights’ IC Market Drivers—A Study of Key System Applications Fueling Demand for Integrated Circuits that will be released later this year.

worldwide electronic systems 1

Demand is rising for electronic systems in new cars with increasing attention focused on self-driving (autonomous) vehicles, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, as well as on-board safety, convenience, and environmental features, and growing interest in electric vehicles.  Automotive electronics is growing as technology becomes more widely available on mid-range and entry-level cars and as consumers purchase technology-based aftermarket products.  For semiconductor suppliers, this is good news as analog ICs, MCUs, and a great number of sensors are required for many of these automotive systems.

The automotive segment is expected to account for an estimated 9.1% of the $1.49 trillion total worldwide electronic systems market in 2017 (Figure 2), a slight increase from 8.9% in 2015, and 9.0% in 2016. Automotive’s share of global electronic system production has increased only incrementally through the years, and is forecast to show only marginal gains as a percent of total electronic systems market through 2021, when automotive electronics are forecast to account for 9.8% of global electronic systems sales.  Though many electronics systems are being added in new vehicles, IC Insights believes pricing pressures on both ICs and electronic systems will keep the automotive end-use application from accounting for much more than its current share of total electronic systems through the forecast period.

worldwide electronic systems 2

Other electronic system and IC market highlights from the 2018 IC Market Drivers Report include the following.

• The automotive segment is forecast to be the fastest growing electronic system market through 2021. This is good news for the total automotive IC market, which is forecast to surge 22% in 2017 and 16% in 2018.

• Industrial electronic systems are forecast to enjoy the second-fastest growth rate (4.6%) through 2021 as robotics, wearable health devices, and systems promoting the Internet of Things help drive growth in this segment. Analog ICs are forecast to hold 45% of the industrial IC market in 2017.

• The 2016-2021 communication systems CAGR is projected to be 4.2% as global sales of smartphones and other mobile devices reach saturation.  Asia-Pacific is forecast to show the strongest regional growth of communication systems and account for 69% of the total communications IC market in 2017.

• The consumer electronic systems market is forecast to display a CAGR of 2.8% through 2021.  The logic segment is forecast to be the largest consumer IC market throughout the forecast.  In total, the consumer IC market is expected to register a 2.4% CAGR across the 2016-2021 time period.

• Flat or marginal demand for personal computing devices (desktops, notebooks, tablets) is expected to result in the computer systems market showing the weakest CAGR through 2021. The total computer IC market is forecast to increase 25% in 2017 driven by much higher average selling prices for computer DRAM and NAND flash memory.

 

By Ajit Manocha, president and CEO, SEMI

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be a hot topic today, but SEMI has helped to incubate Big Data and AI since its founding. Early in SEMI’s history, SEMI’s always intelligent members worked together to introduce International Standards that enabled different pieces of equipment to collect and later pass data.  At first, it was for basic interoperability and equipment state analysis.  Later, SEMI data protocol Standards allowed process and metrology data to be used locally and across the fab to approach the goals of Smart Manufacturing and AI – for the equipment itself to make adjustments based on incoming wafer data.

Ajit--photo 1--sample.e.XL3A5483 (from pdg)As a part of this evolution, SEMI members developed the latest sensors and computational hardware that could ever better sense, analyze and act on the environment. Often first to use its own newly developed hardware, progress in this area was critical toward improving the likelihood of success for one of the world’s most complicated production processes – and coping with the breakneck speed of Moore’s Law – by accelerating capabilities that would later be regarded as the basis for machine learning and “thinking” systems.

Since then, process steps have increased from about 175 to as many as 1,000 for the leading technology nodes. By the time 300mm wafers were introduced, manufacturing intelligence and automation sharply increased productivity while reducing fab labor by more than 25 percent. Employing adaptive models, modern leading-edge factories are fully automated and operate at nearly 60 percent autonomous control.

Today, AI is akin to where IoT was yesterday in the hype cycle – popping up everywhere as a major consideration for the future. Neither IoT nor AI is hype, though – they’re the future.  There is ever more at stake for SEMI members with AI.  AI appears to be the next wave helping to maintain double-digit growth for the foreseeable future.

As part of its appeal for the global supply chain, AI can be a key silicon driver for three inflections that should benefit society. First, there is a massive increase in the amount of compute needed. Half of all the compute architectures shipping in 2021 will be supporting and processing AI.

Second, the Cloud will flourish and the Edge will bloom. By 2021, 50 percent of enterprise infrastructure will employ cognitive and artificial intelligence.

Third, new species of chips will emerge, such as the devices fueling IC content and electronics for the rapid growth of disruptive capabilities in vehicles and autonomous cars (as well as medical and agricultural applications, for example). There are also many more advantages created with and for AI as SEMI members enable new materials and advanced packaging.

What results can be measured from these changes for the global electronics manufacturing supply chain? More apps, more electronics, more silicon and more manufacturing.

On the other hand, the technologies alone create relatively little business value if the problems in our factories and markets are not well understood. There’s a great need to anticipate and guide AI. This requires a new kind of collaboration.

To address this need, SEMI’s vertical application platforms have been created for Smart Data (which is all about AI), and also for Smart MedTech, Smart Transportation, Smart Manufacturing and IoT. This higher degree of facilitated collaboration serves to cultivate multiple “smart communities” that accelerate progress for AI, better directing how connected networks and data mining can step up the pace for advancement of global prosperity. This process also provides members with access to untapped business opportunities and new players.​​

Ajit--photo 2 (panel)_D512959

We at SEMI are learning right along with our members. If you attended SEMICON West in July, several lessons about AI were presented by the Executive Panel (“Meeting the Challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolutions along the Microelectronics Supply Chain”) with Mary Puma (Axcelis), Shaheen Dayal (Intel), Lori Ciano (Brooks Automation) and Regenia Sanders (Ernst & Young). This very timely and excellent panel discussed how and where predictive analytics can have the biggest impact and the implications of sharing (and not sharing) data for problem solving and process optimization.

Ensuring that the SEMI staff gleans everything possible from the experts, we hosted an “encore” of the Executive Panel in October in our headquarters for an even more in-depth discussion about how to enhance collaboration across the supply chain in support of AI.

Going forward, these SEMI vertical platform communities will help to simplify and accelerate supply chain engagement for member value. Collaboration will play an ever greater role for using AI to master the making of advanced node semiconductor devices and enabling limitless cognitive computing. As a result, AI as we know it today, has a big head start over the previous pace of evolution for one of our great trendsetters, Moore’s Law.

Join the conversation.  Find out how you can work with SEMI to advance the AI – and especially AI in semiconductor manufacturing.  Frank Shemansky Jr., Ph.D., is heading up SEMI’s formation of SEMI’s Smart Data vertical application platform.  Let Frank know ([email protected]) you’re interested and he’ll give you more information on what’s to come.  As always, please let me know your thoughts.

 

By Lara Chamness, SEMI

2017 will be a record-breaking year. Semiconductor sales will exceed $400 billion for the first time and semiconductor equipment sales will finally shatter the historic high set in 2000. What is driving this growth?

Monolithic demand drivers have been replaced by a diversity of applications including: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, cloud storage, Smart Automotive (driver assistance and autonomous), Smart Manufacturing, and Smart MedTech. These proliferating demand drivers and ensuing increasing silicon (semiconductor) content in electronics is fueling what many are calling a “super cycle.” The overwhelming majority of semiconductor devices used to enable these end markets are commodities, creating a renaissance for smaller wafer diameter fabs (200mm and smaller).

Not only are legacy fabs seeing a resurgence, the industry is seeing the evolution of China transitioning away from primarily being a consumer of chips towards developing a self-sufficient semiconductor supply chain. Spurred by the 2014 National IC Guideline, all IC ecosystem sectors in China made significant progress in 2016. Such as IC design becoming the largest semiconductor sector, surpassing IC packaging and test, with over 1,300 vendors. Advancements have been made in chip production with over 24 new fab construction projections underway or planned, prompting the wafer fab equipment market to exceed $11 billion in 2018 and to potentially surpass $18 billion by 2020.

SEMI’s complimentary webinar will take place on Thursday, November 9, 2017.

In this webinar, an overview of the latest semiconductor market trends, drivers and forecasts will be discussed. Segments covered will include fab capacity, equipment, and materials trends as well as discuss year-to-date data based on SEMI’s data collection programs. SEMI will provide a market update with data from SEMI’s Industry Research & Statistics Reports and Database, specifically highlighting two recently released reports: 200 mm Fab Outlook to 2021 and SEMI China IC Industry Outlook2017.

REGISTER for WEBINAR: 8:00am – 8:45am PST, Thur., Nov. 9, 2017

 

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased during the third quarter 2017 when compared to second quarter 2017 area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,997 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 0.7 percent increase from the record 2,978 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. New quarterly total area shipments are 9.8 percent higher than third quarter 2016 shipments and continue to ship at their highest recorded quarterly level.

“Global silicon wafer shipment volumes surpassed record levels for the sixth quarter in a row, resulting in a new historical high,” said Chungwei (C.W.) Lee (李崇偉), chairman of SEMI SMG and spokesman, VP, Corporate Development and chief auditor of GlobalWafers (環球晶圓).  “While silicon demand is strong, silicon pricing remains well below pre-downturn levels.”

Silicon* Area Shipment Trends

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), November 2017
Millions of Square Inches
2Q2016
3Q2016
4Q2016
1Q2017
2Q2017
3Q2017
Total
2,706
2,730
2,764
2,858
2,978
2,997

*Semiconductor applications only

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, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.

 

Kyma Technologies, Inc., a developer of advanced wide bandgap semiconductor materials technologies, announced it has used its new K200 hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) growth tool to produce high quality 200mm diameter HVPE GaN on QST (QROMIS Substrate Technology) templates.

Today’s announcement of Kyma’s development of 200mm diameter GaN on QST templates follows its announcement in 2016 of its demonstration of 150mm diameter GaN on QST templates in partnership with QROMIS, Inc. (formerly Quora Technology, Inc.) and its recent announcement of the commissioning of Kyma’s K200 HVPE growth tool.

200-mm GaN on QST® Template

Pictured is one of the demonstrated 200mm diameter HVPE GaN on QST templates which consists of 10 microns of HVPE GaN grown on a 5 micron MOCVD GaN on QST wafer provided by QROMIS, Inc. X-ray diffraction rocking curve linewidths for the templates fall in the range of 250 and 330 arc-sec for the symmetric {002) and asymmetric {102} XRD peaks, respectively, which is consistent with high structural quality. Low wafer bow (~50 microns) and smooth surface morphology suggest these materials should support high performance device manufacturing.

Kyma’s newly constructed K200 HVPE tool represents a first for the industry and was designed by Kyma engineers to enable uniform and rapid growth of high quality GaN on a number of different substrates.

Keith Evans, President & CEO, commented, “We have successfully transferred the process for making high quality GaN to our K200 HVPE tool. The structural quality of the GaN produced on QROMIS’ QST substrate is excellent. We are currently engaging with customers interested in large diameter GaN on QST templates.”

Kyma and Qromis are partnered for this work under a Kyma-led US DOE Phase IIB SBIR with award number DE-SC0009653.

QROMIS recently began manufacturing 200-mm QST substrates and GaN-on-QST wafers using its foundry partner Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS). VIS is planning to offer GaN power device manufacturing services on 8-inch diameter QST platform in 2018.

QROMIS co-founder & CEO Cem Basceri added, “QROMIS’ CMOS fab-friendly 200-mm diameter QST substrates and GaN-on-QST wafers represent a disruptive technology, enabling GaN epitaxy from a few microns to hundreds of microns for GaN power applications ranging from 100V to 1,500V or beyond in lateral, quasi vertical or vertical device forms, and device manufacturing on the same 8-inch or 12-inch diameter platform at Si power device cost. Kyma’s K200 HVPE technology represent an important value-add to QST-based GaN power device manufacturing by enabling the low cost deposition of a thicker and lower defect density GaN surface than is practically achievable using MOCVD growth alone.”

Kyma is also teamed with a semiconductor equipment OEM to manufacture K200 HVPE tools for customers who prefer to bring Kyma’s HVPE GaN growth process in-house.