Category Archives: Device Architecture

Each year at SEMICON West, the “Best of West” awards are presented by Solid State Technology and SEMI. More than 26,000 professionals from the electronics manufacturing supply chain attend SEMICON West and the co-located Intersolar. The “Best of West” award was established to recognize new products moving the industry forward with technological developments in the electronics supply chain.

Selected from over 600 exhibitors, SEMI announced today that the following Best of West 2017 Finalists will be displaying their products on the show floor at Moscone Center from July 11-13:

  • Mentor, a Siemens Business: Tessent® Cell-Aware Diagnosis – With FinFETs in high volume, finding systematic yield issues at the transistor level is important. The Tessent Cell-Aware Diagnosis technology significantly improves diagnosis of defects beyond the inter-connect and inside the logic cells. (Process Control, Metrology and Test Category; North Hall Booth #6661)
  • Microtronic Inc.: EAGLEview 5 Macro Defect Management Platform – EagleView 5 is the new, yield-enhancing, breakthrough macro defect inspection platform that was developed – and deployed in production — through collaboration with several leading device manufacturers who wanted to standardize and unify wafer defect management throughout their fab. Innovations include: dramatically improved defect detection; level-specific sorting; and integration with manual microscopes. (Process Control, Metrology and Test Category; North Hall Booth #5467)
  • SPTS Technologies Ltd: SentinelTM End-Point Detection System for Plasma Dicing after Grind – The Sentinel™ End-Point Detection System improves the control of plasma dicing processes and protects taped wafers for improved yields.  In addition to signaling exposure of the tape, Sentinel™ also detects loss of active cooling during the process to enable intervention to prevent yield loss. (Process Control, Metrology and Test Category; West Hall Booth #7617)
  • TEL: Stratus P500 – The Stratus P500 system electroplates panel substrates with wafer level processing precision.  As redistribution layers (RDL) reduce to widths below 10 µm line/space, and package sizes increase, conventional plating systems are challenged to meet system-on-package requirements. The P500 makes panel scale fine line RDL and feature filling applications possible. (Assembly/Packaging Solutions Category; North Hall Booth #6168)

Congratulations to each of the Finalists. The Best of West Award winner will be announced during SEMICON West (www.semiconwest.org) on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.

BY PETE SINGER, Editor-in-Chief

What if the automotive industry had achieved the incredible pace of innovation as the semiconductor industry during the last 52 years? A Rolls Royce would cost only $40, go around the world eight times on a gallon of gas, and have a top speed of 2.4 million miles per hour.

That point was made by Subi Kengeri speaking at The ConFab in May. Kengeri is vice president, CMOS Business Unit, at GlobalFoundries. He also noted that if one of today’s high performance graphics chips were produced using 1960 vs state-of-the-art “it would be the size of a football field.”

Clearly, no other industry can match the pace of innovation of the semiconductor industry. “The transistor count per square inch in 1965 was roughly 100. In 52 years, if you follow Moore’s Law of 2 years per innovation cycle, that gives 26 innovation cycles. That’s 100 millionX improvement (2X26),” Kengeri noted.

Of course, there has been plenty of innovation in the automotive industry. Interestingly, most of the exciting new innovations such as backup cameras, collision avoidance, navigation/ infotainment, self-parking, and anti-lock brakes are only possible because of semiconductor technology.

Kengeri said that Moore’s Law scaling will continue – “there’s no question about it,” he said – but there’s a growing need for new innovation to address the increasingly diverse array of semicon- ductor applications. These are driven by growth in mobile computing, development in IoT computing, the emergence of intelligent computing and augmented/virtual reality.

“Leading edge innovation will continue and all the leading manufacturers continue to invest, whether it is litho scaling in terms of EUV, or device archicture,” Kengeri said. “What is really important is how do we continue to innovate, how do we continue to get the value at competitive costs? Trying to get the scaling at any cost is not what is needed in the majority of the markets. It’s still okay at the very high end, for CPUs and servers, but in all markets, managing cost is really critical.”

“On top of all of that, we have to continue to deliver on time. Because of the complexity, things aren’t getting slower. We’re doing everything we can do continue to keep the same pace as we used to,” he added.

Kengeri said continued advances mean changing the way we think about innovation. It will require continued technical Innovation (materials and processes, device architecture and design-technology co-optimization), but – perhaps more importantly – business model innovation. This includes new thinking about long-term R&D focus/ investment, shared investments/learning/reuse, and consolidation and collaboration.

Industry experts answer questions about the new standard in a virtual roundtable.

In recent years, energy consumption has decreased due to several innovations that have helped to improve the energy efficiency of process tools and sub-fab equipment, but an increase in the number of processes and the growing complexity of processing at the current node has resulted in a spike in energy consumption in the fab. Approximately 43% of the energy consumed in the fab is due to the processing equipment and, of this, 20% is vacuum and abatement (8% overall).

A new standard from SEMI, E175, defines energy saving modes, which combined with the EtherCAT signaling standard, can help fabs save energy and other gas/utility costs when the tool is not processing and with no impact on subsequent wafer processing.

EtherCAT, based on industrial Ethernet, provides high- speed control and monitoring. It is the communication standard of choice for the latest semiconductor tool controllers to connect to sensors and actuators around the tool, including vacuum and abatement systems.

SEMI E175 defines how process tools communicate with sub-fab equipment, such as vacuum pumps and gas abatement systems, to reduce utility consumption at times when wafers are not being processed by the tool, and returning to full performance when the tool is again required to process wafers. It builds on SEMI E167, which defines communication between the fab host/ WIP controller and the process tools for the purpose of utility saving.

Collaboration between the E175 and EtherCAT groups has seen a harmonization of the communication standards to provide co-ordinated energy saving across devices in the fab.
We invited experts in this area to answer a few questions in a virtual roundtable. The participants are:

• GERALD SHELLEY, Senior Product Manager Communication and Control at Edwards, and the EtherCAT Chair Abatement / Roughing pump working groups, E175 task force.

• MIKE CZERNIAK, Environmental Solutions Business Development Manager at Edwardsm Co-Chair of SEMI International Standards E167 & E175, and campaigner for energy saving

• GINO CRISPIERI, Applied Materials – Past Co-chair of E175 (originally SEMATECH/ISMI, then independent consultant, prior to Applied Materials)

• MARTIN ROSTAN, Executive Director, EtherCAT Technology Group

Q: Please explain what drove the standards work on energy saving and the achievements to date.

SHELLEY: There is increased pressure on the industry to reduce energy and utility saving from both a cost and environmental standpoint. Subfab equipment is a major consumer of utilities, which is wasted when a tool is not in use. Different manufacturers have implemented energy saving solutions, with minimal direct connection to the tool. However, direct tool connection has emerged as the best way to maximize saving without any risk to wafer processing.

CZERNIAK: This work originated in the ISMI part of SEMATECH as a follow-on to generic work aimed at reducing the overall utilities footprint of modern fabs. In response to this and requests from customers, Edwards developed vacuum pumps and gas abatement systems that had energy-saving functionality. However, it soon became clear that the limitation to implementing such savings was the absence of standardised signalling between the process tool and sub-fab equipment.

CRISPIERI: A SEMATECH project around 2009 started to look into opportunities for saving energy in the semiconductor factories. At that time, suppliers of pumps and abatement systems already had started initiatives to provide their own solutions to the initiative. Since that time, the industry has adopted two new standards: SEMI E167 Specification for Equipment Energy Saving Mode Communication (between factory and semicon- ductor equipment) and SEMI E175 Specification for Subsystem Energy Saving Mode Communication (between semiconductor equipment and subsystems).

Q: Please describe how the energy saving task force was born and why you decided to get involved.

CRISPIERI: Back in 2009 while working for SEMATECH in Austin, Texas, prior to SEMATECH’s move the New York, Thomas Huang an assignee for GlobalFoundries to the EHS Program approached and asked me if I would be interested in helping him drive a standard for equipment suppliers to enable their equipment to save energy during idle times. Because of my previous experience working with equipment suppliers and developing standards for equipment and factory communication, I accepted to chair a task force to drive the equipment supplier’s new capability requirement into a standard. At first, we thought it would be an easy task and that everyone would jump to help create and approve the standard in a short amount of time because of its benefits. A two phase approach was defined to drive the standardization process and engage semiconductor and sub-fab equipment suppliers accordingly. It took almost three years to complete the Phase I (2013) and another three to complete the Phase II (2016) standards.

SHELLEY: The task force was an extension of E167 which previously defined the communication into the tool from the supervisory systems, however to achieve maximum benefit signalling to tool subsystems was key and the E175 task force was the result.

CZERNIAK: Following-on from the above, the ISMI working group became a SEMI Standards Task Force and began work at developing a standard, initially for Host to process tool (E167) and then from tool to sub-fab (E175), which I was co-chair for to ensure continuity and clear the signalling “roadblock”.

Q: How have suppliers collaborated on E175?

CRISPIERI: Compared with the suppliers who partic- ipated in SEMI E167 development, the suppliers involved in the development and approval of SEMI E175 were more committed to make it happen and helped drive the standardization process to conclusion much more efficiently. Edwards, AMAT, TEL, Hitachi- Kokusai and DAS-Europe regularly participated and provided inputs to standardize behavior and require- ments for their own equipment. We run into some difficulty getting aligned with other standard activities that were driven by SEMI’s EHS Committee because their changes affected our standardization process. I must note that the overall participation was excellent in particular from Edwards Vacuum and AMAT.

ROSTAN: Within the ETG Semiconductor Technical Working Group individual task groups already had multiple suppliers collaborating on the detail of the EtherCAT profiles for all devices, with technical support from the EtherCAT Technical Group. We were fortunate to have a delegate from Edwards in both the Semi E175 Task Force and key EtherCAT Task Groups to informally broker agreement between the teams.

SHELLEY: The suppliers were able to use their collective experience to work through a number of options to find the optimum way of controlling subfab equipment, tackling variability in wakeup time and control architec- tures between device types and equipment technology.

CZERNIAK: Suppliers, automation providers, tool OEMs and end-users have all collaborated to help develop a standard that works for everyone and aligns with earlier standards like S23.

Q: How was the EtherCAT collaboration beneficial to E175?

SHELLEY: By sharing information and understanding in real time we demonstrated the E175 concept is achievable using the favored protocol for new tool platforms and defined how it would be implemented. We co-operated to take both these standards to alignment in one simul- taneous step, saving considerable committee time on both sides that would have been necessary to resolve any divergence of the detail.

ROSTAN: By devising the implementation of E175 in parallel the EtherCAT Task Groups involved were able to feedback detailed technical proposals and show the E175 standard could be implemented relatively easily within the existing EtherCAT standards.

CRISPIERI: Participation and collaboration from the EtherCAT Working Group was critical to accelerate the implementation and adoption of the standard. Dry Contacts and EtherCAT communication protocol messages were added to two Related Information sections and included in the SEMI E175 standard at the time of its publication.

CZERNIAK: This enables a “richer” signalling environment than simple dry contacts (which are also supported) that enables even greater utility savings to be made.

Q: How has EtherCAT been able to support the require- ments of the tool and Semi E175?

CZERNIACK: By providing timing information; the longer the time the tool is inactive, the greater the savings possible.

ROSTAN: As the control network of choice for the latest semiconductor tools, EtherCAT has been ideally placed to support enhancements, such as the energy saving connectivity increasingly being requested by the fabs. In particular, it was good to see the Pump and Abatement Task Groups of the existing Semiconductor Technical Working Group formulate an E175 compliant solution within the timescales of the second release of the EtherCAT semiconductor device profiles. The EtherCAT Technology Group was also more than happy to support the publication of extracts of the EtherCAT standards being used as protocol examples in the Imple- mentation guidelines of the Semi E175 document.

SHELLEY: EtherCAT has the fast / deterministic connec- tivity and proven integration with tool controllers that allows E175 functionality to be easily added without any loss of performance. By including the requirements of Semi E175 in the EtherCAT standards, both equipment suppliers and tool vendors can establish energy saving communication quickly and easily.

CRISPIERI: The coordination between EtherCAT Working Group and the SEMI ESEC task force group was conducted by Mr. Gerald Shelley from Edwards Vacuum. With his help and leadership, we reached effortlessly agreement and acceptance for the required messages, parameters and values into the EtherCAT respective Pump and Abatement Profile documents. Havingworking usage scenarios and support from the EtherCAT Working Group has been invaluable.

Q: Why is energy saving important to the industry?

ROSTAN: In the industrial world, EtherCAT users are increasingly using our communication and control technologies to drive down energy consumption. The semiconductor industry operates in parts of the world where energy is a limited and expensive resource, whilst the latest wafer processing requires more power. The manufacturers are therefore in great need for energy saving opportunities, such as when the tool subsystems are not in use.

SHELLEY: The fabs are being squeezed by an increase in the complexity and number of processes involved in manufacturing a wafer, driving consumption up and increasing scarcity of energy supply. This is further compli- cated with associated cost and government pressure to “keep the lights on”.

CRISPIERI: It is not hard to see why is so important for device makers or the semiconductor manufacturing industry to adopt and require energy conservation capabilities in their factories. Energy consumed by many equipment components and support systems, such as pumps and abatement systems, never stop from running even when the equipment is idle and waiting for product to be delivered for processing. These components and support systems can save millions of dollars each year if their power consumption is reduced. This energy consumption reduction extends their life cycle thus reducing costs of maintenance and parts replacement. Any effort to reduce energy consumption helps lower costs and adds gains to not only the manufacturer but to those who have to generate the energy for consumption.

CZERNIACK: Cost reduction is always important, but electrical supply is limited in some areas.

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) today announced the enablement of the Synopsys Design Platform and DesignWare Embedded Memory IP on GLOBALFOUNDRIES 7nm Leading-Performance (7LP) FinFET process technology. Synopsys and GF collaboration on the new process addressed several new challenges specific to the 7LP process. This process is expected to deliver 40 percent more processing power and twice the area scaling compared to GF’s 14nm FinFET process. Designers of premium mobile processors, cloud servers and networking infrastructure can take advantage of these benefits by confidently deploying the silicon-proven Synopsys Design Platform and Embedded Memory IP.

“GF’s leading-performance 7nm platform is exceeding initial performance targets and is now ready for customer designs,” said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president of product management at GF. “GF and Synopsys have collaborated to provide designers with tools and methodology that fully leverage the power and highest absolute performance of our 7LP technology, and will allow customers to create innovative products across a range of high-performance applications.”

GF and Synopsys worked together to ensure support of the comprehensive suite of Synopsys Design Platform digital implementation solutions for GF 7LP, including Design Compiler Graphical synthesis, IC Compiler II place-and-route, IC Validator physical verification, PrimeTime static timing analysis and StarRC extraction. To enable designers to achieve the full benefit of the GF 7LP process, the Synopsys tools employ advanced techniques including color track generation, pin color alignment checking and legalization, mixing of single-height and double-height physical boundary cells, power grid alignment to track and color-track aware routing.

The two companies are also collaborating on the development of Synopsys DesignWare Memory Compilers to deliver leading performance, power, area and yield for GF’s 7nm process technology. This joint effort consists of optimizing the GF 7LP process design rules and line patterns to achieve the best results. Early versions of the memory compilers will be on the GF 7LP process qualification vehicle.

“Synopsys and GF have always worked closely to address our customers’ needs, including collaborations on FDSOI and 14nm FinFET processes,” said Michael Jackson, corporate vice president of marketing and business development in the Design Group at Synopsys. “With today’s announcement, we are ready to enable designs on the 7LP process. We will continue to collaborate and ensure that our customers can get superior quality of results and faster time to results by using the Synopsys Design Platform and DesignWare Embedded Memory IP.”

The ongoing slump in shipments of standard personal computers along with the drop-off in tablets are setting the stage for cellphone IC sales to finally surpass integrated circuit revenues in total personal computing systems this year, based on new forecasts in the recently released update of IC Insights’ 2017 IC Market Drivers Report.

IC sales for cellular phone handsets are projected to grow 16% in 2017 to $84.4 billion, as shown in Figure 1, while the integrated circuit market for personal computing systems (desktop and notebook PCs, tablets, and thin-client Internet-centric units) is now forecast to increase 9% to $80.1 billion this year, according to the 150-page update to the 590-page report, originally released in 4Q16.

Fig 1

Fig 1

IC sales for both cellphones and total personal computing systems are strengthening significantly in 2017 primarily because of strong increases in the amount of money being spent on memory, with the average selling price (ASP) of DRAM expected to climb 53% and NAND flash ASP forecast to rise 28% this year. In 2016, IC sales for cellphone handsets grew 2% after rising 1% in 2015, while dollar volume for integrated circuits used in personal computing systems increased just 1% last year after falling 6% in 2015. Cellphone IC sales are also getting a lift from a projected 5% increase in shipments of smartphones, which are being packed with more low-power DRAM and nonvolatile flash storage, while growth in personal computing is expected to be held back by 3% declines in both standard personal computer and tablet unit volumes in 2017.

Shrinking shipments of desktop and notebook computers enabled cellphone IC sales to surpass integrated circuit revenues for standard PCs in 2013.  During 2015 and 2016, cellphone IC sales came close to catching up with integrated circuit sales for total personal computing systems.  In 2017, cellular phone handsets are now forecast to take over as the largest end-use systems category for IC sales.  The gap between IC sales for cellphones and total personal computing systems is projected to widen by the end of this decade.  Cellphone integrated circuit sales are expected to increase by a compound annual growth average (CAGR) of 5.3% in the 2015-2020 forecast period to $92.1 billion versus personal computing IC revenues rising by CAGR of just 2.9% to $83.8 billion in 2020, says the Update of IC Insights’ 2017 IC Market Drivers Report.

The refreshed forecast shows IC sales for standard PCs climbing 11.2% in 2017 to $67.5 billion after increasing about 4% in 2016 to $60.7 billion.  Tablet IC sales are now expected to drop 2% to $11.8 billion in 2017 after falling 11% in 2016 to $12.1 billion, based on the updated outlook.  IC sales for thin-client and Internet/cloud computing centric systems—such as laptops based on Google’s Chromebook platform design—are projected to rise 15% in 2017 to a $838 million after surging 21% in 2016 to $728 million.  Between 2015 and 2020, IC sales for standard PCs are expected to grow by a CAGR of 4.1% to $71.6 billion in the final year of the updated outlook, while table integrated circuit revenues are projected to fall by -3.9% annual rate in the period to about $11.0 billion and ICs in Internet/cloud computing are forecast to rise by CAGR of 13.8% to more than $1.1 billion.

TechInsights analysts share their view on where technology is going, how it’s changing, and what new developments are emerging.

BY STACEY WEGNER, JEONGDONG CHOE and RAY FONTAINE, TechInsights, Ottawa, ON

In 2016, wearables were extremely interesting mainly because there was so much uncertainty around whether or not the market will be viable. The year saw some truly low-cost smart and fitness devices, and some market surprises like Fitbit buying Pebble. The Apple Watch 2 was an improvement over the Watch 1. However, the Huawei watch is remarkably designed with a nice round face, and functional, making the decision on which smart- watch to buy difficult.

While wearables will remain intriguing, even more interesting to watch is the wearables market. Hearables can be as simple as ear buds and basic hearing aids or as complex as devices that correct and amplify sound, sync with wireless devices for virtually any application, and even measure biometric outputs. That’s just the beginning. New sensors being packed into small devices are bringing us devices with nearly 30 sensors per device.

Our recent AirPod teardown (FIGURES 1 and 2) sheds even more light on what’s happening in this area. The W1 chip found in the Beats Studio wireless headphone has the package mark 343S00131. Meanwhile, the W1 chip torn down from the Apple AirPods has the package mark 343S00130. They have a slight difference in the last digit in the package marks. TechInsights has confirmed that both 343S00131 and 343S00130 have the same die. This die measures 4.42 mm x 3.23 mm = 14.3 mm2 . TechInsights has been tracking Internet of Things (IoT) SoCs for over a year and our observations indicate that this new W1 SoC is very competitively placed when comparing its die size and connectivity specification of Bluetooth 4.2 or greater.

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Another extremely interesting technology to watch is the rise of intelligent personal or family assistants. This market started with the introduction of the popular Alexa and Echo. Sony may release their assistant this year with more sure to follow. As far as timing, we will have to wait and see. One issue that needs to be addressed is data collection and usage vs. persona privacy in a manner similar to Vizio’s issues with the FTC. In addition, more changes are coming for artificial intelligence or assistants on mobile devices with Samsung announcing Bixby ahead of its G8 launch.
Of course there are a slew of IoT technologies to watch like the acceptance of Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRa, and Bluetooth 5.0, all of which seem to be vying aggressively for consumer IoT/connected home market. Rumors are gaining strength around how the Samsung S8 will have Bluetooth 5, which could mean a new WiFi modem, from whom we are not certain. Samsung and Wisol have been aligned for a while, but it would be a big statement to see a Samsung/Wisol WiFi/ Bluetooth modem design supporting a new technology like Bluetooth 5.0 in a flagship phone. Based on our knowledge of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, we don’t believe that Bluetooth 5.0 has to be declared for a product. If fact, it would almost seem as if the SiG is asking OEMs to not make a declaration of the Bluetooth 5 in the device.

Image sensors

2016 was an exciting year for smartphone cameras, which should be considered as one of the biggest hardware differentiators between mobile handset platforms. Dual camera systems have reached the mainstream and are forecasted to drive growth for CMOS image sensor IDMs and foundries. Samsung introduced full chip Dual Pixels implemented in chips from its team and from Sony. Each Dual Pixel photosite is available as an autofocus (AF) point, and this complements traditional contrast AF methods and the emerging laser + time-of-flight (ToF) systems.

In 2017, ToF is expected to be a key differentiator in mobile platforms, both for AF and for new 3D/ranging functionality. Sony has introduced first generation direct bond interconnect (DBI) as a through silicon via (TSV) replacement and we expect tighter pitch DBI and eventually full chip active DBI going forward. On the image signal processor (ISP) side we are seeing a big push to lower nodes (28 nm ISPs are the state-of-the-art for high end stacked CIS chips). The flexibility offered by chip stacking should lead to new and disruptive partnerships between CMOS image sensor specialists and mixed signal advanced CMOS specialists. Finally, we expect new entrants to the digital imaging and sensing landscape. Machine vision, robotics, ranging, surveillance/security, and automotive vision and sensing applications are all positioned for growth due to enabling functionality and continued performance gains. It’s certainly an exciting time for all involved in designing and fabricating imaging and sensing pixel arrays and camera systems!

Memory devices

Last year virtually every vendor, device manufacturers, R&D engineer and market analyst we talked to was focused on DRAM and NAND technology roadmaps. We still talk to clients today who are focused on the future of these technologies. Today, 32L and 48L 3D NAND products are common and all the NAND players are eager to develop the next generation 3D NAND products such as 64L and 128L or even more (FIGURE 3). TechInsights has been analyzing and comparing these devices regularly. We found that 3D NAND is a kind of revolution for memory devices, and because of it, big data or data center, SSD/SD and related technologies like controller, interface and board/package, are moving forward. In addition, they may be able to keep pace for more than the next five years until any new emerging memory devices are commercialized.

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The memory products/technologies we are anticipating this year are 3D NAND technology with 64L, 72L and 128L and 1x and 1y nm DRAM technology. As always, 3D NAND technology is competitive with emerging memory including X-point memory regarding on the performance, reliability, retention, process integration and cost since X-point memory and crossbar devices such as ReRAM, CBRAM, MRAM and PCRAM are likely not cost effective (bit cost).

While Samsung has already revealed 1x nm DRAM, in 2017, we believe there will be another big area of competition in DRAM technology (FIGURE 4). DRAM cell has 1T1C architecture with a cylindrical capacitor, however, nowadays, the cell capacitance cannot meet the capacitance spec (20fF/ cell). Commercial DRAM products such as Samsung’s 18nm DRAM have just about 12fF/cell. With smaller cell nodes, it is absolutely harder to get the sufficient cell capacitance. Nevertheless, Samsung and SK-hynix are confident in developing n+1 (1y nm) and n+2 (1z nm). We anticipate that in 2017, every DRAM maker will be developing 1x and 1y nm commercial DRAM products. How these rollout and perform remains to be seen.

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Finally, we are anticipating a commercial product using X-point memory from Micron and Intel.

Conclusion

These represent some of the major technologies we have our eye on this year, although we fully anticipate seeing new technologies we can only imagine today emerge. After all, change is truly the only constant in our world. As our analysts continue to examine and reveal the innovations other can’t inside advanced technology, we will continue to share our findings on the technologies noted above, how they are used, and how they will be changed by the next discovery or invention.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES and ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ON) today announced the availability of a System-on-Chip (SoC) family of devices, on GF’s 55nm Low Power Extended (55LPx), RF-enabled process technology platform. ON Semiconductor’s new RSL10 products are based on a multi-protocol Bluetooth 5 certified radio SoC capable of supporting the advanced wireless functionalities in IoT and “Connected” Health and Wellness markets.

“Bluetooth low energy technology continues to advance as the key enabler for connecting IoT devices, especially with low power consumption requirements,” said Robert Tong, vice president of ON Semiconductor’s Medical and Wireless Products Division. “GF’s 55LPx platform – with its low power logic and highly reliable embedded SuperFlash memory combined with proven RF IP – was an ideal match. The RSL10 family offers the industry’s lowest power consumption in Deep Sleep Mode and Peak Receiving Mode, enabling ultra-long battery life, and supporting functionalities like Firmware Over the Air updates. ON Semiconductor’s new RSL10 SoCs use these advanced features to address a wide range of applications including wearables and IoT edge-node devices such as smart locks and appliances.”

“GF’s 55LPx platform, combined with ON Semiconductor’s design, has delivered wearable SoC technology at 55nm, with industry leading energy efficiency,” said David Eggleston, vice president of embedded memory at GF. “This is another proof point that 55LPx is becoming the preferred choice for SoC designers that are seeking cost effective performance, low power consumption, and superior reliability in extreme environments.”

GF’s 55nm LPx RF-enabled platform provides a fast path-to-product solution that includes silicon qualified RF IP and Silicon Storage Technology’s (SST) highly reliable embedded SuperFlash memory featuring:

  • Very fast read speed (<10ns)
  • Small bitcell size
  • Superior data retention (> 20 years)
  • Superior endurance (> 200K cycles)
  • Fully qualified for Auto Grade 1 operation (AEC-Q100)

GF’s 55LPx eFlash platform has been in volume production at the foundry’s 300mm line in Singapore since 2015. The 55LPx eFlash platform is a cost effective solution for a broad range of products, ranging from wearable devices to automotive MCUs.

Customers can start optimizing their chip designs with GF’s process design kits, enabling designers to develop differentiated eFlash solutions that require cost effective performance, low power consumption, and superior reliability in extreme environments.

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: MX), a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor platform solutions for communications, IoT, consumer, industrial and automotive applications, announced today it now offers 0.13 micron BCD process technology integrated with high-density embedded Flash. This BCD process offers 40V power LDMOS and delivers 64K Bytes flash memory, making it suitable for programmable PMIC, wireless power chargers and USB-C power-delivery IC products.

Increasingly, products such as programmable PMICs, wireless power chargers and USB-C power-delivery ICs require embedded non-volatile memory and other functions to be integrated onto a single Power IC.  Aside from embedded non-volatile memory, which is used for program code storage, these products require power LDMOS, which is well suited for high-power requirements. The inclusion of embedded FLASH is crucial in order to minimize chip size when high non-volatile memory density is required.  For IoT and automotive applications, this BCD process provides 1.5V and 5V CMOS devices with a very low leakage current level that enables low-power consumption.  Furthermore, this new BCD process has various option devices for Hall sensors, varactors, inductors, and RF CMOS devices that are useful for highly integrated IC solutions, which yield smaller system size and lower system cost.

MagnaChip’s 30V high voltage with embedded Flash process for touch IC is already in volume production, and the new BCD with embedded Flash 40V process announced today is now being adopted by foundry customers. Embedded Flash IP, designed and verified by MagnaChip, reduces foundry customers’ design time by providing proven intellectual property (IP) with a range of diverse memory densities. MagnaChip also verifies and provides key analog intellectual property, such as ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter), DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter), LDO (Low Dropout Regulator), POR (Power On Reset), PLL (Phase Locked Loop), OSC (Oscillator), which reduces design time.

YJ Kim, Chief Executive Officer of MagnaChip, commented, “The combination of analog-based BCD and non-volatile memory is ideal for producing power management solutions and power ICs used in smartphones, IoT devices and for USB-C applications.” Mr. Kim added, “Our goal is to continue to develop specialized process technologies that meet the increasing needs for the application-specific solutions of our foundry customers.”

With the increasing sophistication of future vehicles, new and more advanced semiconductor technologies will be used and vehicles will become technology centers.

BY DR. JEAN-CHARLES CIGAL and GREG SHUTTLEWORTH, Linde Electronics, Taipei, Taiwan

Large efforts are being deployed in the car industry to transform the driving experience. Electrical vehicles are in vogue and governments are encouraging this market with tax incentives. Cars are becoming smarter, capable of self-diagnostics, and in the near future will be able to connect with each other. Most importantly, the implementation of safety features has greatly reduced the number of accidents and fatal- ities on the roads in the last few decades. Thanks to extensive computing power, vehicles are now nearing autonomous driving capability. This is only possible with a dramatic increase in the amount of electronic devices in new vehicles.

Recent announcements regarding acquisitions of automotive electronics specialists by semiconductor giants and strategic plans from foundries highlight the appetite from a larger spectrum of semiconductor manufacturers for this particular market. Automotive electronics has become a major player in an industrial transformation.

Automotive electronics is, however, very different from the consumer electronics market. The foremost focus is on product quality, and the highest standards are used to ensure the reliability of electronics components in vehicles. This has also an impact on the quality and supply chain of materials such as gases and chemicals used in the manufacturing of these electronics devices.

Automotive electronics market: size and trends

When you include integrated circuits, optoelectronics, sensors, and discrete devices, the automotive electronics market reached around USD 34 billion in 2016 (FIGURE 1). While this represents less than 10% of the total semiconductor market, it is predicted to be one of the fastest growing markets over the next 5 years.

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There are several explanations for such growth potential:

• The vehicle market itself is predicted to steadily grow on an average 3% in the coming 10 years and will be especially driven by China and India, although other developed countries will still experience an increase in sales.
• The semiconductor content in each car is steadily increasing and it is expected that the share of electronic systems in the vehicle cost could reach 50% of the total car cost by 2030 (FIGURE 2).

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While it is clearly challenging to describe what the driving experience will be in 10 to 15 years, some clear trends can be identified:

• Safety: The implementation of integrated vision systems, in connection with dozens of sensors and radars, will allow thorough diagnoses of surrounding areas of the vehicles. Cars will progressively be able to offer, and even take decisions, to prevent accidents.
• Fuel efficiency: The share of vehicles equipped with (hybrid) electrical engines is expected to steadily grow. For such engines, the electronics content is estimated to double in value compared to that of standard combustion engines.
• Comfort and infotainment: Vehicle drivers are constantly demanding a more enhanced driving experience. The digitalization of dashboards, the sound and video capabilities, and the customization of the driving and passenger environment should heighten the pleasure of time spent in the vehicle.

In order to coordinate all these functions, communication systems (within the vehicle, between vehicles, and between vehicles and infrastructures) are critical and large computing systems will be necessary to treat large amount of data.

Quality really makes automotive electronics different

Automotive electronics cannot be defined by specific technologies or applications. They are currently characterized by a very large portfolio of products based on mature technologies, spanning from discrete, optoelectronics, MEMS and sensors, to integrated circuits and memories.

Until now, the automotive electronics market has been the preserve of specialized semiconductor manufacturers with long experience in this field. The reason for this is the specific know-how required for quality management.

A component failure that appears harmless in a consumer product could have major safety consequences for a vehicle in motion. Furthermore, operating conditions of automotive electronics components (temperature, humidity, vibration, acceleration, etc.), their lifetime, and their spare part availability are differentiators to what is common for consumer and industrial devices (FIGURE 3).

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Currently, some of the most technologically advanced vehicles integrate around 450 semiconductor devices. As they become significantly more sophisticated, the semiconductor content will drastically increase, with many components based on the most advanced semiconductor technology available. Introducing artificial intelligence will require advanced processors capable of computing massive amount of data stored in high-performance and high capacity memory devices. This implies that not only the most advanced semicon- ductor devices will be used, but that these will need to achieve the highest degree of reliability to allow a flawless operation of predictive algorithms.

It is expected that smart vehicles capable of fully autonomous driving will employ up to 7,000 chips. In this case, even a failure rate of 1ppm, already very low by any standard today, would lead to 7 out of 1,000 cars with a safety risk. This is simply unacceptable.

The automotive electronics industry has therefore introduced quality excellence programs aimed at a zero defect target. Achieving such a goal requires a lot of effort and all constituents of the supply chain must do their part.

The automotive electronics industry is one of the most conservative in terms of change management. Longestablished standards and documentation procedures ensure traceability of design and manufacturing deviations. Qualification of novel or modified products is generally costly and lengthy. This is where material suppliers can offer competence and expertise to provide material with the highest quality standards.

What does this mean for a material supplier?

As a direct contact to its customer, the material supplier is responsible for the complete supply chain from the source of the raw material to the delivery at the customer’s gate. The material supplier is also accountable for long-term supply in accordance with the customer’s objectives.
There are essentially two fields where the material supplier can support its customer: quality and supply chain (FIGURE 4).

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Given the constraints of the automotive electronics market, material qualification must follow extensive procedures. While a high degree of material purity is a prerequisite, manufacturing processes are actually much more sensitive to deviations of material quality, as they potentially lead to process recalibration. Before qualification starts, it is critical that candidate materials are comprehensively documented. This includes the manufacturing process, the transport, the storage, and, where appropriate, the purifi- cation and transfill operations. Systematic auditing must be regularly performed according to customers’ standards. As a consequence, longer qualification times are expected. Any subsequent change in the material specification, origin, and packaging must be duly documented and is likely to be subject to a requalification process.

Material quality is obviously a critical element that must be demonstrated at all times. This commands the usage of high-quality products with a proven record. Sources already qualified for similar applica- tions are preferred to mitigate risks. These sources must show long-term business continuity planning, with process improvement programs in place. Purity levels must be carefully monitored and documented in databases. State-of-the-art analysis methods must be used. When necessary, containment measures should be deployed systematically. Given the long operating lifetime of automotive electronic compo- nents, failure can be related to a quality event that occurred a long time before.

Because of the necessary long-term availability of the electronics components and the material qualification constraints, manufacturers and suppliers will generally favor a supply contract over several years. Therefore, the source availability and the supply chain must be guaranteed accordingly.

Material suppliers are implementing improved quality management systems for their products in order to fulfill the expectations of their customers, in terms of quality monitoring and trace- ability. Certificate of analysis (COA) or consistency checks are not sufficient anymore; more data is required. In case deviation is detected, the inves- tigation and response time must be drastically reduced and allow intervention before delivery to the customer. Finally, the whole supply chain must be monitored.

Several tools must be implemented in order to maintain a reliable supply chain of high-quality products (FIGURE 5): statistical process and quality controls (SPC/SQC), as well as measurement systems analysis (MSA), allow systematic and reliable measurement and information recording for traceability. Imple- menting these tools particularly at the early stages of the supply chain allows an “in-time” response and correction before the defective material reaches the customer’s premises. Furthermore, some impurities that were ignored before may become critical, even below the current detection limits. Therefore, new measurement techniques must be continuously inves- tigated in order to enhance the detection capabilities.

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Finally, a robust supply chain must be ensured. It is imperative for a material supplier to be prepared to handle critical business functions such as customer orders, overseeing production and deliveries, and other various parts of the supply chain in any situation. Business continuity planning (BCP) was introduced several years ago in order to identify and mitigate any risk of supply chain disruption.

Analyzing the risks to business operations is fundamental to maintaining business continuity. Materials suppliers must work with manufacturers to develop a business continuity plan that facilitates the ability to continue to perform critical functions and/or provide services in the event of an unexpected interruption. The goal is to identify potential risks and weakness in current sourcing strategies and supply chain footprint and then mitigate those risks.

Because of the efforts necessary to qualify materials, second sources must be available and prepared to be shipped in case of crisis. Ideally, different sources should be qualified simultaneously to avoid any further delay in case of unplanned sourcing changes. Material suppliers with global footprint and worldwide sourcing capabilities offer additional security. Multiple shipping routes must be considered and planned in order to avoid disruption in the case, for instance, of a natural disaster or geopolitical issue affecting an entire region.

Material suppliers need to be aware and monitor regulations specific to the automotive electronics industry such as ISO/TS16949 (quality management strategy for automotive industries). This standard goes above and beyond the more familiar ISO 9001 standard, but by understanding the expectations of suppliers to the automotive industry, suppliers can ensure alignment of their quality systems and the documentation requirements for new product development or investigations into non-conformance.

Future of automotive electronics

With the increasing sophistication of future vehicles, new and more advanced semiconductor technologies will be used and vehicles will become technology centers. These technologies will allow communication and guidance computing. Most of these components (logic or memory) will be built by manufacturers relatively new to the automotive electronics world— either integrated device manufacturers (IDM) or foundries.

In order to comply with the current quality standards of the automotive industry, these manufacturers will need to adhere to more stringent standards imposed by the automobile industry. They will find support from materials suppliers like Linde that are capable of deliv- ering high-quality materials associated with a solid global supply chain who have acquired global experience in automotive electronics.

For more information about this topic or Linde Electronics, visit www.linde.com/electronics or contact Francesca Brava at [email protected].

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.27 billion in billings worldwide in May 2017 (three-month average basis), according to the May Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide billings of North American equipment manufacturers in May 2017 was $2.27 billion. The billings figure is 6.4 percent higher than the final April 2017 level of $2.14 billion, and is 41.9 percent higher than the May 2016 billings level of $1.60 billion.

“Semiconductor equipment billings for North American headquartered equipment manufacturers increased for the fourth month in a row and are 42 percent higher than the same month last year,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI.  “The strength of this cycle continues to be driven by Memory and Foundry manufacturers as the industry invests in 3D NAND and other leading-edge technologies.”

The SEMI Billings report uses three-month moving averages of worldwide billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Billings
(3-mo. avg)
Year-Over-Year
December 2016
$1,869.8
38.5%
January 2017
$1,859.4
52.3%
February 2017
$1,974.0
63.9%
March 2017
$2,079.7
73.7%
April 2017 (final)
$2,136.4
46.3%
May 2017 (prelim)
$2,273.0
41.9%

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), June 2017

SEMI ceased publishing the monthly North America Book-to-Bill report in January 2017. SEMI will continue publish a monthly North American Billings report and issue the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ).