Category Archives: Displays

Over 600 electronics professionals are expected to attend the 15th annual Flexible and Printed Electronics Conference and Exhibition (2016FLEX) at the Monterey Marriott February 29-March 3.  The event is organized by FlexTech, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner.  2016FLEX features market and technical presentations, short courses, poster sessions, exhibits and networking, focused on flexible, printed, hybrid devices, including new materials, processes, equipment, devices and products.

The Technical Conference will highlight over 120 presentations selected from U.S. and international submittals. Application experts will cover health monitors, asset monitors, advanced sensors, displays, advanced lighting, energy harvesting, and communications products, from organizations, including AU Optronics, Eastman Kodak, Flex International, GE, IBM Research, Interlink Electronics, PARC, SRI, Stanford, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and many more.

Manufacturing and materials experts will cover popular topics include integration of ICs on flexible, stretchable substrates, barrier coatings for components, OLED developments, biometric collection and analysis, power generation, roll-to-roll coating, testing and reliability measurement devices and new materials for interconnections.  2016FLEX includes presentations from American Semiconductor, Applied Materials, DuPont, ENrG, Sun-Tec, SmartKem, and many more.

The conference begins Monday, February 29 with five, three-hour Short Courses:

  • Introducing Printed Electronics – All the Basics and More!
  • Technology-Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Levels  (MRL) Assessment: Assessing DoD’s products and processes; also insight about how to move from level to level
  • Flexible Hybrid Electronics
  • Fusion of Fashion and Function: Textiles as a Platform
  • 3D Printing on Plastics – Developments & Trends

FlexTech will present the 2016 FLEXI awards to leaders in the flexible hybrid electronics community at the Industry Dinner on Wednesday, March 2.  Awards are given to the Most Innovative Product, Most Significant R&D Activity, Leadership in Education, and Industry Leadership, a new category this year for individuals who have contributed their talents and time in growing the sector.  Student poster awards will also be presented.

2016FLEX is also the first event that NextFlex, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, is participating in.  NextFlex will give an update during the Roadmap Session and have official meetings with its technology working groups.

For more information or to arrange for interviews before or during the event, please contact Heidi Hoffman, FlexTech at 408.943.7954, or at [email protected].  To register, visit 2016FLEX.com.

An engineering research team at the University of Alberta has invented a new transistor that could revolutionize thin-film electronic devices.

Their findings, published in the prestigious science journal Nature Communications, could open the door to the development of flexible electronic devices with applications as wide-ranging as display technology to medical imaging and renewable energy production.

The team was exploring new uses for thin film transistors (TFT), which are most commonly found in low-power, low-frequency devices like the display screen you’re reading from now. Efforts by researchers and the consumer electronics industry to improve the performance of the transistors have been slowed by the challenges of developing new materials or slowly improving existing ones for use in traditional thin film transistor architecture, known technically as the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).

But the U of A electrical engineering team did a run-around on the problem. Instead of developing new materials, the researchers improved performance by designing a new transistor architecture that takes advantage of a bipolar action. In other words, instead of using one type of charge carrier, as most thin film transistors do, it uses electrons and the absence of electrons (referred to as “holes”) to contribute to electrical output. Their first breakthrough was forming an ‘inversion’ hole layer in a ‘wide-bandgap’ semiconductor, which has been a great challenge in the solid-state electronics field.

Once this was achieved, “we were able to construct a unique combination of semiconductor and insulating layers that allowed us to inject “holes” at the MOS interface,” said Gem Shoute, a PhD student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who is lead author on the article. Adding holes at the interface increased the chances of an electron “tunneling” across a dielectric barrier. Through this phenomenon, a type of quantum tunnelling, “we were finally able to achieve a transistor that behaves like a bipolar transistor.”

“It’s actually the best performing [TFT] device of its kind–ever,” said materials engineering professor Ken Cadien, a co-author on the paper. “This kind of device is normally limited by the non-crystalline nature of the material that they are made of”

The dimension of the device itself can be scaled with ease in order to improve performance and keep up with the need of miniaturization, an advantage that modern TFTs lack. The transistor has power-handling capabilities at least 10 times greater than commercially produced thin film transistors.

Electrical engineering professor Doug Barlage, who is Shoute’s PhD supervisor and one of the paper’s lead authors, says his group was determined to try new approaches and break new ground. He says the team knew it could produce a high-power thin film transistor–it was just a matter of finding out how.

“Our goal was to make a thin film transistor with the highest power handling and switching speed possible. Not many people want to look into that, but the raw properties of the film indicated dramatic performance increase was within reach,” he said. “The high quality sub 30 nanometre (a human hair is 50,000 nanometres wide) layers of materials produced by Professor Cadien’s group enabled us to successfully try these difficult concepts”

In the end, the team took advantage of the very phenomena other researchers considered roadblocks.

“Usually tunnelling current is considered a bad thing in MOSFETs and it contributes to unnecessary loss of power, which manifests as heat,” explained Shoute. “What we’ve done is build a transistor that considers tunnelling current a benefit.”

The team has filed a provisional patent on the transistor. Shoute says the next step is to put the transistor to work “in a fully flexible medium and apply these devices to areas like biomedical imaging, or renewable energy.”

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 3 percent in 2015 when compared to 2014 area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. However, worldwide silicon revenues decreased by 6 percent in 2015 compared to 2014.

Silicon wafer area shipments in 2015 totaled 10,434 million square inches (MSI), up from the previous market high of 10,098 million square inches shipped during 2014. Revenues totaled $7.2 billion down from $7.6 billion posted in 2014. “Semiconductor silicon shipment levels remained strong throughout most of the year, resulting in record volume shipments,” said Dr. Volker Braetsch, chairman SEMI SMG and senior vice oresident of Siltronic AG. “The strength in shipments was not enough to compensate headwinds from further price decline and some exchange rate impact; silicon revenues for the year decreased yet again and are significantly below their market high set in 2007.”

Annual Silicon* Industry Trends

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015
Area Shipments (MSI)

8,661

8,137

6,707

9,370

9,043

9,031

9,067

10,098

10,434
Revenues ($B)

12.1

11.4

6.7

9.7

9.9

8.7

7.5

7.6

7.2

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

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

All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.

The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within SEMI and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.

Orbotech Ltd. today announced that, Nippon Mektron Mektec, a maker of flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs), is deploying Orbotech direct imaging (DI) and automated optical inspection (AOI) systems in multiple factories. These systems will significantly improve current and future smartphone manufacturing by facilitating the creation of flex inspections and high-throughput production capability.

“Flex” PCB manufacturing, which is required to accommodate the rapidly expanding mobile phone market, will be supported by Orbotech’s Nuvogo DI systems, with DI for patterning and solder mask applications, as well as Orbotech’s AOI systems for inspection. Nippon Mektron has worked closely with Orbotech’s local support teams to ensure consistent product performance and quick production ramp up throughout their factories in Japan, Thailand, China and Taiwan.

“From mobile phones and tablets to wearables and sophisticated automotive electronics, today’s electronics manufacturers are constantly being challenged to simplify designs, provide flexible packaging solutions and support ever-smaller devices,” said Yair Alcobi, President, Orbotech Asia East. “Through this very close collaboration, we are pleased to support Nippon Mektron’s current and future product performance requirements for flex PCB manufacturing processes and enable them to offer innovative and market-ready solutions.”

According to industry analyst firm Prismark Partners’ January 2016 Printed Circuit Report, the 2015/2014 year-on-year value growth estimate for flex PCBs increased by 6.2 percent in dollar value worldwide, which can be attributed to demand for smart and connected electronics and the need for high-speed communications in small and lightweight packages.

IC Insights recently released its new Global Wafer Capacity 2016-2020 report that provides in-depth detail, analyses, and forecasts for IC industry capacity by wafer size, by process geometry, by region, and by product type through 2020.

Researchers estimate that there are about 80,000 earthquakes globally each year, but most are too minor to notice. The Great East Japan Earthquake (a.k.a., 2011 Tohoku Earthquake) and subsequent tsunami that struck east of Sendai on March 11, 2011 caused substantial loss of life and destruction to infrastructure. It was the most powerful earthquake ever to hit Japan and the fifth most powerful in the world since records started being kept in 1900. Many semiconductor fabs, as well as other facilities that support the industry, were significantly damaged by the quake (some were shut down permanently as a result).

Since the earliest days of IC production in Silicon Valley, the IC industry has always had much of its fabrication facilities located in seismically active regions. Moreover, as of December 2015, roughly half of the world’s total IC wafer production capacity was located in seismically active areas (defined as areas having moderate to high risk of being significantly impacted by earthquake tremors).

  • Taiwan and Japan accounted for 39% of global IC capacity in December of 2015. Both countries are considered entirely seismically active, and have large amounts of IC capacity exposed to potential earthquake damage.
  • Even though Southeast Asia is generally considered very active seismically, Singapore and Malaysia are actually considered relatively safe from earthquake damage. In China, Beijing is considered to have moderate-to-high seismic risk, but other cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Wuxi are considered to be “on solid ground.” Similarly, while the Southern part of France has moderate seismic risk, the Central and Northern areas do not.

As shown in Figure 1, 64% of pure-play IC foundry capacity is located in seismically active regions. Since two of the largest pure-play IC foundries in the world (TSMC and UMC) have such a significant presence in Taiwan, a disastrous earthquake or typhoon in that country would have serious ramifications for the entire electronics supply chain. In fact, because IC foundries have so many different customers and are sole-source producers for such a wide variety of part types, the ramifications of damage to IC foundry fabrication facilities would be much greater than damage done to individual IDM IC fabs.

Figure 1

Figure 1

A few years ago, IC Insights was contracted to perform a proprietary market research report for a large insurance company.  This company wanted to develop a model that showed how much in electronic system sales would be lost if the fabs in Taiwan were shut down for one, two, or three months due to damage caused by an earthquake or typhoon.  When considering only the Hsinchu Science Park, which is home to about 45% of the island nation’s total wafer capacity, it was determined that, for each month of net loss resulting from the Hsinchu fabs being out of operation, a $9.3 billion net negative effect would be exerted on worldwide electronic system sales!

Although the IC industry has always had the majority of its fabrication capacity located in “dangerous” areas, most buyers of ICs don’t give this a second thought.  Ultimately, all that really can be said about the ability to predict devastating natural disasters is that everything is just “fine” until one day it isn’t. However, while these tragic events are impossible to predict, they are not impossible to plan for.  The Great East Japan Earthquake should have been a wake-up call to spur the entire electronics supply chain to create new contingency plans, just in case.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered a new phase of the material boron nitride (Q-BN), which has potential applications for both manufacturing tools and electronic displays. The researchers have also developed a new technique for creating cubic boron nitride (c-BN) at ambient temperatures and air pressure, which has a suite of applications, including the development of advanced power grid technologies.

“This is a sequel to our Q-carbon discovery and converting Q-carbon into diamond,” says Jay Narayan, the John C. Fan Distinguished Chair Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. “We have bypassed what were thought to be the limits of boron nitride’s thermodynamics with the help of kinetics and time control to create this new phase of boron nitride.

“We have also developed a faster, less expensive way to create c-BN, making the material more viable for applications such as high-power electronics, transistors and solid state devices,” Narayan says. “C-BN nanoneedles and microneedles, which can be made using our technique, also have potential for use in biomedical devices.” C-BN is a form of boron nitride that has a cubic crystalline structure, analogous to diamond.

Early tests indicate that Q-BN is harder than diamond, and it holds an advantage over diamond when it comes to creating cutting tools. Diamond, like all carbon, reacts with iron and ferrous materials. Q-BN does not. The Q-BN has an amorphous structure, and it can easily be used to coat cutting tools, preventing them from reacting with ferrous materials.

“We have also created diamond/c-BN crystalline composites for next-generation high-speed machining and deep-sea drilling applications,” Narayan says. “Specifically, we have grown diamond on c-BN by using pulsed laser deposition of carbon at 500 degrees Celsius without the presence of hydrogen, creating c-BN and diamond epitaxial composites.”

The Q-BN also has a low work function and negative electron affinity, which effectively means that it glows in the dark when exposed to very low levels of electrical fields. These characteristics are what make it a promising material for energy-efficient display technologies.

To make Q-BN, researchers begin with a layer of thermodynamically stable hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which can be up to 500-1000 nanometers thick. The material is placed on a substrate and researchers then use high-power laser pulses to rapidly heat the h-BN to 2,800 degrees Kelvin, or 4,580 degrees Fahrenheit. The material is then quenched, using a substrate that quickly absorbs the heat. The whole process takes approximately one-fifth of a microsecond and is done at ambient air pressure.

By manipulating the seeding substrate beneath the material and the time it takes to cool the material, researchers can control whether the h-BN is converted to Q-BN or c-BN. These same variables can be used to determine whether the c-BN forms into microneedles, nanoneedles, nanodots, microcrystals or a film.

“Using this technique, we are able to create up to a 100- to 200-square-inch film of Q-BN or c-BN in one second,” Narayan says.

By comparison, previous techniques for creating c-BN required heating hexagonal boron nitride to 3,500 degrees Kelvin (5,840 degrees Fahrenheit) and applying 95,000 atmospheres of pressure.

C-BN has similar properties to diamond, but has several advantages over diamond: c-BN has a higher bandgap, which is attractive for use in high-power devices; c-BN can be “doped” to give it positively- and negatively-charged layers, which means it could be used to make transistors; and it forms a stable oxide layer on its surface when exposed to oxygen, making it stable at high temperatures. This last characteristic means it could be used to make solid state devices and protective coatings for high-speed machining tools used in oxygen-ambient environments.

“We’re optimistic that our discovery will be used to develop c-BN-based transistors and high-powered devices to replace bulky transformers and help create the next generation of the power grid,” Narayan says.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced the global semiconductor industry posted sales totaling $335.2 billion in 2015, a slight decrease of 0.2 percent compared to the 2014 total, which was the industry’s highest-ever sales total. Global sales for the month of December 2015 reached $27.6 billion, down 4.4 percent compared to the previous month and 5.2 percent lower than sales from December 2014. Fourth quarter sales of $82.9 billion were 5.2 percent lower than the total of $87.4 billionfrom the fourth quarter of 2014. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“Despite formidable headwinds, the global semiconductor industry posted solid sales in 2015, although falling just short of the record total from 2014,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Factors that limited more robust sales in 2015 include softening demand, the strength of the dollar, and normal market trends and cyclicality. In spite of these challenges, modest market growth is projected for 2016.”

Several semiconductor product segments stood out in 2015. Logic was the largest semiconductor category by sales with $90.8 billionin 2015, or 27 percent of the total semiconductor market. Memory ($77.2 billion) and micro-ICs ($61.3 billion) – a category that includes microprocessors – rounded out the top three segments in terms of total sales. Optoelectronics was the fastest growing segment, increasing 11.3 percent in 2015. Other product segments that posted increased sales in 2015 include sensors and actuators, which reached $8.8 billion in sales for a 3.7 percent annual increase, NAND flash memory ($28.8 billion/2.2 percent increase), and analog ($45.2 billion/1.9 percent increase).

Regionally, annual sales increased 7.7 percent in China, leading all regional markets. All other regional markets – the Americas (-0.8 percent), Europe (-8.5 percent), Japan (-10.7 percent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (-0.2 percent) – saw decreased sales compared to 2014.

“The semiconductor industry is critically important to the U.S. economy and our global competitiveness,” continued Neuffer. “We urge Congress to enact polices in 2016 that promote innovation and growth. One such initiative is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a landmark agreement that would tear down myriad barriers to trade with countries in the Asia-Pacific. The TPP is good for the semiconductor industry, the tech sector, the American economy, and the global economy. Congress should approve it.”

December 2015

Billions

Month-to-Month Sales                               

Market

Last Month

Current Month

% Change

Americas

6.07

5.75

-5.2%

Europe

2.93

2.77

-5.7%

Japan

2.68

2.57

-4.1%

China

8.67

8.45

-2.5%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.53

8.08

-5.3%

Total

28.88

27.62

-4.4%

Year-to-Year Sales                          

Market

Last Year

Current Month

% Change

Americas

6.73

5.75

-14.5%

Europe

3.01

2.77

-7.9%

Japan

2.80

2.57

-8.1%

China

8.03

8.45

5.2%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.57

8.08

-5.7%

Total

29.13

27.62

-5.2%

Three-Month-Moving Average Sales

Market

Jul/Aug/Sep

Oct/Nov/Dec

% Change

Americas

5.82

5.75

-1.2%

Europe

2.87

2.77

-3.6%

Japan

2.69

2.57

-4.3%

China

8.45

8.45

0.0%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.58

8.08

-5.8%

Total

28.41

27.62

-2.8%

By Christian G. Dieseldorff, Industry Research & Statistics Group, SEMI (January 25, 2016)

The industry’s first and only ‘Global 200mm Fab Outlook report to 2018’ reveals a change in the landscape for 200mm fab capacity.

Figure 1

In comparing 2006 versus 2018, memory capacity share of 200mm has declined to just about 2% as most memory production has migrated to 300mm fabs . A similar transition to 300mm has occurred in Logic/MPU device production.

On the other hand, we see strong 200mm capacity growth from Discrete/Power, MEMS, and Analog segments in part to the transition from 150mm production to 200mm production. Foundry has also been gaining share, driven by strong demand for PMIC, display driver IC, CMOS image sensor, MCU, MEMS, and other devices requiring >90nm process technology. These device technologies are cited as key components for many IoT applications.

Based on these observations, the IoT wave appears to be breathing new life into 200mm fabs. Before the advent of the IoT movement began, 2012 data suggested a decline in 200mm fabs. However, comparing the worldwide installed capacity for 200mm in 6 year intervals, we expect capacity to return to 2006 levels by 2018.

Figure 2

A number of 200mm fab projects globally are being expanded or built through the end of 2018, resulting in capacity growth through the end of that year.

The 200mm Fab Outlook report to 2018 is the industry’s first and one-of-a kind 200mm fab outlook report. It features analysis and forecasts (tables, graphs and text) in over 80 pages in Adobe Acrobat, accompanied by detailed data in an Excel spreadsheet.

This report is of critical interest to anyone who participates in the 200mm device manufacturing supply chain. The Global 200mm Fab Outlook report analyzes past trends and explores future trends out to 2018, extending the forecast period of our existing Fab Database reports.

In this new report, SEMI tracks over 200 facilities manufacturing devices on 200mm wafers, including those that are planned, under construction, installing new equipment, active, closing, or closed.  Over 110 individual companies or institutions are covered. Fab information detailed in the report includes geographic location, amount of equipment spending, capacity trends, and product type changes.

Here are some of the key highlights from the report:

  • Trend of 200mm fab count and capacity out to 2018 (compared to 150mm and 300mm)
  • 200mm Silicon wafer shipment trends
  • Capacity addition by existing and new fabs out to 2018
  • Fabs changing from smaller wafer sizes to 200mm
  • Fabs changing from 200mm to other wafer sizes (like 300mm)
  • Fabs closed (and still closed), will be closed and may be closed by region and product type
  • Fabs/lines starting operation
  • Fabs/lines losing capacity
  • Change of landscape 2006 vs 2018: capacity by region, product type and technology node
  • Top 20 companies adding capacity 2015 to 2018
  • Capacity by region 2015 to 2018
  • Capacity by product type 2015 to 2018
  • Top 20 companies for equipment spending 2015 to 2018
  • Change of landscape equipment spending 2006 vs 2018

For more information on SEMI market research and reports, visit: www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.34 billion in orders worldwide in December 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.99, according to the December EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 0.99 means that $99 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in December 2015 was $1.34 billion. The bookings figure is 8.6 percent higher than the final November 2015 level of $1.24 billion, and is 2.8  percent lower than the December 2014 order level of $1.38 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in December 2015 was $1.35 billion. The billings figure is 4.9 percent higher than the final November 2015 level of $1.29 billion, and is 3.2 percent lower than the December 2014 billings level of $1.40 billion.

“Both semiconductor equipment bookings and billings improved in December,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.  “Despite softness in the equipment market in the fourth quarter, both annual bookings and billings in 2015 of North American equipment suppliers remained above 2014 levels.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Billings
(3-mo. avg)

Bookings
(3-mo. avg)

Book-to-Bill
July 2015

$1,556.2

$1,587.3

1.02
August 2015

$1,575.9

$1,670.1

1.06
September 2015

$1,495.0

$1,554.9

1.04
October 2015

$1,358.6

$1,325.6

0.98
November 2015 (final)

$1,288.3

$1,236.6

0.96
December 2015 (prelim)

$1,351.8

$1,342.7

0.99

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), January 2016

The ongoing issue of liquid crystal display (LCD) oversupply — exacerbated by China’s aggressive investment in production capacity as well as high fab utilization — will continue well into 2016. The supply of large-area LCD is expected to be 14 percent greater than demand in 2016, up from 12 percent in 2015, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical informational and insight.

Chinese LCD suppliers are maintaining high manufacturing targets and expanding capacity, partly thanks to Chinese government subsidies for startup and infrastructure costs. On the other hand, LCD TV demand, particularly in Russia, Brazil and other emerging countries, has not grown as expected, because of currency depreciation and slow economic recovery.

“Panel prices have declined to the degree where the break-even point for manufacturers was reached in the fourth quarter of 2015,” said Yoshio Tamura, displays director for IHS Technology. “Due to declining value of currencies in emerging countries, demand for higher priced LCD TVs will not rebound in 2016. Even so, Chinese panel makers are not planning to lower fab utilization anytime soon to expand market share, which means large-area LCD manufacturers will be in the red in 2016.”

Chinese LCD suppliers are expected to adjust fab utilization in the middle of 2016, according to the IHS Display Supply Demand & Equipment Tracker, and LCD oversupply will be eased in the second half of 2017. “If Chinese manufacturers don’t lower their fab utilization within 2016, there will be an even greater negative impact on global LCD suppliers’ profit margins,” Tamura said.