Category Archives: Displays

LCD TV panel makers’ inventory levels will be greater than normal in the second half of 2015, due to softening demand and increased output from new LCD panel manufacturing lines (fabs). According to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight, LCD TV panels reached a peak of 4.7 weeks of inventory in December 2013. Since then, panel makers have sustained inventories at normal levels (i.e., less than four weeks); however, the situation recently changed, when panel makers did not slow production in the second quarter (Q2) of 2015, as the market shifted to over-supply. Inventory levels are, therefore, expected to stretch beyond the normal range to reach 4.9 weeks at the end of the third quarter (Q3) 2015, which may cause further decreases in panel prices in the second half of this year.

“Weak demand caused by the soft global economy, and supply increases following the initiation of mass production at three generation 8.5 (Gen 8.5) fabs in China, will likely further aggravate the LCD panel supply-and-demand imbalance,” said Ricky Park, director of display for IHS Technology. “Manufacturers maintaining current utilization rates at existing production lines also will also increase inventories.”

According to the IHS Display Production & Inventory Tracker, utilization rates at Gen 7 and larger LCD fabs have remained above 90 percent since April 2014. That’s because shipments of TV panels in terms of area surged more than 17 percent, due to robust demand for larger TVs in 2014. “Despite high utilization rates, TV panel makers have been able to control inventories at normal levels,” Park said. “TV manufacturers purchased too many TV panels in the first half of 2015, anticipating greater consumer demand in the second half of the year. However due to stagnant growth in the LCD TV market, TV manufacturers are likely to reduce their panel purchases in the second half of 2015.”

Yet, panel output from China is expected to increase further due to aggressive production schedules at new Gen 8.5 fabs at BOE, ChinaStar and CEC Panda. Also, some fabs in South Korea and Taiwan have been fully depreciated, which lowers panel production costs. This will allow the panel makers to provide panels at lower prices without losing margins, (while their competitors may suffer from falling panel prices). And thus, they will likely keep the utilization rates, despite softer demand. “LCD TV panel prices will continue to decline through the third quarter of this year; however, some models are still profitable, so panel makers do not necessarily intend to reduce their output,” Park said.

Panel manufacturers’ TV panel inventory levels are estimated to rise to 4.1 weeks at the end of July 2015 and to 4.9 weeks at the end of September 2015. Increased inventory levels are expected to compel panel makers to accept TV manufacturers’ demand to cut prices.

LCD_Panel_Inventory_Chart

SUSS MicroTec, a global supplier of equipment and process solutions for the semiconductor industry and related markets, and the Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) are announcing a cooperation agreement in the field of nanoimprint technologies. As part of this cooperation, Penn has recently received the equipment set and the technology know-how for Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography (SCIL), that will expand the capabilities of the recently installed MA/BA6 Gen3 Mask Aligner from SUSS MicroTec at Penn.

Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography (SCIL) is a nanoimprint technique combining the advantages of both soft and rigid stamps, allowing large-area patterning and sub-50nm resolution to be achieved at the same time. SCIL is applied in diverse fields, ranging from HB LEDs, Photovoltaics, MEMS, NEMS and mass production of optical gratings for gas sensing and telecommunications.

The Singh Center for Nanotechnology will implement SCIL for use in plasmonic devices, semiconductor nanowires, flexible nanocrystal electronics, biodegradable sensors and MEMS batteries.  In addition, Lithography Manager Dr. Gerald Lopez will lead the Center’s efforts in qualifying new nanoimprint materials and related process technology development in close cooperation with SUSS MicroTec.

As a further important part of the cooperation, SUSS MicroTec`s customers will gain direct access to the cleanroom facilities and the equipment set installed at Penn, serving as a demonstration center for North American customers. The experience and high technology level of Penn allows the customer to see the entire process flow, the imprinting process itself and the subsequent steps up to a finished device.

“We are pleased to collaborate with SUSS MicroTec for developing applications with SCIL. By combining our strengths in micro- and nanofabrication, we are able to provide superior nanoimprint capabilities to our researchers,” stated Professor Mark Allen, Scientific Director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology and Alfred Fitler Moore, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering. “This industrial partnership enhances our ability to demonstrate how nanoimprint technology serves as a catalyst in research and its translation into the commercial sector.”

“We are very happy about the cooperation with the Singh Center for Nanotechnology. Their work will contribute strongly to further commercialize this large area nano-patterning technique in order to accelerate the adoption for volume production. In addition, our customers do not just benefit from the possibility to use Penn’s facilities and get insights to the entire imprinting process, but also from Penn´s knowledge, by having an experienced partner at hand”, says Ralph Zoberbier, General Manager Exposure and Laser Processing of SUSS MicroTec.“

Starting in the second half of 2015, the overall consumption of active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) materials will surge, as LG Display increases the production of white organic light-emitting diode (WOLED) TV panels. In the first half of 2015, the WOLED organic materials market reached $58 million; however, in the second half of the year the market will increase nearly threefold, reaching $165 million. The WOLED organic materials market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 79 percent from 2014 to 2019, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

“Although the WOLED organic materials market is still at a fledgling state, it will grow considerably in tandem with a rise in WOLED panel production, beginning in the second half of 2015,” said Kihyun Kim, senior analyst for display chemical and materials at IHS Technology. “Since WOLED technology is mainly used for large-area AMOLED displays, particularly TVs, this rapid growth in the WOLED market will lead the continued growth in the overall AMOLED materials market.”

LG Display, the leader in the WOLED panel market, began manufacturing WOLED TV panels in their E3 line in Paju, South Korea, in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2012. To mass produce WOLED panels, the company installed 8th generation mother glass processing in its E4 line in February 2014. While the line became operational in Q4 2014, the line yield has been low to date; however, full operation is set to begin in earnest in the second quarter (Q2) 2015. “Most AMOLED TV panel makers, especially in China, are focusing on WOLED technology, which supports future WOLED material market growth,” Kim said.

AMOLED_Materials_WOLED_Chart2

The total AMOLED materials market, including both the fine-metal mask red-green-blue (FMM RGB) and WOLED types, will grow 54 percent year over year to reach $658 million in 2015, according to the latest IHS OLED Materials Market Tracker forecast. The AMOLED materials market is expected to reach $2.0 billion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 37 percent from 2014 to 2019.

Global consumers have lately become less interested in acquiring conventional notebooks with 15-inch displays, and they are instead shifting their spending to smaller product segments. In the first half of 2015, panel shipments in the 15-inch range (i.e., 15.0 inches to 15.9 inches) dropped 14 percent year over year, from 44.5 million to 38.4 million units, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight. At the same time, driven by the popularity of Chromebook, notebook display shipments in the 11-inch range have grown from 8 million units to 11 million units.

Notebook_Displays_Chart

“Thanks to affordable prices, and a completed ecosystem with a host of hardware and app choices and a user-friendly cloud environment, Chromebook has expanded its customer base from small and medium-sized businesses and the education market to general users,” said Jason Hsu, supply chain senior analyst for IHS Technology. “The Chromebook sales region has also expanded from the United States to emerging countries, where more local brands are launching Chromebook product offerings. There are also more products set to debut in the 12-inch range, thanks to the success of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 and rumors of Apple’s upcoming 12.9-inch tablets.”

According to the most recent IHS Notebook and Tablet Display Supply Chain Tracker, total notebook panel shipments to Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard fell 27 percent month over month from 6.4 million units in May to 4.7 million units in June, while overall set production increased by 13 percent from 5.4 million units to 6.1 million units. These two leading notebook PC brands have recently taken steps to regulate panel inventory, in order to guard against excess product pre-stocking.

“The currency depreciation in Euro zone and emerging counties earlier this year jeopardized consumer confidence and slowed the purchase of consumer electronics, including notebooks,” Hsu said. “Moreover, in April, Microsoft leaked the announcement of its new Windows 10 operating system. Despite Microsoft’s claims that a free upgrade to the new operating system would be available to Windows 8 users, many consumers still deferred purchases, which increased the brands’ set inventory. Notebook manufacturers could decide to lower set production in the third quarter, after the end market becomes sluggish in May and June.”

With notebook panel prices remaining very low, profitability has become an issue, and many panel makers are facing pressure to maintain fab loading and gain market share. “Panel cost structure has become crucial in the struggle to stay competitive,” Hsu said. “Continuous panel over-supply not only hurts profitability, but could also confuse the real panel market demand in the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016. It’s time for panel makers to revise their production numbers, and curb capacity utilization, to keep pace with actual market demand.”

Due to decreased information technology (IT) demand, and global currency issues that resulted in higher import prices in most regions, overall large-area TFT LCD unit shipments in the first half (H1) of 2015 fell 2 percent year over year to reach 340 million units. Display shipments for tablet PCs fell 17 percent, notebook PC displays declined 6 percent, and PC monitor displays fell 8 percent, while LCD TV panel unit shipments increased by 11 percent, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

“IT panel makers suffered from poor demand and excess inventory from last year, while aggressive procurement by global TV brands kept TV panel demand high,” said Yoonsung Chung, director of large area display research for IHS Technology. “Actual TV sell-in over the first half of this year is still lower than expected, however, due to frozen demand caused by global currency exchange issues.”

TV panel prices were high in H1 2015 and, as a result, TV brands suffered, while IT panel pricing followed market demand, according to the latest IHS Large Area Display Market Tracker.  “With the lower-than-expected TV sell-in, TV makers are expected to have higher inventories. This will result in a decrease in TV panel demand, which will weigh on TV panel prices in the second half of 2015,” Chung said.

Large_Area_TFT_LCD_1H15_result

Large-area TFT LCD shipments in terms of area grew 8 percent year over year, reaching 77 million square meters in H1 2015. TV panels comprised three quarters (77 percent) of all TFT LCD area shipments, but only 39 percent of unit shipments. “Comparatively stable TV shipment area in the first half of 2015 helped TFT LCD panel makers maintain utilization and profits despite declining IT panel demand,” Chung said

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased during the second quarter 2015 when compared to first quarter 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 2,702 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 2.5 percent increase from the 2,637 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter resulting in a new quarterly volume shipment record. New quarterly total area shipments are 4.4 percent higher than second quarter 2014 shipments. First half 2015 shipments are 7.8 percent higher than the first half of 2014.

“For two consecutive quarters, strong silicon shipment growth has been recorded by the Silicon Manufacturers Group,” said Ginji Yada, chairman of SEMI SMG and general manager, International Sales & Marketing Department of SUMCO Corporation. “Continued growth off of the record level shipped in the first quarter, produced another record level of shipments in the most recent quarter.”

Quarterly Silicon* Area Shipment Trends

 Million Square Inches

 
 Q2-2014

 

  Q1-2015  Q2-2015  1H-2014  1H-2015
Total

 

 2,587 2,637 2,702 4,951 5,339

*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 the SEMI structure 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.  For more information on SEMI, visit www.semi.org.

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation, a Korea-based designer and manufacturer of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products, announced today it is hosting its first Foundry Technology Symposium at the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai, China, on September 22, 2015.

MagnaChip plans to discuss its current and future semiconductor foundry business roadmap, specialty technology processes, target applications and end-markets. This symposium is a direct response to the increased interest and demand coming from our Chinese fabless customers for advanced analog and mixed-signal specialized foundry technologies.

During the symposium in Shanghai, MagnaChip, which is the largest Korea-based analog and mixed-signal foundry service provider, will highlight its technology portfolio with discussions focused on mixed-signal, low power technologies in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector, Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) for high-performance analog and power management applications, Ultra-High Voltage (UHV) and Non-Volatile Memory (NVM). In addition, MagnaChip will present technologies used in applications including smartphones, tablet PCs, automotive, LED lighting, consumer wearables and IoT. MagnaChip will also review its customer-friendly design environment and on-line customer service tool known as “iFoundry”.

“We are very pleased to host our first Foundry Technology Symposium in Shanghai and intend to provide a beneficial and an educational event for all of our participants,” said YJ Kim, Chief Executive Officer of MagnaChip. “Through our technology symposiums in Taiwan, the United States and now in Shanghai, we are better able to serve our global customers with our long history of successful foundry service and expertise.

A multitude of fabless companies, IDMs (Integrated Device Manufacturers) and other semiconductor companies are expected to attend MagnaChip’s Shanghai technology symposium. To sign up for the event, and to receive more detailed information regarding the symposium, please visit www.magnachip.com or ifoundry.magnachip.com.

Recently, quantum dots (QDs)–nano-sized semiconductor particles that produce bright, sharp, color light–have moved from the research lab into commercial products like high-end TVs, e-readers, laptops, and even some LED lighting. However, QDs are expensive to make so there’s a push to improve their performance and efficiency, while lowering their fabrication costs.

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have produced some promising results toward that goal, developing a new method to extract more efficient and polarized light from quantum dots (QDs) over a large-scale area. Their method, which combines QD and photonic crystal technology, could lead to brighter and more efficient mobile phone, tablet, and computer displays, as well as enhanced LED lighting.

To demonstrate their new technology, researchers fabricated a novel 1mm device (aka Robot Man) made of yellow photonic-crystal-enhanced QDs. Every region of the device has thousands of quantum dots, each measuring about six nanometers. Credit: Gloria See, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

To demonstrate their new technology, researchers fabricated a novel 1mm device (aka Robot Man) made of yellow photonic-crystal-enhanced QDs. Every region of the device has thousands of quantum dots, each measuring about six nanometers. Credit: Gloria See, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

With funding from the Dow Chemical Company, the research team, led by Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Professor Brian Cunningham, Chemistry Professor Ralph Nuzzo, and Mechanical Science & Engineering Professor Andrew Alleyne, embedded QDs in novel polymer materials that retain strong quantum efficiency. They then used electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing technology to precisely print the QD-embedded polymers onto photonic crystal structures. This precision eliminates wasted QDs, which are expensive to make.

These photonic crystals limit the direction that the QD-generated light is emitted, meaning they produce polarized light, which is more intense than normal QD light output.

According to Gloria See, an ECE graduate student and lead author of the research reported this week in Applied Physics Letters, their replica molded photonic crystals could someday lead to brighter, less expensive, and more efficient displays. “Since screens consume large amounts of energy in devices like laptops, phones, and tablets, our approach could have a huge impact on energy consumption and battery life,” she noted.

“If you start with polarized light, then you double your optical efficiency,” See explained. “If you put the photonic-crystal-enhanced quantum dot into a device like a phone or computer, then the battery will last much longer because the display would only draw half as much power as conventional displays.”

To demonstrate the technology, See fabricated a novel 1mm device (aka Robot Man) made of yellow photonic-crystal-enhanced QDs. The device is made of thousands of quantum dots, each measuring about six nanometers.

“We made a tiny device, but the process can easily be scaled up to large flexible plastic sheets,” See said. “We make one expensive ‘master’ molding template that must be designed very precisely, but we can use the template to produce thousands of replicas very quickly and cheaply.”

While overall smartphone market growth continues to slow, global demand for low temperature polysilicon thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal displays (LTPS TFT LCD) for smartphones is on the rise. Led by Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, LTPS TFT LCD smartphone display shipments grew 31 percent in the first half (H1) of 2015 to reach 251 million units. The iPhone displays made up more than half (52 percent) of all LTPS TFT LCD smartphone display shipments in H1 2015, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

LTPS TFT LCD is used in Apple’s iPhone and other high-end smartphones that have full high definition (FHD) displays with resolutions of 1920×1080 pixels and in wide quad high definition (WQHD) displays with resolutions of 2560×1440 pixels. Display manufacturers are now investing in new fabs to increase future production capacity, not only for LTPS TFT LCD displays, but also for high-resolution active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, according to the IHS Smartphone Display Market Tracker.

“Apple adopted wider displays with higher resolution in its latest iPhone series, which has helped spur demand in LTPS TFT LCD displays,” said Hiroshi Hayase, director of analysis and research for IHS Technology. “Due to strong growth in LTPS TFT LCD for the iPhone, Apple competitors are also now increasing orders of high-resolution displays.”

apple smartphone display

Today, Intel Corporation announced it will invest $5 million over the next five years to deepen its engineering pipeline partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology and deploy research-driven solutions to inspire and retain women and underrepresented minorities to start and complete computer science and engineering degrees.

The Intel and Georgia Tech program, announced in conjunction with the first-ever White House Demo Day, builds on Intel’s ongoing commitment to improve diversity in the technology industry. Earlier this year, Intel announced a new goal in diversity and inclusion: to achieve full representation of underrepresented minorities and women by the year 2020 in its U.S. workforce, along with a $300 million Diversity in Technology initiative to help build a pipeline of underrepresented engineers and computer scientists, to foster hiring and inclusion of women and underrepresented minorities at Intel, and to fund programs to support a more positive representation of women and underrepresented minorities in technology and gaming.

“Filling the tech industry pipeline with diverse students is critical to increasing the number of diverse engineers and computer scientists in the field,” said Rosalind Hudnell, vice president of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer at Intel. “The goal of this program is to inspire and support more women and underrepresented minorities to earn technical degrees so we can hire them down the road – we want to foster those future tech innovators.”

The program will support and expand several existing Georgia Tech initiatives, including:

  • Summer Engineering Institute: The three-week Summer Engineering Institute hosts rising 11th- and 12th-graders from around the country. Students learn basic engineering and computer science techniques and gain hands-on experience through working in teams to solve real-world engineering problems.
  • RISE: Retaining Inspirational Scholars in Technology and Engineering (RISE) provides financial support to talented underrepresented minority and non-traditional students. Intel’s existing Diversity Scholars program will provide scholarships with priority going to those whose majors align with Intel’s interests: electrical engineering, computer science and computer engineering.
  • Peer-2-Peer Mentoring: The mentoring program provides specialized guidance and support to undergraduate students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while also helping them adjust to the climate and culture at Georgia Tech. Mentors and mentees develop leadership, communication and networking skills.
  • SURE: The Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) is a 10-week research program to attract qualified minority students from across the country into graduate school in the fields of engineering and science. In addition to conducting research, participants receive mentoring from faculty and graduate students and participate in professional development and technical seminars.
  • Focus: The Focus program invites college juniors and seniors from around the country to attend a three-day event designed to raise awareness of graduate education among underrepresented students. Participants learn about financial resources, visit research laboratories, network with other scholars and receive help with the graduate school application process.

The Intel and Georgia Tech program is anticipated to result in retaining more than 1,000 underrepresented minority students and improve access to thousands more students.

“It is a national imperative that the U.S. continue to enhance the engagement of students of all backgrounds in STEM fields to create a more robust economy,” said Gary May, dean and Southern Company Chair in the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. “The higher education and private sectors must combine forces to achieve the impact that is necessary. As a national leader in producing outstanding underrepresented engineering graduates, Georgia Tech is pleased to partner with Intel in this transformative initiative.”

The Intel and Georgia Tech program was announced in conjunction with the first-ever White House Demo Day, which celebrates the important role entrepreneurship plays in America’s economy. Unlike a private-sector demo day, where entrepreneurs and startups pitch their ideas to funders, this new event invites innovators from around the country to “demo” their individual stories in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced that Intel is entering into a memorandum of understanding with the Oakland Unified School District and will invest $5 million over the next five years to improve access to computer science and engineering careers as early as high school. As part of Intel’s new collaboration with Georgia Tech, many of the Oakland students will have the opportunity to participate in Georgia Tech’s Summer Engineering Institute.