Category Archives: Displays

Nine of the Top 20 Semiconductor Suppliers are Forecast to Register Double-Digit Growth in 2014

Later this month, IC Insights’ November Update to The 2014 McClean Report will show a forecast ranking of the 2014 top 25 semiconductor suppliers with the companies’ sales broken down on a quarterly basis.  A preview of the forecast for the top 20 companies’ total 2014 sales results is presented in Figure 1.  The top 20 worldwide semiconductor (IC and O S D—optoelectronic, sensor, and discrete) sales ranking for 2014 includes eight suppliers headquartered in the U.S., three in Japan, three in Europe, three in Taiwan, two in South Korea, and one in Singapore, a relatively broad representation of geographic regions.

This year’s top-20 ranking includes two pure-play foundries (TSMC and UMC) and six fabless companies.  Pure-play IC foundry GlobalFoundries is forecast to be replaced in this year’s top 20 ranking by fabless IC supplier Nvidia.  It is interesting to note that the top four semiconductor suppliers all have different business models.  Intel is essentially a pure-play IDM, Samsung a vertically integrated IC supplier, TSMC a pure-play foundry, and Qualcomm a fabless company.

IC foundries are included in the top 20 ranking because IC Insights has always viewed the ranking as a top supplier list, not as a marketshare ranking, and realizes that in some cases semiconductor sales are double counted.  With many of IC Insights’ clients being vendors to the semiconductor industry (supplying equipment, chemicals, gases, etc.), excluding large IC manufacturers like the foundries would leave significant “holes” in the list of top semiconductor suppliers.  Foundries and fabless companies are clearly identified in Figure 1.  In the April Update to The McClean Report, marketshare rankings of IC suppliers by product type were presented and foundries were excluded from these listings.

As shown, it is expected to require total semiconductor sales of over $4.2 billion to make the 2014 top 20 ranking. In total, the top 20 semiconductor companies’ sales are forecast to increase by 9 percent this year as compared to 2013. However, when excluding the two pure-play foundries (TSMC and UMC) from the ranking, the top “18” semiconductor companies’ sales are forecast to increase by 8 percent this year, the same rate as IC Insights’ current forecast for total 2014 worldwide semiconductor market growth.

 

Fig. 1

Outside of the top six spots, there are numerous changes expected within the 2014 top-20 semiconductor supplier ranking.  In fact, of the 14 companies ranked 7th through 20th, 10 of them are forecast to change positions in 2014 as compared with 2013 (with NXP expected to jump up two spots).

More details on the forecasted 2014 top 25 semiconductor suppliers will be provided in the November Update to The McClean Report.

For much the same reason LCD televisions offer eye-popping performance, a thermomagnetic processing method developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory can advance the performance of polymers.

Polymers are used in cars, planes and hundreds of consumer products, and scientists have long been challenged to create polymers that are immune to shape-altering thermal expansion.  One way to achieve this goal is to develop highly directional crystalline structures that mimic those of transparent liquid crystal diode, or LCD, films of television and computer screens. Unfortunately, polymers typically feature random microstructures rather than the perfectly aligned microstructure – and transparency – of the LCD film.

ORNL’s Orlando Rios and collaborators at Washington State University have pushed this barrier aside with a processing system that changes the microstructure and mechanical properties of a liquid crystalline epoxy resin.  Their finding, outlined in a paper published in the American Chemical Society journal Applied Materials and Interfaces, offers a potential path to new structural designs and functional composites with improved properties.

The method combines conventional heat processing with the application of powerful magnetic fields generated by superconducting magnets. This provides a lever researchers can use to control the orientation of the molecules and, ultimately, the crystal alignment.

“In this way, we can achieve our goal of a zero thermal expansion coefficient and a polymer that is highly crystalline,” said Rios, a member of ORNL’s Deposition Science Group. “And this means we have the potential to dial in the desired properties for the epoxy resin polymers that are so prevalent today.”

Epoxy is commonly used in structural composites, bonded magnets and coatings. Rios noted that thermosets such as epoxy undergo a chemical cross-linking reaction that hardens or sets the material. Conventional epoxy typically consists of randomly oriented molecules with the molecular chains pointing in every direction, almost like a spider web of atoms.

“Using thermomagnetic processing and magnetically responsive molecular chains, we are able to form highly aligned structures analogous to many stacks of plates sitting on a shelf,” Rios said. “We confirmed the directionality of this structure using X-ray measurements, mechanical properties and thermal expansion.”

Co-authors of the paper, “Thermomagnetic processing of liquid crystalline epoxy resins and their mechanical characterization using nanoindentation,” are Yuzhan Li and Michael Kessler of Washington State’s School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. The ORNL portion of the research was supported by the Critical Materials Institute, an Energy Innovation Hub funded by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Washington State’s research was funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have identified a class of low-cost, easily-processed semiconducting polymers which, despite their seemingly disorganised internal structure, can transport electrons as efficiently as expensive crystalline inorganic semiconductors.

This is a high performance semiconducting polymer with an amorphous structure. Highlighted in yellow is a single chain demonstrating negligible backbone torsion. Credit: Deepak Venkateshvaran/Mark Nikolka

This is a high performance semiconducting polymer with an amorphous structure. Highlighted in yellow is a single chain demonstrating negligible backbone torsion.
Credit: Deepak Venkateshvaran/Mark Nikolka

In this new polymer, about 70% of the electrons are free to travel, whereas in conventional polymers that number can be less than 50%. The materials approach intrinsic disorder-free limits, which would enable faster, more efficient flexible electronics and displays. The results are published today (5 November) in the journal Nature.

For years, researchers have been searching for semiconducting polymers that can be solution processed and printed – which makes them much cheaper – but also retain well-defined electronic properties. These materials are used in printed electronic circuits, large-area solar cells and flexible LED displays.

However, a major problem with these materials – especially after they go through a messy wet coating, fast-drying printing process – is that they have an internal structure more like a bowl of spaghetti than the beautifully ordered crystal lattice found in most electronic or optoelectronic devices.

These nooks and crannies normally lead to poorer performance, as they make ideal places for the electrons which carry charge throughout the structure to become trapped and slowed down.

Polymer molecules consist of at least one long backbone chain, with shorter chains at the sides. It is these side chains which make conjugated polymers easy to process, but they also increase the amount of disorder, leading to more trapped electrons and poorer performance.

Now, the Cambridge researchers have discovered a class of conjugated polymers that are extremely tolerant to any form of disorder that is introduced by the side chains. “What is most surprising about these materials is that they appear amorphous, that is very disordered, at the microstructural level, while at the electronic level they allow electrons to move nearly as freely as in crystalline inorganic semiconductors,” said Mark Nikolka, a PhD student at the University’s Cavendish Laboratory and one of the lead authors of the study .

Using a combination of electrical and optical measurements combined with molecular simulations, the team of researchers led by Professor Henning Sirringhaus were able to measure that, electronically, the materials are approaching disorder-free limits and that every molecular unit along the polymer chain is able to participate in the transport of charges.

“These materials resemble tiny ribbons of graphene in which the electrons can zoom fast along the length of the polymer backbone, although not yet as fast as in graphene,” said Dr Deepak Venkateshvaran, the paper’s other lead author. “What makes them better than graphene, however, is they are much easier to process, and therefore much cheaper.”

The researchers plan to use these results to provide molecular design guidelines for a wider class of disorder-free conjugated polymers, which could open up a new range of flexible electronic applications. For example, these materials might be suitable for the electronics that will be needed to make the colour and video displays that are used in smartphones and tablets more lightweight, flexible and robust.

Crocus Technology, a provider of magnetically enhanced semiconductor technologies and products, today announces a new Magnetic Logic Unit (MLU) based solution that can detect the position and shape of flexible two dimensional surfaces. Wearable devices, curved panel displays, flexible solar panels and, in the future mobile phones will integrate flexible shape sensor foils.

By having knowledge about the shape and bendability of these flexible surfaces, system integrators can use software to make much needed improvements, such as to correct distorted images.

Crocus’ magnetic sensors aim to provide an efficient solution for shape sensing in flexible surfaces and foils to overcome deficiencies occurring in other solutions, such as piezoelectric sensors.

Unlike other solutions, Crocus’ MLU sensors exhibit high sensitivity and directional capabilities. This means that only a minimal number of MLU sensors need to be embedded in flexible shape sensor foils. In its prototype, Crocus only uses 0.25 sensors per square centimeter, making its solution extremely cost-effective.

In addition, Crocus’ MLU sensors offer advantages in low power consumption and high-speed detection. They provide strong signals without active components. Crocus’ 20cm x 20cm prototype consumes less than 10mA (milliampere) during the sensing cycle that lasts less than 1ms (microsecond).

“Crocus has created a new IP based on magnetic sensors for flexible surface position detection. This enables equipment makers to gain in the added performance of flexible shape devices, while reducing costs,” said Bertrand Cambou, chairman and CEO of Crocus Technology. “MLU sensors in flexible displays are an exciting development. We anticipate strong interest from players in a rapidly growing market.”

As flexible displays are light, thin and unbreakable, they are expected to replace conventional displays. Key technology providers include Samsung Display, LG Display, Sony, Sharp and AU Optronics (source: Emerging Technologies Display Report 2013, published by IHS Electronics and Media).

The market for flexible displays is expected to reach $3.89 billion by 2020 (source: Markets and Markets, March 2014).

Trans-Lux Corporation has released a new series of modular court side LED displays under its premier TL Vision brand. The units provide a high-performance LED display in a sturdy steel frame optimized for reduced weight to allow the systems to be easily stored, moved and set up.

“With a lightweight, modular design, these new innovative court side LED displays provide a high degree of versatility while increasing fan engagement, and facilitating sponsor-driven advertising revenues,” said J.M. Allain, President and CEO, Trans-Lux Corporation. “These new Court Side LED systems are the perfect extension of our TL Vision LED display solutions for sports venues, and ideally complement our comprehensive portfolio of FairPlay by Trans-Lux LED scoreboard solutions.”

TL Vision Court Side LED Displays are available in 8- and 10-foot configurations with either 6mm or 10mm pitches with pixel counts ranging from 64×224 pixels to 112×480 pixels depending on their length and pitch selection. To provide customers with even greater flexibility, each modular unit can be custom-ordered as a stand-alone scoreboard, TL Vision scoreboard, TL Vision display, rear-illuminated sign or non-illuminated sign. Multiple units can be connected end-to-end to create LED displays tailored to specific events.

Additional features of the new TL Vision court side LED displays include an adjustable display angle of 0, 3 or 6 degrees; six casters for even weight distribution and ease of mobility; and an internal cable tray to hide and protect cables and wires. Rather than requiring equipment to be stacked on the table top or within a separate rack unit, TL Vision court side LED Displays incorporate rack-mount space that is hidden from view to reduce clutter and protect equipment.

The folding table tops incorporated into the TL Vision court side LED Displays are designed to avoid damage during setup and maximize storage space. To provide safety the unit features padded tops and ends, which can be easily removed to access the cable tray or knobs for adjusting both display angle and alignment.

A number of professional and Division I college basketball teams have already implemented TL Vision Court Side LED Displays in their arenas.

University of Utah engineers have developed a new type of carbon nanotube material for handheld sensors that will be quicker and better at sniffing out explosives, deadly gases and illegal drugs.

A carbon nanotube is a cylindrical material that is a hexagonal or six-sided array of carbon atoms rolled up into a tube. Carbon nanotubes are known for their strength and high electrical conductivity and are used in products from baseball bats and other sports equipment to lithium-ion batteries and touchscreen computer displays.

Ling Zang, a University of Utah professor of materials science and engineering, holds a prototype detector that uses a new type of carbon nanotube material for use in handheld scanners to detect explosives, toxic chemicals and illegal drugs. Zang and colleagues developed the new material, which will make such scanners quicker and more sensitive than today's standard detection devices. Ling's spinoff company, Vaporsens, plans to produce commercial versions of the new kind of scanner early next year. Credit: Dan Hixon, University of Utah College of Engineering.

Ling Zang, a University of Utah professor of materials science and engineering, holds a prototype detector that uses a new type of carbon nanotube material for use in handheld scanners to detect explosives, toxic chemicals and illegal drugs. Zang and colleagues developed the new material, which will make such scanners quicker and more sensitive than today’s standard detection devices. Ling’s spinoff company, Vaporsens, plans to produce commercial versions of the new kind of scanner early next year.
Credit: Dan Hixon, University of Utah College of Engineering.

Vaporsens, a university spin-off company, plans to build a prototype handheld sensor by year’s end and produce the first commercial scanners early next year, says co-founder Ling Zang, a professor of materials science and engineering and senior author of a study of the technology published online Nov. 4 in the journal Advanced Materials.

The new kind of nanotubes also could lead to flexible solar panels that can be rolled up and stored or even “painted” on clothing such as a jacket, he adds.

Zang and his team found a way to break up bundles of the carbon nanotubes with a polymer and then deposit a microscopic amount on electrodes in a prototype handheld scanner that can detect toxic gases such as sarin or chlorine, or explosives such as TNT.

When the sensor detects molecules from an explosive, deadly gas or drugs such as methamphetamine, they alter the electrical current through the nanotube materials, signaling the presence of any of those substances, Zang says.

“You can apply voltage between the electrodes and monitor the current through the nanotube,” says Zang, a professor with USTAR, the Utah Science Technology and Research economic development initiative. “If you have explosives or toxic chemicals caught by the nanotube, you will see an increase or decrease in the current.”

By modifying the surface of the nanotubes with a polymer, the material can be tuned to detect any of more than a dozen explosives, including homemade bombs, and about two-dozen different toxic gases, says Zang. The technology also can be applied to existing detectors or airport scanners used to sense explosives or chemical threats.

Zang says scanners with the new technology “could be used by the military, police, first responders and private industry focused on public safety.”

Unlike the today’s detectors, which analyze the spectra of ionized molecules of explosives and chemicals, the Utah carbon-nanotube technology has four advantages:

  • It is more sensitive because all the carbon atoms in the nanotube are exposed to air, “so every part is susceptible to whatever it is detecting,” says study co-author Ben Bunes, a doctoral student in materials science and engineering.
  • It is more accurate and generates fewer false positives, according to lab tests.
  • It has a faster response time. While current detectors might find an explosive or gas in minutes, this type of device could do it in seconds, the tests showed.
  • It is cost-effective because the total amount of the material used is microscopic.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), today announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $87 billion during the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 5.7 percent over the previous quarter and a jump of 8 percent compared to the third quarter of 2013. Third quarter sales outperformed the latest World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) industry forecast. Global sales for the month of September 2014 reached $29 billion, 8 percent higher than the September 2013 total of $26.9 billion and 1.9 percent more than last month’s total of $28.5 billion. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by WSTS and represent a three-month moving average.

“Through the third quarter of 2014, global semiconductor sales remain strong and well ahead of last year’s pace,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “The industry has now posted seven consecutive months of sequential monthly growth, and year-to-year growth has been strong across nearly all semiconductor product categories, with DRAM and Analog leading the way.”

Regionally, sales were up compared to last month in the Americas (2.8 percent) and Asia Pacific (2.5 percent), but down slightly in Europe (-0.1 percent) and Japan (-1.3 percent). Compared to September 2013, sales increased in Asia Pacific (12 percent), Europe (7.9 percent) and the Americas (3.7 percent), but decreased in Japan (-3.7 percent). All four regional markets have posted better year-to-date sales through September than they did through the same point last year.

September 2014      
Billions      
Month-to-Month Sales      
Market Last Month Current Month % Change
Americas 5.60 5.76 2.8%
Europe 3.22 3.22 -0.1%
Japan 3.07 3.03 -1.3%
Asia Pacific 16.57 16.99 2.5%
Total 28.46 29.00 1.9%
       
Year-to-Year Sales      
Market Last Year Current Month % Change
Americas 5.55 5.76 3.7%
Europe 2.98 3.22 7.9%
Japan 3.15 3.03 -3.7%
Asia Pacific 15.17 16.99 12.0%
Total 26.85 29.00 8.0%
       
Three-Month-Moving Average Sales      
Market Apr/May/Jun Jul/Aug/Sep % Change
Americas 5.24 5.76 9.8%
Europe 3.19 3.22 0.9%
Japan 2.97 3.03 2.2%
Asia Pacific 16.04 16.99 5.9%
Total 27.44 29.00 5.7%

 

SEMI announced today that the deadline for presenters to submit an abstract for the 26th annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) is extended to November 11.  ASMC, which takes place May 3-6, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, New York, will feature technical presentations of more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts covering critical process technologies and fab productivity. This year’s event features keynotes, a panel discussion, networking events, technical sessions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing, and tutorials.

ASMC, in its 26th year, continues to fill a critical need in our industry and provides a venue for industry professionals to network, learn and share knowledge on new and best-method semiconductor manufacturing practices and concepts.  Selected speakers have the opportunity to present in front of IC manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, chief technology officers, operations managers, process engineers, product managers and academia. Technical abstracts are now due November 11, 2014.

This year SEMI (www.semi.org) is including two new technology areas (3D/TSV/Interposer; Fabless Experience). SEMI is soliciting technical abstracts in these key technology areas:

·        3D/TSV/Interposer

·        Advanced Metrology

·        Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials

·        Advanced Patterning / Design for Manufacturability

·        Advanced Process Control (APC)

·        Contamination Free Manufacturing (CFM)

·        Data Management and Data Mining Tools

·        Defect Inspection and Reduction

·        Discrete Power Devices

·        Enabling Technologies and Innovative Devices

·        Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancements

·        Fabless Experience

·        Factory Automation

·        Green Factory

·        Industrial Engineering

·        Lean Manufacturing

·        Yield Enhancement

·        Yield Methodologies

Complete descriptions of each topic and author kit can be accessed at www.semi.org/en/node/38316.  If you would like to learn more about the conference and the selection process, please contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or call 1.202.393.5552.   

Papers co-authored between device manufacturers, equipment or materials suppliers, and/or academic institutions that demonstrate innovative, practical solutions for advancing semiconductor manufacturing are encouraged.  To submit an abstract, visit http://semi.omnicms.com/semi/asmc2015/collection.cgi

Technical abstracts are due November 10, 2014. Learn more about the Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference; visit www.semi.org/asmc2015.

At first glance, the static, greyscale display created by a group of researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China might not catch the eye of a thoughtful consumer in a market saturated with flashy, colorful electronics. But a closer look at the specs could change that: the ultra-thin LCD screen described today in a paper in The Optical Society’s (OSA) journal Optics Letters is capable of holding three-dimensional images without a power source, making it a compact, energy-efficient way to display visual information.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are used in numerous technological applications, from television screens to digital clock faces. In a traditional LCD, liquid crystal molecules are sandwiched between polarized glass plates. Electrodes pass current through the apparatus, influencing the orientation of the liquid crystals inside and manipulating the way they interact with the polarized light. The light and dark sections of the readout display are controlled by the amount of current flowing into them.

The new displays ditch the electrodes, simultaneously making the screen thinner and decreasing its energy requirements. Once an image is uploaded to the screen via a flash of light, no power is required to keep it there. Because these so-called bi-stable displays draw power only when the image is changed, they are particularly advantageous in applications where a screen displays a static image for most of the time, such as e-book readers or battery status monitors for electronic devices.

“Because the proposed LCD does not have any driving electronics, the fabrication is extremely simple. The bi-stable feature provides a low power consumption display that can store an image for several years,” said researcher Abhishek Srivastava, one of the authors of the paper.

The researchers went further than creating a simple LCD display, however—they engineered their screen to display images in 3D. Real-world objects appear three-dimensional because the separation between your left eye and your right creates perspective. 3D movies replicate this phenomenon on a flat screen by merging two films shot from slightly different angles, and the glasses that you wear during the film selectively filter the light, allowing one view to reach your left eye and another to fall on your right to create a three-dimensional image.

However, instead of displaying multiple images on separate panels and carefully aligning them—a tedious and time-consuming process—the researchers create the illusion of depth from a single image by altering the polarization of the light passing through the display. They divide the image into three zones: one in which the light is twisted 45 degrees to the left, another in which it is twisted 45 degrees to the right, and a third in which it is unmodified. When passed through a special filter, the light from the three zones is polarized in different directions. Glasses worn by the viewer then make the image appear three-dimensional by providing a different view to each eye.

This technology isn’t ready to hit the television market just yet: it only displays images in greyscale and can’t refresh them fast enough to show a film. However, Srivastava and his colleagues are in the process of optimizing their device for consumer use by adding color capabilities and improving the refresh rate. The thin profile and minimal energy requirements of devices could also make it useful in flexible displays or as a security measure on credit cards.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.17 billion in orders worldwide in September 2014 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.94, according to the September EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.   A book-to-bill of 0.94 means that $94 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in September 2014 was $1.17 billion. The bookings figure is 12.9 percent lower than the final August 2014 level of $1.35 billion, and is 18.1 percent higher than the September 2013 order level of $992.8 million.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in September 2014 was $1.25 billion. The billings figure is 3.3 percent lower than the final August 2014 level of $1.29 billion, and is 22.5 percent higher than the September 2013 billings level of $1.02 billion.

“Following 11 months of above parity book-to-bill ratios, the three-month average ratio declined in September,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.  “While order activity moderated, equipment spending this year is expected to be robust and remain on pace for double-digit year-over-year growth.”

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
April 2014

$1,403.2

$1,443.0

1.03
May 2014

$1,407.8

$1,407.0

1.00
June 2014

$1,327.5

$1,455.0

1.10
July 2014

$1,319.1

$1,417.1

1.07
August 2014 (final)

$1,293.4

$1,346.1

1.04
September 2014 (prelim)

$1,250.4

$1,172.8

0.94

Source: SEMI, October 2014