Category Archives: Semiconductors

SEMI announced today the September 18 deadline for presenters to submit abstracts for the annual SEMI Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FLEX) and MEMS and Sensors Technical Conference (MSTC). The co-located gathering, February 18-21, 2019, in Monterey, California, will feature technical presentations of more than 135 peer-reviewed manuscripts covering leading materials and methods that can enhance an expanding range of markets for microelectronics.

FLEX 2019 sessions will feature demonstrations of flexible hybrid and printed electronics products, equipment, and materials, as well as the unique electronics applications they enable.

MSTC 2019 sessions will address wearables, point of care medical devices, food delivery, and agriculture platforms, remote monitoring systems and other trending applications.

Both events will present opening day keynotes and a panel discussion, networking events, technical sessions on emerging and advanced electronics, tech courses and the annual FLEXI Awards Ceremony.  The conference will feature a special student poster session to highlight student projects related to either flexible electronics or MEMS and sensors and will conclude with an awards ceremony.

NextFlex, The Flex Group, Nano Bio Manufacturing Consortium and MEMS & Sensors Industry Group will hold several leadership meetings throughout the week in Monterey.

Selected FLEX and MSTC speakers will present to more than 700 executives, product marketing managers, business development professionals, researchers and engineers from the flexible, hybrid and printed electronics value chain, as well as the MEMS and Sensors industries; 400 companies, universities, R&D labs and government agencies; and, leading industry analysts and media from around the world. Technical abstracts are due September 28, 2018, and can be submitted here for FLEX and here for MSTC. Submissions are FREE and notifications of acceptance will be issued October 19.

FLEX 2019 will cover the following topics:

1. Application market segments and IOT for:

  • Agriculture
  • Consumer Electronics and Agriculture
  • Consumer Electronics: Appliances, Wearables & Textiles
  • Smart Infrastructure: Buildings, Surfaces & Lighting
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • Smart MedTech: Health and Wellness & Human Performance Monitoring
  • Smart Transportation: Automotive, Aircraft & Public Transit

2. Flexible electrical components for:

  • Advanced Packaging
  • Batteries & Energy Sources
  • Flexible Displays
  • Lighting
  • Other Hybrid Devices
  • Sensors
  • TFTs, Memory & Logic
  • User Interface

3. Materials for:

  • Barrier Films
  • Conductors, Insulators & Semiconductors
  • Electronic Fibers & Fabrics
  • Functional Inks
  • ITO & ITO Replacements
  • Substrates & Substrate Treatments

4. Processes and manufacturing for:

  • Equipment & Metrology
  • Failure & Lifetime Reliability
  • Hybrid Printing Processes
  • Integrated Manufacturing
  • Integration of Hybrid Devices
  • Multi-layer Additive Printing
  • Roll to Roll & Web Processing
  • System Interconnects
  • Testing

5. Standards for:

  • Design & Modeling File Format
  • Processes & Manufacturing
  • Reliability & Qualifications

MSTC 2019 will cover wearables, point-of-care medical devices, food delivery and agriculture platforms and remote monitoring systems such as environmental, weather, energy, industrial IoT and more. The conference will focus on the technical aspects of system-level solutions for these areas incorporating MEMS/Sensor and Actuators, Unique Applications and Innovative Technologies.

The co-location of FLEX and MSTC is organized by SEMI Americas to connect more than 2,000 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of flexible electronics and MEMS and Sensors.

In its Mid-Year Update to the 2018 McClean Report, IC Insights updated its forecast of sales growth for each of the 33 major IC product categories defined by WSTS (Figure 1).  IC Insights now projects that seven product categories will exceed the 16% growth rate expected from the total IC market this year. For the second consecutive year, the DRAM market is forecast to top all IC product segments with 39% growth. Overall, 13 product categories are forecast to experience double-digit growth and 28 total IC product categories are expected to post positive growth this year, down slightly from 29 segments in 2017.

Rising average selling prices for DRAM continued to boost the DRAM market through the first half of the year and into August.  However, IC Insights believes the DRAM ASP (and subsequent market growth) is at or near its peak, as a big rise in DRAM capital expenditures for planned capacity upgrades and expansions is likely put the brakes on steep market growth beginning in 2019.

In second place with 29% growth is the Automotive—Special-Purpose Logic market, which is being lifted by the growing number of onboard electronic systems now found on new cars. Backup cameras, blind-spot (lane-departure) detectors, and other “intelligent” systems are mandated or are being added across all new vehicles—entry level to luxury—and are expected to contribute to the semiconductor content per new car growing to more than $540 per vehicle in 2018.

Wireless Comm—Application-Specific Analog is forecast to grow 23% in 2018, as the world becomes increasingly dependent on the Internet and demand for wireless connectivity continues to rise. Similarly, demand for medical/health electronics systems connectivity using the Internet will help the market for Industrial/Other Application-Specific Analog outpace total IC market growth in 2018.

Among the seven categories showing better than total IC market growth this year, three are forecast to be among the largest of all IC product categories in terms of dollar volume. DRAM (#1 with $101.6 billion in sales), NAND Flash (#2 with $62.6 billion), Computer and Peripherals—Special Purpose Logic (#4 with $27.6 billion) prove that big markets can still achieve exceptional percentage growth.

Figure 1

Amid rapid custom silicon growth and innovation, Open-Silicon today announced the appointment of semiconductor industry veteran Anand Bariya as VP of engineering. Anand will be responsible for managing the physical implementation of silicon, and facilitating the delivery of reliable parts with predictable schedules. He will be instrumental in the strategic planning of silicon engineering, from RTL to working silicon, and will oversee Open-Silicon’s physical design teams. Anand will report to Shafy Eltoukhy, SVP of Operations and GM of Open-Silicon, a SiFive company.

“I’m proud to join the team at Open-Silicon,” said Anand. “The company is a proven leader with a strong record of providing custom silicon solutions. I look forward to working closely with customers and partners to develop innovative, full turnkey custom solutions that not only meet the highest quality and reliability expectations, but are delivered with predictable schedules.”

Anand has over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, both in Silicon Valley and in India. Prior to joining Open-Silicon, he served as senior director at Broadcom in India, where he managed engineering operations. Prior to that, he spent over six years at NetLogic Microsystems (later acquired by Broadcom), where he served as vice president and managing director. Before joining NetLogic, he managed the ASIC Design Center at Toshiba America. He has also held management positions at Vitesse Semiconductor, Cadence Design Systems and National Semiconductor. Anand earned a PhD in chemical and electrical engineering at Stanford University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

“Anand brings extensive leadership and a deep understanding of the engineering required for complex SoC design and delivery,” said Shafy Eltoukhy, SVP of Operations and GM of Open-Silicon, a SiFive company. “His proven leadership and track record of execution and delivery will be instrumental in building on Open-Silicon’s momentum in custom SoCs.”

TowerJazz, the global specialty foundry, today provided further details on its 13th annual U.S. Technical Global Symposium (TGS) to be held on November 7, 2018 at the Hilton Santa Clara, CA. During TGS, the company will share its vision on industry megatrends: “Wireless Everything, Smart Everything, Green Everything” – and the means by which its analog specialty portfolio helps customers to differentiate their technology solutions.

The event will commence with TowerJazz CEO, Russell Ellwanger, who will share plans with respect to the Company’s focus on “full circle value creation,” including strategic growth, technology leadership, and capacity expansion. TowerJazz executives will then share the latest technology roadmap developments of the Company’s RF/high performance analog, CMOS image sensors, power management, and aerospace & defense offerings, in addition to its industry-leading design enablement capabilities.

To view the agenda, focus areas for the technical sessions, and/or register for the event, please visit here.

With Taiwan poised as a central player role in global renewable energy, the stage is set for the inaugural Energy Taiwan, Taiwan’s largest green energy technology exchange platform that aims to accelerate innovation of clean energy technologies. The three-day event at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1, opens September 19 to spotlight the entire renewable energy supply chain.

Organized by SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing supply chain, and TAITRA, a non-profit government trade promotion organization in Taiwan, Energy Taiwan 2018 gathers the global renewable energy leaders for insights on the latest market trends and opportunities. The international exhibition and forum offers the latest renewable energy market information on topics ranging from solar energy, wind energy, smart energy and storage to hydrogen energy, fuel cells, and green finance and insurance.

Heralded as Taiwan’s International Smart Energy Week, Energy Taiwan 2018 focuses on four main themes – Energy Generation, Energy Storage, Energy Saving, and System Integration. The event’s four co-located exhibitions – PV Taiwan, Wind Energy Taiwan, HFC Taiwan, and Smart Storage Taiwan – showcase the latest clean energy technologies and solutions. Industry experts will share insights on the latest trends and technologies at forums including PV Market Deployment Forum, PV Executive Summit, Offshore Wind Energy Summit, HFC Technology Symposium, and Smart Storage and Energy Integration Forum.

With a complete solar energy supply chain, Taiwan brings together the technologies, research capabilities, operations, and cost competitiveness to drive renewable energy innovation and growth. The region also offers:

  • Taiwan’s geography offers unique opportunities for developing offshore wind energy.
  • Backed by the Taiwan government’s Nuclear-Free Homeland policy, Taiwan is starting to play a pivotal role in the global renewable energy market.
  • Taiwan made tremendous strides in solar and wind power generation in 2017, delivering record high volumes with 49 percent and 17 percent growth, respectively.

To highlight business opportunities and Taiwan’s competitive edge in green energy, Energy Taiwan 2018 features the Green Energy Industry Promotion Center Pavilion and Taiwan’s Premium Solar Power System Pavilion. The venues will highlight Taiwan’s current standing in green economics and its supply chain prowess. Energy Taiwan 2018 will also spotlight technology demonstrations at three national pavilions: German Trade Office Taipei, Flanders Investment and Trade (Belgium), and Netherlands Trade and Investment Office.

An estimated 17,000 domestic and overseas buyers are expected to attend Energy Taiwan Forum 2018.

The eBeam Initiative, a forum dedicated to the education and promotion of new semiconductor manufacturing approaches based on electron beam (eBeam) technologies, today announced the completion of its seventh annual eBeam Initiative perceptions survey. Industry luminaries representing nearly 40 companies from across the semiconductor ecosystem — including photomasks, electronic design automation (EDA), chip design, equipment, materials, manufacturing and research — participated in this year’s survey. The eBeam Initiative also completed its fourth annual mask makers’ survey with feedback from 10 captive and merchant photomask manufacturers. In addition, Tokyo Electron Ltd. (TEL), a leading global company that provides semiconductor and flat panel display (FPD) production equipment, has joined the eBeam Initiative.

Results from the mask makers’ survey indicate that mask output grew 27 percent compared to last year, while overall mask yields remained steady. At the same time, however, survey results indicate that no progress has been made in reducing mask turnaround time for leading-edge nodes, with several indicators such as mask data prep times and average mask write times on the rise compared to last year. Among the results of the perceptions survey, respondents were optimistic about the state of the photomask market, which grew 4.1 percent in 2017 according to SEMI. Survey respondents predicted the market will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.1 percent or more between 2018 and 2020. Confidence and optimism in EUV lithography continue to remain high, while the perceived need for multi-beam mask writing (MBMW) continues to grow. Perceptions on the use of inverse lithography technology (ILT) at the leading edge also increased.

Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S, the managing company sponsor of the eBeam Initiative, will present the results of the mask makers’ survey in an invited talk this morning at the SPIE Photomask Technology Symposium in Monterey, Calif. In addition, the complete results of both surveys will be discussed by an expert panel tomorrow during the eBeam Initiative’s annual members meeting held in conjunction with the SPIE Photomask Technology Symposium, and will be available for download following the meeting at www.ebeam.org.

Highlights from Mask Makers Survey (data from July 2017 to June 2018)

  • The same 10 participants reported delivering 27 percent more masks in 2018 versus 2017, while overall mask yields remained steady at nearly 94 percent
  • The number of delivered EUV masks also more than doubled compared to last year, with EUV mask yields improving to 72 percent
  • However, no progress appears to have been made in mask turnaround time for leading-edge nodes as indicated by several survey results
  • Mask data prep time remains significantly higher at advanced nodes for another year, at 19 hours this year for 11 to 15-nm ground rules
  • Mask process correction (MPC) is also being introduced at sub-16-nm ground rules, confirmed for the second year in a row
  • The average mask write time for eBeam VSB writers also increased by more than 20 percent compared to last year’s survey, from 6.8 hours to nearly 8.3 hours
  • The highest sensitivity (slowest) resists reported to be used for production masks also increased for both 193i and EUV, contributing to longer mask write times
  • Mask data volumes per layer increased on average compared to last year for both eBeam variable shaped beam (VSB) writers and laser writers, with the highest reported data volume per layer increasing from 2.2 to 3.2 Terabytes for eBeam VSB, and from 30 to 240 Gigabytes (an 8x increase) for laser writers

Highlights from eBeam Initiative Perceptions Survey:

  • 95 percent of respondents predict that the overall mask market will achieve 4.1 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) or greater between 2018 and 2020
  • 82 percent of respondents predict that EUV lithography will be used in high-volume manufacturing by 2021, while only 1 percent of respondents predict it will never happen
  • Expectations continue to grow around actinic mask inspection for EUV, with only 5 percent of participants in this year’s survey indicating it will never happen — a drop from 21 percent two years ago
  • Perceptions on the need for MBMW remain strong, with 83 percent of respondents indicating that EUV adoption requires MBMW, and 82 percent of respondents indicating that MBMW will be used in high-volume manufacturing by the end of 2020
  • 60 percent of respondents also indicate that ILT is currently being used for a few critical layers at leading-edge nodes, up from 46 percent in last year’s survey

“First and foremost, I would like to welcome our newest member TEL to the eBeam Initiative,” stated Fujimura. “As a leading process solutions provider to the semiconductor industry, TEL has been at the forefront in tackling many of the industry’s most critical mask and lithography challenges. We look forward to adding their voice to our community, and having their support in our ongoing efforts to educate and promote the importance of eBeam technology.”

Added Fujimura, “Over the years, the annual eBeam Initiative surveys have provided valuable insight into not only the perceptions and conditions of the mask industry today, but also the most pressing challenges facing the mask industry ahead. In this year’s surveys, the substantial increase in the total number of masks delivered, the beginning ramp-up of EUV masks, and continued increases in all factors that influence mask turnaround times for the leading-edge nodes stood out to me as important trends. The overwhelming confidence expressed in the perceptions survey for multi-beam mask writing is a positive sign for the industry, as multi-beam helps with the mask turnaround time issue, particularly for writing with slower resists and with complex mask shapes.”

The SEMI-THERM Educational Foundation (STEF) announced that the 35thAnnual Thermal Measurement, Modeling and Management Symposium will take place from Monday, March 18thto Friday, March 22nd, 2019.  SEMI-THERM is currently accepting submissions for extended abstracts, peer-reviewed papers and presentation only abstracts. The deadline for each of these submissions types is October 12, 2018.

The SEMI-THERM Conference focuses on a broad range of cooling topics, from component and system level thermal management solutions to advanced cooling techniques and technologies. Applications of interest include Internet of Things, data centers, aerospace systems, drones, digital imaging, wearable and consumer electronics.

Conference committee chairs and presenters are leaders and practitioners from companies including Aavid Thermacore, Advanced Thermal Solutions (ATS), Cisco, Facebook, Google, Huawei, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and other organizations and academia dedicated to solving thermal challenges.

“Presenting at SEMI-THERM is the perfect opportunity to educate colleagues and customers of a new technology or application and to gain recognition for your company, organization or university research.,” said Bernie Siegal, co-founder of the conference and recipient of SEMI-THERM’s Lifetime Achievement Award. “This program facilitates interactive communication between representatives of world-class research institutes and international corporations, as well as thermal consultants,” he added.

Symposium Highlights

SEMI-THERM is an international symposium dedicated to the thermal management and characterization of electronic components and systems. See topics below.

In addition to technical sessions and keynote presentations, the conference and exhibition includes technical short courses, embedded tutorials, vendor workshops, how-to courses and panel discussions on current thermal technologies.

For more information and to submit a paper, please visit:

http://semi-therm.org

Global fab equipment spending will increase 14 percent this year to US$62.8 billion and is expected to rise 7.5 percent, to US$67.5 billion, in 2019, marking the fourth consecutive year of spending growth and the highest investment year for fab equipment in the history of the industry, according to the latest World Fab Forecast Report published today by SEMI. Investments in new fab construction are also nearing a record with a fourth consecutive year of growth predicted and capital outlays next year approaching US$17 billion.

Investments for fab technology and product upgrades, as well as for additional capacity, will grow as the emergence of numerous new fabs significantly increases equipment demand, the forecast shows. The World Fab Forecast Report currently tracks 78 new fabs and lines that have or will start construction between 2017 to 2020 (with various probabilities) and will eventually require more US$220 billion in fab equipment (Figure 1). Construction spending for these fabs and lines is expected to reach US$53 billion during this period.

Figure 1: Shows the investment potential of new fabs and lines starting construction between 2017 and 2020.

Korea is projected to lead other regions in fab equipment investments with US$63 billion, US$1 billion more than second-place China. Taiwan is expected to claim the third spot at US$40 billon, followed by Japan at US$22 billion and the Americas at US$15 billion. Europe and Southeast Asia will share sixth place, with investments totaling US$8 billion each. Fully 60 percent of these fabs will serve the Memory sector (the lion’s share will be 3D NAND), and a third will go to Foundry.

Of the 78 fab construction projects starting construction between 2017 and 2020, 59 began construction in the first two years (2017 and 2018), while 19 are expected to begin in the last two years (2019 and 2020) of the tracking period.

Equipping a new fab typically takes one to one and a half years, though some fabs take two years and others longer, depending on various factors as such the company, fab size, product type and region. Approximately half of the projected US$220 billion will be spent from 2017 and 2020, with less than 10 percent invested in 2017 and 2018, nearly 40 percent in 2019 and 2020, and the rest after 2020.

While the US$220 billion estimate is based on current insights of known and announced fab plans, total spending could exceed this level as many companies continue to announce plans for new fabs. Since the last quarterly publication of the report published last quarter, 18 new records – all new fabs – have been added to the forecast. Up-to-date and detailed analysis, with a bottoms-up approach, is available by subscribing to SEMI’s World Fab Forecast Report.

Since its June 1 publication, more than 340 updates have been made to the World Fab Forecast. The report now includes more than 1,200 records of current and future front-end semiconductor facilities from high-volume production to research and development. The report covers data and predictions through 2019, including milestones, detailed investments by quarter, product types, technology nodes and capacities down to fab and project level.

Learn more about the SEMI fab databases at www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo/FabDatabase and www.youtube.com/user/SEMImktstats.

Adesto® Technologies (NASDAQ: IOTS), a provider of innovative application-specific semiconductors and systems for the IoT era, announced the successful completion of its previously announced acquisition of Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON). Echelon® is a developer of open-standard networking platforms for connecting, monitoring and controlling devices in commercial and industrial applications.

The definitive agreement was initially announced on June 29, 2018, and Echelon shareholders approved the transaction at a Special Meeting of Shareholders held on September 13, 2018. The transaction closed and became effective today, with each share of Echelon being converted into the right to receive $8.50 in cash, without interest. The cash transaction represents a total equity value of approximately $45 million, and a total enterprise value of about $30 million. Echelon’s trailing 12-month revenue as of the second quarter ended June 30, 2018 was approximately $31.6 million. As a result of the transaction’s close, the common stock of Echelon will no longer be listed for trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange, effective immediately.

Adesto expects to realize cost synergies of approximately $6 million to $8 million in the first 12 months, with more than half to be realized in the fourth quarter of 2018. The Company also expects the acquisition to be accretive to EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS within the first 12 months.

“This acquisition marks a pivotal step for Adesto as we continue to expand our innovative solutions to help customers unlock the true potential of the IoT,” said Narbeh Derhacobian, CEO of Adesto. “We now provide not only semiconductors, but also open-standard networking platforms and tools for connecting, monitoring and controlling devices in commercial and industrial IoT deployments. We have significantly expanded our served available market, while also increasing our revenue and potential for margin expansion. Together with our differentiated non-volatile memory products and our mixed-signal and RF ASICs and IP, we’re able to deliver the essential building blocks that allow seamless access to data, and control of things, in an increasingly connected world.”

The Echelon group will now become Adesto’s Embedded Systems Division, led by Chris Jodoin, former SVP of operations and planning at Echelon.

According to Jodoin, “As part of Adesto, we will continue to support, promote and expand on Echelon’s 30-year heritage, which has become synonymous with intelligent Industrial IoT products and solutions. Our increased scale will enable us to embark on new product initiatives and provide enhanced customer support and access. We look forward to building on our base of an estimated 140 million installed LON-powered devices, and to enabling our customers to achieve success across their applications in smart buildings, smart manufacturing and other industrial segments.”

Over the last several years, Echelon has made significant progress with its Lighting Solutions business. Adesto is currently exploring several strategic alternatives for this product line in order to better align the core Echelon business with Adesto’s long-term focus.

Adesto will provide updates on the Echelon integration as part of its upcoming earnings conference call to be held in early November. Details regarding the date and time of the conference call will be provided at a later date.

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ACLS), a supplier of enabling ion implantation solutions for the semiconductor industry, announced that it has appointed John Kulungian as vice president of quality. In this role, Mr. Kulungian will be responsible for developing and executing programs to enhance customer satisfaction, as well as increase operational efficiencies.

“I am very pleased that John has joined the Axcelis team and look forward to his leadership as we take our quality systems to a new level,” said Mary Puma, president and CEO of Axcelis Technologies. “Customer satisfaction underpins everything we do at Axcelis Technologies, and John’s insight and expertise in driving quality improvements will be a great asset to the Company as we design and deliver new, market-leading solutions for our customers.”

Mr. Kulungian joins Axcelis Technologies with 20 years of senior leadership experience in the manufacturing sector, and a proven track record within the aerospace, defense, energy, and capital equipment industries. Most recently, Mr. Kulungian held the position of vice president of quality and continuous improvement at Sonnax Industries, LLC.  Previously he was vice president global quality at Ogin Energy Inc., and earlier served as the director of quality at Raytheon.

Mr. Kulungian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology-Manufacturing from Central Connecticut State University and a Master of Science in General Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Additionally he has earned professional certifications in Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and is a Certified Manager of Quality.