Category Archives: Wafer Level Packaging

January 27, 2012 — While Apple’s release of the iPhone 4S in Q4 2011 "unleashed tremendous pent-up demand" from consumers, Samsung used its broad range of smartphones to take the top spot in smartphone brands, reports Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications at IHS in an IHS iSuppli News Flash.

Also read: Analyst: $10B more semi capex thanks to tablets, smartphones
 
2011 is Samsung’s first turn at the number 1 spot in smartphone maker rankings. Global smartphone shipments grew 54% annually to reach a record 155 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, added Alex Spektor, associate director of research firm Strategy Analytics.

Table 1. Shipments of smartphone companies that have reported results for the fourth quarter of 2011 to date. Other major companies that haven’t reported yet are not included. Rankings by shipments in millions of units. SOURCE: IHS iSuppli January 2012.

  Company Q3 ’11 Shipments (Millions) Q4 ’11 Shipments (Millions) Q3 ’11/Q4 ’11 Quarterly Growth 2010 Shipments (Millions) 2011 Shipments (Millions) 2010/2011 Annual Growth
1 Apple 17                37 117%                47                93 96%
2 Samsung 28                36 28%                25                95 278%
3 Nokia 17                20 17%              100                77 -23%
4 Sony Ericsson 6                  6 -5%                13                20 55%
5 Motorola 5                  5 10%                14                19 35%

 

 Table 2. Global smartphone vendor shipments and market share in Q4 2011. SOURCE: Strategy Analytics January 2012. (Millions of Units)

   

 Q4 ’10     2010     Q4 ’11     2011
Samsung 10.7     23.9     36.5     97.4
Apple 16.2     47.5     37.0     93.0
Nokia 28.3     100.1     19.6     77.3
Others 45.6     128.0     61.9     220.8
Total 100.7     299.5     155.0     488.5
                     
Global smartphone vendor
market share %		 Q4 ’10     2010     Q4 ’11     2011
Samsung 10.6%     8.0%     23.5%     19.9%
Apple 16.1%     15.9%     23.9%     19.0%
Nokia 28.1%     33.4%     12.6%     15.8%
Others 45.2%     42.7%     39.9%     45.2%
Total 100.0%     100.0%     100.0%     100.0%
                     
Total growth year-over-Year % 86.8%     71.4%     53.9%     63.1%

Apple shipped 37 million smartphones worldwide in Q4, up 117% from 17 million in Q3 — the strongest sequential quarterly growth among the top 5 smartphone brands, IHS reports. Samsung shipped 36 million smartphones in the same quarter. While this put Apple back on top (Apple also shipped the most smartphones in Q2), Samsung won the year. Samsung shipped 95 million smartphones in 2011, up 278% from the prior year.
 
Samsung offers "a complete line of smartphone products," for various price points and consumer requirements, Lam said, noting that this strategy carried Samsung past Nokia and Apple. Apple has worked a successful strategy with its iPhone as well: distribution of the iPhone family expanded across numerous countries, dozens of operators and multiple price points in 2011, Strategy Analytics reported.

While Samsung shipped the most smartphones, Apple bought the most semiconductors in 2011, edging out Samsung thanks in part to Apple’s iPad tablet business. "Apple must soon make a decision on whether to jettison Samsung as one of its principal suppliers for chips, screens, and other components. While Samsung has the technology to produce Apple’s components at a high level of efficiency and quality — including the new A6 chip — its expanding role as a principal competitor leaves Apple in an untenable situation. Apple may instead turn to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce its A6 chips," noted the US-Taiwan Business Council in a recent report.

"Apple and Samsung continue to run neck and neck in global smartphone shipments, setting up a tight battle for leadership that will continue throughout 2012," Lam predicts. This is a "two-horse race at the forefront of one of the world’s largest and most valuable consumer electronics markets," added Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics.

Nokia, the previous market leader, dropped to third place with a -23% decline year-over-year. Tom Kang, director at Strategy Analytics, explained, “Nokia’s global smartphone market share halved from 33% in 2010 to 16% in 2011. A lackluster touchscreen smartphone portfolio and a limited presence in the huge United States market caused Nokia’s shrinkage last year. Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft will be very much in focus during 2012, and the industry will be watching closely to see how swiftly the two companies can expand in the high-value 4G LTE market that is rapidly emerging across the United States, Japan and elsewhere.”

The market share battle between Apple and Samsung reflects the competition between the two leading smartphone operating systems and ecosystems: Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. However, the other major Android licensees — Sony Ericsson and Motorola — did not match Samsung’s strong smartphone performance. This may indicate that "the Android smartphone market is becoming too crowded," Lam said.

IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides analysis on energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk and security; environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting; and commodities, pricing and cost. Learn more at www.ihs.com.

Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm. Visit www.strategyanalytics.com for more information.

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January 24, 2012 — The Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeks nominees in the US for the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI), honoring "this nation’s creative geniuses," said Richard Maulsby, the USPTO

January 24, 2012 – PRWEB — Si-Ware Systems (SWS) debuted the Silicon integrated Micro Optical System (SiMOST) platform to fab and package single-chip optical systems with validated micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) components. Multiple optical MEMS (MOEMS) structures can be patterned and etched on silicon on insulator (SOI) wafers using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). The structures are then wafer-level packaged and diced to create a one-chip optical system.

SiMOST eliminates alignment for optics by lithographically aligning optics on-chip. Si-Ware claims this method reduces costs and package size, and improves chip reliability under shock and vibration.

“For the first time an optical designer has the freedom to design very complex systems with as many components as necessary with no impact on cost of assembly and bill of materials,” said Bassam Saadany, Division Manager for MEMS at SWS. “With SiMOST, optical systems can achieve economies of scale that are similar to the micro-electronics industry in terms of size and cost, which opens up a range of applications and market opportunities.”

SWS has created a library of building blocks for its SiMOST platform that designers can use in creating their optical systems. Optical components include flat, cylindrical and spherical collimating mirrors; wide bandwidth beamsplitters; optical filters; and moving corner cube reflectors. MEMS components include long travel range micro-actuators and micro-motors.

SiMOST has been demonstrated, manufacturing a fully monolithic FT-IR spectrometer and a swept laser source.

The SiMOST platform is complemented by SWS’s ASIC solutions division, which provides interfacing and control circuits. These interface and control ASICs handle the MEMS control, current, voltage and capacitive sensing, data conversion via ADC/DAC, and data processing.

SWS is presenting more details on its SiMOST set of solutions at Photonics West 2012 in San Francisco bJanuary 24-26, Moscone Center, North Hall, Booth #4004. SWS will present on SiMOST technology, January 25 at 12:30PM in the North Hall.

Si-Ware Systems (SWS) is an independent fabless semiconductor company providing a wide spectrum of product design and development solutions, custom ASIC development and supply as well as standard products.

SWS leverages its highly talented teams in MEMS design and development as well as Analog/Mixed-Signal and Radio Frequency (RF) Integrated Circuits (ICs) to provide highly innovative solutions and products in different areas ranging from PLL based timing circuits, sensor interfaces, frequency synthesis, data converters, RF front-ends, and MEMS based sensor systems. For more information, please visit http://www.si-ware.com.

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January 23, 2012 – PRNewswire via COMTEX — Pure-play MEMS foundry Silex Microsystems joined "Energy-efficient Piezo-MEMS Tunable RF Front-End Antenna Systems for Mobile Devices," or EPAMO, which is a European Union funded program developing new technologies for high performance RF systems, energy-efficient mobile communication systems, highly miniaturized and integrated RF components, and cost-efficient mobile phone component technologies.

Silex will develop high-performance metal through-silicon vias (TSV) for RF applications, PZT piezoelectric thin film technologies for actuator manufacture, and advanced integrated passive devices (IPD) using through-wafer processing and advanced materials development. This program leverages Silex’ expertise in 3D through-wafer processing to develop new micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) capabilities, says Dr Thorbjorn Ebefors, chief technologist at Silex Microsystems. "These new techniques will be used to fabricate high-density integrated inductors, resistors and capacitors for new classes of devices," Ebefors added.

RF MEMS have gained a great deal of interest from mobile electronics followers recently, when a WiSpry RF MEMS component was identified in a major Samsung smartphone. WiSpry confirmed the design win.

EPAMO will develop new advanced wafer materials and RF component designs, combining new thin film materials and thin film technologies with CMOS solutions and advanced 3D packaging technologies. Silex is the only pure-play foundry involved in EPAMO.

EPAMO is coordinated by Dr. Thomas Metzger of EPCOS AG (RF filters and module solutions provider for the RF front-end of mobile phones). For more information see www.epamo.eu.

ENIAC JU (European Technology Platform on Nanoelectronics Joint Undertaking), a public-private partnership between the European Commission, 21 European countries and various nanoelectronics actors funds euro 2.2 M of EPAMO budget. National public funding from the participating nations covers euro 5.5 M, and euro 5.6 M comes from EPAMO partners. For more information see www.eniac.eu.

Silex Microsystems a pure-play MEMS foundry with production operations totaling 25,000 square feet and dedicated lines for both 6" and 8" wafers. For more information see www.silexmicrosystems.com

January 20, 2012 – Marketwire — Minco Technology Labs LLC, high-reliability semiconductor die processing, packaging and test services provider, appointed board member Bill Bradford as president and CEO. Bradford has served on the board of Minco since May 2010.

Bradford brings a background in the semiconductor industry, building organizations and developing channels, alliances, and strategic partnerships for leading semiconductor companies including Entropic Communications, Freescale Semiconductor, ON Semiconductor, Cypress Semiconductor and Texas Instruments. As senior vice president of worldwide sales for Entropic Communications, his most recent post, he oversaw a doubling of revenue over a 2-year period. Bradford has over 25 years of direct sales, sales management, marketing, and business development experience in the semiconductor industry. His domestic and international experience will help shape Minco’s growth strategy for hi-rel markets, said Keith Kolerus, Chairman of the Minco Board.

Bradford holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an M.S. in Management from the University of Alabama.

Also read: Column grid array: High-reliability option for packaging and Harsh Environments in Advanced Packaging: Just the Beginning

Former CEO Don Potter, who has been with the company since 1982, served as president since 1991 & CEO since 2010, has announced his retirement and will be leaving the company effective today. "Don’s contributions have been instrumental in establishing Minco as a leader in die processing, packaging, test & distribution," said Kolerus. "We wish Don well in his new endeavors."

Minco assembles, processes and distributes mission-critical semiconductors and components used in military and aerospace applications as well as medical equipment, down-hole drilling equipment, and other harsh-environment applications. Learn more at http://www.mincotech.com/.

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January 13, 2012 — For the first time, Apple Inc. has publicly published a list of over 150 companies that the electronics giant says represent 97% of its procurement expenditures for materials, manufacturing, and assembly of products worldwide.

See the suppliers here: http://images.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_List_2011.pdf

The disclosure is part of a broad supplier responsibility reporting initiative at Apple. The US-based company has had its ties to China’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer by revenue and the parent firm of Hong Kong-listed Foxconn International, scrutinized recently.

In 2011, Apple conducted 229 audits throughout its supply chain, an 80% increase over 2010. In 2011, the company launched a specialized auditing program to address environmental concerns about certain suppliers in China. Third-party environmental engineering experts worked with Apple to audit 14 facilities. Apple also broadened its age verification program in 2011. The full progress report is available from Apple at http://images.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2012_Progress_Report.pdf

January 11, 2012 — Increased I/O density on chips, power/performance requirements, yield/cost requirements and form factor constraints (mobile) are coming to push increased use of flip chip, 2.5D and 3D technologies. This trend benefits the packaging subcontractors in the semiconductor industry, argues Credit Suisse Taiwan Analyst Randy Abrams, as outsourcing rises.

Larger packaging subcontractors, like Amkor (AMKR), ASE, and SPIL, will take market share from smaller sub-contractors, Credit Suisse predicts. Large packaging houses like Amkor have invested in 3D packaging technologies, such as through silicon via (TSV) fabrication, silicon interposers, etc. They are also well-positioned for an industry shift occuring from wire bonding to flip chip, which enables higher I/O density.

Credit Suisse reports that the flip-chip trend has led to under-utilization of traditional wirebonder assets. Even if these assets are fully depreciated, they often carry fixed costs (labor, overhead). Amkor is responding to this trend by trying to penetrate the NAND market for wirebonding. It also is in talks to purchase old packaging assets from Toshiba. ASE and SPIL are migrating their capacity aggressively from gold to copper wire. ASE is also courting Japanese IDMs to outsource their discrete low-pin count in-sourced packaging needs.

The packaging houses will need to watch for foundry TSMC, which has made special references to chip on wafer on silicon (CoWoS) in its last earnings call, Credit Suisse notes. ElectroIQ.com contributor Dr. Phil Garrou reports that TSMC pushes for a pure foundry model for 2.5 and 3DIC — quoting Doug Yu, senior director of integrated interconnect, TSMC who said that TSMC was readying to take on full beginning-to-end interposer manufacturing. Read Garrou’s TSMC repeats call for foundry-centric 2.5/3D industry. Credit Suisse asserts that fabless chip companies may prefer the packaging houses over a foundry-based 3D packaging model, and companies will leverage various chip and foundry suppliers for the best commercial position, mixing and matching chips in 3D packages.

Other than the foundry encroachment, semiconductor assembly & test service (SATS) providers need to watch out for cyclical weakness in semiconductors, due to the inventory correction in H2 2011, Credit Suisse points out. Improving cyclical momentum through the year will improve absorption of wirebonder capacity discussed above, the analysts note.

Learn more about Credit Suisse at www.credit-suisse.com/global/en/.
 
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January 10, 2012 — The SMTA released its call for presenters for SMTA International (SMTAI) 2012, October 14-18 in Orlando, FL. The association, along with Chip Scale Review magazine, also announced the keynote for the International Wafer-level Packaging Conference (IWLPC), held November 5-8, San Jose, CA.

SMTAI papers are sought on electronics assembly as well as advanced packaging and components. Packaging papers can cover 0.3mm Pitch Area Array, 3D Packaging and Integration, BGA/CSP, Biomedical Packaging, Bumping, Chip on Board, Direct Chip Attach, Embedded and Miniature Passives, Failure Analysis, Fine Lead Pitch, Flip Chip, High Temperature Packaging, Lead Finishes, Leadless Packages (LGA/QFN/BTC), MEMS and Sensors, Package on Package (PoP), Photonics, Photovoltaics and Solar Packaging, Reliability, Solid and Collapsible Wafer Bumps, Through Silicon Vias (TSVs), Tin Whiskers, and Wafer Level Packaging (WLP). See SMTA’s Call for Papers site to check out all the suggested topics for emerging technologies, electronics assembly, supply chain/business papers, PCB technology, process control, and energy papers.

SMTA International offers Best of Conference Presentation, Best of Proceedings Paper, and Best International Paper awards at the show.

Abstracts (300 words) are due March 12, 2012, and can be submitted here: http://www.smta.org/smtai/call_for_papers.cfm. All abstracts must be submitted online and will not be accepted by e-mail.

Proposals are also solicited from individuals interested in teaching educational courses related to surface mount technology, advanced packaging, and electronics manufacturing.

Paper manuscripts and course workbooks are due by July 27, 2012. Papers should be 6-15 pages long (including graphics) and describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, or contain technical, economic, or appropriate test data. Presentation materials and papers must be original, unpublished, and non-commercial in nature.

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John Ellis will keynote IWLPC, discussing Cyber-Physical Terrorism in his presentation, "A Trojan Chip in Your Smartphone? It’s Coming…"

The topic is malicious circuits receiving commands via social networks. Hacking a few highly-followed celebrity accounts would provide a perfect avenue for distributing ‘self-destruct’ codes to millions of Trojan chips. A widespread, cyber-physical attack, which would have been almost impossible to pull off just a few years ago, could soon become reality.  

After graduating from the University of Texas with a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering, John worked at Sandia National Labs, where he focused on R&D projects for the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other federal agencies. His experience includes nuclear weapons testing, missile guidance (Advanced Cruise Missile), air-borne and space-borne imaging systems (Predator UAV), and semiconductor manufacturing. John

January 10, 2012 — Inari Berhad, semiconductor packaging services provider, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to acquire 100% of the equity of Amertron Global, an investment holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. The businesses, Amertron Incorporated in the Philippines and Amertron Technology (Kunshan) Co. Ltd in China, provide microelectronics and optoelectronics manufacturing services.

The Amertron Global Group employs approximately 3700 employees in facilities located in the Philippines and China with about 26,700 square metres of manufacturing floor space. Based on audited financial statements for the 6 months financial period ended 30 June 2011, Amertron Global registered net sales of USD66.2 million and profit after tax of USD2.9 million for the half year period. Learn more about Amertron at http://www.amertron-global.com/index.html.

The acquisition of Amertron Global is in line with the Inari Group