Category Archives: Wafer Processing

Annual total semiconductor unit shipments (integrated circuits and opto-sensor-discrete, or O-S-D, devices) are forecast to continue their upward march in the next five years and are now expected to top one trillion units for the first time in 2018, according to data presented in IC Insights’ soon to be released March Update to the 2017 edition of The McClean Report—A Complete Analysis and Forecast of the Integrated Circuit Industry, and the 2017 O-S-D Report—A Market Analysis and Forecast for the Optoelectronics, Sensors/Actuators, and Discretes.

Semiconductor shipments totaled 868.8 billion in 2016 and are forecast to top one trillion units in 2018. Figure 1 shows that semiconductor unit shipments are forecast to climb to 1,002.6 billion devices in 2018 from 32.6 billion in 1978, which amounts to average annual growth of 8.9% over the 40 year period and demonstrates how dependent on semiconductors the world has become.

semiconductor unit growth

Figure 1

The largest annual increase in semiconductor unit growth during the timespan shown was 34% in 1984, and the biggest decline was 19% in 2001 following the dot-com bust.  The global financial meltdown and ensuing recession caused semiconductor shipments to fall in both 2008 and 2009; the only time that the industry experienced consecutive years in which unit shipments declined. Semiconductor unit growth then surged 25% in 2010, the second-highest growth rate across the time span.

Despite advances in integrated circuit technology and the blending of functions to reduce chip count within systems, the percentage split of IC and O-S-D shipments within total semiconductor units remains heavily weighted toward O-S-D devices.  In 2016, O-S-D devices accounted for 72% of total semiconductor units compared to 28% for ICs. Thirty-six years ago in 1980, O-S-D devices accounted for 78% of semiconductor units and ICs represented 22% (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Figure 2

Surprisingly, shipments of commodity-filled discretes devices category (transistor products, diodes, rectifiers, and thyristors) accounted for 44% of all semiconductor unit shipments in 2016. The long-term resiliency of discretes is primarily due to their broad use in all types of electronic system applications. Consumer and communications applications remain the largest end-use segments for discretes, but increasing levels of electronics being packed into vehicles for greater safety and fuel efficiency have boosted shipments of discretes to the automotive market as well. Discretes are used for circuit protection, signal conditioning, power management, high current switching, and RF amplification. Small signal transistors are still used in and around ICs on board designs to fix bugs and tweak system performance.

Among ICs, analog products accounted for the largest number of shipments in 2016. Analog ICs represented 52% of IC unit shipments in 2016, but only 15% of total semiconductor units. Figure 3 shows the split of semiconductor unit shipments by product type in 2016.

2016 semiconductor unit shipments

For 2017, semiconductor products showing the strongest unit growth rates are those that are essential building-block components in smartphones, new automotive electronics systems, and within systems that are helping to build out of Internet of Things.  Some of the fast-growing IC unit categories for 2017 include Consumer—Special Purpose Logic, Signal Conversion (Analog), Auto—Application-Specific Analog, and flash memory.  Among O-S-D devices, CCDs and CMOS image sensors, laser transmitters, and every type of sensor product (magnetic, acceleration and yaw, pressure, and other sensors) are expected to enjoy strong double-digit unit growth this year. More coverage about these semiconductor products and end-use applications are included in the 2017 editions of IC Insights’ McClean Report and O-S-D Report.

Soitec, a designer and manufacturer of semiconductor materials for the electronics industry, announced that the ramp up to high-volume production of 200mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers – manufactured with Soitec’s Smart Cut technology – has begun at the manufacturing facility of its Chinese partner Shanghai Simgui Technology Co., Ltd. (Simgui) fully qualified by key Soitec customers. This successful implementation of a partnership model represents a key milestone for Soitec in managing its worldwide manufacturing capacity to meet market demand for 200mm SOI wafers used in fabricating semiconductors for the growing communications and power device markets.

“Establishing this second source in China allows us to ensure the needed capacity of 200mm SOI wafers from two sites in different regions of the world, with each facility producing exactly the same products from a specifications and quality standpoint,” said Dr. Bernard Aspar, executive senior vice president of Soitec’s Communication & Power Business Unit. “Our partnership with Simgui is now running in an efficient way and our customers have been supportive and instrumental in this strategic move, which fully validates Soitec’s technology-transfer expertise and manufacturing strategy.”

“Simgui has been working on SOI materials for 16 years in China. Partnering with Soitec, Simgui is fully ready to support Soitec’s ramp up of 200mm SOI wafers manufactured with the Smart Cut technology at our facility in Shanghai and to help in developing the SOI ecosystem in China,” said Dr. Jeffrey Wang, CEO of Simgui.

The first 200mm SOI wafers produced at Simgui’s manufacturing facility in Shanghai using Soitec’s proprietary Smart Cut technology were qualified by the initial customers at the end of last year. Additional customers are currently in the process of qualifying the wafers. Producing the wafers in China has been a key objective of Soitec’s and Simgui’s licensing and technology-transfer agreement, signed in May 2014, and validates Smart Cut as a standard process. This wafer production line in China will boost the industrial manufacturing capacity of 200mm SOI wafers to meet increasing worldwide usage and also will be a key element in establishing the SOI ecosystem in China.

Soitec’s 200mm RF-SOI and Power-SOI products are dedicated to the mobile and automotive markets respectively. As the leading SOI substrate innovator and manufacturer, Soitec has the largest worldwide capacity and produces both 200mm and 300mm wafers at multiple fabs in France.

Simgui will be exhibiting Soitec’s Smart Cut-based 200mm product line in booth W5 #5159 at SEMICON China in Shanghai, March 14-16.

ClassOne Technology, manufacturer of wet processing equipment for 200mm and smaller wafers, announced that Scientech Corporation of Taipei, Taiwan, will become the company’s new representative for China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, starting immediately.

“Asia is an extremely active and important region for us,” said Byron Exarcos, President of the ClassOne Group. “We wanted a respected and thoroughly experienced sales and support operation there, and Scientech filled the bill perfectly. They have all the necessary infrastructure and well-established field service teams, having served the industry for over three and a half decades — including many years representing Semitool. We’re proud and delighted to now have them on the ClassOne team.”

“We’re very impressed by the rapid success ClassOne has been achieving, bringing high-performance wet processing solutions to the emerging markets — with more than 100 tools already installed across the U.S. and Europe,” said M.T. Hsu, President of Scientech Corporation. “It’s great to represent products that are in high demand, and we’re looking forward to helping expand ClassOne’s presence in Asia.”

Scientech Corporation was established in 1979 and has headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, with five additional offices across Taiwan and Shanghai. Scientech will provide full sales, installation, service, parts, process development assistance and technical support for all ClassOne Technology equipment — including the Solstice family of electroplating systems and the Trident® families of Spin Rinse Dryers and Spray Solvent Tools.

ClassOne stated that the company’s mission is to provide advanced wet processing performance at an affordable price for users of 200mm and smaller substrates. Many of these users are in budget-limited emerging markets producing a range of devices such as MEMS, LEDs, RF, power and sensors. ClassOne’s pricing is often less than half that of similarly configured 300mm systems outfitted for 200mm from the large manufacturers — which is why ClassOne tools have been described as delivering “Advanced wet processing for the rest of us.”

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced the addition of two leading U.S. semiconductor companies, Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:  SWKS) and Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), as SIA members. Skyworks Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board David Aldrich and Western Digital CEO Steve Milligan are expected to be elected to the SIA board of directors at the association’s next board meeting on March 8. SIA previously announced the heads of two additional new SIA member companies, IDT President & CEO Greg Waters and Marvell President & CEO Matt Murphy, are also expected to be elected to the SIA board tomorrow. Additionally, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Inc. CEO Sanjay Jha will replace Ajit Manocha on the SIA board.

“The addition of Skyworks and Western Digital as SIA members shows growing momentum for collaboration among key semiconductor leaders to shape public policies that impact our industry,” said John Neuffer, SIA President and CEO. “Each new SIA member adds their voice to the industry’s collective call for initiatives that foster growth and innovation. These include making the U.S. tax system globally competitive, investing in university-based basic research, expanding access to global markets, and strengthening America’s tech workforce.”

Aldrich has served as Chairman of the Board at Skyworks since May 2014. Prior to his appointment as Executive Chairman in May 2016, he served as CEO since the company was formed in 2002 via a merger between Alpha Industries and Conexant Systems’ wireless business. Before the creation of Skyworks, he served as President and CEO of Alpha Industries, a position he held since April 2000. He joined Alpha Industries in 1995 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and held various management positions in the ensuing years, including president and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this, he held senior management positions at Adams-Russell and M/A-COM. Mr. Aldrich received a bachelor’s of arts in political science from Providence College in 1979 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Rhode Island in 1981.

“It is a true pleasure to represent Skyworks on the SIA board of directors at an exciting and pivotal time for our industry,” said Aldrich. “I look forward to working in concert with my colleagues to advance the semiconductor industry’s interests in Washington, D.C. and in capitals around the world.”

Milligan re-joined Western Digital as President in March 2012 and was appointed CEO effective Jan. 2, 2013. Immediately prior to returning to Western Digital, Milligan was President and CEO of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST). During his tenure, Milligan led Hitachi GST through a financial and operational turnaround culminating in Western Digital’s acquisition of Hitachi GST in March 2012. Prior to joining Hitachi GST in 2007, Milligan was Western Digital’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He originally joined Western Digital in 2002 as Vice President, Finance. Milligan holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Ohio State University.

“The IT landscape is transforming as rapidly as it ever has, and the semiconductor industry plays a critical role in defining its course,” said Milligan. “Industry participants must work together in support of our common goals, and I look forward to collaborating with other industry leaders through SIA to make meaningful progress on issues of great importance to us all.”

Today, SEMI announced updates to its World Fab Forecast report, revealing that fab equipment spending is expected to reach an industry all-time record − more than US$46 billion in 2017.  The record is expected to be broken again in 2018, nearing the $50 billion mark. These record-busting years are part of three consecutive years of growth (2016, 2017 and 2018), which has not occurred since the mid-1990s. The report has been the industry’s most trusted data source for 24 years, observing and analyzing spending, capacity, and technology changes for all front-end facilities worldwide. See Figure 1.

fab equipment spending

Figure 1: Fab Equipment Spending (Front End Facilities)

SEMI‘s World Fab Forecast report (end of February 2017) provides updates to 282 facilities and lines equipping in 2017, 11 of which are expected to spend over $1 billion each in 2017. In 2018, SEMI’s data reflect 270 fabs to equip, with 12 facilities spending over $1 billion each.  The spending is mainly directed towards memory (3D NAND and DRAM), Foundry and MPU.  Other strong product segments are Discretes (with LED and Power), Logic, MEMS (with MEMS/RF), and Analog/Mixed Signal.

SEMI (www.semi.org) forecasts that China will be third for regional spending in 2017, although China’s annual growth is minimal in 2017 (about 1 percent), as many of the new fab projects are in the construction phase.  China is busy constructing 14 new fabs in 2017 and these new fabs will be equipping in 2018. China’s annual spending growth rate in 2018 will be over 55 percent (more than $10 billion), and ranking in second place for worldwide spending in 2018.  In total for 2017, China is equipping 48 fabs, with equipment spending of $6.7 billion; looking ahead to 2018, SEMI predicts that 49 fabs to be equipped, with spending of about $10 billion.

Other regions also show solid growth rates.  The SEMI World Fab Forecast indicates that Europe/Mideast and Korea are expected to make the largest leaps in terms of growth rates this year with 47 percent growth and 45 percent growth, respectively, year-over-year (YoY).  Japan will increase spending by 28 percent, followed by the Americas with 21 percent YoY growth.

The SEMI Industry Research & Statistics team has made 195 changes on 184 facilities/lines in the last quarter, with eight new facilities added and three fab projects cancelled. SEMI’s World Fab Forecast provides detailed information about each of these fab projects, such as milestone dates, spending, technology node, products, and capacity information. The World Fab Forecast Report, in Excel format, tracks spending and capacities for over 1,100 facilities including future facilities across industry segments.  The SEMI World Fab Forecast and its related Fab Database reports track any equipment needed to ramp fabs, upgrade technology nodes, and expand or change wafer size, including new equipment, used equipment, in-house equipment, and spending on facilities for equipment. Also check out the Opto/LED Fab Forecast.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq:  CY) today announced it has sold the subsidiary that owns its semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in Bloomington, Minnesota to SkyWater Technology Foundry for $30 million. Backed by Minnesota-based holding company Oxbow Industries, LLC, SkyWater Technology has purchased the capital stock of the subsidiary and will operate the fab as a standalone business that will manufacture wafers for Cypress and for other semiconductor manufacturers. The transaction allows Cypress to reduce its manufacturing footprint and cost structure while increasing the utilization of its Fab 25 in Austin, Texas, in line with the company’s plan to improve gross margins. Seattle-based ATREG, Inc. acted as Cypress’ advisor in this operational fab sale.

“This transaction demonstrates our commitment to reshape Cypress and improve gross margin, in line with our long-term financial model,” said Hassane El-Khoury, Cypress President and CEO. “The sale of Fab 4 in Minnesota allows us to reduce our manufacturing costs as we exit the fab while using the proceeds to pay down debt. We will also be able to improve the utilization and efficiency of Fab 25 in Texas, into which we have been transitioning products over the last 18 months. We believe this agreement represents another milestone in our path to achieving higher gross margins.

“In addition to looking at a potential deal’s impact on Cypress’ bottom line, we set out to ensure uninterrupted supply for our customers,” continued El-Khoury. “This agreement allows Cypress to maintain uninterrupted wafer supply for our products manufactured at the fab, with no disruptions for our customers, and it gives our former employees in Minnesota the opportunity to help the new business flourish and continue the fab’s tradition of quality U.S.-based manufacturing.”

“Given the proven history of efficiency at Fab 4, the expertise and dedication of its workforce and its established success in delivering specialized wafers on time to a diverse customer base, the SkyWater management team sees a strong foundation for growing a standalone business,” said Dr. Scott Nelson, Chief Technology Officer of SkyWater Technology Foundry. “We are committed to continuing the fab’s support of Cypress and its customers with superior quality and on-time delivery.”

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $30.6 billion for the month of January 2017, an increase of 13.9 percent compared to the January 2016 total of $26.9 billion. Global sales in January were 1.2 percent lower than the December 2016 total of $31.0 billion, reflecting normal seasonal market trends. January marked the global market’s largest year-to-year growth since November 2010. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“The global semiconductor industry is off to a strong and encouraging start to 2017, posting its highest-ever January sales and largest year-to-year sales increase in more than six years,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Sales into the China market increased by more than 20 percent year-to-year, and most other regional markets posted double-digit growth. Following the industry’s highest-ever revenue in 2016, the global market is well-positioned for a strong start to 2017.”

Year-to-year sales increased substantially across all regions: China (20.5 percent), the Americas (13.3 percent), Japan (12.3 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (11.0 percent), and Europe (4.8 percent). Month-to-month sales increased in Europe (1.2 percent), but fell slightly in China (-0.2 percent), Japan (-1.6 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (-1.6 percent), and the Americas (-3.1 percent).

January 2017

Billions

Month-to-Month Sales                               

Market

Last Month

Current Month

% Change

Americas

6.33

6.13

-3.1%

Europe

2.80

2.84

1.2%

Japan

2.84

2.79

-1.6%

China

10.17

10.15

-0.2%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.86

8.72

-1.6%

Total

31.01

30.63

-1.2%

Year-to-Year Sales                          

Market

Last Year

Current Month

% Change

Americas

5.41

6.13

13.3%

Europe

2.71

2.84

4.8%

Japan

2.49

2.79

12.3%

China

8.42

10.15

20.5%

Asia Pacific/All Other

7.86

8.72

11.0%

Total

26.89

30.63

13.9%

Three-Month-Moving Average Sales

Market

Aug/Sept/Oct

Nov/Dec/Jan

% Change

Americas

6.06

6.13

1.2%

Europe

2.82

2.84

0.7%

Japan

2.89

2.79

-3.2%

China

9.78

10.15

3.7%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.88

8.72

-1.8%

Total

30.43

30.63

0.7%

 

A chance observation of crystals forming a mark that resembled the stain of a coffee cup left on a table has led to the growth of customized polycrystals with implications for faster and more versatile semiconductors.

Thin-film semiconductors are the foundation of a vast array of electronic and optoelectronic devices. They are generally fabricated by crystallization processes that yield polycrystals with a chaotic mix of individual crystals of different orientations and sizes.

Significant advances in controlling crystallization has been made by a team led by Professor Aram Amassian of Material Science and Engineering at KAUST. The group included individuals from the KAUST Solar Center and others from the University’s Physical Science and Engineering Division in collaboration with Cornell University. Amassian said, “There is no longer a need to settle for random and incoherent crystallization.”

Crystallization behavior can be controlled locally, creating regions with different crystal patterns. Credit: KAUST 2017

Crystallization behavior can be controlled locally, creating regions with different crystal patterns. Credit: KAUST 2017

The team’s recent discovery began when Dr. Liyang Yu of the KAUST team noticed that a droplet of liquid semiconductor material dried to form an outer coffee-ring shape that was much thicker than the material at the center. When he induced the material to crystallize, the outer ring crystallized first.

“This hinted that local thickness matters for initiating crystallization,” said Amassian, which went against the prevailing understanding of how polycrystal films form.

This anomaly led the researchers to delve deeper. They found that the thickness of the crystallizing film could be used to manipulate the crystallization of many materials (see top image). Most crucially, tinkering with the thickness also allowed fine control over the position and orientation of the crystals in different regions of a semiconductor.

“We discovered how to achieve excellent semiconductor properties everywhere in a polycrystal film,” said Amassian. He explained that seeding different patterns of crystallization at different locations also allowed the researchers to create bespoke arrays that can now be used in electronic circuits (see bottom image).

This is a huge improvement to the conventional practice of making do with materials whose good properties are not sustained throughout the entire polycrystal nor whose functions at different regions can be controlled.

“We can now make customized polycrystals on demand,” Amassian said.

Amassian hopes that this development will lead to high-quality, tailored polycrystal semiconductors to promote advances in optoelectronics, photovoltaics and printed electronic components. The method has the potential to bring more efficient consumer electronic devices, some with flexible and lightweight parts, new solar power generating systems and advances in medical electronics. And all thanks to the chance observation of an odd pattern in a semiconductor droplet.

The team will now explore ways to move their work beyond the laboratory through industry partnerships and research collaborations.

Semiconductor manufacturing thought leaders will convene at the annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC 2017) on May 15-18 in Saratoga Springs, New York. The conference will feature 35 hours of technical presentations and over 100 experts addressing all aspects of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. This year’s event features a panel discussion on “The Next Big Thing: Technology Drivers for Next-Gen Manufacturing − Where will the Road take Us?” and a tutorial on Piezoelectric MEMS by Professor Gianluca Piazza, director of Nanofabrication Facility, Carnegie Mellon University.

SEMI‘s ASMC continues to provide a venue for industry professionals to network, learn and share knowledge on new and best-method semiconductor manufacturing practices and concepts.  The conference is co-chaired by Delphine LeCunff of STMicroelectronics and Russell Dover of Lam Research.  ASMC 2017 offers keynotes by Roberto Rapp, VP of Manufacturing at Robert Bosch GmbH; William Miller, VP of Engineering of Qualcomm; and Robert Maire, president of Semiconductor Advisors.

The topical areas that ASMC 2017 will address include:

  • 3D and Power Technologies
  • Advanced Equipment and Materials Processes
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Patterning
  • Advanced Process Control (APC)
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing (CFM)
  • Yield Management; Defect Inspection
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancement
  • Factory Optimization

ASMC includes an interactive poster session and reception, which provides an ideal opportunity for networking between presenters and conference attendees.

The new ‘Women in Semiconductors‘ program takes place on May 15 in conjunction with ASMC 2017.  Sponsored by Applied Materials, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Nikon and TEL, the program will focus on “The Power of Talk: Getting a Seat at the Table.”  Registration is complimentary for ASMC attendees.

ASMC 2017 is presented by SEMI with technical sponsors: Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS), and IEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT). Corporate sponsors include: BisTEL, Edwards, GreeneTweed, KLA-Tencor, Mellor Consulting Group, Nikon, and Valqua America.

Registration for the SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) is available at www.semi.org/asmc.  For more information, contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or phone 1.202.393.5552. Qualified members of the media are invited to contact Deborah Geiger (SEMI Public Relations) at [email protected] for media registration information.

In cooperation with Okmetic Oy and the Polish ITME, researchers at Aalto University have studied the application of SOI (Silicon On Insulator) wafers, which are used as a platform for manufacturing different microelectronics components, as a substrate for producing gallium nitride crystals. The researchers compared the characteristics of gallium nitride (GaN) layers grown on SOI wafers to those grown on silicon substrates more commonly used for the process. In addition to high-performance silicon wafers, Okmetic also manufactures SOI wafers, in which a layer of silicon dioxide insulator is sandwiched between two silicon layers. The objective of the SOI technology is to improve the capacitive and insulating characteristics of the wafer.

The researchers used Micronova's cleanrooms and, in particular, a reactor designed for gallium nitride manufacturing. The image shows a six-inch substrate in the MOVPE reactor before manufacturing. Credit: Aalto University / Jori Lemettinen

The researchers used Micronova’s cleanrooms and, in particular, a reactor designed for gallium nitride manufacturing. The image shows a six-inch substrate in the MOVPE reactor before manufacturing. Credit: Aalto University / Jori Lemettinen

“We used a standardised manufacturing process for comparing the wafer characteristics. GaN growth on SOI wafers produced a higher crystalline quality layer than on silicon wafers. In addition, the insulating layer in the SOI wafer improves breakdown characteristics, enabling the use of clearly higher voltages in power electronics. Similarly, in high frequency applications, the losses and crosstalk can be reduced”, explains Jori Lemettinen, a doctoral candidate from the Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering.

‘GaN based components are becoming more common in power electronics and radio applications. The performance of GaN based devices can be improved by using a SOI wafer as the substrate’, adds Academy Research Fellow Sami Suihkonen.

SOI wafers reduce the challenges of crystal growth

Growth of GaN on a silicon substrate is challenging. GaN layers and devices can be grown on substrate material using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). When using silicon as a substrate the grown compound semiconductor materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion and lattice constants than a silicon wafer. These differences in their characteristics limit the crystalline quality that can be achieved and the maximum possible thickness of the produced layer.

‘The research showed that the layered structure of an SOI wafer can act as a compliant substrate during gallium nitride layer growth and thus reduce defects and strain in the grown layers”, Lemettinen notes. GaN based components are commonly used in blue and white LEDs. In power electronics applications, GaN diodes and transistors, in particular, have received interest, for example in frequency converters or electric cars. It is believed that in radio applications, 5G network base stations will use GaN based power amplifiers in the future. In electronics applications, a GaN transistor offers low resistance and enables high frequencies and power densities.