Category Archives: Wafer Processing

Today, SEMI announced that 19 new fabs and lines are forecasted to begin construction in 2016 and 2017, according to the latest update of the SEMI World Fab Forecast report. While semiconductor fab equipment spending is off to a slow start in 2016, it is expected to gain momentum through the end of the year. For 2016, 1.5 percent growth over 2015 is expected while 13 percent growth is forecast in 2017.

Fab equipment spending ─ including new, secondary, and in-house ─ was down 2 percent in 2015. However, activity in the 3D NAND, 10nm Logic, and Foundry segments is expected to push equipment spending up to US$36 billion in 2016, 1.5 percent over 2015, and to $40.7 billion in 2017, up 13 percent. Equipment will be purchased for existing fabs, lines that are being converted to leading-edge technology, as well as equipment going into new fabs and lines that began construction in the prior year.

Table 1 shows the regions where new fabs and lines are expected to be built in 2016 and 2017. These projects have a probability of 60 percent or higher, according to SEMI’s data. While some projects are already underway, others may be subject to delays or pushed into the following year. The SEMI World Fab Forecast report, published May 31, 2016, provides more details about the construction boom.

new fab lines

Breaking down the 19 projects by wafer size, 12 of the fabs and lines are for 300mm (12-inch), four for 200mm, and three LED fabs (150mm, 100mm, and 50mm). Not including LEDs, the potential installed capacity of all these fabs and lines is estimated at almost 210,000 wafer starts per month (in 300mm equivalents) for fabs beginning construction in 2016 and 330,000 wafer starts per month (in 300mm equivalents) for fabs beginning construction in 2017.

In addition to announced and planned new fabs and lines, SEMI’s World Fab Forecast provides information about existing fabs and lines with associated construction spending, e.g. when a cleanroom is converted to a larger wafer size or a different product type.

In addition, the transition to leading-edge technologies (as we can see in planar technologies, but also in 3D technologies) creates a reduction in installed capacity within an existing fab. To compensate for this reduction, more conversions of older fabs may take place, but also additional new fabs and lines may begin construction.

For insight into semiconductor manufacturing in 2016 and 2017 with details about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology levels, and products, visit the SEMI Fab Database webpage and order the SEMI World Fab Forecast Report. The report, in Excel format, tracks spending and capacities for over 1,100 facilities including over 60 future facilities, across industry segments from Analog, Power, Logic, MPU, Memory, and Foundry to MEMS and LEDs facilities.

EPFL researchers are pushing the limits of perovskite solar cell performance by exploring the best way to grow these crystals.

This is a Perovskite solar cell prototype. Credit: Alain Herzog / EPFL

This is a Perovskite solar cell prototype. Credit: Alain Herzog / EPFL

Michael Graetzel and his team found that, by briefly reducing the pressure while fabricating perovskite crystals, they were able to achieve the highest performance ever measured for larger-size perovskite solar cells, reaching over 20% efficiency and matching the performance of conventional thin-film solar cells of similar sizes. Their results are published in Science.

This is promising news for perovskite technology that is already low cost and under industrial development.

However, high performance in pervoskites does not necessarily herald the doom of silicon-based solar technology. Safety issues still need to be addressed regarding the lead content of current perovskite solar-cell prototypes in addition to determining the stability of actual devices.

Layering perovskites on top of silicon to make hybrid solar panels may actually boost the silicon solar-cell industry. Efficiency could exceed 30%, with the theoretical limit being around 44%. The improved performance would come from harnessing more solar energy: the higher energy light would be absorbed by the perovskite top layer, while lower energy sunlight passing through the perovskite would be absorbed by the silicon layer.

From dye solar cells to perovskite

Graetzel is known for his transparent dye-sensitized solar cells. It turns out that the first perovskite solar cells were dye-sensitized cells where the dye was replaced by small perovskite particles.

His lab’s latest perovskite prototype, roughly the size of an SD card, looks like a piece of glass that is darkened on one side by a thin film of perovskite. Unlike the transparent dye-sensitized cells, the perovskite solar cell is opaque.

How to make a perovskite solar cell

To make a perovskite solar cell, the scientists must grow crystals that have a special structure, called “perovskite” after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski who discovered it.

The scientists first dissolve a selection of compounds in a liquid to make some “ink”. They then place the ink on a special type of glass that can conduct electricity. The ink dries up, leaving behind a thin film that crystallizes on top of the glass when mild heat is applied. The end result is a thin layer of perovskite crystals.

The tricky part is growing a thin film of perovskite crystals so that the resulting solar cell absorbs a maximum amount of light. Scientists are constantly looking for smooth and regular layers of perovskite with large crystal grain size in order to increase photovoltaic yields.

For instance, spinning the cell when the ink is still wet flattens the ink and wicks off some of the excess liquid, leading to more regular films. A new vacuum flash technique used by Graetzel and his team also selectively removes the volatile component of this excess liquid. At the same time, the burst of vacuum flash creates seeds for crystal formation, leading to very regular and shiny perovskite crystals of high electronic quality.

Boston Semi Equipment, LLC (BSE), the semiconductor equipment company redefining the price-performance model for semiconductor test automation equipment, announced today that its senior investment partner has committed to a new round of capital funding. This additional investment is a vote of confidence in the company’s new strategic direction and the market potential for BSE’s product development activities.

BSE, founded in 2010 as a secondary equipment provider to the semiconductor industry, has been transitioning its business to become an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of automation equipment for the handling and testing of semiconductor devices. BSE now develops and markets its own test handlers, wafer probers and custom designed automation equipment for the semiconductor market.

“This additional investment is being used to complete new products and fund engineering projects to expand BSE’s product offerings for our customers,” commented Colin Scholefield, Executive Vice President, Boston Semi Equipment. “Increasing the number of BSE-developed automation products for today’s semiconductor test floor will enable our customers to come to one source for more of their test automation needs.”

BSE also provides semiconductor manufacturers, OSATs and fabless companies with the legacy automatic test equipment they continue to use on their test floors every day. BSE’s worldwide team of product specialists helps customers maximize the productivity of all BSE products.

A research group at Tohoku University’s WPI-AIMR has succeeded in finding the origin and the mechanism of ferromagnetism in Mn-doped GaAs. The discovery is significant as it will accelerate the development of the spintronic element.

GaAs, like silicon, is a well-known semiconductor commonly used in high-speed electronic devices and laser diodes.

When manganese (Mn) atoms are doped into a GaAs crystal ((Ga,Mn)As), the crystal exhibits characteristics and properties of both the semiconductor and magnet (Fig. 1). Since it is possible to use an electric field to control the magnetism in (Ga,Mn)As, Mn-doped GaAs has been a key material in spintronic devices and a significant contributor to the development of spintronics technology.

Fig.1: Crystal structure of (Ga,Mn)As. Mn ions substituted for Ga have a magnetic moment, and the magnetic moment of each Mn ion aligns along the same direction when (Ga,Mn)As becomes a ferromagnet. Credit: Seigo Souma

Fig.1: Crystal structure of (Ga,Mn)As. Mn ions substituted for Ga have a magnetic moment, and the magnetic moment of each Mn ion aligns along the same direction when (Ga,Mn)As becomes a ferromagnet. Credit: Seigo Souma

However, although it has been 20 years since that discovery, the mechanism of ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As is still not widely understood or well explained. There remains fierce debate and confusion, leading to obstacles preventing the progress and further development of spintronics technology.

The researchers at Tohoku University, led by Profs. H. Ohno and T. Takahashi, have succeeded in directly observing the electronic states which participate in creating the ferromagnetism by photoemission spectroscopy. They found that doped Mn atoms extract electrons from As atoms, leaving “holes” (empty states of electrons) in the As orbital. This then causes the ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As.

“This finding resolves the long-standing problem in the mechanism of ferromagnetism in (Ga,Mn)As,” says researcher Seigo Souma. “It also accelerates the materials engineering of magnetic semiconductors, as well as the tunable controlling of spin states in spintronic devices. This is very significant result and we’re excited about the potential it represents.”

SEMI, the global industry association for companies that supply manufacturing technology and materials to the world’s chip makers, today reported that worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached US$8.3 billion in the first quarter of 2016. The billings figure is 3 percent higher than the fourth quarter of 2015 and 13 percent lower than the same quarter a year ago. The data is gathered jointly with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from over 95 global equipment companies that provide data on a monthly basis.

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $9.4 billion in the first quarter of 2016. The figure is 2 percent lower than the same quarter a year ago and 5 percent higher than the bookings figure for the fourth quarter of 2015.

The quarterly billings data by region in billions of U.S. dollars, quarter-over-quarter growth and year-over-year rates by region are as follows:

 

1Q2016

4Q2015

1Q2015

1Q16 / 4Q15
(Qtr-over-Qtr)

1Q16 / 1Q15
(Year-over-Year)
Taiwan

1.89

2.64

1.81

-29%

4%
Korea

1.68

1.22

2.69

38%

-37%
China

1.60

1.00

1.16

60%

39%
Japan

1.24

1.40

1.26

-11%

-2%
North America

1.01

0.92

1.47

10%

-32%
Rest of World

0.51

0.43

0.43

17%

18%
Europe

0.35

0.39

0.69

-10%

-49%

Total

8.28

8.00

9.50

3%

-13%

Source: SEMI/SEAJ

Soitec (Euronext), a manufacturer of semiconductor materials and a high-volume supplier of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates for the electronics industry, has received the award as the best quality supplier among all vendors from NXP Semiconductors, the world’s largest automotive semiconductor manufacturer. Soitec’s Power SOI substrates use to manufacture smart power IC’s for automotive applications represent a significant and strategic market for Soitec’s business, which is growing at a steady rate.

With continuous innovations in vehicle security, connectivity, infotainment and carbon emissions control as well as the emerging use of autonomous driving, the total semiconductor content per automobile is growing rapidly. According to industry analysis, automotive applications represent the fastest growing end-use IC market segment.Soitec estimates that each new car built today contains an average of 80 square millimeters of SOI and more than six billion automotive ICs have been manufactured on its Power SOI substrates to date.

NXP announced the winners of its annual Supplier Awards in Austin, Texas on May 19 at the company’s first Supplier Day following NXP’s merger with Freescale.

“We are very honored to receive NXP’s best quality award,” said Thomas Piliszczuk, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Soitec. “This award recognizes the everyday focus of Soitec on our product quality and performance in delivering the best SOI substrates to meet the most demanding industry quality standards.”

About Soitec’s Power SOI(TM) substrates: Power SOI substrates provide excellent electrical isolation and are ideal for improving reliability and integrating devices operating at different voltages – from a few volts to several hundred volts – while reducing die area. These wafers are mainly used in the automobile electronics industry in making transceivers, audio amplifiers, powertrain controls and brightness LED drivers.

ClassOne Technology, manufacturer of budget-friendly wet processing equipment, is reporting significant savings in the plating of gold in ≤200mm applications using its Solstice systems. The savings come from elimination of gold waste, faster and simpler processing, and innovative Solstice-enabled techniques that can substantially reduce gold usage.

“Many users have been spending millions of dollars on gold each year,” said Byron Exarcos, President of ClassOne Group. “It’s a major issue, especially in emerging markets such as lasers, LEDs, RF and MEMS which often require gold layers as thick as 3 to 35 microns. “That’s why they’re becoming keenly interested in Solstice to cut their gold spending.”

“One fundamental advantage of Solstice electroplating is its elimination of gold waste,” explained Kevin Witt, President of ClassOne Technology. “Previously used CVD and PVD methods deposited gold not just on the wafer but also on the entire chamber interior. That ‘oversprayed’ gold was difficult to remove and inefficient to reclaim — which led to a considerable net loss of gold. By contrast, Solstice deposits only on the wafer, so there’s no gold waste, and no need for cleaning or gold reclamation efforts.”

Witt pointed out that Solstice economies also come from its higher gold deposition speed. Plating at 150 to 300nm/min, it is roughly ten times faster than CVD and PVD methods. In addition, Solstice starts processing immediately, not requiring an hour or more for pump-down as vacuum-based tools do. All of this translates to additional savings, from higher throughput and more cost-efficient production.

Innovative Solstice layering technique can cut gold usage dramatically

The unique 8-chamber design of the Solstice S8 enables it to readily replace a solid gold layer with a multi-metal stack — and reduce gold usage very substantially.

For example, a feature that previously required a 5µm layer of solid gold can now be replaced with a “sandwich” of 0.25µm Au, 1µm Ni, 2.5µm Cu, another 1µm Ni, topped with 0.25µm Au — to achieve equivalent functionality while reducing gold usage by a factor of ten! And Solstice’s multi-chamber design enables it to deposit all five layers in a single cycle; so no additional process steps or time are required to gain very significant cost savings.

ClassOne noted that over a year, total gold savings can grow quite large. For example, in the case cited above, if the solid gold 5µm layer covers 50% of a 150mm wafer area, and if the fab is running 1500 wafers per week through a metal lift-off process and gold costs $1200 per troy ounce — even if all oversprayed gold were recovered, the user’s annual gold expenditure would be roughly $2,150,000. However, if the special Solstice multi-metal layering technique were used, the total metal cost (for Au, Ni and Cu combined) would be reduced to approximately $108,000. This would yield an annual savings of over $2,042,000, which would more than pay back the cost of a Solstice.

The Solstice S8 provides eight modular chamber positions that can be used for plating a wide range of metals as well as performing additional processes. Solstice tools are available in three different models for production and development, and they serve many cost-sensitive emerging markets that use 200mm and smaller wafers. The systems are priced at less than half of what similarly configured plating systems from the larger manufacturers would cost — which is why Solstice has been described as “Advanced Plating for the Rest of Us.”

Electronic Fluorocarbons, LLC (EFC), a provider to the semiconductor industry of Electronic Specialty Gases (ESG’s), packaged and purified to the highest specifications, announces that construction is well underway on their manufacturing and purification facility on a 15 acre greenfield site in Hatfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  The facility is expected to begin operations in the 3rd quarter of this year.  Upon completion, EFC will combine and move its current production facility in Ivyland, Pennsylvania, to the larger Hatfield Township site.

electronic fluorocarbons

The new location’s close proximity to major shipping ports such as Philadelphia and New York/Elizabeth will provide a strategic advantage through easier access to global markets resulting in faster order fulfillment.

This plant will have bulk capabilities, strategic customer order staging, and research and development capabilities to allow EFC to expand into new markets, adding advanced materials as well as additional Electronic Specialty Gases to its core product line.

The Hatfield Township plant will include an R&D Center, with improved analytical capabilities where EFC’s experienced scientists and engineers will have the ability to develop new product lines beginning at the bench top, through the pilot plant phase, and then scaling up to market introduction.  This center will enable EFC to research purification methodologies that will exceed currently accepted standards in the semiconductor industry, while continuing to supply high quality, cost-competitive materials in a safe and responsible manner.

“This purpose-built facility represents a major milestone for Electronic Fluorocarbons.  It positions us well to execute on technical and strategic initiatives in several high growth markets, and to provide our customers with higher capacity and improved redundancy,” said Pavel Perlov, Electronic Fluorocarbons’ CEO and Founder.

“Electronic Fluorocarbons decision to remain in Pennsylvania will create high quality jobs over the next three years.  The township, county and state will also benefit from the company’s presence here,” said Pavel.   “We look forward to working closely with the local communities as we establish and grow our manufacturing capabilities in Pennsylvania. We truly appreciate the assistance of the staff of Hatfield Township, and other local officials in siting, permitting, and financing this facility”.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to drive its next phase of growth in China. Through a joint venture with the government of Chongqing, the company plans to expand its global manufacturing footprint by establishing a 300mm fab in China. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is also investing in expanding design support capabilities to better serve customers across the country.

“China is the fastest growing semiconductor market, with more than half of the world’s semiconductor consumption and a growing ecosystem of fabless companies competing on a global scale,” said GLOBALFOUNDRIES CEO Sanjay Jha. “We are pleased to partner with the Chongqing leadership to expand our investment in support of our growing Chinese customer base.”

The initial plan of the project includes upgrading an existing semiconductor fab to accommodate the manufacturing of 300mm wafers using GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ production-proven technologies from its Singapore site. The proposed joint venture will provide immediate access to a state-of-the-art facility, accelerating time-to-market with production planned for 2017.

“In recent years, Chongqing has followed the cluster model to vigorously develop the electronic information industry, becoming one of China’s most important locations for intelligent end products manufacturing,” said Huang Qifan, Mayor of Chongqing. “During the period of China’s thirteenth five-year plan, Chongqing will continue to develop the intelligent IC and other strategic emerging industries, and promote sustained and healthy economic development in the region. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a world-famous IC manufacturing company, and we welcome them to participate through cooperation to achieve mutual benefit and win-win. Cooperation between the two parties will help to enhance the production of intelligent IC technology in Chongqing, further improving the electronic information supply chain in Chongqing and the rest of China.”

GLOBALFOUNDRIES continues to strengthen its sales, support, and design services offerings in China, doubling over the past year with plans for continued growth. The company’s current presence is anchored by world-class design centers in Beijing and Shanghai, which have extensive expertise in custom designs supporting a robust ASIC platform, coupled with foundry design capabilities for a variety of technology nodes. These capabilities are complemented by key regional partners in its design and IP ecosystem.

As the opening day of SEMICON West (July 12-14) approaches, the electronics manufacturing industry is experiencing disruptive changes, making “business as usual” a thing of the past. To help technical and business professionals navigate this fast-changing landscape, SEMICON West programming has been upgraded extensively ─ increased from 170 hours to 250 hours this year. New brand and deep programming provide insights into the latest megatrends and helps attendees identify new opportunities and refine sound strategic plans.

At this year’s expo, several new forums designed to enhance collaboration within shared communities of interest will debut. Lead by technical experts, top analysts, and leaders from some of the biggest names in electronics, the new forums are generating significant advance interest and buzz, key among them:

  • Advanced Manufacturing Forum: Twelve cutting-edge sessions — from What’s Next in MEMS and Sensors to Power Electronics and 3D Printing — will be presented by Samsung, Applied Materials, Texas Instruments, and more. Attendees will learn about new technologies on the horizon and how they impact semiconductor manufacturing.
  • Flexible Hybrid Electronics Forum: Flexible Hybrid Electronics is driving new processes and packages, providing innovative approaches for health-monitoring, wearables, soft robotics, and other next-generation products. Attendees will get details on thinned device processing, system design, reliability testing and modeling from experts at Qualcomm, PARC, and GE Global Research.
  • World of IoT Forum: Forecasters predict that IoT will soon become a $6 trillion market. The World of IoT Forum brings together leading suppliers, integrators, and solution providers at the forefront of innovations in mobility, network-connected devices, and automotive and healthcare applications, among others. Attendees will learn about the trends impacting the market, including big data and analytics, smart things, and MEMS and sensor manufacturing.

With so many disruptive trends driving the market, it is critical for industry professionals to have a clear view of the road ahead. With its vastly expanded technical and business programming, this year’s expo will deliver the strategic insights needed to survive and thrive. To learn more and to register, visit SEMICON West Forums.