Category Archives: LEDs

Kateeva  announced that it has closed its Series D round with $38 million in financing. The newest participant is Samsung Venture Investment Corporation (SVIC). Existing investors also contributed. They include: Sigma Partners, Spark Capital, Madrone Capital Partners, DBL Investors, New Science Ventures, and VEECO Instruments, Inc.

The company has raised more than $110 million since it was founded in 2008.

Kateeva makes the YIELDjet™ platform — a precision deposition platform that leverages inkjet printing to mass produce flexible and large-size OLED panels. The new funds will be used to support the company’s manufacturing strategy and expand its global sales and support infrastructure. Production systems are currently being built at the company’s facility in Menlo Park, Calif. to fulfill early orders.

The funding news coincides with the 2014 OLEDs World Summit taking place this week in Berkeley, Calif.

“Kateeva is a technology leader and has built a significant business in the OLED space,” said Michael Pachos, Senior Investment Manager at SVIC. “The company has demonstrated both a technical and business vision in driving adoption of OLED displays and lighting, and we look forward to contributing to its progress.”

“We believe that OLEDs on flexible substrates play a major role in the insatiable quest for ultra-durable, high-performance, and unbreakable mobile displays, and Kateeva has proven to hold the keys to a critical industry problem,” said Fahri Diner, Managing Director of Sigma Partners and a member of the Board of Directors of Kateeva. “Moreover, we are very excited about Kateeva’s impressive innovations that are poised to make large-panel OLED televisions finally an affordable reality — perhaps the Holy Grail of the display world. In partnership with SVIC, we’re delighted to offer continued support to Kateeva as they rapidly scale operations to support accelerating demand for OLED manufacturing solutions,” Diner continued.

Kateeva Chief Executive Officer Alain Harrus said: “SVIC’s investment speaks volumes about our technology’s enabling value to world-class OLED producers. It will reinforce our leading position and help serve all our customers better. Also, we appreciate our existing investors for their enduring commitment and trusted guidance. Thanks to their confidence in our technology and execution, mass producing OLEDs will be much smoother for leading display manufacturers.”

By Christian Gregor Dieseldorff, Industry Research & Statistics, SEMI (September 8, 2014)

The general consensus for the semiconductor industry is for this year’s positive trend to continue into 2015 as both revenue growth and unit shipment growth are expected to be in the mid- to high- single digit range. SEMI just published the World Fab Forecast report at the end of August, listing major investments for 216 facilities in 2014 and over 200 projects in 2015.  The report predicts growth of 21% for Front End fab equipment spending in 2014 (including new, used, and in-house), for total spending of US$34.9 billion, with current scenarios ranging from 19% to 24%.

Front end fab equipment spending is projected to grow another 20% in 2015 to $42 billion.  According to the SEMI World Fab Forecast data, this means that 2015 spending could mark a historical record high, surpassing the previous peak years of 2007 ($39 billion) and 2011 ($40 billion).

About 90% of all equipment spending is for 300mm fabs, and, interestingly, the report also shows increased fab equipment spending for 200mm facilities, growing by 10% in 2014.  Equipment spending for wafer sizes less than 200mm is also expected to grow by a healthy 12% in 2015 which includes LEDs and MEMS fabs.

According to the World Fab Forecast, the five regions spending the most in 2014 will be Taiwan ($9.7 billion), Americas ($7.8 billion), Korea ($6.8 billion), China ($4.6 billion), and Japan ($1.9 billion). In 2015, the same regions will lead: Taiwan ($12 billion), Korea ($8 billion), Americas ($7.9 billion), China ($5 billion), and Japan ($4.2 billion). Spending in Europe is expected to nearly double to $3.8 billion.

Seven companies are expected to spend $2 billion or more in 2014, representing almost 80% of all fab equipment spending for Front End facilities. A similar pattern will prevail in 2015.

Worldwide installed capacity falls below 3% mark

World_fab_chart

Figure 1 illustrates fab equipment spending since 2003 and the change of installed capacity (excluding Discretes and LEDs).

As Figure 1 illustrates, before the last economic downturn, most equipment spending was for adding new capacity. The World Fab Forecast report shows that in 2010 and 2011, fab equipment spending growth rates increased dramatically, but installed capacity grew by only 7% in both years. Then in 2012 and 2013, growth for installed capacity sagged even further with only 2% and even less growth. Previously, growth rates less than 2% have been observed only during severe economic downturns (2001 and 2009).

Industry segments, such as foundries, see continuous capacity expansion, though other segments show much lower growth — thus pulling down the total global growth rate for installed capacity to below the 3% mark. Although spending on equipment, some leading-edge product segments experience a loss of fab capacity and, looking closer at this phenomenon, two major trends are observed.

First, coming out of the 2009 downturn, SEMI reports that companies are spending much more on upgrading existing fabs.  From 2005-2008, yearly average spending on upgrading technology was about $6 billion compared to the period of 2011-2015 when the yearly average increased to $14 billion for upgrading existing fabs.  Second, leading-edge fabs experience a loss of capacity when transitioning to leading-edge technology. This is largely observed with nodes below 30/28nm with the increasing complexity and process steps resulting in a -8% to -15% reduction in capacity for fabs.

In addition to foundries, the World Fab Forecast report captures capacities across all industry segments as well as System LSI, Analog, Power, MEMS, LED, Memory and Logic/MPUs. The Logic/MPU sector is also expected to see some positive capacity expansion for 2014 and 2015. Flash capacity is expected to increase by 4% in 2014. Although we see more DRAM capacity coming online, DRAM is now slowly coming out of declining territory with -3% in 2014 and reaching close to zero by end of 2015.

More DRAM capacity?

Over the past three to four years, some major players (such as Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix) have switched fabs from DRAM to System LSI or Flash.  In addition, other companies stopped DRAM production of some fabs completely, contributing to declining DRAM capacity. Equipment spending levels for DRAM fabs in 2012 and 2013 were near the $4 billion mark annually and are described by some industry observers as being at “maintenance level.”  Increased spending is expected for DRAM in 2014 and 2015, yet although more capacity is being added — the rates are still negative until the end of 2015.  See Figure 2.

Figure 2: Fab equipment spending is compared to the change rate of capacity for DRAM.

Figure 2: Fab equipment spending is compared to the change rate of capacity for DRAM.

As discussed above, SEMI reports that leading-edge DRAM fabs undergo a double-digit capacity loss when upgraded due to an increase in processing steps and complexity. Since the end of last year, Samsung is in the process of adding additional DRAM capacity with two new lines — Line 16 (ramping up this year) and its new Line 17 (the first new DRAM fab ramped since the last economic downturn). In addition SK Hynix is ramping up its M14 DRAM line in 2016. We expect the impact to overall DRAM capacity expansion to occur in 2015 when this fab begins to ramp up. Even if this fab ramps to about half of its potential, the change rate for installed DRAM capacity would still not be positive by end of next year.

Over $6 billion for Fab construction projects

The SEMI World Fab Forecast also provides detailed data about fab construction projects underway. Construction spending is expected to total $6.7 billion in 2014 and over $5 billion in 2015.  Leading regions in spending for 2014 will be Taiwan, Americas, and Korea.  In 2015, the highest spending will be seen in Europe/Mideast, followed by Taiwan and Japan.

Only five companies show strong spending numbers for new fabs or refurbishing existing fabs. Their combined fab construction spending accounts for 88% of all worldwide fab construction spending for Front End facilities.

In 2014, the SEMI report shows 16 new fab construction projects (six alone for 300mm) and 10 fab construction project in 2015 (four for 300mm). Most construction spending in 2014 is for Foundries ($3.1 billion) followed by Memory ($2.5 billion) and Logic. In 2015, Memory will have most spending with ($2.3 billion) closely followed by Foundries ($2.2 billion).

The report lists currently 1150 facilities with 68 future facilities with various probabilities which have started or will start volume production in 2014 or later. See Figure 3.

Figure 3: Count of known facilities (Volume fabs to R&D) in the World Fab Forecast report with various probabilities which are expected to start production in 2014 to 2020.

Figure 3: Count of known facilities (Volume fabs to R&D) in the World Fab Forecast report with various probabilities which are expected to start production in 2014 to 2020.

As it looks right now, SEMI reports that the outlook is positive for 2014 for the chip-making industry compared to the previous few years and the outlook for 2015 also remains healthy.  However, given the current investment trends for spending at the advanced technology nodes and the decline in construction related activity, we continue to expect worldwide capacity expansion to remain in the low-single digits in the next three to five years.

SEMI World Fab Forecast Report

The SEMI World Fab Forecast uses a bottom-up approach methodology, providing high-level summaries and graphs, and in-depth analyses of capital expenditures, capacities, technology and products by fab. Additionally, the database provides forecasts for the next 18 months by quarter. These tools are invaluable for understanding how the semiconductor manufacturing will look in 2014 and 2015, and learning more about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology levels, and products.

The SEMI Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Subscription (WWSEMS) data tracks only new equipment for fabs and test and assembly and packaging houses.  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, or in-house equipment. Also check out the Opto/LED Fab Forecast. Learn more about the SEMI fab databases at: www.semi.org/MarketInfo/FabDatabase and www.youtube.com/user/SEMImktstats

 

Front End fab equipment spending is projected to increase up to another 20 percent in 2015 to US$ 42 billion, according to most recent edition of the SEMI World Fab Forecast.  In 2015, equipment spending could mark a historical record high, surpassing the previous peak years of 2007 ($39 billion) and 2011 ($40 billion). In 2014, the report predicts growth of approximately 21 percent for Front End fab equipment spending, for total spending of $34.9 billion.

Seven companies are expected to spend $2 billion or more in 2014, representing almost 80 percent of all fab equipment spending for Front End facilities; a similar pattern is expected in 2015. About 90 percent of all equipment spending is for 300mm fabs.

According to the World Fab Forecast, in 2014, the five regions with the highest forecast spending on equipment are: Taiwan ($9.7 billion), Americas ($7.8 billion), Korea ($6.8 billion), China ($4.6 billion), and Japan ($1.9 billion). In 2015, the same regions will lead: Taiwan ($12.0 billion), Korea ($8.0 billion), Americas ($7.9 billion), China ($5.0 billion), and Japan ($4.2 billion). Spending in Europe is expected to nearly double (from 2014 to 2015) to $3.8 billion.

As Figure 1 illustrates, before the last economic downturn, most equipment spending was for new additional capacity. SEMI reports that in 2010 and 2011, fab equipment spending growth rates increased dramatically, but installed capacity grew by only 7 percent in both years. In 2012 and 2013, installed capacity grew 2 percent or less. Some industry segments, such as foundries, see continuous capacity expansion, while other segments show much lower growth — pulling down the total global growth rate for installed capacity to below the 3 percent mark.

World_fab_chart

Figure 1 illustrates fab equipment spending since 2003 and the change of installed capacity (excluding Discretes and LEDs).

 

In addition to foundries, the World Fab Forecast report captures capacities across all industry segments as well as System LSI, Analog, Power, MEMS, LED, Memory and Logic/MPUs.

DRAM is now slowly coming out of a declining trend with -3 percent in 2014 and reaching close to zero by end of 2015. Over the past three to four years, some major players have switched fabs from DRAM to System LSI or Flash while others have discontinued DRAM production completely, contributing to declining DRAM capacity.

The SEMI World Fab Forecast also provides detailed data about fab construction projects, with spending expected to total $6.7 billion in 2014 and over $5.0 billion in 2015. In 2014, the leading regions for construction spending are Taiwan, Americas, and Korea.  In 2015, the highest spending is expected in Europe/Mideast, followed by Taiwan and Japan.

Learn more about the SEMI World Fab Forecast which uses a bottom-up approach methodology, providing high-level summaries and graphs, and in-depth analyses of capital expenditures, capacities, technology and products by fab. Additionally, the database provides forecasts for the next 18 months by quarter. These tools are invaluable for understanding how the semiconductor manufacturing will look in 2014 and 2015, and learning more about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology levels, and products.

The SEMI Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Subscription (WWSEMS) data tracks only new equipment for fabs and test and assembly and packaging houses.  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, or in-house equipment. Learn more about the SEMI fab databases at: www.semi.org/MarketInfo/FabDatabase and www.youtube.com/user/SEMImktstats

CEA-Leti and LUCIOM, which develops visible-light communication using light-emitting diodes (LEDs), have launched a project to develop high-data-rate LiFi transceivers. With this technology, LUCIOM expects to offer in mid-2015 one of the first high-data-rate bidirectional light-fidelity, or LiFi, products that can work with different LED lighting sources, and on mobile devices.

Visible light communications (VLC) has gained significant momentum in recent years, primarily because of expectations that LEDs will become predominant in the lighting market. As LiFi benefits from this rapid market penetration of LED lighting sources and their reduced cost, it will become more efficient and economical compared to wireless RF communications.

Moreover, because LEDs can be modulated at very high frequencies and their oscillations are invisible to humans, they permit information transmission at very high data rates.

Earlier this year, Leti demonstrated a new prototype for wireless high-data-rate Li-Fi transmission. The technology employs the high-frequency modulation capabilities of LED engines used in commercial lighting. It achieves throughputs of up to 10Mb/s at a range of three meters, suitable for HD video streaming or Internet browsing, using light power of less than 1,000 lumens and with direct or even indirect lighting. This technology will be adapted to meet the needs of LUCIOM’s transceivers.

LUCIOM’s technology allows the convergence of light-emitting diodes with the worldwide proliferation of mobile devices to make any LED lighting source a high-speed data transmitter that is both secure and environmentally friendly.

Based on integrated circuits and transceivers, the technology turns LED light sources into positioning beacons, which transmit signals. This allows smartphones and tablets to become LiFi enabled, thanks to a receiver that is implemented in a 3.5mm audio jack dongle. The compact size of the receiver eases the integration in the device. In addition, the audio remains accessible from the audio interface, even when the LiFi application is launched from a smartphone.

LUCIOM’s technology can be combined with the use of gyro-sensors present in smartphones and tablets to predict movement between two beacons and provide a very accurate position to the user. This way, communication between phones and smart indoor LED lighting can be used inside buildings when GPS technology is no longer effective. The localization application can also be used to provide additional personalized services or information to customers as well as information to the infrastructure manager.

In addition to these indoor-positioning applications, the company is targeting high-data-rate video transfer.The project between Leti and LUCIOM builds on their previous collaboration in which Leti developed an optical over-the-air data link for the company that allows the transmission of true HD video from a lamp to a handheld receiver.

“Our indoor geo-localization could guide shoppers through the maze of large shopping malls to the stores they are seeking, and LED lighting in museums could be used to guide visitors through an enriched tour of the displays and exhibits,” said Michel Germe, CEO of LUCIOM. “Working again with Leti, we will be able to bring new, bidirectional transceivers that enable these applications to market in 2015.”

“LUCIOM was one of the first companies to see that LEDs and LiFi can offer a powerful, secure and highly energy-efficient communications alternative to WiFi,” said Leti CEO Laurent Malier. “With Leti’s first proof of concept developed earlier this year and its expertise in RF communications, we expect data-transmission rates in excess of 100Mb/s with traditional lighting based on LED lamps.”

You can’t fix what you can’t find. You can’t control what you can’t measure. 

BY DAVID W. PRICE and DOUGLAS G. SUTHERLAND

This is the first in a series of 10 installments which will discuss fundamental truths about process control—inspection and metrology—for the semiconductor industry. By fundamental, we imply the following:

  • Unassailable: They are self-evident, can be proven from first principles, or are supported by the dominant behavior at fabs worldwide
  • Unchanging: these concepts are equally true today for 28nm as they were 15 years ago for 0.25μm, and are expected to hold true in the future
  • Universal: They are not unique to a specific segment of process control; rather they apply to process control as a group, as well as to each individual component of process control within the fab

Each article in this series will introduce one of the 10 fundamental truths and discuss interesting applications of these truths to semiconductor IC fabs. Given the increasing complexity of advanced devices and process integration, process control is growing in importance. By understanding the fundamental nature of process control, fabs can better implement strategies to identify critical defects, find excursions, and reduce sources of variation.

The first fundamental truth of process control for the semiconductor IC industry is:

You can’t fix what you can’t find. You can’t control what you can’t measure.

While it’s true that inspection and metrology systems are not used to make IC devices—they do not add or remove materials or create patterns—they are critical for making high-yielding, reliable devices. By finding defects and measuring critical parameters, inspection and metrology systems monitor the hundreds of steps required to manufacture a device, ensuring the processes meet strict manufacturing specifications and helping fab engineers identify and troubleshoot process issues when there is an excursion. Without inspection and metrology, it would be near impossible for fabs to pinpoint process issues that affect yield. However, it’s not enough to simply “find” and “measure” — a fab’s process control strategy needs to be capable and cost-effective.

Capable inspection and metrology strategies find and measure the defects and parameters that affect device yield. Cost-effective inspection and metrology is performed at the lowest total cost to the factory, where total cost is the sum of the cost of lost yield plus the cost of process control.

First, make it capable

If you can’t find it, you can’t fix it. At the heart of this truth is the understanding that, above all else, a fab’s inspection and metrology strategy must be capable. It must highlight the problems that are limiting baseline yield. It must also provide actionable information that can enable fabs to quickly find and fix excursions (FIGURE 1).

We emphasize this need for capability first because we have observed that some fabs are too quick tosacrifice capability for cost reductions. No strategy is cost-effective if it doesn’t accomplish its fundamental objective.

Below are specific questions that can help fab management evaluate the capability of its process control strategy:

  • Are you finding all sources of your defect-limited yield? Are you finding these in-line or at end-of-line?
  • Does your defect Pareto have sufficient resolution of the top yield-limiters in each module to direct the most appropriate use of factory engineering resources?
  • Have you fully characterized all of the important measurements and defect types (size range, kill ratio, root cause, solution)?
  • Do you understand the most probable incursion scenarios? What is the smallest excursion that you absolutely must detect at this step? How many lots are you willing to have exposed to this excursion before it is detected?
  • Are you inspecting and measuring at all the right steps? Can you quickly isolate the point of formation for excursions? Can you quickly disposition potentially affected lots?
  • Does a particular defect signature become confused by defects added at subsequent process steps? Or do you need separate inspections at each step in order to partition the problem? 
  • Do you have overlapping inspections to guard against the high-frequency, high-impact excursions?
  • What is the alpha risk and beta risk for each inspection or measurement? How are these related to the capture rate, accuracy, precision, matching and more?

Process control Fig 1b Process control fig 1a

 

FIGURE 1. You can’t fix what you can’t find. And you can’t control what you can’t measure. Left: P-MOS SiGe critical dimension measurement. Right: Fin patterning particle leading to a Fin Spire defect at post dummy gate etch. Source: KLA-Tencor

Then, make it cost-effective

Once a capable strategy is in place, then a fab can start the process of making it cost-effective. The best known method for optimizing total cost is usually adjusting the overall lot sampling rate. This is generally preferred because the capability remains constant.

In some cases, it may be possible to migrate to a less sensitive inspection (lower cost of ownership tool or larger pixel size); however, this is a dangerous path because it re-introduces uncertainty (alpha/beta risk) that reduces a fab’s process control capability. This concept will be discussed in more detail in our next article on sampling strategies.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that it is not enough to implement a capable strategy. The fab must ensure that what was once a capable strategy, stays a capable strategy. A fab cannot measure with a broken inspection tool or trust a poorly maintained inspection tool. Therefore, most fabs have programs in place to maintain and monitor the ongoing performance of their inspection and metrology tools.

By optimizing process control strategy to be capable and cost-effective, fabs ultimately find what needs to be fixed and measure what should be controlled—driving higher yield and better profitability.

Intematix Corporation, a manufacturer of phosphor solutions for LED lighting, has collaborated with SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business to create the ChromaLit Linear – a LED offering developed for the lighting industry.  By using Intematix’s remote phosphor technology and SABIC’s LEXAN LUX resins, lighting customers can now achieve the energy efficiency and reliability benefits of LEDs, while also experiencing increased optical efficiency and better light uniformity-a critical factor for commercial environments.

“SABIC is excited to have worked with Intematix to design a solution that successfully addresses a historic challenge with LED lighting used in commercial applications. In addition to being more efficient, the new LED system can be both extruded and injection molded,”  said Venugopal Koka, Director of Electrical Industrial and Lighting Marketing for SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business.

Remote phosphor is a lighting system technology that uses a phosphor component separated from the blue LED energy source. The independent phosphor emits light when excited by blue light. When the phosphor has been separated from the energy source it results in better lighting uniformity and consistency. Intematix selected SABIC’s LEXAN LUX transparent, diffusion and reflective grades for their ChromaLit Linear remote phosphor offering for their superior efficiency and flexible processing capabilities. In addition, the LEXAN LUX base material provides a UL94 flame rating of V0.

Linear light sources are in widespread use for illuminating commercial and industrial applications worldwide. Office lighting and other commercial applications have been challenging for white LEDs because of the need to diffuse the point sources, reducing system efficacy.  The ChromaLit Linear product delivers naturally uniform, high-quality light with conversion efficacy of up to 215 lumens per radiant watt or up to 163 lumens per system watt when used with the most efficient blue LEDs available.

“We expect a whole new set of valuable remote phosphor solutions to emerge as we draw upon SABIC’s world-class expertise in advanced thermoplastics,” said Mark Swoboda, Chief Executive Officer for Intematix. “Our experience has demonstrated that bringing our two companies’ innovations together results in ground-breaking products that accelerate market adoption of LED-based lighting systems.”

Following Intematix’s successful commercialization of the ChromaLit Linear, SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business and Intematix will continue to collaborate on new technology developments to help enable lighting OEMs to take advantage of expanded remote phosphor solutions for solid-state lighting (SSL). The continued collaboration will allow Intematix and SABIC to further combine their complementary expertise driving the development of new applications, technologies and materials which can hasten and optimize the commercialization of new LED products, platforms and lighting applications.

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$ 9.62 billion in the second quarter of 2014. The billings figure is 5 percent lower than the first quarter of 2014 and 28 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago. The data is gathered jointly with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from over 100 global equipment companies that provide data on a monthly basis.

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $9.96 billion in the second quarter of 2014. The figure is 9 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago and 1 percent higher than the bookings figure for the first quarter of 2014.

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:


Region


2Q2014


1Q2014


2Q2013

2Q14/1Q14
(Qtr-over-Qtr)

2Q14/2Q13
(Year-over-Year)
Taiwan

2.48

2.59

2.73

-5%

-9%
North America

2.32

1.85

1.16

25%

101%
Korea

1.73

2.03

1.22

-15%

42%
China

1.03

1.71

0.84

-40%

23%
Japan

1.00

0.96

0.74

4%

35%
Europe

0.57

0.58

0.36

-3%

58%
ROW

0.50

0.42

0.51

18%

-2%
Total

9.62

10.15

7.54

-5%

28%

Source: SEMI/SEAJ September 2014

Note: Figures may not add due to rounding.

BY TOM QUAN, Deputy Director, TSMC

The Prophets of Doom greet every new process node with a chorus of dire warnings about the end of scaling, catastrophic thermal effects, parasitics run amok and . . . you know the rest. The fact that they have been wrong for decades has not diminished their enthusiasm for criticism, and we should expect to hear from them again with the move to 10nm design.

Like any advanced technology transition, 10nm will be challenging, but we need it to happen. Design and process innovation march hand in hand to fuel the remarkable progress of the worldwide electronics industry, clearly demonstrated by the evolution of mobile phones since their introduction (FIGURE 1).

FIGURE 1. The evolution of mobile phones since their introduction.

FIGURE 1. The evolution of mobile phones since their introduction.

Each generation gets harder. There are two different sets of challenges included with a new process node: the process technology issues and the ecosystem issues.

Process technology challenges include:

  • Lithography: continue to scale to 193nm immersion
  • Device: continue to deliver 25-30% speed gain at the same or reduced power
  • Interconnect: address escalating parasitics
  • Production: ramp volume in time to meet end-customer demand
  • Integration of multiple technologies for future systems

Ecosystem challenges include:

  • Quality: optimize design trade-off to best utilize technology
  • Complexity: tackle rising technology and design complexity
  • Schedule: shortened development runway to meet product market window

Adding to these challenges at 10nm is that things get a whole lot more expensive, threatening to upset the traditional benefits of Moore’s Law. We can overcome the technical hurdles but at what cost? At 10nm and below from a process point of view, we can provide PPA improvements but development costs will be high so we need to find the best solutions. Every penny will count at 7nm and 10nm.

FIGURE 2. A new design ecosystem collaboration model is needed due to increasing complexity and shrinking development runways.

FIGURE 2. A new design ecosystem collaboration model is needed due to increasing complexity and shrinking development runways.

Design used to be fairly straightforward for a given technology. The best local optimum was also the best overall optimum: shortest wire length is best; best gate-density equates to the best area scaling; designing on best technology results in the best cost. But these rules no longer apply. For example, sub-10nm issues test conventional wisdom since globalized effects can no longer be resolved by localized approaches. Everything has to be co-optimized; to keep PPA scaling at 10nm and beyond requires tighter integration between process, design, EDA and IP. Increasing complexity and shrinking development runways call for a new design ecosystem collaboration model (FIGURE 2).

Our research and pathfinding teams have been working on disruptive new transistor architectures and materials beyond HKMG and FinFET to enable further energy efficient CMOS scaling. In the future, gate-all-around or narrow wire transistor could be the ultimate device structure. High mobility Ge and III-V channel materials are promising for 0.5V and below operations.

Scaling in the sub-10nm era is more challenging and costly than ever, presenting real opportunities for out-of-box thinking and approaches within the design ecosystem. There is also great promise in wafer-level integration of multiple technologies, paving the way for future systems beyond SoC.

A strong, comprehensive and collaborative ecosystem is the best way to unleash our collective power to turn the designer’s vision into reality.

Cree, Inc. has announced that its C2M, 1200V, 80mOhm SiC MOSFETs have been selected by Sanix Corporation, Japan, to be designed into their new 9.9kW three-phase solar inverters for use in the construction of commercial photovoltaic systems in the fast-growing Japanese solar energy market.

“Through this partnership with Cree and their SiC technology, Sanix is able to capture more market share in the competitive Japan solar market,” said Hiroshi Soga, general manager, Sanix Incorporated. “Cree’s silicon carbide MOSFETs were critical for Sanix to meet our efficiency and thermal design targets. SiC switches reduced losses in our inverter electronics by more than 30 percent versus the silicon super-junction MOSFETs we were considering. In addition to providing a large efficiency gain, Cree’s latest generation C2M SiC MOSFETs were priced competitively, making it possible to replace lower voltage, less rugged, and less efficient silicon MOSFETs.”

Utilized in the primary power conversion stage of the solar inverter, Cree’s 1200V C2M0080120D MOSFETs feature faster switching characteristics and up to one-third the switching losses of comparably-rated 900V silicon super-junction MOSFETs. By significantly reducing switching losses, Cree’s SiC MOSFETs enable lower total system energy losses, higher frequency switching, and cooler operating temperatures. These benefits improve conversion efficiency and reduce the system’s size, weight, complexity, and thermal management requirements. At the system level, performance is improved, cost is decreased, and lifetime of the inverter is extended.

“Cree is extremely pleased that Sanix has chosen to specify our C2M, 1200V SiC MOSFET technology in its new 9.9kW solar inverters. Cree SiC power devices can provide significant advantages with regard to PV inverter efficiency, reliability, and cost, and will provide Sanix with a critical competitive advantage as they continue to expand their share of the Japanese solar market,” said Cengiz Balkas, general manager and vice president, Cree Power and RF.

Demonstrated to achieve up to three times the power density of typical silicon technology, Cree’s C2M family of SiC MOSFETs are available in 1200V and 1700V, ranging from 1Ω to 25 mΩ. C2M MOSFETs have been designed into a range of industrial power applications since their March 2013 market introduction and continue to experience increasing demand. Cree is currently delivering production volumes of SiC MOSFETs to Sanix and other PV inverter manufacturers, as well as to makers of industrial power supplies, auxiliary power converters, battery chargers, and motor drives.

Taiwanese chipmakers, LED manufacturers, and Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) firms will spend firm nearly $24 billion in the next two years on equipment and materials, powering excitement for SEMICON Taiwan 2014, which opened today in Taipei.  Leaders in the industry are convening for the September 3-5 event at the TWTC Nangang Hall.

Driven by consumer demand for tablet, smartphone, and mobile devices, the total semiconductor equipment market is expected to grow 20.8 percent in 2014 (reaching $38.4 billion) and expand another 10.8 percent in 2015 (exceeding $42.6 billion). SEMI forecasts that Taiwan will continue to be the world’s largest spender with $11.6 billion estimated for 2014 and $12.3 billion for 2015.

Nearly 650 exhibitors, 1,400 booths and more than 40,000 attendees are expected at SEMICON Taiwan.  Over 400 will convene for the SEMICON Taiwan Leadership Gala Dinner, one of the most important executive events for the high-tech industry in Taiwan.

SEMICON Taiwan features co-located events and technology theme pavilions focusing on IC design, MEMS, 3D-ICs, advanced packaging/testing, sustainable manufacturing, and secondary equipment.

Business Program Highlights

Facing the fast-changing business environment and global competition, companies must be prepared for unexpected challenges to survive. SEMICON Taiwan covers the critical issues in sessions focusing on market trends to executive forums.

On September 3, Cliff  Hou (VP of TSMC), Charles Kau (chairman of Inotera Memories), Tien Wu (COO of ASE Group), Lip-Bu Tan (president and CEO of Cadence), and Luc Van den hove (president and CEO of imec) will be on the SEMICON Taiwan Executive Forum stage to share their unique perspectives on Taiwan strategic role in the world’s microelectronics industry. Also on September 3, the Market Trends Forum features speakers from Barclays Capital, Gartner, IC Insights, Morgan Stanley, SEMI, TechSearch and TSMC. On September 5, the Memory Executive Summit includes presenters from ITRI/EOL, Lam Research, Micron, MXIC, and more while the CFO Executive Summit features speakers from DBS Bank (Taiwan), EQUVO, Micron, and TSMC.

Technology Programs Highlights

Wednesday, September 3

  • Advanced Packaging Technology Symposium: Presenters will cover market trends, product applications, packaging/assembly solutions (wire bond/flip chip/hybrid) to advanced equipment and material development, and testing and reliability. With experts involved from the entire supply chain, the seminar will cover the most advanced technology development directions for 3D-IC.
  • Sustainable Manufacturing Forum: Showcasing companies and speakers from around the world involved in the manufacture of semiconductors, FPD, PV, High-Brightness LEDs, MEMS, and other high tech products, experts will address a wide variety of environment, health, safety (EHS) and sustainability topics that affect high-tech manufacturing.

Thursday, September 4

  • SiP Global Summit 2014: With a strong focus on heterogeneous integration through System-in-a-Package (SiP) technology, SEMI will host the 4th annual SiP Global Summit on September 3-5.  The event features more than 20 industry leaders who will share their insights and solutions on 3D-IC, Through Silicon Via (TSV), 2.5D-IC with silicon interposer, and embedded substrate technologies. More than 500 industry professionals from around the world are expected to attend.  
  • MEMS Forum:  With a focus on “MEMS for Smart Living,” the September 4 forum will discuss the opportunities as well as challenges.

Friday, September 5

  • Embedded Technology Forum (SiP Global Summit 2014): With demand for wearable/portable devices booming, small form factor has become critical for embedded technology. The Forum reviews product applications and development progress in process and materials to give attendees a comprehensive understanding of embedded technology.
  • Litho & Mask Technology Symposium: In this symposium, exploratory lithography technologies are addressed — directed self assembly (DSA), nanoimprint technologies, multiple e-beam, and extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV).

For more information and online registration, visit the SEMICON Taiwan website: www.semicontaiwan.org