Category Archives: MEMS

3D TSV begins


December 10, 2014

3D TSV integration has already been adopted in MEMS and CMOS Image Sensors for consumer applications (Source: 3DIC & 2.5D TSV Interconnect for Advanced Packaging Business Update report). Device makers such as Sony, Toshiba, Omnivision, Samsung, Bosch Sensortec, STMicroelectronics and mCube … have all brought devices to the market that integrate 3D TSV technology.

“TSV’s added- value is important: increased performance and functionality, more compact devices, more efficient utilization of the silicon space,” explained Yole Développement (Yole). Moreover, even if 3D TSV process steps are adding cost at the device manufacturing level, these technologies enable cost- saving in other parts of the supply chain.

tsv

“No more doubts about adoption of 3D TSV platform across a wider range of applications: all key players added 3D TSV into their roadmaps, engineering samples have already started to ship and preparation is on-going for entering volume manufacturing,” said Rozalia Beica, CTO & Business Director, Advanced Packaging and Semiconductor Manufacturing at Yole. This year, the industry witnessed several memory product announcements for high-end applications, with transfer to volume production planned in the near future.

“Driven by the demand to further increase in performance, 2015 will be the year for the implementation of 3D TSV technology in high volume production,” explains Rozalia.

The market research and strategy consulting company, Yole and its advanced packaging team, are closely studying and monitoring the industry’s activities in this field. The latest results can be found in Yole’s new 3DIC & 2.5D Business Update Report published this year.

Yole’s vision on further 3D TSV technology adoption will be presented during the European 3D TSV Summit 2015 in Grenoble. The company is partnering with SEMI to support the European TSV Summit, which will take place in Grenoble, France on January 19 to 21, 2015. The European 3D TSV Summit is organized by SEMI Europe. To meet Yole’s experts, discover the detailed program and register, click European 3D TSV Summit 2015.

Also, at the European 3D TSV Summit, Jean-Christophe Eloy, President & CEO, Yole will moderate the panel discussion, “From TSV Technology to Final Products – What is the Business for 3D Smart Systems?” taking place on Tuesday 20, at 5:20 PM. Jean-Christophe will highlight 3D TSV market trends and technology challenges, especially its integration for 3D smart systems application. He will welcome the following panelists: Ron Huemoeller, Senior VP Advanced Product / Platform Development, AMKOR – Martin Schrems, VP of R&D, ams AG – Bryan Black, Senior Fellow, AMD – Mustafa Badaroglu, Senior Program Manager, Qualcomm.

In parallel, Rozalia Beica will be part of the Market Briefing Symposium, on Monday 19. Her presentation is entitled: “From Development to Manufacturing: An Overview of Industry’s 3D Packaging Activities”.

“We are excited to have a group of highly qualified market experts, such as Yole Développement, joining us this year for the European 3D TSV Summit,” stated Anne-Marie Dutron, Director of SEMI Europe’s Grenoble office. “To highlight the adoption of 3D TSV technology in several market applications and to answer the demand from our members, we have given the business aspects of the 3D TSV industry more importance in this 2015 edition.”

The European 3D TSV Summit final program is now available.

OCEASOFT, a global provider of sensor-based solutions for monitoring environmental parameters in the health, medical, life science and cold-chain/transport sectors, today announced a partnership with Internet of Things networking pioneer SIGFOX, along with a new line of Cobalt sensors that can transmit data directly to cloud storage without the need for traditional cellular or Wi-Fi service.

The new Cobalt S3 line of smart wireless sensors is designed to take advantage of SIGFOX’s global network that is dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT). It is designed exclusively for two-way, small-message device communication. This eliminates the cost and energy-use barriers to wide adoption of the IoT and greatly extends the battery and service life of connected devices.

Cobalt S3, slated to ship in January 2015, will offer all the proven monitoring capabilities of OCEASOFT’s existing Cobalt sensors, including temperature, humidity, ambient light and voltage, while providing always-on cloud connectivity via SIGFOX’s IoT network.

This approach greatly simplifies sensor installation and startup, extends battery life, and allows the sensors to maintain connectivity in isolated locations without local network or traditional cellular infrastructure. Local users can also access Cobalt S3 readings from smartphones and tablets using Bluetooth Smart.

“Working with SIGFOX to offer this new functionality to our customers is a big step forward for OCEASOFT and our commitment to provide unparalleled cloud-based access to mission-critical sensor data,” said OCEASOFT CEO Laurent Rousseau. “This is, to our knowledge, the first industrial IoT sensor-monitoring solution, and it opens new opportunities for our clients in many sectors. It’s of special interest in pollution and environmental monitoring applications, because it makes it possible to get constantly updated information from sensors in off-the-grid locations.”

OCEASOFT, which serves hundreds of clients worldwide, will initially offer Cobalt S3 in areas where SIGFOX has rolled out its network: France, Holland, the UK, and Spain, as well as several major European cities. Additional expansion is planned in Europe and the US, and plans call for extending coverage to ocean regions, which will enable new shipping and transport applications for the Cobalt S3 sensors.

Data generated by all Cobalt sensors is held securely in the OCEACloud data service, and can be instantly monitored and viewed via computer, or OCEASOFT’s ThermoClient Mobile app, which runs on iOS and Android phones and tablets.

Its wireless Cobalt sensor modules can be equipped with a wide range of internal and external sensor options, including temperature, humidity, CO2, differential pressure, ambient light and voltage. All provide continuously updated reporting, and meet demanding requirements for manufacturing, laboratory work, life sciences, cold chain/transport and other advanced industry sectors.

TSMC held its 14th annual Supply Chain Management forum on December 4, 2014 to show appreciation for the support and contributions of its suppliers in 2014, and to recognize nine outstanding equipment and materials suppliers. The theme of this year’s forum was “Collaborate and Win Together,” and over 600 suppliers around the world in the fields of equipment, materials, packaging, testing, facilities, IT systems and services, and environmental and waste management services participated in the forum.

“TSMC’s success comes from collaborating with our customers and suppliers through our Grand Alliance so that we magnify each others’ innovations and stand together as a most powerful competitive force in the semiconductor industry,” said TSMC Co-Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mark Liu. “Our supplier partners are a critical part of this alliance, and we look forward to reaping the rewards of many years of strong growth together.”

“We are very grateful for our supplier partners’ full support as we ramp our 20nm capacity at a record-breaking rate. This year’s award winners have provided exemplary service to TSMC,” said TSMC Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Dr. Steve Tso. “Our hard work together over the past year has laid strong foundation for the upcoming ramp in 16nm, which will generate even more opportunities for us all.”

In addition to recognizing suppliers’ excellent overall performance with the “Supplier Excellence Award,” TSMC also established the “Outstanding Contribution Award” this year to recognize a company that collaborated closely with TSMC in the spirit of the Grand Alliance to produce first-rate results.”

The winners are as follows:

Outstanding Contribution Award
Applied Materials, Inc. –Outstanding Contribution in EPI/PVD Equipment and Local Service

Excellent Performance Award [In alphabetical order]
EBARA Corporation- Excellent Performance in CMP Equipment
Fujifilm Electronic Materials- Excellent Performance in CMP Slurry
Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation – Excellent Performance in Etch Equipment
JX Nippon Mining & Metals Corporation- Excellent Performance in Metal Target
KLA-Tencor Corporation- Excellent Performance in Inspection Equipment
Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd- Excellent Performance in Lithography Material
SUMCO Corporation- Excellent Performance in Raw Wafer Material
Tokyo Electron Limited- Excellent Performance in Equipment Productivity Improvement

Veeco Instruments Inc. announced that it has acquired privately held Solid State Equipment Holdings LLC (“SSEC”), based in Horsham, Pennsylvania. SSEC is an innovator in single wafer wet etch, clean and surface preparation equipment targeting high growth segments in advanced packaging, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and compound semiconductor.

“SSEC is a highly successful process equipment company that is a great strategic fit with Veeco,” said John R. Peeler, Veeco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Their complementary and differentiated ‘soak and spray’ technology delivers single wafer control with the low cost of batch processing. SSEC extends our compound semiconductor and MEMS footprint, and represents a stepping stone to the high-growth advanced packaging market. This is a synergistic transaction that will be immediately accretive and that we expect will drive growth and profitability.”

Demand for higher performance, increased functionality, smaller form factor and lower power consumption in mobile devices, consumer electronics and high performance computing is accelerating advanced packaging technology adoption. Key drivers for this inflection are applications in 3D stacked memory, 3D system-on-chip and MEMS. Increasing shipments in smartphones and wearable electronics with more sophisticated sensing functions further drive growth in the MEMS market. Veeco estimates that its served available markets for advanced packaging, compound semiconductor and MEMS are all growing at double-digit compound annual growth rates.

Herman Itzkowitz, SSEC’s Chief Executive Officer said, “We are excited to join the Veeco team. Veeco is a dynamic market leader in compound semiconductor equipment for LED, power electronics, and wireless devices. Combining resources will enable us to accelerate growth and to pursue market opportunities in advanced packaging and MEMS. In addition, we have significant untapped potential in Asiaand Europe, where Veeco’s impressive sales and service network will provide connectivity to key customers.”

Silicon Image, a provider of multimedia connectivity solutions and services, announced that Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. has made a $7 million strategic investment in Silicon Image’s new subsidiary, Qterics, for a 7% ownership interest.

Qterics will be focused on enabling a wide variety of solutions and services for Internet-enabled consumer products including TVs, mobile handsets, tablets, routers, home automation devices, white goods and more. Qterics is comprised of the UpdateLogic services business combined with other related Silicon Image assets, including software and other intellectual property (IP). Current UpdateLogic General Manager, Kurt Thielen, will assume the role of President of Qterics.

“Qualcomm is committed to enabling technologies that support our ‘Internet of Everything’ initiatives. Our strategic investment in Qterics further promotes IoE advancements, including the development of solutions utilizing the AllJoyn open source software framework of the AllSeen Alliance for a truly interoperable Internet of Everything,” said Michael Wallace, SVP and General Manager, Qualcomm Internet Services.

In addition to the investment, Qualcomm and Silicon Image will explore opportunities to collaborate on promoting the AllJoyn open source software framework and developing new Internet of Everything (IoE) services.

“Qterics provides a unique offering for ‘Internet of Everything’ devices that has been largely overlooked by other players in the IoE space,” said Camillo Martino, chief executive officer of Silicon Image, Inc. “As the Internet of Everything grows, the task of providing device management services to these connected devices in a secure manner becomes exponentially more difficult. Qterics solves these challenges in a very elegant way by leveraging its highly scalable worldwide computing resources in the cloud.”

The vast expansion of Internet-enabled devices enables new applications and services, but only if the devices can be properly managed. UpdateLogic (now Qterics) is a leading provider of device management and remote access services already deployed in tens of millions of consumer electronics devices such as TVs, set-top-boxes, and tablets – which form a significant part of the Internet of Everything today.

At next week’s mHealth Summit 2014, held Dec. 7-11 in Washington, D.C., nanoelectronics research center imec and Holst Centre will showcase at their booth (#610) a development kit based on an open hardware platform using a highly integrated multi-sensor data acquisition chip. The chip combines on-board digital signal processing with analog interfaces for multiple body sensors, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) and bio-impedance. The development kit is extremely small and light-weight and has an open sensor platform. The sensor platform can be fully customized with different sensors enabling the development of wearable and personal healthcare applications.

The development kit builds upon imec and Holst Centre’s ultra-low power multi-sensor data acquisition chip (MUSEIC). Its unique combination of high accuracy and ultra-low power allows reliable monitoring for several days with only a single battery. Additionally, its high integration enables smaller, more comfortable devices and innovative designs.

“One of the major limitations in the development of innovative personal healthcare applications is the availability of miniature and open hardware platform” said Chris Van Hoof, program director at imec. “Our development kit will offer application developers a miniature, light-weight, and customizable hardware platform, enabling application development and field studies.”

The development kit consists of a customizable sensor layer (including 3-lead ECG, bio-impedance, accelerometer and microphone), the MUSEIC chip, SD card storage, a Bluetooth (4.0) and Bluetooth low-energy compliant radio, and a separate ARM Cortex M4 processor. The MUSEIC chip is capable of collecting data from a wide range of on-body sensors (both analog and digital interfacing) and performing basic signal processing. It features analog interfaces optimized for three-channel ECGs, bio-impedance and tissue impedance. Additionally, a two-input general-purpose analog and six digital (SPI and I2C) interfaces allow the chip to connect to other sensors biomedical and physical sensors. A compact, low-power ARM Cortex-M0 processor is included to control the sensors and perform basic signal processing. Dedicated hardware accelerators handle matrix operations and motion artifact reduction, off-loading these tasks from the Cortex-M0 processor to improve performance and reduce power consumption.

In a typical use case collecting ECG, bio-impedance and 3-axis accelerometer data, the complete evaluation kit consumes on average only 10 m W – low enough for at least a few days of monitoring on a single battery charge.

Holst Centre and imec’s MUSEIC chip is available for interested parties through IP licensing. A ready-to-use development kit, comprising the chip, sensors and powerful off-chip processor for advanced feature extraction, is available to application developers for wearable health monitoring applications.

imec health

Interview with SEMI Europe’s Yann Guillou gives attendees a preview of the event

This year’s European 3D TSV Summit is fast approaching. Many actors from the 3D TSV supply chain will convene to Grenoble (France) on Jan 19-21, 2015. This year’s theme is “Enabling Smarter Systems”.

In a recent interview published by 3DIncites, Yann Guillou, the event’s architect, revealed the inspiration behind this year’s theme. “Each year, we try to have our conference theme reflect the current state of 3D technology as expressed by industry leaders,” he explained. “When we look at the most recent evolution of 3D TSV technology, we see that TSVs have become an indispensable part of the smarter systems development, so the theme ‘Enabling Smarter Systems’ seemed to stem quite naturally from this.”

The Summit will boast three keynote speakers who are experts in the field of 3D TSV.  In the interview, Guillou shares his excitement about the keynote choices, who all hail from companies particularly active in the 3D TSV sector. Of keynote speaker Timo Henttonen, Senior manager of packing at Microsoft, Guillou said: “For years, [he] has been a key person at Nokia in the packaging group driving new technology developments and implementing them in large volumes. Now, with Nokia’s mobile phone unit having been absorbed into Microsoft, what Timo will share with attendees should be a highlight of the Summit.” Also participating as keynote speakers will be Bryan Black, Senior Fellow at AMD and Bill Chen, Fellow and Senior Technical Advisor at ASE Group.Of the latter, Guillou says, “Bill rarely delivers talks in Europe, and I’m sure he will have key messages to pass on to attendees in his explanation of how ASE sees TSV contributing to their upcoming business activities.”

Along with keynote speakers, the conference will offer a host of invited speakers to discuss various topics that relate to 3D TSV. According to Yann Guillou, multiple criteria such as internationality and diversity of functions in the supply chain determine which speakers will be invited to present at the European 3D TSV Summit. To continue offering a program that deals with the most pressing challenges being faced by manufacturers, SEMI will include new subjects that have not been treated in previous editions of the Summit.

“For instance,” Mr. Guillou explains, “we wanted to have some presentations on ‘Interposers’, from a product and business perspective as well as from a technology perspective. In this regard, on the interposer technology side, we will take a closer look at the glass approach that is important not to neglect.”

For the first time ever, the Summit will also highlight 3D TSV technology in photonics hosting IBM and HP to present on the subject.

Since its debut, the organizers of the European 3D TSV Summit have insisted on the importance of presenting 3D TSV not only from a technology angle, but also from a business angle. “SEMI is a trade association,” states Guillou, “and one of our main goals is to inform and support our members in detecting business opportunities.” This year, SEMI will take this one step further, offering an entire Market Briefing dedicated to the outlook for the 2.5D and 3D markets, and hosting market analysts from Yole Développement, ATREG, TechSearch International and AlixPartners.

When asked what is unique about the event, Yann Guillou answers, “We are proposing a full ‘experience’ for attendees… The event is a unique combination of keynote and invited talks, industry-relevant panel discussion and a quite specialized exhibition that receives high foot traffic.” With over 330 attendees at each of the past two editions of the European 3D TSV Summit, it appears that the 3D TSV community has embraced the concept.

For more information about the European 3D TSV Summit, you can visit the website: www.semi.org/European3DTSVSummit

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $29.7 billion for the month of October 2014, an increase of 9.6 percent from the October 2013 total of $27.1 billion and an uptick of 1.5 percent compared to last month’s total of $29.2 billion.

Sales in the Americas increased 12.2 percent year-over-year in October, leading all regions. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. Additionally, a new WSTS industry forecast projects substantial growth for 2014 and moderate growth for 2015 and 2016.

“Year-over-year global semiconductor sales increased for the eighteenth straight month in October, and the industry is well-positioned for a strong close to 2014,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Sales continue to be strong across the board, with nearly all regions and product categories exhibiting increases. We expect nearly double-digit growth in 2014, followed by moderate growth in 2015 and 2016.”

Regionally, sequential monthly sales increased in the Americas (5.8 percent) and remained roughly flat in Asia Pacific (up 0.7 percent), Europe (down 0.1 percent), and Japan (down 0.6 percent). Compared to October 2013, sales increased in the Americas (12.2 percent) as noted above, Asia Pacific (12.1 percent), and Europe(5.2 percent), but decreased in Japan (-3 percent).

Additionally, SIA today endorsed the WSTS Autumn 2014 global semiconductor sales forecast, which projects the industry’s worldwide sales will reach $333.2 billion in 2014, a 9 percent increase from the 2013 sales total. WSTS predicts year-over-year increases for 2014 in Asia Pacific (11.4 percent), Europe (8.7 percent), the Americas (6.9 percent), and Japan (1.3 percent).

Beyond 2014, the industry is expected to grow steadily and moderately across all regions, according to the WSTS forecast. WSTS predicts 3.4 percent growth globally for 2015 ($344.5 billion in total sales) and 3.1 percent growth for 2016 ($355.3 billion). WSTS tabulates its semi-annual industry forecast by convening an extensive group of global semiconductor companies that provide accurate and timely indicators of semiconductor trends.

October 2014
Billions
Month-to-Month Sales
Market Last Month Current Month % Change
Americas 6.06 6.41 5.8%
Europe 3.21 3.21 -0.1%
Japan 3.03 3.01 -0.6%
Asia Pacific 16.93 17.05 0.7%
Total 29.23 29.69 1.5%
Year-to-Year Sales
Market Last Year Current Month % Change
Americas 5.71 6.41 12.2%
Europe 3.05 3.21 5.2%
Japan 3.11 3.01 -3.0%
Asia Pacific 15.22 17.05 12.1%
Total 27.09 29.69 9.6%
Three-Month-Moving Average Sales
Market May/Jun/Jul Aug/Sep/Oct % Change
Americas 5.47 6.41 17.2%
Europe 3.24 3.21 -1.1%
Japan 3.04 3.01 -0.9%
Asia Pacific 16.38 17.05 4.1%
Total 28.13 29.69 5.5%

WSTS Autumn 2014 Forecast

Autumn 2014 Amounts in US$M Year on Year Growth in %
2013 2014 2015 2016 2013 2014 2015 2016
Americas 61,496 65,763 69,274 71,432 13.1 6.9 5.3 3.1
Europe 34,883 37,923 38,491 39,732 5.2 8.7 1.5 3.2
Japan 34,795 35,239 35,133 35,452 15.2 1.3 -0.3 0.9
Asia Pacific 174,410 194,226 201,648 208,656 7.0 11.4 3.8 3.5
Total World – $M 305,584 333,151 344,547 355,272 4.8 9.0 3.4 3.1
Discrete Semiconductors 18,201 20,441 21,347 21,980 -4.9 12.3 4.4 3.0
Optoelectronics 27,571 29,498 30,958 31,983 5.3 7.0 4.9 3.3
Sensors 8,036 8,627 9,151 9,624 0.3 7.4 6.1 5.2
Integrated Circuits 251,776 274,586 283,090 291,685 5.7 9.1 3.1 3.0
Analog 40,117 44,217 47,429 49,175 2.1 10.2 7.3 3.7
Micro 58,688 62,211 63,144 64,240 -2.6 6.0 1.5 1.7
Logic 85,928 89,547 91,488 93,927 5.2 4.2 2.2 2.7
Memory 67,043 78,611 81,029 84,343 17.6 17.3 3.1 4.1
Total Products – $M 305,584 333,151 344,547 355,272 4.8 9.0 3.4 3.1

The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the United States. In 2013, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $155 billion, and semiconductors make the global trillion dollar electronics industry possible. Founded in 1977 by five microelectronics pioneers, SIA unites companies that account for 80 percent of America’s semiconductor production.

Scientists have developed a new light-sensitive film that could one day form the basis of a prosthetic retina to help people suffering from retinal damage or degeneration. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers collaborated with colleagues from Tel Aviv University and Newcastle University in the research, which was published in the journal Nano Letters.

The retina is a thin layer of tissue at the inner surface of the eye. Composed of light-sensitive nerve cells, it converts images to electrical impulses and sends them to the brain. Damage to the retina from macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and other conditions can reduce vision or cause total blindness. In the United States alone, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects as many as 15 million Americans, with over 200,000 new cases diagnosed every year.

Scientists are currently designing a variety of medical devices to counter the effects of retinal disorders by sending visual signals to the brain. But these silicon-chip based solutions are typically hampered by their size, use of rigid parts, or requirement of external wiring such as to energy sources.

Carbon nanotube-semiconductor nanocrystals film for light stimulation of the retina. Absorption of light by semiconductor nanorods attached to carbon nanotube film (upper right) results in retina stimulation (upper left). Reused and adapted with permission from Bareket, Waiskopf et al, Semiconductor Nanorod–Carbon Nanotube Biomimetic Films for Wire-Free Photostimulation of Blind Retinas. Nano Letters, 2014; 14 (11): 6685 DOI: 10.1021/nl5034304. Copyright (2014) American Chemical Society

In the new study, Hebrew University researchers collaborated with colleagues from Tel Aviv University and Newcastle University to develop a novel approach for retina stimulation. Their device absorbs light and stimulates neurons without using wires or external power sources.

The Hebrew University researchers are Prof. Uri Banin, the Alfred & Erica Larisch Memorial Chair in Solar Energy, and his graduate student Nir Waiskopf, at the Institute of Chemistry and the Harvey M. Krueger Family Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

The researchers combined semiconductor nanorods and carbon nanotubes to create a wireless, light-sensitive, flexible implantable film. The film transforms visual cues to electric signals, mimicking the function of the photo-sensitive cells in the retina. Therefore, it could potentially form part of a future prosthetic device that will replace the damaged cells in the retina.

The researchers tested the new device on light-insensitive retinas from embryonic chicks and observed a neuronal response triggered by light.

According to the researchers, the new device is compact, capable of higher resolution than previous designs, and is also more effective at stimulating neurons. While much work remains until this can provide a practical solution, with additional research the researchers hope their carbon nanotube-semiconductor nanocrystals film will one day effectively replace damaged retinas in humans.

Prof. Uri Banin of the Hebrew University said: “This is a pioneering work demonstrating the use of highly tailored semiconductor nanocrystals in activation of biomedical functionalities. We hope this can lead to future implementation of this approach in retinal implants.”

The researchers received funding from the Israel Ministry of Science and Technology, the European Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

The research was published in Nano Letters as “Semiconductor Nanorod-Carbon Nanotube Biomimetic Films for Wire-Free Photostimulation of Blind Retinas.”

AXSEM, a developer of lowest-power radio microcontrollers, and SIGFOX, a developer of cost-effective, energy-efficient Internet of Things connectivity, today announced that AXSEM’s system-on-chip (SoC) with an AX8052 microcontroller has been certified SIGFOX Ready for two-way connectivity.

AXSEM’s IC, library and development system enable IoT developers to easily use SIGFOX’s long-range, two-way wireless Internet-dedicated network with AXSEM’s superior lowest-power radio technology. This combination of low costs, lowest-power consumption and international coverage makes it the ideal solution for environmental sensors, smart meters, patient monitors, security devices, streetlights and many more applications.

The SIGFOX network eliminates the cost and energy-use barriers to wide implementation of IoT and M2M solutions by providing small-message communication and greatly extending the battery and service life of connected devices.

“AXSEM was very early to recognize and respond to the demand for transceivers that provide extremely low-power, wireless connectivity for the Internet of Things,” said Stuart Lodge, executive vice president of global sales at SIGFOX. “Our network requires a reliable supply of high-performance, low-cost and extremely energy-efficient integrated circuits, and our collaboration with AXSEM helps assure those solutions will be available to our customers.”

“AXSEM is focused on enabling IoT developers with easy-to-use development tools to bring their SIGFOX devices quickly to the market,” said Dr. Thomas Wolff, CEO of AXSEM. “Our AX8052F143 lowest-power radio microcontroller solution gives those developers robust and reliable two-way connectivity to the SIGFOX global network.”

The AXSEM AX8052F143 receives with 9.5 mA current and -129 dBm sensitivity at 600 bps GFSK. The chip features a 6 dBm transmitter with only 10 mA current consumption or 16 dBm with 45 mA, enabling designers to maximize battery life while extending communication range. A frequency range from 27 to 1050 MHz completes the excellence of the device and has made the AX8052F143 an industry-leading performer for the past three years.