Category Archives: MEMS

As Bosch, InvenSense and STMicroelectronics continue to go head-to-head in an attempt to capture the biggest shares of the growing MEMS market, SEMI has announced that it will bring these MEMS giants together in an unprecedented European conference & exhibition to discuss the future of MEMS and Sensors.

The SEMI European MEMS Summit will take place on September 17-18, 2015 in Milan Italy. Featuring international speakers, exhibitors and attendees, the event is expected to tackle the most pressing issues currently facing the industry. Click here for a detailed agenda and to register.

Sensing the Planet, MEMS for Life

SEMI will be hosting some of the most influential decision-makers in MEMS and Sensors as they discuss the European MEMS Summit’s theme: Sensing the Planet, MEMS for Life. Constant innovation in the realm of MEMS is helping to define a new relationship between people, their devices and the world around them, a world that they can now sense, measure and monitor with just the push of a button. A few kilometers away, cultural and political figures from around the globe at Milan EXPO 2015, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life – insisting on the need for more intelligent resource distribution. It is not a stretch to think that MEMS technology will be instrumental in the efficient management of our planet’s resources in years to come.

SEMI endeavors to give its members and the ecosystem in the industry a platform for presenting some of the most important challenges and promising technologies that will define the future development of MEMS and Sensors.

What to expect from the European MEMS Summit conference

Business

Yole Développement recently announced that the MEMS market is projected to grow to $22 billion by 2018. Applications for MEMS continue to expand in the automotive and personal electronics sectors, giving MEMS manufacturers a favorable environment for growth. In this growing market, what are the most promising business prospects and of which opportunities do companies need to take advantage?

SEMI will give attendees an in-depth view of the challenges and opportunities for the MEMS industry today. Attendees will hear from six experts, including keynote speaker Benedetto Vigna, Executive VP of STMicroelectronics, who will share their insights into the business of MEMS today. Speakers will share, among other things, strategies for improving the MEMS value chain, the opportunities and risks associated with the development of highly individualized MEMS devices and the important innovations in the sector that will present big opportunities in the near future.  Of note: a presentation from SITRI will demonstrate China’s ambitious investment in microelectronics these days and the country’s deep interest in sharing their development of MEMS and Sensors with European and international companies.  Not coincidentally, a Chinese delegation composed of domestic device makers, foundries, OSAT and equipment suppliers will be present at the Summit to meet with members of the European industry.

Technology

Conference-goers will also learn all about the today’s cutting-edge innovations & processes in the development of MEMS devices. The segment will include a keynote address by Kees Joosse of TSMC Europe. Invited speakers will discuss current MEMS technology and the trends on the horizon that will make MEMS smaller, smarter and less expensive. Most notably, attendees will hear about MEMS and CMOS co-integration, sensors hubs and sensor fusion, MEMS manufacturing on 300mm wafers, thin film piezoelectric and magnetic materials, TSV/TGV, interposers, and Wafer Level Packaging. TSMC, ASE, Silex, CEA-Leti and STMicroelectronics will be among the companies addressing the above-mentioned topics.

Applications

The key for the continued growth of the MEMS sector is the increasing pervasiveness of the technology in everyday devices and its now systematic integration into new devices. The applicative segments of the MEMS Summit will focus on the IoT, consumer electronics, wearables and the automotive sector, with keynote talks given by Bosch Sensortec’s CEO and GM, Steffen Finkbeiner and InvenSense’s CEO, Behrooz Abdi. Finkbeiner and Abdi will respectively talk about “MEMS Sensors: Enabler of the IoT” and “Internet of Sensors”, each sharing his vision of the current state and the potential evolution of the IoT. In addition, speakers from ams AG and ARM will share their viewpoints and value propositions for the IoT. Infineon and Huawei will also be present to give talks on consumer electronics.

The session will end with a noteworthy session dealing with the changes in the MEMS automotive landscape, featuring James Bates, VP Sensor and Analog at Freescale, Gina-Maria Espinoza-Garcia from Sensata (the new number 2 company in Automotive MEMS) and Jérémie Bouchaud from IHS.

More than just a conference!

In addition to a high-caliber conference, the European MEMS Summit will offer an industry exhibition as well as a wealth of good networking opportunities. The exhibition will host 30 companies that are important actors in the field of MEMS. A series of coffee and lunch breaks will give visitors a chance to acquaint themselves with the summit exhibitors and their products, and will also give them the opportunity to meet fellow colleagues working in MEMS. Held at the Atahotel Expo Fiera, attendees will be just steps away from EXPO 2015, Milan’s Universal Exposition.

Join SEMI for this important industry event to stay on the cutting edge of MEMS & Sensor technology!

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. today announced a new family of Energy Harvesting Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMICs) that enable tiny, solar-powered wireless sensors for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The new devices are the world’s lowest-power, single-chip Energy Harvesting PMICs, and can be used with solar cells as small as 1 cm(2). The new PMIC devices are fully integrated, making them ideal for batteryless Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSNs) that monitor physical and environmental conditions for smart homes, commercial buildings, factories, infrastructure and agriculture.  Cypress offers a complete, battery-free Energy Harvesting solution that pairs the S6AE101A PMIC, the first device in the new family, with the EZ-BLE PRoC module for Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity, along with supporting software, in a $49 kit.

The WSN IoT device market is expected to grow to more than 5 billion units by 2020, putting a premium on battery-free implementations to reduce cost and maintenance problems. The placement of a WSN may limit its size and the amount of light available, thereby limiting the size and power output of the solar module and the startup power available for the Energy Harvesting PMIC. The new Cypress Energy Harvesting PMIC devices address these challenges with startup power of 1.2uW–4x lower than the nearest competitor–and consumption current as low as 250nA, maximizing the power available for the sensing, processing and communications functions of a target application. The fully-certified, small-form-factor EZ-BLE PRoC module, which is based on Cypress’s PRoC BLE Programmable Radio-on-Chip solution, works with the PMIC devices to contribute to the low power and ease-of-use of an energy harvesting system solution.

“The most compelling new Wireless Sensor Nodes that will drive IoT growth are self-powered, can be deployed anywhere for more than 10 years, and require minimal deployment and maintenance costs,” said Kiyoe Nagaya, vice president of the Analog Business Unit at Cypress. “Using our new Energy Harvesting PMIC and EZ-BLE PRoC Bluetooth Smart module, Cypress offers a complete solution that enables developers to create solar-powered WSNs for batteryless IoT devices.”

Startups and small electronics companies spent $78.3 billion on semiconductors in 2014, representing 23 percent of the total market, compelling semiconductor companies to revisit their sales strategy to focus on the large number of smaller organizations than relying on big deals from large customers, research firm Gartner said.

Gartner estimates that there are more than 165,000 companies that buy semiconductor chips around the world: The top 10 spend nearly 40 percent of the total semiconductor revenue; the top 11 to 100 spend about 30 percent; and the remainder spend 30 percent.

Despite the top 10 accounting for such a large percentage of the market, some of the largest customers have decreased orders in the past five years, challenging the semiconductor vendors that mainly supplied to them.

While Samsung and Apple have significantly increased orders in the same period due to success in the smartphone market, semiconductor vendors are concerned about the risk of relying on large customers such as these.

“The industry has seen some fairly significant disruption in recent years, which has highlighted the risks associated with semiconductor vendors putting all of their focus on a limited number of large customers, when small companies offer highly profitable and stable growth,” said Masatsune Yamaji, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner. “To overcome the risk, some semiconductor vendors have tried to increase their business with small customers, while others are also realizing that they should adjust their strategies to do this.”

China is the fastest-growing among the major small-customer regions, with spending by these organizations on semiconductors growing from US$7.5 billion in 2007 to US$14.9 billion in 2014; growth in the smartphone and media tablet markets has been strong. In the Americas, EMEA and Japan, revenue from each customer is small, but the total market size of small customers is big due to the large number of such customers.

Gartner maintains that the number of customers will significantly increase after 2017, due to future growth of the electronics market and the increase in the number of Internet of Things solutions. It is anticipated that the maker movement, which creates and markets products that are recreated and assembled using unused, discarded or broken products from computer-related devices, will drive the foundation of startups and growth of small customers.

According to Gartner, big deals are not confined to large organizations, with many successful vendors having success in the small-customer market by leveraging distributors. Limited sales resources can be compensated for by aligning with good sales partners. Strong adherence to direct sales restricts the opportunities with small customers, especially among general-purpose semiconductor vendors. In fact, semiconductor distributors earn a large part of their revenue from general-purpose semiconductors.

“Semiconductor vendors should focus more on the high-tier customers and outsource sales activities with small customers to distributors,” said Yamaji. “Distributors can bring various products to market at the same time, so this outsourcing will reduce the load, not just for semiconductor vendors, but also for customers. Some distributors offer end-of-life product delivery services, so vendors should partner with these distributors to help small customers avoid having to order excessive loads.”

Gartner recommends that vendors need to evaluate how much revenue can be expected, compared with the large customers. The importance of the small customers for each vendor differs by its product type and its target sales region, so vendors need to have their own unique goals in the small-customer market.

“Before jumping in, semiconductor vendors also need to be aware of the risks associated with the small-company market, which is prone to shrinking when the macro economy weakens,” said Yamaji. “Revenue can also shrink even faster than large customers in many cases, so it is important to be aware of risk levels regarding any revenue decline. Vendors can reduce the risks by diversifying their customer base, which can spread the liability to allow for lost orders.”

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.59 billion in orders worldwide in July 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.02, according to the July EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 1.02 means that $102 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in July 2015 was $1.59 billion. The bookings figure is 5.1 percent higher than the final June 2015 level of $1.52 billion, and is 12.5 percent higher than the July 2014 order level of $1.42 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in July 2015 was $1.56 billion. The billings figure is 0.3 percent higher than the final June 2015 level of $1.55 billion, and is 18.2 percent higher than the July 2014 billings level of $1.32 billion.

“Year-to-date, the bookings and billings reported in the SEMI North American equipment book-to-bill report indicate a solid year for the industry,” said SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk. “The outlook for the remainder of the year is somewhat clouded, but we see investments in 3D NAND and advanced packaging as drivers.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Billings
(3-mo. avg)

Bookings
(3-mo. avg)

Book-to-Bill
February 2015 

$1,280.1

$1,313.7

1.03
March 2015 

$1,265.6

$1,392.7

1.10
April 2015 

$1,515.3

$1,573.7

1.04
May 2015 

$1,557.3

$1,546.2

0.99
June 2015 (final)

$1,554.9

$1,517.4

0.98
July 2015 (prelim)

$1,559.3

$1,594.3

1.02

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), August 2015

Microcontrollers are in the middle of an incredible wave of unit growth, but unprecedented price erosion is keeping a lid on the increase of revenues, according to IC Insights’ Mid-Year Update to its 2015 McClean Report on the integrated circuit industry.  The mid-year forecast shows microcontroller shipments rising 33 percent in 2015 to 25.4 billion MCUs worldwide as a result of a tremendous upsurge in units for smartcards and 32-bit applications—many of which are aimed at the Internet of Things (IoT) market.

Despite the blistering pace of unit growth, dollar-volume sales of MCUs are now expected to rise by just 4 percent in 2015, reaching a new record high of $16.6 billion from about $15.9 billion in 2014, when total MCU revenues also increased 4 percent.  As seen in Figure 1, average selling prices for microcontrollers are expected to continue plunging with ASPs nose-diving 21 percent in 2015 to $0.65 compared to $0.83 in 2014, when the ASP for MCUs fell 12 percent.  IC Insights’ Mid-Year Update forecasts a 14 percent drop in MCU ASPs in 2016 with microcontroller revenue growing 7 percent to $17.7 billion and unit shipments climbing 25 percent to 31.6 billion worldwide.

Starting in 2014, microcontroller unit growth accelerated, driven by rocketing shipments of low-cost MCUs used in smartcards for protection in electronic banking and credit-card transactions, mass-transit fares, government IDs (such as electronic passports), medical records, and security applications.  After a 26 percent increase in 2014, smartcard MCU shipments are now expected to surge by 41 percent in 2015 to 12.9 billion units worldwide, followed by 25 percent growth in 2016 to 16.1 billion.

The mid-year forecast significantly raises the projection for smartcard MCU shipments through 2019 as U.S. credit card companies, banks, retailers, government agencies, and other industry sectors begin to broadly adopt secure “chip-card” technology, much like Europe and other country markets have done since the 1990s. In the U.S., massive data breaches in credit card transactions at retail stores and growing concerns about identity theft have finally resulted a major move to smartcards for higher levels of security, anti-fraud encryption, and greater protection of lost or stolen debit and credit cards.

mcu unit shipments

While price erosion weighs on total MCU sales growth, total microcontroller shipments are also accelerating because of strong demand for 32-bit designs and other single-chip solutions that can serve the explosion of sensors in wireless systems and connection to the Internet of Things. IoT-related MCU sales are forecast to grow 16 percent in 2015 to $405 million with unit shipments climbing 40 percent to 431 million.

The global market for semiconductors used in smart meters that provide two-way communications between meters and utilities will continue to expand in the coming years, providing significant growth opportunities semiconductor manufacturers. Shipments of communicating meters are forecast to reach 132 million units in 2015 and 150 million units in 2019, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

Global revenues for semiconductors used in water, gas and electric meters reached $1.2 billion in 2014, with a year-over-year growth of 11 percent and a five-year compound annual growth rate of 8 percent. The average semiconductor cost in two-way meters was approximately $11 in 2014. Average selling prices (ASPs) are expected to increase over time, as industry needs increase for 32-bit micro-controller units (MCUs), memory chips, single system-on-chip (SoC) solutions and other components used in secured communications and other applications.

Based on the latest information from the IHS Industrial Semiconductor Market Tracker, the demand for precise energy measurement and communication has increased the penetration of micro-component integrated circuits (ICs), along with analog ICs. In fact, two thirds of meter semiconductor revenue comes from microcontroller and analog components.

“The semiconductor industry for electric meters is moving toward a single-chip solution for measuring and communicating with the grid station, which is an important industry trend to watch,” said Robbie Galoso, associate director, semiconductor market shares and industrial electronics for IHS Technology. “Water and gas meters require fewer semiconductor components; however, they need extra semiconductors for sensing and battery management.”

Meters installed in the latter half of this decade will require greater application complexity, better security, improved communication ability, enhanced remote control ability and higher resolution. That means increased need for memory and system-on-chip (SoC) solutions with greater capabilities in a smaller package than in the past.

Meters are evolving from those that merely register end-user usage, into complicated machines that can be queried for on-demand data, upgraded remotely, shut off in case of emergency or non-payment and used for variable pricing. “The movement from 8-bit MCUs to higher margin 32-bit MCUs is a key industry trend,” said Noman Akhtar, analyst for IHS Technology. “The integration of these higher function microcontroller units also requires additional capabilities, such as increased memory, which further increases manufacturing costs.”

Smart_Semis_Chart

MEMS Industry Group (MIG)’s next MEMS Executive Congress US 2015 — the annual business conference and networking event for the MEMS and sensors industry, November 4-6, 2015 in Napa, CA — will explore the market drivers behind the double-digit growth propelling MEMS and sensors to more than $20+ billion by 2020.

“From the smart home and the highway to the factory floor and the hospital, tens of billions of MEMS and sensors add greater intelligence to the ways we live our lives and do our work,” said Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS Industry Group. “As the year’s ‘touchpoint’ event for the sellers and buyers of MEMS/sensors technology, MEMS Executive Congress US attracts forward-thinking executives who want to interact with innovative speakers, business partners, and even competitors, all involved in using MEMS/sensors to transform the human experience.”

Ms. Lightman pointed out that the dramatic growth in the MEMS market alone should reach nearly 25 billion units annually by 2019, according to the market research firm IHS2. “And if we add a selection of sensors — magnetic sensors, light sensors and emerging sensors for consumer applications, such as fingerprint sensors — we are looking at an additional 5+ billion units by that time. That’s a massive number of MEMS/sensors adding product-differentiating value to commercial applications just four years from today.”

Keynotes

Featured Speakers

Panels

Featured Events
MIG’s fifth annual MEMS and Sensors Technology Showcase provides Congress attendees an up-close experience with some of the coolest new MEMS- and sensors-enabled products ever invented. After interactive demo sessions and conference-wide presentations, attendees will vote on a winner.

MIG’s third annual Elevator Pitch Session gives entrepreneurs and startups a forum for pitching their products and ideas to a seasoned panel of industry veterans and investors. It also offers exposure to the biggest gathering of MEMS and sensors executives in North America. Elevator Pitch Session finalists will try to impress Judges Silicon Catalyst CEO and Co-founder Dan Armbrust, Nasiri Ventures Principal Steve Nasiri, and Silicon Valley Band of Angels Member Kurt Petersen as they jockey for the top spot.

MIG’s annual Best in MEMS and Sensors Innovation Awards (MEMSies) will recognize outstanding achievements in the MEMS and sensors industry.

For the complete agenda, visit: http://us2015.memscongress.com/agenda/

SUSS MicroTec, a global supplier of equipment and process solutions for the semiconductor industry and related markets, and the Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) are announcing a cooperation agreement in the field of nanoimprint technologies. As part of this cooperation, Penn has recently received the equipment set and the technology know-how for Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography (SCIL), that will expand the capabilities of the recently installed MA/BA6 Gen3 Mask Aligner from SUSS MicroTec at Penn.

Substrate Conformal Imprint Lithography (SCIL) is a nanoimprint technique combining the advantages of both soft and rigid stamps, allowing large-area patterning and sub-50nm resolution to be achieved at the same time. SCIL is applied in diverse fields, ranging from HB LEDs, Photovoltaics, MEMS, NEMS and mass production of optical gratings for gas sensing and telecommunications.

The Singh Center for Nanotechnology will implement SCIL for use in plasmonic devices, semiconductor nanowires, flexible nanocrystal electronics, biodegradable sensors and MEMS batteries.  In addition, Lithography Manager Dr. Gerald Lopez will lead the Center’s efforts in qualifying new nanoimprint materials and related process technology development in close cooperation with SUSS MicroTec.

As a further important part of the cooperation, SUSS MicroTec`s customers will gain direct access to the cleanroom facilities and the equipment set installed at Penn, serving as a demonstration center for North American customers. The experience and high technology level of Penn allows the customer to see the entire process flow, the imprinting process itself and the subsequent steps up to a finished device.

“We are pleased to collaborate with SUSS MicroTec for developing applications with SCIL. By combining our strengths in micro- and nanofabrication, we are able to provide superior nanoimprint capabilities to our researchers,” stated Professor Mark Allen, Scientific Director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology and Alfred Fitler Moore, Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering. “This industrial partnership enhances our ability to demonstrate how nanoimprint technology serves as a catalyst in research and its translation into the commercial sector.”

“We are very happy about the cooperation with the Singh Center for Nanotechnology. Their work will contribute strongly to further commercialize this large area nano-patterning technique in order to accelerate the adoption for volume production. In addition, our customers do not just benefit from the possibility to use Penn’s facilities and get insights to the entire imprinting process, but also from Penn´s knowledge, by having an experienced partner at hand”, says Ralph Zoberbier, General Manager Exposure and Laser Processing of SUSS MicroTec.“

Nano-electronics research center imec announced today that it is extending its Gallium Nitride-on-Silicon (GaN-on-Si) R&D program, and is now offering joint research on GaN-on-Si 200mm epitaxy and enhancement mode device technology. The extended R&D initiative includes exploration of novel substrates to improve the quality of the epitaxial layers, new isolation modules to increase the level of integration, and the development of advanced vertical devices. Imec welcomes new partners interested in next generation GaN technologies and companies looking for low-volume manufacturing of GaN-on-Si devices to enable the next generation of more efficient and compact power converters.

next gen GaN imec

GaN technology offers faster switching power devices with higher breakdown voltage and lower on-resistance than silicon, making it an outstanding material for advanced power electronic components. Imec’s R&D program on GaN-on-Si was launched to develop a GaN-on-Si process and bring GaN technology towards industrialization. Building on imec’s excellent track record in GaN epi-layer growth, new device concepts and CMOS device integration, imec has now developed a complete 200mm CMOS-compatible GaN process line. Imec’s GaN-on-Si technology is reaching maturity, and companies can gain access to the platform by joining imec’s GaN-on-Si industrial affiliation program (IIAP). The process line is also open to fabless companies interested in low-volume production of GaN-on-Si devices tailored to their specific needs, through dedicated development projects.

Imec’s portfolio includes three types of buffers optimized for breakdown voltage and low traps-related phenomena (i.e. current dispersion): a step graded AlGaN buffer, a super lattice buffer, and a buffer with low-temperature AlN interlayers. Imec explored side-by-side enhancement mode power devices of the MISHEMT and p-GaN HEMT type, as well as a gate-edge terminated Schottky power diode featuring low reverse leakage and low turn-on voltage.

The latest generation of imec enhancement mode power devices shows a threshold voltage beyond +2V, an on-resistance below 10 ohm mm and output current beyond 450 mA/mm. These devices represents the state of the art of enhancement mode power devices.

In this next phase of the GaN program, imec is focusing on further improving the performance and reliability of its current power devices, while in parallel pushing the boundaries of the technology through innovation in substrate technology, higher levels of integration and exploration of novel device architectures.

“Since the program’s launch in July 2009, we have benefited from strong industry engagement, including participation from IDMs, epi-vendors and equipment and material suppliers. This underscores the industrial relevance of our offering,” stated Rudi Cartuyvels, executive vice president of smart systems at imec. “Interested companies are invited to become a partner and actively participate in our program. Imec’s open innovation model allows companies to have early access to next-generation devices and power electronics processes, equipment and technologies and speed up innovation at shared cost.”

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased during the second quarter 2015 when compared to first quarter area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,702 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 2.5 percent increase from the 2,637 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter resulting in a new quarterly volume shipment record. New quarterly total area shipments are 4.4 percent higher than second quarter 2014 shipments. First half 2015 shipments are 7.8 percent higher than the first half of 2014.

“For two consecutive quarters, strong silicon shipment growth has been recorded by the Silicon Manufacturers Group,” said Ginji Yada, chairman of SEMI SMG and general manager, International Sales & Marketing Department of SUMCO Corporation. “Continued growth off of the record level shipped in the first quarter, produced another record level of shipments in the most recent quarter.”

Quarterly Silicon* Area Shipment Trends

 Million Square Inches

 
 Q2-2014

 

  Q1-2015  Q2-2015  1H-2014  1H-2015
Total

 

 2,587 2,637 2,702 4,951 5,339

*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or “chips” are fabricated.

All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.

The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.  For more information on SEMI, visit www.semi.org.