Category Archives: Advanced Packaging

Only light, aerial oxygen, and a catalyst are needed to remove pollutants from water. Ruhr-Universitat Bochum researchers led by Professor Radim Beránek are collaborating with colleagues from seven different countries in order to develop a photocatalyst that is efficient enough to be profitable. For that purpose, they combine sunlight-absorbing semiconductors and nanostructured materials which they optimize for electron transfer processes. The aim is to implement the newly developed photocatalysts into a liquid paint with which photoreactors can easily be coated. The EU supports the project within its 7th Framework Programme (FP7) with 3.7 million Euro funding for three years.

Current problems of photocatalysis

People from many countries of the world extensively use pesticides, which contaminate drinking and irrigation water with toxic organic compounds. In rural areas of Vietnam, herbicides and dioxins, resistant to degradation, made their way into the water cycle during the Vietnam War. The results can be devastating. People who drink this contaminated water are at a higher risk of developing cancer, and pregnant women may put their newborn at risk for birth defects, in worst case scenarios.

“Photocatalysis is potentially one of the cheapest and most efficient methods for purifying water from pollutants,” Radim Beránek says.

Sunlight and oxygen establish oxidizing conditions, under which toxins are easily degraded into non-harmful substances like water and carbon dioxide. Up until now, the process, however, faces two problems: degradation rates are too low and assembly of the needed photoreactors is too expensive.

The aim: cheeper and more efficient catalysts

Within the project “4G-PHOTOCAT,” the researchers aim to develop cost-efficient photocatalysts with a considerably improved degradation rate. They fabricate innovative composite materials consisting of semiconductors and nanostructured metal oxides. In order to achieve the optimal architecture for the product, they employ advanced chemical deposition techniques with a high degree of control over composition and morphology.

“Our ultimate goal is to implement the newly developed photocatalysts into a liquid paint,” Radim Beránek says. “Photoreactors painted with that liquid can be used, for example, for water decontamination in remote rural areas of Vietnam.”

Collaborators

“4G-PHOTOCAT “allies the expertise of seven academic and three industrial partners from five European countries and two Southeast Asian countries. At the RUB, Beránek collaborates with Professor Dr. Roland A. Fischer (Inorganic Chemistry II), Professor Dr. Martin Muhler, and Dr. Jennifer Strunk (Industrial Chemistry). The international collaborators include scientists from the University College London, J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry in Prague, Jagiellonian University Krakow, University of Helsinki, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and Hanoi University of Agriculture. Furthermore, industrial partners from Finland (Picosun), Czech Republic (Advanced Materials), and Vietnam (Q&A) have joined the team.

The ability to improve silicon transistors is reaching its fundamental limit, so researchers are searching for new ways to keep making electronic devices faster and more powerful. University of Nebraska-Lincoln physicists and colleagues have taken a major step toward breaking that silicon barrier.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln physicists (from left) Evgeny Tsymbal, John D. Burton and Alexei Gruverman in the UNL Materials Research Science and Education Center’s Thin Film Growth and Characterization Facility. (Photo by Craig Chandler/University Communications)

UNL physicist Evgeny Tsymbal and colleagues demonstrated that a nanostructure with unique properties may hold the key to creating much smaller, more powerful electronics. They reported their findings in Nature Materials, published online this week. This work builds on predictions by Tsymbal, Bessey Professor of Physics and Astronomy and director of UNL’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, and colleague John D. Burton, reported in Physical Review Letters in 2011.

They had theorized that a layer of ferroelectric oxide just a few atoms thick could be exploited as a memory element to store more digital information using less energy than silicon-based memories. Using quantum theories and super computers at the university’s Holland Computing Center, they predicted how a ferroelectric memory element would behave.

Then they asked experimentalist Qi Li at Pennsylvania State University, UNL physicist Alexei Gruverman and colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn., and at universities in China and Korea to put their theories to the test. Those results proved the researchers’ predictions correct.

The theory is based, in part, on a phenomenon called quantum tunneling, in which particles can pass through a barrier only at the quantum, or atomic, level. To develop a new generation of electronics, scientists are experimenting with tunnel junctions, in which an ultra-thin barrier is placed between two electrodes. When voltage is applied, electrons are able to tunnel through the barrier, creating a current with resistance.

Tsymbal and colleagues created a tunnel junction using nano-thin ferroelectric oxide, a material with both positive and negative polarization directions, which can be reversed by switching the voltage charge. They have shown that reversing the polarization changes the resistance through the tunnel junction by 100 times, a difference large enough to easily measure.

These ferroelectric properties are important because its two polarization directions could be read across regions like a binary code to store information. Tsymbal’s team has shown that the measurable difference in resistance could be used to detect polarization directions.

Current silicon-based devices require large currents, so the size of the space between regions must be big enough to accommodate the heat that’s generated. Because a ferroelectric device would use less energy, it would allow for more regions in a much smaller space, which would enable more compact and powerful devices.

Such a device won’t hit stores anytime soon, however. The effect only works up to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"For applications, you obviously want to have this change in resistance at room temperature," Tsymbal said. "This can’t be used immediately, but it shows some new directions to pursue."

Next, UNL’s team will investigate other geometric and material configurations to find alternatives with greater applicability. Gruverman and Tsymbal also are exploring something called memristor. Rather than abruptly reversing polarization between two directions, memristor would allow changing polarization, and therefore resistance, continuously.

"Changing in a continuous way offers many stages of resistance and that will allow us to see more interesting physics and applications," Tsymbal said.

Co-authors are: UNL’s Tysmbal, Burton and Gruverman; Li of Penn State; Y.W. Yin, Penn State and the Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale at the University of Science and Technology of China; X.G. Li, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale at the University of Science and Technology of China; Y-M. Kim, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Seoul National University, Korea; A.Y. Borisevich and S.J. Pennycook, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and S.M. Yang and T.W. Noh, Seoul National University.

Grants from UNL’s National Science Foundation-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center and the NSF’s Nebraska Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research help support this research.

 

The quantum dot recently emerged as a next-generation display material. Quantum dots, whose diameter is just a few nanometers, are semiconductor crystals. The smaller its particle is, the more short-wavelength light are emitted; the larger its particle is, the more long-wavelength lights get emitted. Considering that there are more advantages with the quantum dots over conventional light sources, it is not surprising that the quantum dot display gains a lot of attention.
 
The quantum dot display consumes lower power and has a richer color than the conventional OLED. In addition, the white light produced by quantum dots has high brightness and excellent color reproduction, raising its potential to replace the backlight unit (BLU) using the LED. Not surprisingly, leading companies in the display industry are accelerating to secure relevant technologies.

Analysis of Patent Application Trends
By country, 93 patents (or 34%) were filed in South Korea, 87 in the U.S., 36 in Japan, 22 in Europe, and 35 under the PCT. By technology, patents on quantum dot light emitting diodes (QLED) technology (188 patents, 69%) were applied the most, followed by those on BLU using the white light source; quantum dot display; and LED-using white light source technologies.  

Implications
As the quantum dot display has emerged as the next-generation display technology ever since the OLED, the leading companies in the display industry, including Samsung and LG, are making aggressive investment to take a lead in the technology. They not only develop their own technologies, but also purchase patents from; make technology licensing agreements with; or make equity investment in the companies of the field.

The competition to obtain key patents on the quantum dot display is expected to only increase. Monitoring published/issued patents on a regular basis and having a thorough analysis on them have become more important. 

Key Patent Report – Quantum Dot Display covers patent application trends and an in-depth analysis.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of Jain PharmaBiotech’s new report Nanobiotechnology Applications, Markets and Companies to their offering.

Photo by cenews via Creative Commons

Nanotechnology is the creation and utilization of materials, devices, and systems through the control of matter on the nanometer-length scale. Nanobiotechnology, an integration of physical sciences, molecular engineering, biology, chemistry and biotechnology holds considerable promise of advances in pharmaceuticals and healthcare. The report starts with an introduction to various techniques and materials that are relevant to nanobiotechnology. It includes some of the physical forms of energy such as nanolasers. Some of the technologies are scaling down such as microfluidics to nanofluidic biochips and others are constructions from bottom up. Application in life sciences research, particularly at the cell level sets the stage for role of nanobiotechnology in healthcare in subsequent chapters.

Some of the earliest applications are in molecular diagnostics. Nanoparticles, particularly quantum dots, are playing important roles. In vitro diagnostics, does not have any of the safety concerns associated with the fate of nanoparticles introduced into the human body. Numerous nanodevices and nanosystems for sequencing single molecules of DNA are feasible. Various nanodiagnostics that have been reviewed will improve the sensitivity and extend the present limits of molecular diagnostics.

An increasing use of nanobiotechnology by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is anticipated. Nanotechnology will be applied at all stages of drug development – from formulations for optimal delivery to diagnostic applications in clinical trials. Many of the assays based on nanobiotechnology will enable high-throughput screening. Some of nanostructures such as fullerenes are themselves drug candidates as they allow precise grafting of active chemical groups in three-dimensional orientations. The most important pharmaceutical applications are in drug delivery. Apart from offering a solution to solubility problems, nanobiotechnology provides and intracellular delivery possibilities. Skin penetration is improved in transdermal drug delivery. A particularly effective application is as nonviral gene therapy vectors. Nanotechnology has the potential to provide controlled release devices with autonomous operation guided by the needs.

Nanomedicine is now within the realm of reality starting with nanodiagnostics and drug delivery facilitated by nanobiotechnology. Miniature devices such as nanorobots could carry out integrated diagnosis and therapy by refined and minimally invasive procedures, nanosurgery, as an alternative to crude surgery. Applications of nanobiotechnology are described according to various therapeutic systems. Nanotechnology will markedly improve the implants and tissue engineering approaches as well. Other applications such as for management of biological warfare injuries and poisoning are included. Contribution of nanobiotechnology to nutrition and public health such as supply of purified water are also included.

There is some concern about the safety of nanoparticles introduced in the human body and released into the environment. Research is underway to address these issues. As yet there are no FDA directives to regulate nanobiotechnology but as products are ready to enter market, these are expected to be in place.

Future nanobiotechnology markets are calculated on the basis of the background markets in the areas of application and the share of this market by new technologies and state of development at any given year in the future. This is based on a comprehensive and thorough review of the current status of nanobiotechnology, research work in progress and anticipated progress. There is definite indication of large growth of the market, but it will be uneven and cannot be plotted as a steady growth curve. Marketing estimates are given according to areas of application, technologies and geographical distribution starting with 2012. The largest expansion is expected between the years 2017 and 2022.

AMOLED screens unveiled at CESAlthough active-matrix organic light-emitting-diode (AMOLED) televisions headlined last month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), shipments of these high-end panels will remain limited in the coming years, according to the Displaybank at information and analytics provider IHS (NYSE: IHS).

Shipments of AMOLED TV panels are expected to climb to 1.7 million units in 2015, up from 1,600 in 2013. While the jump in shipments is large, the total number of AMOLED panels by that time remains negligible compared to the vast number of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels being shipped.

Worldwide Forecast of AMOLED TV Panel Shipment (Millions of Units)

CES featured AMOLED TVs from leading manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Panasonic and Sony, generating major excitement at the event, according to Displaybank.

“But despite ongoing efforts among these companies to achieve mass production and lower cost via various technology options, it is unlikely that most of the AMOLED TV prototypes announced at CES will be available in the market this year. The limited availability and high pricing of AMOLED TVs will restrict their shipments during the next few years.”

The only AMOLED TV likely to ship this year will be LG’s 55-inch flat Full HD model, the 55EM9700.

AMOLED bonanza at CES

Staking competing claims to be the first and largest in the world, 56-inch 4K AMOLED TV prototypes were each shown by Panasonic and Sony at the Las Vegas event. The sets boasted four times—hence, 4K—the resolution of current 1080p televisions. For the 4K OLED samples, both manufacturers used oxide thin-film-transistor (TFT) backplanes, which present lower manufacturing costs than low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplanes.

Panasonic used the printing method on its 4K AMOLED TV, a simpler printing technology, making OLED production adaptable for a wider range of display sizes. In contrast, Sony used evaporation technology to deposit organic material in its top-emitting White OLED structure with a color filter. The panel was provided by AUO of Taiwan, which at the show also introduced its own 32-inch oxide TFT backplane with White OLED structure TV. Sony’s emission technology optimizes the OLED structure, which helps achieve better light management, enhances color purity and achieves higher contrast at lower power consumption levels.

Using different technological approaches, Sony and Panasonic were both able to make ultra-high-definition (UHD) 56-inch displays that reached 79 pixels per inch—twice the density of 55-inch full high-definition (FHD) displays used in the OLED TVs from LG and Samsung. For their part, Samsung and LG showed off 55-inch 3-D, FHD sets with AMOLED technology, coinciding with news that LG’s FHD TV will be available on the market by the first quarter this year. LG’s AMOLED TV utilized oxide TFT backplanes and the White OLED evaporation method, as it did in a prototype presented last year, eliminating the need for fine metal mask technology in OLED production.

White OLED provides an easier way to mass-produce OLED panels

Samsung, in contrast, used the LTPS TFT backplane and the RGB OLED evaporation method in its AMOLED TV prototype, similar likewise to what it did last year. Mainly applied in small- and medium-sized displays, sets with LTPS TFT backplanes and RGB OLED evaporation exhibit improved OLED performance, it is generally agreed. But with low yields and high costs, Samsung may find it difficult to launch AMOLED TVs in 2013 using these technologies.

Both Samsung and LG also unveiled their own curved 55-inch AMOLED TV prototypes at CES, with the sets boasting a 4-meter radius of curvature and Full HD resolution. Meanwhile, the success of Samsung and LG in implementing a large-sized curved OLED was thought to be a meaningful achievement in the display industry. However, both still face challenges with mass production, and market availability of curved OLED TVs is not a near-term possibility.

Yield improvement and cost reduction remain barriers

Also at CES, LG announced that its 55-inch Full-HD AMOLED TV will be available in the international market within a couple of months at a price of $12,000. LG has already started receiving preorders in its native South Korea, and the company claims it will start mass-producing the world’s first 55-inch OLED TV soon. While OLED TV makers all hope to become the acknowledged industry and technology leaders in their space, more improvements in technology, material and manufacturing appear to be needed in order to bring AMOLED TVs to the market.

In addition to technical and large-volume manufacturing challenges, OLED TVs also already face an uphill task of competing on prices with lower-priced, higher-resolution 4K LCD and even Full-HD LCD TVs. By the time AMOLED TV production achieves efficiencies in large-scale production, LCD TVs would have had an opportunity to become even more competitive in price and performance.

With still many challenges to be addressed despite many prototypes at CES, consumers are likely to wait a few more years before they buy their AMOLED TVs, Displaybank believes.

FlexTech Alliance, a developer of the flexible and printed electronics industry supply chain, announced today that Dr. Keith Rollins has been elected chairman of the Governing Board.  Dr. Rollins has more than 30 years of experience in the advanced materials and specialty chemical industries, and currently serves as Chief Innovation Officer at DuPont Teijin Films US Ltd.  He will serve a two year term, succeeding Dr. John Batey, formerly of Qualcomm MEMS Technologies, Inc., who was the consortium’s chairman since 2011.  

As FlexTech Alliance chairman, Rollins will lead the governing board and all FlexTech Alliance stakeholders to further the organization’s development, continue to build membership, and increase its value through the provision of quality business and technical services.  The chairman’s role is to guide the board as it oversees the consortium’s decisions on policy, program content, and disposition of funds available for sponsoring technology-related research and development projects. 

“We are grateful for John’s Batey’s leadership over the past two years and now warmly welcome Keith Rollins as our new chairman,” said FlexTech Alliance President Michael Ciesinski. “Keith has a tremendous background in emerging technology and in assessing new business opportunities.  Previously, he led the U.K.’s Plastic Electronics Strategy Group, which produced an outstanding report on the opportunities presented by this industry.  With an impressive technical background and an extensive set of business contacts, Keith is well-positioned to strengthen FlexTech’s worldwide outreach.”

Over the last few years, Dr. Rollins has focused on technology development, strategic planning and business development in the displays and flexible electronics industries. Currently, his focus is on the development and widespread use of the DuPont Teijin Films range of polyester PET and PEN materials in flexible displays and electronics applications. Dr. Rollins received his Bachelor of Technology degree with honors in Applied Chemistry in 1979 and his Doctorate in Catalysis Chemistry in 1985 from Brunel University in London, UK.

“Successful deployment of flexible, printed electronics requires a multi-disciplinary approach, spanning materials development to electronics fabrication to conventional printing techniques,” explained Dr. Rollins. “FlexTech Alliance plays a pivotal role in bringing these diverse industries together.  I am honored to represent the industry and look forward to expanding FlexTech’s programs and services.”

Worldwide LED component market grows 9%

Strategies Unlimited has issued new figures since the first edition of this article. Solid State Technology now brings you updated figures and additional information on the worldwide LED market.

LED component revenue for lighting applications reached $3.11 billion in 2012, narrowly dethroning the large area display backlight segment at $3.06 billion, according to Strategies Unlimited, a market research firm covering the LED industry.  The worldwide market for LED components was $13.7 billion and is expected to grow to $15 billion in 2017, for a CAGR of 1.8%.

The total illumination market for 2012 is estimated at $14.52 billion. LED lighting includes LED replacement lamps and luminaires is estimated at $11.72 billion—an increase of 26% between 2011 and 2012—and it is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 12% over 2012-2017.

The 2012 estimate for revenues for the illumination market, not addressed by the LED replacement lamps and luminaires is $2.75 billion revenue.  These other applications include: decorative/festive/Christmas light strings; tube lights that go into many untraceable applications including signs; flexible tape and strips of LEDs sold in applications ranging from step lighting to lighting stairs to DIY cove lighting; and all other miscellaneous.

Commercial applications are the largest segment and grew the fastest—72%—in the LED lighting market followed by replacement lamps. Japanese market was the primary driver for the 22% growth in replacement lamp revenues from 2011 to 2012. The slower growing segments such as emergency and industrial lighting depend on the overall economic activity; entertainment lighting was a victim of slow down in European financial crisis, after the frenzy for the Olympics.

LEDs used in large display (TV and monitors) backlights also reached a new record at $3.06 billion in 2012. This is chiefly due to the success in penetrating the CCFL stronghold of the 32-inch TV. Low cost direct technology, also known as “chubby TV” technology because the TVs are thicker than edge-lit ones and narrows the price gap between CCFL and LED backlit TV to an insignificant level.  Both Samsung and LG have announced they will stop making CCFL TVs.

Chubby TVs will spread from 32 inches in both directions in size. It is expected to reach TVs 42 to 50 inches size in 2013-2014.  With drastic reduction in number of LEDs used and rapid price erosion, the large display market for LEDs is expected to decline to $1.7 billion in 2017.

The total market for LEDs in the automotive segment was $1.4 billion in 2012 and is projected to grow to $2.1 billion in 2017. The number of cars with LED headlights nearly doubled in 2012. Revenue for 2012 was $97 million and the five-year CAGR is projected to be 36%.

The number of cars with LED headlights nearly doubled in 2012. Revenue for 2012 was $97 million and the five-year CAGR is projected to be 36%.  Revenue derived from daytime running lights (DRL) grew 31% to $200 million in 2012.  DRL growth is expected to slow down as the penetration rate is forecast to reach 45% in 2017.  The total market for LEDs in the automotive segment was $1.4 billion in 2012, and is projected to grow to $2.1 billion in 2017.

While LED revenue from tablets grew 54% to $578 million, the overall mobile segment dropped 3%.  The drop in notebook backlight demand, the OLED success in smart phone display, and the general demand decline for other small and medium display will take the segment down to $958 million in 2017, for a 5 year CAGR of -7%.

Use of LEDs in signage and channel letters grew 7% to $1.7 billion in 2012.  Full-color signs contributed more than 80% of the revenue. The most popular pixel densities for indoor displays are expected to be 3mm and 4mm in 2013, meaning more LEDs will be needed.  The signage segment is expected to grow to $2.4 billion in 2017, for a CAGR of 7%. 

Breakdown of worldwide LED market by countryOn the supply side, 11 companies accounted for more than 72% of the LED market. Strategies Unlimited arrived at these figures after analyzing market demand as well as the supply-side activity of more than 54 LED component suppliers. The rank order of the top 11 suppliers in the LED market for 2012, by revenue of packaged LED components, is:

1. Nichia     

2. Samsung LED         

3. Osram Opto Semiconductors        

4. LG Innotek       

5. Seoul Semiconductor*       

6. Philips Lumileds*        

7. Cree         

8. TG      

9. Sharp       

10. Everlight*     

11. Lumens*

(*Companies have the same ranking when the difference in revenue is within the margin of error. Revenue includes sales of packaged LEDs of 30 lm/W or more.)

Samsung LED was absorbed into Samsung Electronics in 2012. By going vertical and successfully attacking the low cost direct TV market, LED sales soared at Samsung and at its chief supplier, Lumens. TG’s success in the tablet backlight market and the Japanese lighting market brought high growth to the company. Cree and Philips Lumileds rode the rise of LED lighting and achieved record revenues.

Chinese packaging companies grew from 6% of worldwide sales to 8%. Major consolidation is expected in China as the pricing war is forcing out many players. Taiwanese market share dropped from 19% to 15% as there is an increase of OEM packaging activities.  Only final sale is counted in this study.

The LED packaging industry is expected to grow modestly at a CAGR of 1.8% in the next five years. 2013 should see less severe price drops as excess capacity is slowly absorbed by the rise of lighting applications.  Consolidation—both vertical and horizontal—can help improve margins. 

Breakdown of worldwide LED market by technology

 

3-D integration with nanostructuresResearchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new type of nanoscale structure that resembles a “nano-shish-kebab,” consisting of multiple two-dimensional nanosheets that appear to be impaled upon a one-dimensional nanowire. However, the nanowire and nanosheets are actually a single, three-dimensional structure consisting of a seamless series of germanium sulfide (GeS) crystals. The structure holds promise for use in the creation of new, three-dimensional (3-D) technologies.

The researchers believe this is the first engineered nanomaterial to combine one-dimensional and two-dimensional structures in which all of the components have a shared crystalline structure.

Combining the nanowire and nanosheets into a single “heterostructure” creates a material with both a large surface area and the ability to transfer electric charges efficiently. The nanosheets provide a very large surface area, and the nanowire acts as a channel that can transmit charges between the nanosheets or from the nanosheets to another surface. This combination of features means it could be used to develop 3-D devices, such as next-generation sensors, photodetectors or solar cells. This 3-D structure could also be useful for developing new energy storage technologies, such as next-generation supercapacitors.

“We think this approach could also be used to create heterostructures like these using other materials whose molecules form similar crystalline layers, such as molybdenum sulfide (MoS2),” says Dr. Linyou Cao, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the research. “And, while germanium sulfide has excellent photonic properties, MoS2 holds more promise for electronic applications.”

The process, Cao says, is also attractive because “it is inexpensive and could be scaled up for industrial processes.”

To create the nano-shish-kebabs, the researchers begin by creating a GeS nanowire approximately 100 nanometers in width. The nanowire is then exposed to air, creating nucleation sites on the wire surface through weak oxidation. The nanowire is then exposed to GeS vapor, which forms into two-dimensional nanosheets at each of the nucleation sites.

“Our next step is to see if we can create these heterostructures in other materials, such as MoS2,” Cao says. “We think we can, but we need to prove it.”

The paper, Epitaxial Nanosheet–Nanowire Heterostructures, was published online Feb. 18 in Nano Letters. The lead author is Dr. Chun Li, a former postdoctoral researcher at NC State. Co-authors are Yifei Yu, a Ph.D. student at NC State; Cao; and Dr. Miaofang Chi of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The research was supported by the U.S. Army Research Office.

ISSCC, the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, is being held on February 17-21, 2013, at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis Hotel. This year, in honor of the conference’s 60th anniversary, we have assembled highlights of the topics and trends that are being discussed. Click through to learn more about the trends and challenges facing the solid-state integrated circuits industry in 2013.

David Su, subcommittee chair of ISSCC 2013, wrote on data rates of modern wireless standards, which are increasing rapidly, as is shown in the table above. The data rate has increased 100x over in the last decade and another 10x is projected in the next five years. Read more.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM ISSCC 2013   >>>

DRS Technologies, Inc., a Finmeccanica Company, and Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ: CY) today announced that DRS will transfer its Microbolometer technology for uncooled infrared detectors to Cypress for high-volume manufacturing.

The proprietary production process, developed by the Network and Imaging Systems (NIS) division of DRS Technologies, will be transferred to Cypress’s 65nm Class 10 eight-inch wafer fabrication facility in Bloomington, Minnesota. The exclusive agreement will allow DRS Technologies to continue to improve sensor production by taking advantage of Cypress’s advanced manufacturing for significantly reduced wafer costs.

Cypress operates its own wafer fabrication facility in Bloomington, Minnesota, and offers access to this facility as a Specialty Foundry Solutions provider. This 8-inch wafer fab manufactures in high volume down to the 90-nm node with 65nm capability. It offers process technologies that integrate SONOS-based non-volatile memory and precision analog/mixed signal capabilities. The facility can handle ITAR material, and has been accredited as a Category 1A Trusted Fab for fabrication, design, and testing of U.S. DoD Trusted Microelectronics.

“The partnership with Cypress will allow us to better meet the growing demands of the thermal imaging market,” said NIS President Mike Sarrica. “With our advanced, proprietary microbolometer production process and Cypress’s proven technology and manufacturing expertise, we can achieve the high-volume, high yield and low-cost capabilities that have become requirements of both the commercial and military markets.”

DRS and Cypress expect to have qualified product by early 2014.

“This partnership validates Cypress’s commitment to high-quality, low-cost manufacturing in the United States”, said Minh Pham, executive vice president of Worldwide Manufacturing at Cypress. “This partnership expands our base of foundry customers for our Minnesota wafer fab, and will add new MEMS processing capabilities to support fabrication of Microbolometers. We expect growth in our wafer foundry business as more companies see the value and service we can offer.”