Category Archives: Top Story Right

December 27, 2011 — Low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) are critical materials for the production of high-performance, high-resolution displays used on smartphones and media tablets. High mobility semiconductor materials allow thin-film transistor (TFT) display panel manufacturers to shrink TFT dimensions and increase light transmission, which minimizes power consumption.

High-mobility display backplane production will grow 150% from 5.6 million square meters in 2011 to 14.1 million square meters in 2012, as multiple Gen5 and larger LTPS fabs begin production in 2012, and Sharp, LG Display, Samsung and others ramp IGZO on existing lines, according to the NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

Figure. Manufacturing capacity for high-resolution backplane production. Source: NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

"Smart phones, tablets and cost reduction are expected to be the key drivers pushing the FPD industry in 2012," stated Charles Annis, NPD DisplaySearch Vice President of Manufacturing Research. An example is Apple Inc.’s Retina Display LCD, with greater than 230 pixels per inch (ppi) resolution, using minimal device power thanks to high transmission.

Flat panel display profit margins are under a great deal of pressure, pushing LCD makers to pursue mobile-device-specific development efforts as well as cost-reduction strategies, added Annis. "High-mobility backplanes, optical alignment, high-resolution lithography and advanced LC modes are expected to be some of the most important manufacturing technology trends over the next year." All of these technologies target increasing panel transmission. With only about 4-9% of the LCD-backlight illumination making it to the front of screen, very powerful light sources are required to meet LCD brightness specifications. In addition, backlight units are the single most expensive components in large-area LCD modules. Thus, by increasing transmission, panel makers can trade off power consumption and costs.

Proprietary technology and technical expertise are required to successfully increase transmission without sacrificing yield, Annis said. "Panel makers and their suppliers are racing to create competitive advantages through manufacturing technologies to increase profitability in 2012."

The new NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report offers a unique and unprecedented guide to these rapidly evolving FPD manufacturing technologies. The report provides technical discussions, process flows, production status by maker, adoption forecasts for 57 technologies and analysis of benefits, opportunities, negatives and challenges. Additionally, LCD cost and performance specifications for manufacturing technologies are projected through 2016.

For more information about the new NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report please contact Charles Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, e-mail [email protected] or contact your regional DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan for more information. NPD DisplaySearch is a global market research and consulting firm specializing in the display supply chain, as well as the emerging photovoltaic/solar cell industries. Visit http://www.displaysearch.com/. The NPD Group provides reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries.

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December 23, 2011 – Rapid adoption of smart meters to save energy and improve grid efficiency means an opportunity for a broad range of semiconductor suppliers.

Power utilities are expected to rapidly adopt smart electricity meters over the next few years, tripling shipments by 2016 (62 million units vs. 20.5M in 2011), according to IHS iSuppli. Government support and regulations are the key drivers to replace conventional meters with new smart models; e.g., the US Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG), and the European Union is targeting 80% conversion to smart meters by 2020, representing 180M unit shipments. For now, though, deployments are slower than expected, partly due to current economic conditions (fewer investments for smart grids) and wary customer acceptance. "The original motivation for replacing conventional meters with smart meters was energy savings," said Jacobo Carrasco Heres, industrial electronics research analyst for IHS. It’s hoped that instrumentation of the grid via smart meters will help utilities more efficiently plan electrical generation and manage resources. And on the consumer side, combining smart meters with "smart home" features, e.g. a dashboard that tracks electricity consumption for appliances and devices, would go a long way to convincing consumers that the technology really is useful.

Of course, all these intelligent devices depend on a range of semiconductor technologies: IHS sees sales of chips used in smart meters doubling by 2016 to $1.1B. Most of the market will be in ICs for metrology and communications, including microcontrollers, digital signal processors, and microprocessors. But smart meters also will use system-on-chip devices to integrate most of the functionalities into a single device.






Forecasted worldwide smart electricity meter unit shipments and
associated semiconductor revenue. (Source: IHS iSuppli)

December 21, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Passive component maker AVX Corporation has ensured that all its tantalum powder and wire suppliers are fully compliant with the independently audited Conflict-Free Smelter Program (CFS).

AVX is making conflict-free a requirement for its tantalum powder and wire suppliers, in accordance with the principles of the Dodd-Frank legislation and current OECD guidelines. OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains from Conflict-affected and High-risk Areas is for use by any company potentially sourcing minerals or metals from conflict-affected areas of weak governance, and provides management recommendations to help companies respect human rights and avoid contributing to conflict through their mineral or metal purchasing decisions and practices.

AVX has had a policy against tantalum sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or any other area in which insurgents or similar groups benefit from the sale of minerals for a decade. From 2007 onwards, AVX increased the level of due diligence and improved its ability to comply with this policy and since 2009, AVX has actively participated in the industry-wide effort to eliminate conflict minerals from the supply chain through the CFS program.

AVX also is working with multiple stakeholder partners, including major electronics companies such as Motorola Solutions, HP and Intel, in the Solutions for Hope pilot program. Solutions for Hope demonstrates that verifiably conflict-free tantalum material can be mined and shipped from the DRC to the benefit of the local population, who are suffering as a result of the de-facto ban on such minerals resulting from the Dodd-Frank legislation in the USA. Based on a closed-pipe supply chain that operates in accordance with the OECD due diligence guidance for responsible sourcing from areas of weak governance, Solutions for Hope incorporates the independently validated Conflict-Free Smelter (CFS) program. The pilot initiative will be evaluated to prove that the closed supply chain is reliable, sustainable, and expandable, and will allow the DRC to return as a supplier of responsibly sourced minerals to the tantalum industry. For further information on Solutions for Hope, visit http://solutions-network.org/site-solutionsforhope/.

AVX Corporation is an international supplier of electronic passive components and interconnect solutions. For further information on this project, please contact Bill Millman at AVX: +44 (0) 1803 697211 or visit [email protected]. The company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:AVX).

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December 20, 2011 — Displays for pure-play e-book readers will see 108% increase in shipments in 2011 (27.1 million units), a strong year leading into slower growth ahead, with 37% growth forecast for 2012, and declining shipments forecast in 2015. E-reader suppliers will consider new ways to attract consumers in the near future, according to an IHS iSuppli Small & Medium Displays Market Tracker report.

Figure. Global e-book reader display market forecast.
SOURCE: IHS iSuppli, December 2011.

The vast majority of e-reader displays are monochrome. These products compete with color-display tablets, like Apple Inc.’s iPad, and the slower growth in e-readers from 2012 on will prompt many device makers to adopt color displays, says Vinita Jakhanwal, senior manager for small and medium displays at IHS, and to focus on vertical markets, such as education.

Alternatives to the e-book reader display standard — electrophoretic displays (EPD) — include a color display technology based on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). The mainstream example is known as Mirasol, from Qualcomm Inc.

Also read: Qualcomm MEMS display launched in Korean e-readers

Mirasol competes with EPD on common characteristics — wide viewing angle, readability in sunlight, low power consumption — and beats EPD with full color displays and fast response speeds. Kyobo ebook readers can hold a power charge for weeks, based on 30 minutes of reading per day on the device, according to the launch announcement.

Color e-reader displays fall behind monochromatic devices in cost. The Mirasol-based Kyobo costs 349,000 Korean won, (USD319), exceeding the price tags of many tablet devices, and nearly quadrupling the monochromatic Amazon Kindle ebook reader (USD79). Large volumes for color e-readers, as well as an aggressive consumer-focused strategy, could bring costs down, IHS predicts. However, given today’s limited manufacturing capacity and associated higher costs for producing the color display, this is a large challenge for alternatives to monochromatic displays.

e-readers could differentiate from media tablets with growth in vertical markets, where a single use case is preferable to the diverse functionality and features of a media tablet, IHS reports. Current e-reader features, like light weight and a battery life lasting weeks on a single charge, are attractive in these use cases, thought IHS notes that no companies have yet pursued this strategy.

Access IHS iSuppli’s report, Tablet PCs and Smartphones Buoy Demand in the Small/Medium Displays Market, at http://www.isuppli.com/Display-Materials-and-Systems/Pages/Tablet-PCs-and-Smartphones-Buoy-Demand-In-the-Small-Medium-Displays-Market.aspx

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December 19, 2011 — Strategies in Light Europe 2012, September 18-20 in Munich, Germany, is accepting abstracts through February 17. The Strategies in Light Europe conference and exhibition covers the rapidly growing LED lighting industry.
 
Papers should describe or demonstrate efforts to improve quality and performance of LED lighting, activities that help accelerate the market adoption of LED lighting, and results from real-world LED lighting applications and installations.

Papers will be selected by the SIL Europe Advisory Board on the basis of technical content, audience interest and industry relevance. Papers with an overt marketing/sales/commercial subject will be rejected. Please do not submit presentations that are scheduled to be presented at other LED-related conferences.

Suggested subject areas include:

Applications

  • Market growth and outlook, penetration of LEDs into key applications, barriers to further market penetration
  • Case studies of specific installations: cost and performance analysis, user feedback, lessons learned 
  • Requirements and perspectives from lighting designers, specifiers, architects and other end-users

Supply chain and LED manufacturing

  • Supply and demand, capacity constraints, availability of materials and equipment
  • Advanced chip design and lower-cost manufacturing; epitaxial growth and processing
  • Luminaire design: role of thermal management, advanced packaging & optical concepts 
  • Advances in LED cost, performance, lifetime and reliability

Market transformation

  • Regional- and country-specific activities to promote LED lighting
  • European activities to develop high-quality LED lighting products
  • Quality control and labelling programs
  • Customer awareness and acceptance, incentives and subsidies
  • Funding from governments and investment community
  • Standards development and implementation 
  • EU Directives: development and impact on LED market

Technology

  • Color quality metrics, optical safety, test & measurement
  • Development of OLEDs and other competing lighting technologies
  • Drivers, and dimming & control networks 
  • Replaceable modules and light engines

In submitting an abstract you are indicating your availability and willingness to attend and present a paper at Strategies in Light Europe 2011, if selected, and to comply with all deadlines. Please ensure that the speaker and author details you are providing when submitting your abstract are correct as these will be used for pre-event marketing purposes.

For information/assistance on submitting an abstract for the Call for Papers, please contact: Emily Pryor, Conference manager, Tel: +44 (0) 1992 656 614. Submit an abstract here: http://www.sileurope.com/conference.html
 
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December 14, 2011 — Semiconductor packaging materials will be a $22.8 billion market this year, and should grow to $25.7 billion by 2015, says SEMI and TechSearch International.

Laminate substrates remain the largest segment of packaging materials: $9.7 billion globally in 2011. This sector will see healthy 8% growth (unit basis) in a 5-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

New materials are pushing higher growth in certain areas, including underfill materials, wafer-level dielectrics, copper bonding materials, and leadframe chipscale packaging (CSP), among others.

Key opportunities for growth in the packaging market include 9

December 13, 2011 — SEMI reports worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment bookings fell 38% year-over-year in Q3 2011; billings dropped 5% for the same quarter.

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings came in at $7.6 billion in Q3, a 29% plunge from Q2 2011, and 38% below Q3 2010.

Billings reached $10.6 billion: 11% less than the previous quarter and 5% below Q3 2010.

Table. Quarterly billings data by region in millions of US dollars, year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter growth rates by region. Source: SEMI/SEAJ December 2011 . Note: Figures may not add due to rounding.


Region


3Q2011


2Q 2011


3Q2010

3Q11/2Q11
(Q-o-Q)

3Q11/3Q10
(Y-o-Y)
Korea

2.27

2.17

2.62

4%

-13%
North America

2.11

2.21

1.53

-4%

38%
Japan

1.74

1.48

1.24

18%

40%
Taiwan

1.49

2.76

3.03

-46%

-51%
ROW

1.04

0.99

1.02

5%

2%
Europe

1.02

1.18

0.62

-13%

66%
China

0.94

1.13

1.13

-17%

-17%
Total

10.61

11.92

11.19

-11%

-5%

The data is gathered by SEMI and the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from over 100 global equipment companies that provide data on a monthly basis.

The Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) from SEMI provides comprehensive market data for the global semiconductor equipment market, including the monthly SEMI Book-to-Bill Report, the monthly Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (SEMS) report, and the SEMI Semiconductor Equipment Consensus Forecast. For more information or to subscribe, please contact SEMI customer service at 1.877.746.7788 (toll free in the U.S.) or 1.408.943.6901 (International Callers).

SEMI is a global industry association serving the nano- and micro-electronics manufacturing supply chains. For more information, visit www.semi.org.

November 29, 2011 — Applied Materials (AMAT) released a new film treatment called Applied Producer Onyx that reduces the power consumption in semiconductor chips while increasing mechanical strength. The product targets the challenges associated with 3D packaging applications and technologies such as copper pillar, 3D stacking, and lead-free soldering.

The solution decreases the dielectric constant value by up to 20%, thereby reducing chip power consumption. After treatment, the sidewalls of the film have been restored to the original bulk state. According to Russ Perry, global product manager, Dielectric Deposition Group, at Applied, the product is available for shipping and multiple pilot production lines are already running.

Figure 1. Illustration of how Onyx treatment strengthens the chip. *Normalized Young’s Modulus. SOURCE: Applied Materials

Perry discussed the treatment that drives carbon and silicon into the porous dielectric film to reinforce the insulating material at the atomic level (Fig. 1) in a podcast interview with SST.  
In the podcast, Perry explained how multiple applications of the treatment enable scaling as the treatment is applied to the interconnect structure after etch and after CMP (Fig. 2). The process of integrating low-k films into the interconnect requires that they be subjected to many harsh chemistries and processes noted Perry.