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Mentor Graphics Corp. today announced that it has acquired Flexras Technologies, a developer of proprietary technologies that reduce time required for prototyping, validation, and debug of integrated circuits (ICs) and systems on chip (SoCs).  The Flexras timing-driven partitioning technology will expand and strengthen the portfolio of tools available from Mentor to help engineers overcome the challenges of increasingly complex design prototyping.

“We’re extremely pleased to have the Flexras team join Mentor Graphics,” said John Lenyo, vice president and general manager of the Mentor Design Verification Technology Division. “We’re committed to helping our customers reduce the risks and costs associated with design prototyping and Flexras has proven to be a visionary in this area.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Internet of Everything, cloud computing/big data and 3-D printing are the three technologies most likely to transform the world during the next five years, according to IHS Technology.

“We know that technology has the capability to change the world: from the Gutenberg printing press to the steam engine to the microchip,” said Ian Weightman, vice president, research & operations, IHS Technology. “But how can we determine which technologies are likely to have the greatest potential to transform the future of the human race? What is the process to distinguish among the innovations that will have limited impact and those that will be remembered as milestones on the path of progress? How can you tell the difference between the VHS and Betamax of tomorrow’s technologies?”

“To answer these questions, IHS Technology gathered its leading experts representing the technology supply chain from electronic components to finished products across applications markets ranging from consumer, media, and telecom; to industrial, medical, and power. These experts were asked to nominate and vote for their top 10 most impactful technologies over the next five years.”

The top three technologies were: 3-D printing in third place; cloud computing/big data at No. 2; and the Internet of Everything coming out on top.

Manufacturing moves to next dimension with 3-D printing

Also called additive manufacturing, 3-D printing encourages design innovation by facilitating the creation of new structures and shapes, and allows limitless product complexity without additional production costs. It also greatly speeds up time to market by making the idea-to-prototype cycle much shorter.

Total revenue for the 3-D printing industry is forecast to grow by nearly 40 percent annually through 2020, when the aggregated market size is expected to exceed $35.0 billion, up from $5.6 billion in 2014.

Cloud computing/big data brings metamorphosis to computing and consumer markets

The cloud has become a ubiquitous description for on-demand provisioning of data, storage, computing power and services that are touching nearly every consumer and enterprise across the globe. Together with data analytics and mobile broadband, the cloud and big data are poised to reshape almost every facet of the consumer digital lifestyle experience and dramatically impact enterprise information technology (IT) strategies, while creating new opportunities and challenges for the various nodes in the entire information, communications and technology (ICT) value chain.

The cloud is transformational in the business landscape, changing the way enterprises interact with their suppliers, customers and developers.

The big data and data analytics segment is a separate but related transformational technology that harnesses the power of the cloud to analyze data for disparate sources to uncover hidden patterns, enable predictive analysis and achieve huge efficiencies in performance.

IHS forecasts that global enterprise IT spending on cloud-based architectures will double to approximately $230 billion in 2017, up from about $115 billion in 2012.

The Internet of Things becomes the Internet of Everything

The world is in the early stages of the Internet of Things (IoT)—a technological evolution that is based on the way that Internet-connected devices can be used to enhance communication, automate complex industrial processes and generate a wealth of information. To provide some context on the magnitude of this evolution, more than 80 billion Internet-connected devices are projected to be in use in 2024, up from less than 20 billion in 2014, as presented in the attached figure.

While the IoT concept is still relatively new, it is already transforming into a broader model: the Internet of Everything (IoE). The metamorphosis covers not just the number of devices but envisages a complete departure from the way these devices have used the Internet in the past.

Most of the connected devices in place today largely require direct human interaction and are used for the consumption of content and entertainment. The majority of the more than 80 billion future connections will be employed to monitor and control systems, machines and objects—including lights, thermostats, window locks and under-the-hood automotive electronics.

Other transformative technologies identified by IHS Technology analysts were:

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Biometrics
  • Flexible displays
  • Sensors
  • Advanced user interfaces
  • Graphene
  • Energy storage and advanced battery technologies

2015-01-12_Connectable_Devices

With new cost-sensitive semiconductor devices driving capacity demand, 200mm wafer size and currently existing (legacy) fabs are seeing a renaissance,  SEMI completed a thorough study of the secondary fab equipment market to identify the market size and to capture key trends and issues impacting this industry segment. SEMI interviewed and surveyed integrated device makers (IDMs) and foundries. Companies were asked to provide information pertaining to the acquisition of previously installed tools for 150mm, 200mm, and 300mm manufacturing. The SEMI Secondary Fab Equipment Report is new, unique coverage for the industry. The report contains 26 pages and 29 figures and charts. The target audience is expected to be companies serving the secondary fab equipment supply chain, IDMs and foundries, and other industry analysts who need data to benchmark and analyze this market.

The semiconductor industry is maturing where annual double-digit fab capacity additions are less frequent, and the industry is spending in the range of $30 billion per year in new fab equipment. Investment in “legacy” fabs is important in manufacturing semiconductor products, including the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) class of devices and sensors, and remains a sizeable portion of the industries manufacturing base:

  • 150mm and 200mm fab capacity represent approximately 40 percent of the total installed fab capacity
  • 200mm fab capacity is on the rise, led by foundries that are increasing 200mm capacity by about 7 percent through to 2016 compared to 2012 levels
  • New applications related to mobility, sensing, and IoT are expected to provide opportunities for manufacturers with 200mm fabs

Out of the total US$ 27 billion spent in 2013 on fab equipment and US$ 31 billion spent on fab equipment  in 2014, secondary fab equipment represents approximately 5 percent of the total, or US$ 1.5 billion, annually. For 2014, 200mm fab investments by leading foundries and IDMs resulted in a 45 percent increase in spending for secondary 200mm equipment. Foundries are estimated to represent half of the 200mm equipment spending in 2014.

In developing the report, SEMI interviewed and surveyed IDMs and foundries. Direct spending input was obtained from 28 companies, and estimates were made for another 12 companies based on known capex plans, quarterly financial statements and transcripts, and capacity investment trends tracked by the SEMI World Fab Forecast database. The focus of the new report is on secondary fab equipment spending; secondary test equipment and assembly and packaging equipment were not included in this study. To order the report, visit www.semi.org/en/node/53676. For information on all SEMI Market research reports, visit www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo. For information on SEMI, visit www.semi.org

SEMI today announced a “Call for Papers” for SEMICON West, North America’s premier microelectronics event, to be held July 14-16 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif. The “Call for Papers” includes the Semiconductor Technology Symposium and the popular TechXPOT programs. Presentation abstracts are due March 20, 2015.

SEMICON West 2015 will be attended by nearly 27,000 semiconductor and related microelectronics industry professionals and feature more than 60 hours of technical sessions, led by the most informed and influential experts in the world. For 2015, SEMICON West will feature two “Generation Next” Pavilions — a new concept in topic-based engagement, which will connect exhibits, technical sessions, and networking events to current, critical industry topics, engaging exhibitors and visitors in an immersive exhibition experience.  In addition, the “standing-room only” success of the SEMICON West TechXPOT programs prompted the creation of the Semiconductor Technology Symposium (STS) at the 2014 event.

In 2015, the STS program continues with programs on leading-edge chip manufacturing held in a classroom setting with reserved seating adjacent to the show floor in the North Hall of Moscone Center. STS will offer technology trends, developments and new technology information in the areas of advanced materials and processing, lithography, metrology, 450mm, advanced packaging, and 3D-IC.  Test Vision 2020, the leading semiconductor test conference focusing on ATE and high-volume manufacturing, is part of the STS program in Moscone Center.

TechXPOT programs in the Moscone Center North and South Halls will continue focusing on special topics in semiconductor manufacturing, and adjacent and related microelectronics technologies.

For the Semiconductor Technology Symposium and for TechXPOT sessions, SEMI is soliciting technical presentations in the following areas:

  • Advanced lithography/Advanced films
  • Advanced materials and processes
  • Contamination control for advanced materials
  • New and advanced metrology solutions
  • Interconnect challenges at sub-10nm
  • Substrates: Materials research beyond Silicon
  • Other process implications for manufacturing next-generation transistors
  • Accelerating and improving yield
  • Silicon Photonics
  • Disruptive compound semiconductor technologies
  • Manufacturing advanced power semiconductors
  • Improving Yield on Non-Planar ICs
  • Failure analysis
  • Advanced packaging
  • Design for packaging
  • Semiconductor test
  • Design for test
  • Application Level Testing
  • Technologies for Emerging Markets & Applications
  • What’s next in MEMS?
  • How manufacturing of IoT devices will impact IC fabrication
  • How IoT and 3D printing will be used in IC manufacturing in the future
  • Printed and flexible electronics
  • Packaging of MEMS and Sensors
  • SiP for Power and RF
  • Heterogeneous Integration for SiP and Modules

“There are many exciting challenges facing the industry today,” said Karen Savala, President of SEMI Americas. “We are pleased that SEMICON West continues to serve as the premier forum where industry leaders share their insight on these issues.”

SEMICON West 2015 “Call for Participants”:  Prospective presenters are invited to submit abstracts (maximum 500 words) on key industry issues and topics in the areas listed above for consideration. Presentations should focus on the latest developments and innovations in these technology areas, inclusive of supporting data. Submissions may be made online from the “Call for Participants” website at: www.semiconwest.org/Participate/SPCFP. The deadline is March 20.

“Generation Next” Pavilions (Advanced Substrate Engineering; Packaging): These two new Generation Next Pavilions will be held in conjunction with technical sessions (STS and TechXPOTs) at SEMICON West — addressing critical issues, challenges, and opportunities. For more information about exhibiting opportunities within these new Pavilions, contact Nick Antonopoulos at [email protected] or +1.408.943.6986.

Silicon Innovation Forum (SIF) “Call for Startups”:  SEMI will host its 3rd Annual Silicon Innovation Forum at SEMICON West 2015 and is now accepting early applications to participate. The Silicon Innovation Forum (SIF) provides a stage for new and emerging innovators, industry leaders, strategic investors, and venture capitalists to discuss the needs and requirements of the industry’s innovation engine. Participants will gain insights into technology, capital, partnership, and collaboration strategies necessary for mutual success. For more information, please email Ray Morgan, director of Outreach at [email protected].  SIF application: 2015 SIF Showcase Request for Participation. The deadline is March 20.

About SEMICON West

SEMICON West is the flagship annual event for the global microelectronics industry, showcasing the people, products, and technologies driving the design and manufacture of advanced microelectronics. SEMICON West attracts the world’s leading technology companies serving the microelectronics supply chain and the largest audience of influential buyers, industry leaders, decision-makers, technologists, analysts, and media of any industry event in North America. SEMICON West 2015 is projected to bring together more than 27,000 international attendees, more than 700 global companies, and feature more than 60 hours of technical, business, and networking programs. For more information, visit www.semiconwest.org.

SEMI Europe will ring in the New Year by holding the first major, international 3D TSV event of 2015. On January 19-21, members of the 3D TSV industry will convene in Grenoble, France for the 3rd edition of the European 3D TSV Summit. This year’s theme: Enabling Smarter Systems.

The European 3D TSV Summit’s 2015 conference will feature Keynote and Invited Speakers, a Market Briefing and a Panel Discussion. The Panel Discussion, moderated by Jean-Christophe Eloy, CEO and founder of Yole Développement, is entitled “From TSV Technology to Final Products – What Business for 3D Smart Systems ?” Panelists from AMKOR, Qualcomm, ams AG and AMD, will share their viewpoints on the 3D TSV market and the shift that many companies are beginning to make from 3D TSV technology development to the commercialization phase. Attendees can expect a lively discussion about the next big steps for the 3D-IC market.

The conference will be accompanied by a sold-out industry exhibition, featuring over 25 important industry players. Conference attendees will be invited to visit the exhibition during coffee and lunch breaks. In addition, the event will offer numerous opportunities for networking including a gala dinner and a one-on-one meeting service with dedicated private meeting spaces. With more than 125 companies planning to be present (including GlobalFoundries, STMicroelectronics, HP, Microsoft, AMD, Qualcomm, IBM, Infineon, AMKOR, ASE, NANIUM, Silex, XFAB, EVGroup, SPTS, and more…) the event promises to be a ripe ground for important professional meetings.

For more information about registration for the European 3D TSV Summit 2015 visit the event’s website:  www.semi.org/European3DTSVSummit. For more information about the remaining sponsorship opportunities, contact Jérôme Boutant: [email protected]

“The goal of The ConFab is to spark discussions” 

By PETE SINGER, Editor-in-Chief

The future of the semiconductor industry continues to shine brightly. Smart phones have become an everyday part of life the world over, and we will soon see a new explosion of demand brought about by thev“internet of things,” cloud computing, digital television, biomedical sensors and many other types of advance electronics. Many believe this capability is leading to the 4th industrial revolution.

The semiconductor industry’s ability to pack more and more functionality onto a single chip, many challenges remain. Some argue that we will soon reach the end of the road defined by Moore’s Law, pointing to higher costs per transistor. More complex device structures, such as the FinFET and Vertical NAND, have become mainstream, 3D integration with TSVs continue to make slow progress, and a wide variety of new materials are being put into play. The IoT could drive the need for low power, low cost and high levels of integration of diverse components.

The path forward is far from clear. But what is clear is that the need for collaboration has never been

greater. That’s what The ConFab 2015 is all about. We bring together executives from all parts of the supply chain for three days of thought provoking talks and panel discussions, networking events and in-depth, pre-arranged meetings. In 2015, we’ll be back at The Encore at The Wynn in Las Vegas, May 19-22. See www.theconfab.com for more information.

The goal of The ConFab is to spark discussions that will lead to faster resolution of problems, faster and broader industry expansion, and long-term collabora- tions among organizations of all types. In other words, our goal is to help The ConFab attendees “connect, collaborate and create”

Whenever we get together at The ConFab – which is now in its 11th year – I’m always reminded of a quote by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Join as at The ConFab 2015 and you, too, can change the world.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.22 billion in orders worldwide in November 2014 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.02, according to the November 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.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in November 2014 was $1.22 billion. The bookings figure is 10.4 percent higher than the final October 2014 level of $1.10 billion, and is 1.7 percent lower than the November 2013 order level of $1.24 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in November 2014 was $1.19 billion. The billings figure is 0.5 percent higher than the final October 2014 level of $1.18 billion, and is 6.8 percent higher than the November 2013 billings level of $1.11 billion.

“”With the rise in bookings, the book-to-bill ratio climbed above parity in November,”” said SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk. “”2014 has been a solid growth year for the semiconductor equipment market, and we expect the foundry and memory sector to continue leading investments in 2015.””

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
June 2014 

$1,327.5

$1,455.0

1.10
July 2014 

$1,319.1

$1,417.1

1.07
August 2014 

$1,293.4

$1,346.1

1.04
September 2014 

$1,256.5

$1,186.2

0.94
October 2014 (final)

$1,184.2

$1,102.3

0.93
November 2014 (prelim)

$1,189.8

$1,217.1

1.02

Source: SEMI, December 2014

Amkor Technology, Inc., a provider of semiconductor assembly and test services, today announced that it has granted GLOBALFOUNDRIES a non-exclusive license to its proprietary copper pillar wafer bump technology.  The agreement provides for the transfer of Amkor’s copper pillar wafer bump technology to GLOBALFOUNDRIES and a license under Amkor’s intellectual property to enable GLOBALFOUNDRIES to bump wafers based on this technology.

“Technology leadership and innovation are fundamental to Amkor’s success.  Since its introduction in 2010, our proprietary copper pillar wafer bump technology has been widely adopted for use in high volume production in many applications, including the smartphone and tablet markets,” said Dr. Choon Heung Lee, Amkor’s executive vice president and chief technology officer.  “We are pleased to license our copper pillar wafer bump technology to GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a world class, leading edge foundry.”

“GLOBALFOUNDRIES is committed to providing customers of our leading edge fab technology with fully integrated solutions.  Silicon to package integration is a key component of these solutions and we are pleased to have partnered with Amkor, a technology leader for outsourced semiconductor packaging and test services, to expand our wafer bumping services to include capabilities that can further extend our copper pillar bump manufacturing,” said David McCann, Vice President of Packaging R&D at GLOBALFOUNDRIES.  “Semiconductor device scaling drives higher density off chip interconnect requirements.  Copper pillar bumping is a critical part of bringing leading edge semiconductor devices to market and this capability enhances our growing open ecosystem of manufacturing services and partners.”

Amkor’s copper pillar wafer bump technology enables low profile and small area packaging, which is required for the mobile device market.  Copper pillar technology supports 3D fine pitch memory interfaces and is utilized in 2.5D packaging where fine pitch multi-die interconnects can reduce system level costs and shorten time-to-market as compared to SoC platforms.  In addition, Amkor’s copper pillar wafer bump technology supports substantial die-to-die bandwidth between memory and logic devices, greatly reduces power consumption in high-performance products, and enables high speed interfaces when applied to analog and RF applications.

With just over a month left to go, industry experts are looking forward to the third edition of the European 3D TSV Summit (Jan 19-21, 2015 in Grenoble, France), this year focusing on “Enabling Smarter Systems.” For the past two years, the event has been a growing success, becoming internationally recognized as a “must-attend” event for companies involved in the development of 3D TSV technology. With a sold-out exhibition and an all-star lineup of conference speakers, the 2015 European 3D TSV Summit is on its way to being one of the most important events of the year for the 3D-IC industry.

Members of the 3D TSV industry have witnessed the giant leap taken by 2.5 and 3D technologies this year, with several announcements about wide scale commercialization of the technology by notable industry players. Samsung, IBM, Bosch and others have started marketing products that integrate 3D TSV or stacked-die technology, making the production of chips and systems smarter than ever. In response to this news, organizers of the European 3D TSV Summit conference have chosen to provide attendees with the most up-to-date and essential information on the business ramifications of the commercialization of 2.5 and 3D technology. Yole Developpement, who recently published a report on the outlook for the 3D-IC market, will be present at the Summit to go into more detail about their outlook for the future of 3D TSV in the marketplace. In addition to Yole, talks by AlixPartners, TechSearch International and ATREG will round out the market briefing portion of the conference.

On the technology side, speakers will include notable companies participating in the development of 3D TSV, including IBM, HP, Qualcomm, AMD, Microsoft, STMicroelectronics, ams AG, ASE Group, Broadpak, Oerlikon, and others. The program appears to offer a cross between the technological development of the 3D TSV technology and its application in finished products. Never-before-dealt-with themes, such as Glass Interposers and Photonics, will be treated during the conference, adding to the Summit’s relevance for the evolving industry of 3D technology.

For mid- to high-level executives and for top technologists working in the 3D TSV industry, the 2015 European 3D TSV Summit will be worth the detour to Grenoble, France. In addition to the top-notch conference, attendees will have a chance to network while visiting the Summit’s exhibition. Located at the heart of the Summit venue, as in past years, the 2015 exhibition is already sold out and promises to offer attendees a well-rounded view of the industry, with representatives from the entire supply chain exhibiting.

As in previous years, the Summit will also offer networking opportunities: a one-on-one meetings service, a gala dinner, lunch breaks, a welcome cocktail and numerous coffee breaks. This year’s gala dinner will be held in the Chateau de Sassenage (Sassenage Castle), bringing an element of “French charm” to the event.

For more information about the European 3D TSV Summit or to register for the event, visit www.semi.org/European3DTSVSummit or contact Yann Guillou at SEMI Europe: [email protected].

Murata Electronics North America, Inc. and Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation, founder of RF silicon on insulator (SOI) and pioneer of advanced RF solutions, today announce that Murata has acquired all outstanding shares of Peregrine. The cash transaction paid the holders of Peregrine common shares $12.50 per share.

Peregrine will continue to market its high-performance, integrated RF solutions under the Peregrine brand, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Murata Electronics North America, Inc. Peregrine solutions leverage the UltraCMOS technology platform, a patented, advanced form of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) that delivers the monolithic integration and superior performance necessary to solve the world’s toughest RF challenges. Peregrine will continue to offer its integrated RF solutions to markets such as communications (mobile, wireless infrastructure, land mobile radio, broadband and wireless), industrial (test and measurement, automotive, Internet of Things) and aerospace. With the close of this acquisition, Murata gains Peregrine’s strong intellectual property portfolio, which contains over 180 filed and pending patents.

“Today, we deepen our existing partnership and officially welcome Peregrine Semiconductor to the Murata family,” said Norio Nakajima, Executive Vice President, Director of Communication Business Unit of Murata. “With this acquisition, we combine Murata’s world-leading mobile RF module capabilities with Peregrine’s best-in-class RF products. We’re eager to leverage Peregrine’s innovations, such as the industry’s first reconfigurable RF front-end system UltraCMOS Global 1, and expand the Murata business into all the markets that Peregrine currently offers RF solutions. This acquisition further defines our stance as an ‘Innovator in Electronics’.”

“After years of a successful partnership, we’re happy to become a part of the Murata team, the world’s leading RF module and filter provider,” said Jim Cable, PhD, President and CEO of Peregrine Semiconductor. “Murata already has deep relationships and trust built in all of our target markets. We believe we can offer their customer base exciting new RF capabilities.  With the reach of Murata products and the power of our UltraCMOS technology, we believe we will change the course of RF history. In the case of mobile, it will speed the industry’s transition to an integrated, all-CMOS RF front-end. Together, we’re looking forward to accomplishing great things.”

Founded in 1944 in Kyoto, Japan, Murata celebrated its 70th anniversary in October. Murata has grown into a global enterprise composed of 101 companies in 23 nations. As an “Innovator in Electronics,” Murata designs, manufactures and supplies advanced electronic materials, leading-edge electronic components and multi-functional, high-density modules. Murata innovations can be found in a wide range of applications from mobile phones to home appliances, and automotive applications to energy management systems and healthcare devices.