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Dr. Zhihong LiuBy Dr. Zhihong Liu, Executive Chairman, ProPlus Design Solutions, Inc.

It wasn’t all that long ago when nano-scale was the term the semiconductor industry used to describe small transistor sizes to indicate technological advancement. Today, with Moore’s Law slowing down at sub-28nm, the term more often heard is giga-scale due to a leap forward in complexity challenges caused in large measure by the massive amounts of big data now part of all chip design.

Nano-scale technological advancement has enabled giga-sized applications for more varieties of technology platforms, including the most popular mobile, IoT and wearable devices. EDA tools must respond to such a trend. On one side, accurately modeling nano-scale devices, including complex physical effects due to small geometry sizes and complicated device structures, has increased in importance and difficulties. Designers now demand more from foundries and have higher standards for PDK and model accuracies. They need to have a deep understanding of the process platform in order to  make their chip or IP competitive.

On the other side, giga-scale designs require accurate tools to handle increasing design size. The small supply voltage associated with technology advancement and low-power applications, and the impact of various process variation effects, have reduced available design margins. Furthermore, the big circuit size has made the design sensitive to small leakage current and small noise margin. Accuracy will soon become the bottleneck for giga-scale designs.

However, traditional design tools for big designs, such as FastSPICE for simulation and verification, mostly trade-off accuracy for capacity and performance. One particular example will be the need for accurate memory design, e.g., large instance memory characterization, or full-chip timing and power verification. Because embedded memory may occupy more than 50 percent of chip die area, it will have a significant impact on chip performance and power. For advanced designs, power or timing characterization and verification require much higher accuracy than what FastSPICE can offer –– 5 percent or less errors compared to golden SPICE.

To meet the giga-scale challenges outlined above, the next-generation circuit simulator must offer the high accuracy of a traditional SPICE simulator, and have similar capacity and performance advantages of a FastSPICE simulator. New entrants into the giga-scale SPICE simulation market readily handle the latest process technologies, such as 16/14nm FinFET, which adds further challenges to capacity and accuracy.

One giga-scale SPICE simulator can cover small and large block simulations, characterization, or full-chip verifications, with a pure SPICE engine that guarantees accuracy, and eliminates inconsistencies in the traditional design flow.  It can be used as the golden reference for FastSPICE applications, or directly replace FastSPICE for memory designs.

The giga-scale era in chip design is here and giga-scale SPICE simulators are commercially available to meet the need.

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 11 percent in 2014 when compared to 2013 area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. However, worldwide silicon revenues increased by just 1 percent in 2014 compared to 2013.

Silicon wafer area shipments in 2014 totaled 10,098 million square inches (MSI), up from the 9,067 million square inches shipped during 2013. The previous market high for silicon area shipments was 9,370 MSI in 2010. Revenues totaled $7.6 billion slightly up from $7.5 billion posted in 2013, yet 2014 silicon revenues remain 37 percent below their peak set in 2007. “After three consecutive flat years, annual semiconductor silicon shipment levels achieved respectable growth last year to reach a market high,” said Hisashi Katahama, chairman of SEMI SMG and director, Technology of SUMCO Corporation. ”However, industry revenues did not experience the same magnitude of recovery.”

Annual Silicon* Industry Trends

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014
Area Shipments (MSI) 8,661 8,137 6,707 9,370 9,043 9,031 9,067 10,098
Revenues ($B) 12.1 11.4 6.7 9.7 9.9 8.7 7.5 7.6

 

*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, epitaxial silicon wafers, and 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.

Marktech Optoelectronics, a supplier of visible and infrared LED products, introduces its latest series of high reliability metal can packages, which incorporate Cree’s LED die. Cree combines highly efficient InGaN materials with proprietary substrates to deliver superior performance for high intensity LEDs. Markech’s metal can packages, offered in different heights and lensing options, are available for single or multichip die configurations depending on the application needs.

This series of hermetically sealed TO-5, 18 and 39 packages are offered in Flat or Domed lensed options. The high lumen output of the Cree die combined with Marktech’s precise die centering capabilities make these LEDs ideal for illumination in machine vision, scanning, and medical inspection equipment.

“The die that Cree manufactures, available in a number of chip sizes, wavelengths and power outputs, are extremely stable at low or high currents, allowing equipment manufacturers a range of choices for illumination or backlighting designs” says Steve Hubert, Marktech’s product manager for Cree products.

Precise die centering within packaging is a key component to critical illumination, machine vision, and scanning applications. As illuminated surfaces continue to decrease in size, accurate detection of the scanned area relies on the correct light position.

Marktech’s series of high reliability metal can packages, offered in Blue, Green, White, and Amber colors, boast high lumen output and efficiency and can be customized into single or multichip LEDs, light arrays or miniature light rings.

Cree and Marktech will be displaying LED die products, packaged components, and chip arrays at the upcoming Photonics West show held in San Francisco from February 10-12 in booth 616.

Cambridge Nanotherm today announced that Ewald Braith has joined the board as a Non-Exec Director. Cambridge Nanotherm has already started to make significant inroads into the LED market with its innovative nano-ceramic thermal management solutions for LEDs and other electronics. Ewald has now been brought on board to lend his considerable expertise to aiding the company in its growth plans.

“We’re really excited to have Ewald on board,” commented Ralph Weir, CEO. “Ewald combines high-level strategic nous with a deep knowledge of electronic design. He’s a big-hitter in terms of his achievements in the power electronics and telco markets, and exposure to semiconductor technologies and vertical markets. Additionally, throughout his career, Ewald has led aggressive expansion into overseas markets. This is a world-class hire, and clearly indicates the level at which Cambridge Nanotherm is now operating.”

“Cambridge Nanotherm is a company with a passion for ‘growth’ and ‘innovation’,” added Braith. “I am joining the team at a very exciting point, both in terms of the company’s growth and the growth of the large scale industry and market opportunities. The markets for LED technologies are growing rapidly, and manufacturers are eager for effective ways to improve the competitiveness of their products. With its thermal management solutions Cambridge Nanotherm can and should be at the core of this opportunity. I look forward to working with the team to continue to build on the momentum already achieved, as well as helping to drive greater penetration of key high growth markets such as the US and Asia.”

Ewald has worked in a variety of high-profile companies over the last thirty years, with a focus on the telecoms and power semiconductor markets. These include Zytec, Artesyn Technologies and Emerson Network Power, as well as establishing his own consulting firm. Ewald has most recently been CEO at Detego, a RFID software solutions and services provider for the fashion industry, and he is also a member of the board at Salcomp PLC.

Rapidly growing North American quantum dot manufacturer Quantum Materials Corp today announced it has begun shipping Cadmium-free red and green quantum dots in evaluation and production quantities to select consumer electronics manufacturers. The company has increased the uniformity and enhanced stability of its Cadmium-free nanomaterials as a result of bringing previously-reported automated capital equipment, facility and personnel investments online. Quantum Materials is at the forefront of Cadmium-free quantum dot development and recently announced increasing production capacity to 2000Kg of quantum dots and nanoparticles per annum in Q2 2015.

Meetings with manufacturers at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) spurred requests for Cadmium-free red and green quantum dots with application-specific functionality. Quantum Materials has accelerated Cadmium-free quantum dot development because electronics manufacturers’ are seeking to stay ahead of environmental regulations governing dangerous materials in consumer electronic devices. Quantum dots are easily integrated into the industry-standard thin-film roll-to-roll inkjet and surface deposition technologies currently used in existing LCD display production lines, as illustrated in an informative video detailing Cadmium-free quantum dot uses and benefits.

“We were very encouraged with the results of our meetings at CES,” said Quantum Materials Corp CEO Stephen Squires. “I personally am even more pleased with the dedication, hard work and creativity of our team. Their discoveries have enabled us to meet the stringent demands and tight delivery deadlines necessary to rapidly integrate our materials into commercial products.”

The U.S. leads the world in nanotechnology innovation with over $30 billion invested in research to date. Quantum Materials is working with manufacturers toward integrating its advanced materials into commercial products that will create jobs, generate profits, and strengthen our economy and balance of payments.  The limited industrial availability of a reliable supply of Cadmium-free quantum dots has attracted the interest of the world’s largest display and solid-state lighting manufacturers in evaluating Quantum Materials mass-production capability.  Quantum Materials’ products are the foundation for technologically superior, energy efficient and environmentally sound LCD UHD displays, the next generation of solid-state lighting, solar photovoltaic power applications, advanced battery and energy storage solutions, biotech imaging, and biomedical theranostics.

SEMICON Korea 2015 at COEX in Seoul opens tomorrow with more than 500 exhibiting companies and an expected 40,000 attendees. With the backdrop of Korea as a pacesetter in the industry in memory and DRAM, today’s SEMICON Korea press conference expressed an optimistic lookout, for both 2015 and for longer-term monolithic growth drivers, like the Internet of Things (IoT).

Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI, summarized recent 2015 semiconductor revenue forecasts, which ranged from IDC’s 3.6 percent to VLSI’s 7.8 percent (IC only). 2015 semiconductor equipment revenue forecasts varied from Gartner forecasting an increase of 5.6 percent to the 15.0 percent growth SEMI forecasted in early December, which would see revenues approaching historic 2011 spending levels.  For semiconductor materials, 2015 could also approach 2011 spending levels. McGuirk described silicon cycles moderating with year-to-year volatility becoming more rational within the consolidated industry.

Semiconductor manufacturing in Korea represents the largest region of installed 300mm fab capacity in the world, with much of the capacity targeted towards both advanced NAND Flash and DRAM.  Korea holds 40 percent of the worldwide Memory output, and is the market leader for installed Memory fab capacity.  According to the SEMI World Fab Forecast, DRAM was a significant driver for the 18 percent growth rates for semiconductor equipment in 2014 and is expected to again fuel growth in 2015. While NAND’s pricing and growth moderated, the tight capacity and expansion of DRAM applications and customer diversity roughly doubled the DRAM ASPs in three years.  Mobility continues to be the primary driver for the Memory market and has kept the pressure on scaling and added functionality. In addition, 3D-IC is now coming to fruition as a solution to NAND to ensure the costs continue to scale with size and transistor density.

Korea fab equipment spending (front-end) in 2015 is forecast to be US$7.8 billion, an almost 28 percent increase over 2014.The combined equipment and materials spending outlook for Korea in 2015 will likely top US$14 billion. The semiconductor, semiconductor equipment, and materials supply chain in Korea is developing depth and breadth and becoming a more complete ecosystem.

The LED market remains an important segment for SEMI members, and this market will experience strong double-digit growth in lighting applications over the next several years. Overall LED fab capacity expansion is stabilizing, and many manufactures continue to transition manufacturing to 4-inch diameter sapphire wafers. Similar to the capacity growth trends, spending on LED fab equipment is also stabilizing with 12 percent growth estimated for 2015. 

Keynotes tomorrow at SEMICON Korea will be presented by Samsung Electronics, Intel, and Cisco Systems. Highlights include: Semiconductor Technology Symposium which addresses the global trends and new technologies of the semiconductor manufacturing process; Supplier Search Program; OEM Supplier Search Meeting; Presidents Reception; and International Standards meetings.

SEMICON Korea 2015 is the leading semiconductor technology event to explore the latest market trends and future developments for technology, featuring extensive technical forums, business programs and standards programs. Key sponsors of SEMICON Korea 2015 include Samsung, SK Hynix, and Dongbu HiTek, plus Lam Research, Applied Materials, Wonik IPS, ASE Group, Advantest, Hanmi Semiconductor, and TEL.

The event is co-located with LED Korea 2015, the largest exhibition in the world for LED manufacturing. For more information on the events, visit SEMICON Korea: www.semiconkorea.org and LED Korea: www.led-korea.org.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that the global semiconductor industry posted record sales totaling $335.8 billion in 2014, an increase of 9.9 percent from the 2013 total of $305.6 billion. Global sales for the month of December 2014 reached $29.1 billion, marking the strongest December on record, while December 2014 sales in the Americas increased 16 percent compared to December 2013. Fourth quarter global sales of $87.4 billion were 9.3 percent higher than the total of $79.9 billion from the fourth quarter of 2013. Total sales for the year exceeded projections from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization’s industry forecast. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by WSTS and represent a three-month moving average.

“The global semiconductor industry posted its highest-ever sales in 2014, topping $335 billion for the first time thanks to broad and sustained growth across nearly all regions and product categories,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “The industry now has achieved record sales in two consecutive years and is well-positioned for continued growth in 2015 and beyond.”

Several semiconductor product segments stood out in 2014. Logic was the largest semiconductor category by sales, reaching $91.6 billion in 2014, a 6.6 percent increase compared to 2013. Memory ($79.2 billion) and micro-ICs ($62.1 billion) – a category that includes microprocessors – rounded out the top three segments in terms of sales revenue. Memory was the fastest growing segment, increasing 18.2 percent in 2014. Within memory, DRAM performed particularly well, increasing by 34.7 percent year-over-year. Other fast-growing product segments included power transistors, which reached $11.9 billion in sales for a 16.1 percent annual increase, discretes ($20.2 billion/10.8 percent increase), and analog ($44.4 billion/10.6 percent increase).

Annual sales increased in all four regional markets for the first time since 2010. The Americas market showed particular strength, with sales increasing by 12.7 percent in 2014. Sales were also up in Asia Pacific (11.4 percent), Europe (7.4 percent), and Japan (0.1 percent), marking the first time annual sales in Japan increased since 2010.

“The U.S. market demonstrated particular strength in 2014, posting double-digit growth to lead all regions,” continued Neuffer. “With the new Congress now underway, we urge policymakers to help foster continued growth by enacting policies that promote U.S. innovation and global competitiveness.”

December 2014
Billions
Month-to-Month Sales
Market Last Month Current Month % Change
Americas 6.53 6.73 3.1%
Europe 3.19 3.01 -5.8%
Japan 2.93 2.80 -4.6%
Asia Pacific 17.12 16.59 -3.1%
Total 29.77 29.13 -2.2%
Year-to-Year Sales
Market Last Year Current Month % Change
Americas 5.80 6.73 16.0%
Europe 2.96 3.01 1.6%
Japan 2.93 2.80 -4.4%
Asia Pacific 14.96 16.59 10.9%
Total 26.65 29.13 9.3%
Three-Month-Moving Average Sales
Market Jun/Jul/Aug Sep/Oct/Nov % Change
Americas 6.06 6.73 11.1%
Europe 3.21 3.01 -6.4%
Japan 3.03 2.80 -7.7%
Asia Pacific 16.93 16.59 -2.0%
Total 29.23 29.13 -0.4%

ClassOne Technology, the wet-chemistry semiconductor equipment manufacturer, has announced the acquisition of two complete product lines from Microprocess Technologies. Included in the acquisition are the Microprocess Spin Rinse Dryer (SRD) and Spray Solvent Tool (SST) families — which have become ClassOne’s Trident SRD and SST lines. The news was jointly announced by Byron Exarcos, President of ClassOne, and Charles Brown, President of Microprocess Technologies.

“This acquisition is a natural fit for us, “ said Byron Exarcos. “ClassOne’s fundamental mission is to provide higher performance wet processing equipment at lower cost to the user, just as we’ve done with our Solstice electroplating tools — and that’s exactly what the new Trident SRDs and SSTs deliver.”

“It’s a win-win for us and for the industry,” said Charles Brown. “ClassOne will continue development and enhancement of the products, and they also will be able to make the tools available to a broader worldwide market.

“This acquisition is the culmination of a relationship that’s been in progress for some time with Microprocess Technologies,” said ClassOne CFO Richard Dotson. “Months ago we began with an exclusive sales agreement for the SRD and SST products, and now ClassOne has secured full ownership of both lines. The manufacturing will be moving to our Kalispell facility where ClassOne’s wet processing experience and ongoing product engineering will make these outstanding products even more advanced in the future.”

“ClassOne has been actively seeking opportunities to expand its offerings in high-growth segments of the industry,” said Exarcos. “Some of the emerging technologies such as MEMS, LEDs, power devices and RF are estimated to be growing at double-digit annual rates.”  He explained that in many of those fabs the Spray Solvent Tool is becoming an essential process-of-record tool for metal lift-off, resist strip and more. “In those scenarios Trident tools are being seen as attractive solutions,” said Exarcos, “because they’re able to handle a range of advanced processes at a cost substantially lower than competitive systems.”

Exarcos explained that many of the Trident performance advantages are the result of innovative and elegant design features, such as wrap-around heating to enhance drying, a Deluge spray manifold to improve rinsing and reduce particles, and ClassOne’s powerful new Solaris system controller.

Critical Manufacturing, a supplier of integrated manufacturing execution systems (MES), introduces cmNavigo 4.0, the industry’s first comprehensive MES software with embedded finite scheduling. By tightly unifying scheduling into critical MES functions in a modern, Microsoft-based operations management system, cmNavigo 4.0 software improves on-time delivery, shortens total cycle time, and makes better use of plant resources.

“As margins in global high-technology manufacturing shrink, many manufacturers are finding that their legacy MES systems don’t have the flexibility and functionality to meet the demands of today’s volatile markets. The new scheduling, quality control, warehouse management, and shift handoff capabilities we are announcing today reflect our commitment to provide the most modern and unified MES solution available,” said Francisco Almada-Lobo, CEO, Critical Manufacturing. “This new functionality will help manufacturers improve cost control, better manage inventory, and boost productivity of advanced, discrete production operations.”

New Scheduling Functionality Optimizes Production to Meet Customer Demand

cmNavigo 4.0 scheduling models plant floor resources and defines the role of each in fulfilling a mix of orders in an optimal near-term time frame, driven by customer demand. Schedules can be weighted around multiple production criteria and key performance indicators, such as minimizing delivery delays, maximizing machine loads, and reducing cycle times.

Built on Microsoft application development layers, the new scheduling application integrates with more than 30 extensible MES applications. These provide visibility and traceability, operational efficiency, quality management, factory integration, operations intelligence, and factory management.  The modern architecture empowers operations managers to configure and extend models and define workflows without the need for programming.

Integrating scheduling and other MES functionality so tightly avoids duplication of master data, allows real-time updates across different areas of the plant floor, and eliminates the need to maintain separate interfaces. Other new cmNavigo integrated applications announced today deliver the following capabilities:

  • Lot-based sampling enables automated calendar or time-based sampling of production.
  • Document management provides visualization, control, and approval of shop-floor, operations-related documents.
  • Warehouse management synchronizes exchange of information and material between the warehouse and the plant floor.
  • Durables-tracking  simplifies tracking of durable components such as boards, fixtures, tooling and masks, supporting recipe management, maintenance, exception handling, and data collection.
  • A shift logbook enhances both performance and safety by regulating exchange of critical information between shifts.

The new scheduling, sampling, factory management, tracking and logbook features of the software combine to address a wide range of MES needs in semiconductor manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, and medical device manufacturing and other manufacturing industries that might have both high mix and high volume lines. cmNavigo 4.0 software is available now for implementation throughout the world. Critical Manufacturing delivers its solutions through highly acclaimed service teams, skilled in extracting maximum value from complex operations. Expertise covers advanced information technology, business intelligence, migration from legacy MES systems, and greenfield installations.

There will also be a free webcast featuring a case history of an IC substrate manufacturer who is now implementing the new software. The webcast will take place on February 19th at 4:00 GMT (11:00 AM EST).  Register at http://www.criticalmanufacturing.com/en/webinar_201502 or at www.criticalmanufacturing.com.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.37 billion in orders worldwide in December 2014 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, according to the December EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.98 means that $98 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in December 2014 was $1.37 billion. The bookings figure is 12.3 percent higher than the final November 2014 level of $1.22 billion, and is 1.1 percent lower than the December 2013 order level of $1.38 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in December 2014 was $1.39 billion. The billings figure is 17.0 percent higher than the final November 2014 level of $1.19 billion, and is 3.1 percent higher than the December 2013 billings level of $1.35 billion.

“While three-month averages for both bookings and billings increased, billings outpaced bookings slightly, nudging the book-to-bill ratio slightly below parity,” said SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk. “2015 equipment spending is forecast to remain on track for annual growth given the current expectations for the overall semiconductor industry.”

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
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 

$1,184.2

$1,102.3

0.93
November 2014 (final)

$1,189.4

$1,216.8

1.02
December 2014 (prelim)

$1,391.9

$1,366.2

0.98

Source: SEMI, January 2015