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Samsung Electronics Co. and Daintree Networks said they are collaborating on joint solutions involving Samsung’s smart lighting module (SLM).

According to a release, Samsung’s SLM, which will be integrated with LED luminaires from lighting OEMs, enables greater intelligence through device-level processing, as well as enhanced connectivity through multiple embedded communications technologies, including the open standard ZigBee protocol. Combining Samsung’s SLM technology with the Daintree Networks ControlScope networked wireless control solution makes new Internet of Things (IoT) applications possible for smart buildings.

Dr. Jacob Tarn, Executive Vice President, LED Business Team, Samsung Electronics, said, “Samsung’s SLM technology will make all devices connected to it, from LED luminaires to sensors to future control products, even smarter. Because SLM is the key for a wide variety of smart lighting applications, our customers can achieve fast time-to-market and their luminaires can be optimized for many different smart lighting environments. By partnering with Daintree Networks, with their ControlScope solution, we will support traditional lighting control as well as enable new sensor-driven applications. For example, by connecting third-party occupancy sensors to our SLM technology, ControlScope customers will be able to more accurately monitor occupant patterns that can improve business operations and enhance security in retail environments.”

“Our partnership with Samsung reinforces our commitment to provide open wireless networking solutions to enable the Enterprise Internet of ThingsTM (E-IoTTM),” said Derek Proudian, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Daintree Networks. “The unique architecture found in Samsung’s SLM is a great match for the advanced technology in ControlScope and further demonstrates connected LED lighting as the natural infrastructure for smart buildings across retail, office and industrial environments. With an expanding array of open standard control devices and open software innovation, Daintree is accelerating the development of high-value business outcomes for our enterprise customers. We are excited to collaborate with Samsung to advance our industry.”

ControlScope is an open standards-based mesh networking control solution and enterprise IoT platform. Daintree Networks provides the in-building wireless network communications and cloud-based intelligent control software, and customers are free to choose from a variety of third-party control devices including sensors, fixtures, programmable thermostats.

Soraa, a developer of GaN on GaN LED technology, today announces its support for advances in color science and the new TM-30 method released by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). TM-30 uses an optimized calculation method to preclude the errors found in the color-rendering index (CRI), the current industry standard.

As a leader in developing products with superior light quality, Soraa is a strong supporter of advances in color science. Illuminating the way, Soraa Chief Scientist Aurelien David served as a lead technical contributor for the new TM-30 method.

“IES’s TM-30 method offers significant progress over the CRI,” said David. “For customers, TM-30 will provide better insight in to how the colors of a light source compare to colors under natural light. And for manufacturers, the information found under TM-30—combined with other aspects of color science—will be key for developing better products and optimizing the trade-off between color rendition and other criteria of light quality.”

The TM-30 test was developed to provide a more accurate indication of the color rendition of an object by comparing the color of the object under a test source (a LED lamp, for example) to those under a reference illuminant (a standard emitter such as idealized sunlight or filament bulb, depending on the CCT).  By doing so, the test will indicate if the colors under the test source are different from natural colors—providing a more precise indication of color fidelity.

TM-30 distinguishes itself from the CRI test in two significant areas. First, it uses state-of-the-art color science to test a light source’s color rendition of more color samples, which will preclude the inaccurate predictions of rendering seen with the CRI—in particular for narrow-band sources. Second, it provides users with more information: the color fidelity index Rf is now complemented by a color gamut index Rg and by a color vector graphic, which further characterize the appearance of colors.

Soraa has posted more information about TM-30 on its website: www.soraa.com.

Front-end fab equipment spending (including new, used, and in-house) is projected to increase 3.7 percent in 2016 (to US$ 37.2 billion) and another 13 percent in 2017 (to $42.1 billion) according to most recent edition of the SEMI World Fab Forecast.  Fab equipment spending for 2015 ended almost flat ($35.9 billion), with a slight decrease of -0.4 percent year-over-year.

The SEMI World Fab Forecast report presents details of fab-related spending through the industry and extends the outlook through the end of 2017.  Fab equipment spending is expected to pick up slowly in the first half of 2016, and accelerate into the second half when momentum starts to build for 2017, with a return to double-digit growth rates (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

Figure 1

The biggest contributors to the growth are foundries, 3D NAND fabs, and companies beginning to equip and prepare for the 10nm ramp-up in 2017. Dedicated foundries continue to represent the largest spending segment. Spending for 2015 dropped slightly from $10.7 billion to $9.8 billion (-8 percent YoY), but is expected to increase by 5 percent in 2016 and almost 10 percent in 2017.

DRAM spending ranks second place after foundries. After a strong 2015, DRAM spending is expected to slow in 2016 (-23 percent) and increase again in 2017 by 10 percent.

In terms of spending growth rates, the big momentum comes from 3D NAND (including 3D XPoint). Spending doubled from about $1.8 billion in 2014 to $3.6 billion in 2015, 101 percent growth. In 2016, it will again rise to more than $5.6 billion (50 percent growth).

The increase in equipment spending is also supported by six companies, which are among the top 10 spenders globally. The six have announced plans to increase their respective capital expenditures in 2016, while the assumption for the largest spender, Samsung, is that capital expenditure will be less than in 2015.

Equipment spending growth for 2017 is also buoyed by new 24 facilities (excluding R&D) which began construction in 2015 or will begin construction this year. These projects are located around the world, including eight planned in China alone.

The industry has recently set records for mergers and acquisitions, and more are expected in 2016.  The combined flat growth for semiconductor equipment spending in 2015 and slow growth in 2016 confirm a more mature industry.  New technologies — new nodes and newer memory devices — will drive the increase in spending currently forecasted for 2017.

Learn more about SEMI fab databases at: www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo/FabDatabase and www.youtube.com/user/SEMImktstats

Applied Materials, Inc. today announced that Dr. Robert Visser has received a 2016 Special Recognition Award from the Society of Information Display, an industry organization comprised of the top scientists, engineers, corporate researchers and business people of the display field. The award is for his “pioneering research and commercialization of new display technologies related to OLEDs*, LCD* materials and barrier films, including encapsulation technologies for OLED and flexible displays.” Dr. Visser is senior director of advanced chemistry and materials for the Advanced Technology Group at Applied Materials, where he is responsible for creating business opportunities in new and adjacent markets related to displays and roll-to-roll barrier films, as well as developing novel chemistries for semiconductor manufacturing. 

“Robert contributed to turning the concept of flexible displays into a reality by helping establish the principles for successful encapsulation of highly sensitive devices, such as OLED displays,” said Dr. Om Nalamasu, senior vice president and CTO of Applied Materials. “Robert continues to be a critical source of insight and expertise on display materials, and I congratulate him on this well-deserved award.”

Dr. Visser’s work in the display industry spans more than three decades. Most recently at Applied, he helped the display group develop new thin-film encapsulation systems that enable the volume production of high-resolution, thin and lightweight flexible OLED displays for mobile products and TVs. He also works closely with the Roll-to-Roll Coating Products Division to design new equipment for depositing barrier films that can be used throughout the world for a wide variety of flexible packaging and labeling applications. 

Prior to joining Applied, Dr. Visser was CTO of Vitex Systems, where he led a multi-disciplinary team to demonstrate and refine multi-layer barrier technology for use in OLED displays. This work eventually became the basis on which many of today’s plastic, curved OLED displays are built. Dr. Visser began his career at Philips Research, where he led several research teams and helped create the PolyLED business serving as the group’s CEO and CTO. Under his leadership, the group launched one of the first OLED displays on the market in 2002. Also during this time he worked with other researchers and members of academia to make significant improvements in performance and yield of early OLED display manufacturing.

Dr. Visser holds a master’s degree in theoretical organic chemistry and physics, and a Ph.D. in physical and organic chemistry, both from Leiden University, Netherlands. He has numerous patents and publications to his name.

Shipments of organic light-emitting materials used to produce organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays grew 12 percent year over year in 2015, reaching 26,000 tons. With the rapid growth of white OLED (WOLED) TV display shipments, shipments of organic light-emitting materials are expected to reach 100,000 tons in 2018, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight. Revenues from organic materials used to produce OLED displays also grew 12 percent year over year, reaching $465 million in 2015. Revenue is expected to amount to $1.8 billion in 2018.

“The market for small and medium OLED displays is stable, and OLED TV shipments are increasing, which is supporting OLED light-emitting materials market growth,” said Kihyun Kim, senior analyst for chemical materials research at IHS Technology.  “Shipments of organic light-emitting materials for WOLED are expected to increase along with WOLED TV shipments, as more manufacturers are planning to adopt the technology. WOLED materials are expected to outstrip fine-metal-mask red-green-blue (FMM RGB) materials in 2017 for the first time.”

Organic light-emitting materials used in the FMM RGB technology, mostly used to produce smartphone displays, dominated the OLED materials market in 2015, with an 82 percent share. WOLED materials, mainly used for TVs, will account for 51 percent of the total OLED materials market in 2017 and 55 percent in 2018, in terms of shipments.

Revenue from WOLED materials, which made up 31 percent of the market in 2015, will account for 55 percent of the total organic light-emitting materials used to produce OLED displays in 2016. The growth in revenue is faster than that in shipments, because WOLED materials are more expensive than FMM RGB materials, because they haven’t yet reached an economy of scale.

OLED_Chemicals_Chart

The global market is estimated to reach $2.60 Billion USD by 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.5% from 2016 to 2022, according to a new report from MarketsandMarkets entitled, “GaN Power Devices Market by Technology (Semiconductor Materials, Transistor Application Technologies), Wafer (Wafer Processes, Wafer Size, and Design Configuration), Device (Power Discrete, Power ICS), Products, Application & Geography – Global Forecast to 2022.”

Three major segments which show tremendous growth are satellite communication, RADAR, and wireless application due to the new launches of GaN power semiconductor devices for these application segments and continuous technological developments to improve the power handling capacity and increasing the switching frequency. This report analyzes the Global GaN Power Devices market with respect to market drivers, opportunities, and trends in different regions.Emergence of new technologies will drive the growth The development of GaN-on-Silicon technology, with GaN deposited on highly doped silicon substrates in the end of the previous century, facilitated development of high-brightness and ultra-high brightness LEDs. Several other technologies facilitated development of organic and phosphor LEDs, leading to production of several blue, violet, purple, UV, and white LEDs throughout the past decade. The latest development that aids this field is quantum dots (QD) technology. The biggest advantage and driver for the GaN semiconductor devices market is the continuous emergence of technologies to overcome the challenges faced at every stage, thereby increasing the production volume every year.Information communication technology and consumer electronics segments contribute maximum market share The ICT sector combines both Information technology and communication (including all forms of communication, such as RF, satellite, and telecommunication) sectors. The technological evolution of the GaN semiconductor devices is accelerating the usage of GaN-enabled devices in this end user sector,primarily owing to increased demand and extensive industry focus on various types of RF and wireless applications.

Consumer electronics is one of the major revenue contributing end use sectors, with significant revenue for GaN opto-semiconductor devices. The revenue growth is slowly gaining pace with slow penetration of GaN power semiconductor devices for various consumer applications.Japan expected to contribute the largest market share for GaN Wafer Market Japan is expected to have the largest market share and dominate the GaN wafer market from 2016 to 2022. The market in Japan is driven by the rise in applications in this region and continuous developments taking place in the semiconductor industry. Japan stands second among all geographical regions, in terms of key player distribution, with several players being headquartered in this country.

Some of the major players in Japan for GaN Power Devices Market are: Renesas Electronics (Japan), ROHM Company Limited (Japan), Nichia Corporation (Japan), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Toyoda Gosei Limited (Japan), and others.

Some of the key market players in the GaN power devices market in this report are: Fujitsu Ltd. (Japan), Toshiba Corp. (Japan), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), Texas Instruments (U.S.), EPIGAN NV (Belgium), NTT Advanced Technology Corporation (Japan), RF Micro Devices Incorporated (U.S.), Cree Incorporated (U.S.), Aixtron SE (Germany), International Quantum Epitaxy plc (U.K.), Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Japan), AZZURO Semiconductors AG (Germany) among others.

The scope of the report covers detailed information regarding the major factors influencing the growth of the GaN power devices market such as drivers, restraints, challenges, and opportunities. A detailed analysis of the key industry players has been carried out to provide insights into their business overview, products and services, key strategies, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, partnerships, agreements, collaborations and recent developments associated with the GaN power devices market.

LED Taiwan will be held at TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei on April 13-16. As the LED market stabilizes, companies in the industry continue to invest in technology R&D as part of their efforts to stand out amid a pricing war of end products. In line with current key issues in the industry, this year’s LED Taiwan will feature five theme pavilions, several industry forums and the TechSTAGE. The Taiwan International Lighting Show (TiLS) will be co-located; with 700 booths, the exhibitions and conferences expect to attract over 20,000 visitors.

Research firm LEDinside estimated that the value of the global high-brightness LED market will increase three percent year-over-year in 2016. Despite the modest outlook, prospects still look good for niche applications in IR LED or UV LED, and may even become the main growth driver in the market. In LED lighting, the market reached US$25.7 billion of revenue in 2015 with a penetration rate at 31 percent. The numbers are expected to increase to $30.5 billion and 36 percent, respectively, in 2016.

LED Taiwan is made possible with collaboration and resources from SEMI, TAITRA, the Taiwan Lighting Fixture Export Association and the Taiwan Optoelectronic Semiconductor Industry Association. Each year, foreign buyers and leading manufacturers are invited to the exposition where various business matching events, forums and meetings are arranged to help Taiwan vendors expand connections and secure business opportunities by interacting with the elite members of foreign industrial and academic circles.

In addition to the existing pavilions (High-Brightness LED and Sapphire), LED Taiwan 2016 expands three more pavilions (LED Components, Smart Lighting Technology and Power Devices) and also invited international leading companies: Aurora Optoelectronics, Cree, Epileds, Epistar, Lextar, MLS, and Rubicon to demonstrate on show floor to help visitors explore the latest moves and trends in the market to increase their global competitiveness.

To enable innovation and bring more energy to the local LED industry, TechSTAGE will be held as part of this year’s LED Taiwan event, showcasing the Taiwan LED R&D capability in the areas of LED Manufacturing Equipment & Materials, Power Device Technology, Sapphire Processing Technology & Application, LED Advanced Technologies, and Smart Lighting & Automobile Lighting. For more information on LED Taiwan, please visit: www.ledtaiwan.org/en/ (English) or www.ledtaiwan.org/zh/.

Veeco Instruments Inc., a supplier of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) systems, announced today that it has signed a joint development project (JDP) agreement with imec, the Belgium-based nano-electronics research center. The collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of highly-efficient, Gallium Nitride (GaN) based, power electronic devices using GaN Epi wafers created using Veeco’s Propel Power GaN MOCVD system.

Imec has already demonstrated significant gains in GaN layer uniformity and run-to-run repeatability with Veeco’s Propel system, resulting in significantly improved power device yields. The single wafer reactor incorporates Veeco’s proprietary TurboDisc technology that delivers superior film uniformity, run-to-run control and defect levels compared to batch reactors.

“Within the framework of our industrial affiliation program on GaN-on-Si, Veeco and imec have collaborated over the last four years to improve the Epi quality of GaN layers deposited on silicon wafer substrates,” said Rudi Cartuyvels, Senior Vice President Smart Systems and Energy Technologies at imec. “The ultimate goal is to produce the next generation of highly efficient power switching devices. We have set very high GaN device yield and reliability targets for 2016 and we look forward to partnering with Veeco to achieve these targets.”

According to IHS research, industry requirements are growing and requiring smaller, more energy efficient power ICs. This, in turn, is driving the need for improved power devices using advanced materials. GaN-on-Si coupled with improved process solutions, such as single-wafer GaN MOCVD, are critical to the development of these improved power devices.

“We are very pleased with our imec collaboration,” said Jim Jenson, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Veeco MOCVD Operations. “Global demand for advanced power electronics with greater energy efficiency, a smaller form factor and greater reliability is rapidly accelerating. We believe that the technology in our Propel single wafer system will enable imec to achieve their power device targets and help to bring these advanced devices to market faster.”

Ultratech, Inc., a supplier of lithography, laser processing and inspection systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and high­brightness LEDs (HB­ LEDs), as well as atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems, announced the promotion of two of its executives. Tammy D. Landon, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Dave Ghosh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Service, have been promoted to be executive officers at Ultratech. These promotions are an example of the company’s ongoing leadership succession process and efforts to cultivate top industry talent at Ultratech.

Ultratech Chairman and CEO Arthur W. Zafiropoulo, who remains the company’s principal operating officer said, “I congratulate both Tammy and Dave as they are both deserving of their respective promotions.  Tammy joined Ultratech in 2000, and her level of leadership and expertise have earned her the role of executive officer.  For this executive officer position, Dave will be leveraging his experience from the various responsibilities he has had at Ultratech since 1989.  Healthy companies both retain top talent and implement leadership plans as a means to remain competitive. Tammy and Dave each have over 30 years of industry experience, and these promotions are a part of the management process for Ultratech.  I have every confidence that Tammy and Dave will be successful in their new roles as executive officers, and I look forward to their continued contributions to Ultratech.”

Tammy D. Landon, Senior Vice President of Operations, Ultratech, Inc.
Landon joined Ultratech in 2000.  During this time, she had multiple responsibilities that included manufacturing, operations, materials, engineering, quality, training, technical support and installations. More recently, Landon has led the human resources, information technology and corporate services within the company. Her background includes more than 30 years of manufacturing, project management and engineering positions in the semiconductor and defense industries. Landon has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry as well as a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Dave Ghosh, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Service, Ultratech, Inc.
Since 1989, Ghosh has served Ultratech in various capacities and has been responsible for risk management, corporate services, real estate, facilities, environment, health and safety, human resources, information technology systems and worldwide service. In addition, he works with the CEO on special projects that include M&A activities, initiating and negotiating with foreign governments for business development and risk management. His experience spans over 30 years in a variety of operations and service positions. Ghosh earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from San Jose State University.

Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ClassOne Technology announced the purchase of its Solstice S8 electroplating system by one of the world’s leading LED manufacturers.

“The unique flexibility and process control of the Solstice electroplating system were particularly important factors in addressing this customer’s needs,” said Kevin Witt, Chief Technology Officer of ClassOne Technology. “The fully-automated 8-chamber Solstice gives users the ability to process multiple wafer sizes at the same time on a single tool. ClassOne’s distinctive design allows the chambers to be changed very quickly and easily. In addition, Solstice can provide a high degree of whole-process control, enabling close monitoring of such parameters as film stress.”

“ClassOne’s level of support for the tool in Europe was another significant factor in making the sale,” said Byron Exarcos, President of ClassOne Technology. “At this installation we will be providing not only product service but also ongoing process development assistance. We’re proud that Solstice was selected to help produce some of the most advanced next-generation LED products on the planet.”

Solstice systems are designed to provide high-performance electroplating on ≤200mm wafers at a very reasonable cost. Because of their superior performance/price ratio — as well as their ability to handle smaller substrates — Solstice plating tools have become very popular in emerging markets such as LED, MEMS, RF, power, and sensors. ClassOne’s electroplaters allow users to deposit a broad range of metals and alloys on both opaque and transparent substrates. The Solstice systems are available in fully-automated, 75-wph, 4- and 8-chamber configurations — as well as a smaller, semi-automated tool for process development.