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STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor and a top MEMS supplier, and iFLYTEK (SHE: 002230), a voice-recognition cloud service provider in China, have introduced the market’s first IoT development platform that enables voice-recognition cloud services in Chinese. The joint solution is on display at electronica China 2017, Shanghai New International Expo Center, Hall E4 Booth 4102, March 14-16, 2017.

The new platform combines ST’s SensorTile multi-sensor module, STM32 ODE (Open Development Environment), and Open.software package with iFLYTEK’s voice-recognition technology. It gives designers a complete toolset for the development of voice-enabled Smart-Home, Smart-Driving, IoT, and robotics applications.

The SensorTile module captures voice inputs through the digital MEMS microphone (MP34DT04) and transmits them using the Bluetooth Low Energy network processor (BlueNRG-MS) to iFLYTEK’s cloud through a smartphone with the voice-recognition result back within seconds.

“ST’s SensorTile is a perfect match for developers integrating voice-control capabilities in applications across Smart-Home, Smart-Industry, and Smart-Driving segments. iFLYTEK has been empowering developers with the best performing and easy-to-use speech-recognition service,” said Jidong YU, Senior Vice President of iFLYTEK Co., Ltd. “We have been working with ST to enable the SensorTile platform with a high-performance Chinese-language recognition. Leveraging iFLYTEK’s more than 270,000 developers on xfyun.cn and ST’s smart IoT development tools, we look forward to creating more designs together in future.”

“The implementation of iFLYTEK’s automatic speech-recognition services on SensorTile accelerates and simplifies voice-enabled IoT design,” said Collins Wu, Marketing Director, Analog and MEMS Group, Greater China & South Asia, STMicroelectronics. “Leveraging a powerful open-software ecosystem, including the STM32(TM) Open Development Environment, shortens time to market and makes IoT design simple and cool.”

ST’s Analog and MEMS Group has also played an active role in nurturing the Innovator Community and Smart Hardware Development Platform in China, establishing a Chinese-speaking engineer community, st_AMSchina, a service subscription on Wechat, as well as the MEMS QQ Group.

STMicroelectronics’ 13.5mm x 13.5mm SensorTile is currently the smallest turnkey sensor board of its type, containing ST’s MEMS accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pressure sensor, and MEMS microphone. With the on-board low-power STM32L4 microcontroller, it can be used as a sensing and connectivity hub for developing products such as wearables, gaming accessories, and smart-home or Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices.

Semiconductor manufacturing thought leaders will convene at the annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC 2017) on May 15-18 in Saratoga Springs, New York. The conference will feature 35 hours of technical presentations and over 100 experts addressing all aspects of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. This year’s event features a panel discussion on “The Next Big Thing: Technology Drivers for Next-Gen Manufacturing − Where will the Road take Us?” and a tutorial on Piezoelectric MEMS by Professor Gianluca Piazza, director of Nanofabrication Facility, Carnegie Mellon University.

SEMI‘s ASMC continues to provide a venue for industry professionals to network, learn and share knowledge on new and best-method semiconductor manufacturing practices and concepts.  The conference is co-chaired by Delphine LeCunff of STMicroelectronics and Russell Dover of Lam Research.  ASMC 2017 offers keynotes by Roberto Rapp, VP of Manufacturing at Robert Bosch GmbH; William Miller, VP of Engineering of Qualcomm; and Robert Maire, president of Semiconductor Advisors.

The topical areas that ASMC 2017 will address include:

  • 3D and Power Technologies
  • Advanced Equipment and Materials Processes
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Patterning
  • Advanced Process Control (APC)
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing (CFM)
  • Yield Management; Defect Inspection
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancement
  • Factory Optimization

ASMC includes an interactive poster session and reception, which provides an ideal opportunity for networking between presenters and conference attendees.

The new ‘Women in Semiconductors‘ program takes place on May 15 in conjunction with ASMC 2017.  Sponsored by Applied Materials, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Nikon and TEL, the program will focus on “The Power of Talk: Getting a Seat at the Table.”  Registration is complimentary for ASMC attendees.

ASMC 2017 is presented by SEMI with technical sponsors: Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS), and IEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT). Corporate sponsors include: BisTEL, Edwards, GreeneTweed, KLA-Tencor, Mellor Consulting Group, Nikon, and Valqua America.

Registration for the SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) is available at www.semi.org/asmc.  For more information, contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or phone 1.202.393.5552. Qualified members of the media are invited to contact Deborah Geiger (SEMI Public Relations) at [email protected] for media registration information.

ULVAC Technologies, Inc. (www.ulvac.com), a supplier of production systems, instrumentation and vacuum pumps for technology industries, has been selected by a global MEMS inertial sensor manufacturer to deliver an ULVAC ENVIRO-1Xa advanced plasma ashing system for running critical low-temp descum processes and high-temp bulk photoresist strip processes. These steps are crucial for the manufacturing of high-performance accelerometers and gyroscopes used in consumer, automotive, health and fitness, and industrial applications.

The ENVIRO-1Xa is the latest photoresist removal equipment from ULVAC, and offers superior performance at an exceptional price. The system is equipped with a versatile platform that can handle multiple wafer sizes, ranging from 4-inch to 8-inch in diameter. The system is capable of high-speed photoresist removal at more than 10µm/min, but has the process flexibility required for other important operations, such as; high-dose implanted resist removal, descum and surface modification, SU-8 and fluorinated resist removal, and MEMS sacrificial-layer removal.

Wayne Anderson President/CEO of ULVAC Technologies, Inc. states that “The sale of this ENVIRO 1Xa, for descum applications, serves to increase our market penetration in the global MEMS manufacturing marketplace, where we have been very successful with our MEMS product portfolio; which includes plasma etching equipment, sputter deposition equipment and the ENVIRO family of plasma ashing equipment.”

Today, the research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technology imec, and the Flemish Government announced a new, 5-year strategic commitment that aims at strengthening the pioneering role of Flanders’ renowned research hub. Imec’s annual grant has been raised to 108 million euro with extra money being invested in imec’s longer-term strategic research to consolidate its global position in advanced semiconductor R&D and digital technology and their application domains in smart health, smart cities, smart mobility, sustainable energy and Industry 4.0.

Following the merger of imec and the Flemish research institute in software and ICT, iMinds in 2016, Flanders has a world-class innovation hub in the domains of nanoelectronics and digital technology, collaborating with industry leaders and universities and research centers worldwide. Imec attracts talented scientists from around the world and has distributed research teams at the five Flemish universities. The center’s innovation capacity culminates in over 120 European patent applications on a yearly basis.

“In the new strategic agreement with imec, we fully recognize the relevance of its international leadership. Yet, the annual grant of 108 million euro also includes additional resources for supporting local innovation,” added Philippe Muyters, Flemish Minister for Economy and Innovation. “Flemish companies can turn to imec for integrated solutions that capitalize on the latest hardware and software developments. This is a crucial element in their quest for technology that can immediately be incorporated in their products – earning them a quick competitive advantage.”

Luc Van den hove concluded: “We truly appreciate the Flemish Government providing us with the resources to step up our long-term strategic research and to further support companies in Flanders and worldwide with the development of technological solutions applicable to their products and services, offering our hardware and software solutions throughout the entire lifecycle of the innovations process.”

GlobalFoundries_Ajit_ManochSEMI, the global association connecting and representing the worldwide electronics manufacturing supply chain, today announced the appointment of Ajit Manocha as its president and CEO. He will succeed Denny McGuirk, who announced his intention to retire last October. The SEMI International Board of Directors conducted a comprehensive search process, selecting Manocha, an industry leader with over 35 years of global experience in the semiconductor industry.  Manocha will begin his new role on March 1 at SEMI’s new Milpitas headquarter offices.

“Ajit has a deep understanding of our industry’s dynamics and the interdependence of the electronics manufacturing supply chain,” said Y.H. Lee, chairman of SEMI’s board of directors. “From his early days developing dry etch processes at AT&T Bell Labs, to running global manufacturing for Philips/NXP, Spansion, and, as CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Ajit has been formative to our industry’s growth. Ajit is the ideal choice to drive our SEMI 2020 plan and beyond, ensuring that SEMI provides industry stewardship and engages its members to advance the interests of the global electronics manufacturing supply chain.”

“Beyond his experience leading some of our industry’s top fabs, Ajit has long been active at SEMI and has served on boards of several global associations and consortia,” said Denny McGuirk, retiring president and CEO of SEMI. “Ajit’s experience in technology, manufacturing, and industry stewardship is a powerful combination. I’m very excited to be passing the baton to Ajit as he will continue to advance the growth and prosperity of SEMI’s members.”

“I have tremendous respect for the work SEMI does on behalf of the industry,” said Ajit Manocha, incoming president and CEO of SEMI. “I am excited to be joining SEMI at a time when our ecosystem is rapidly expanding due to extensive innovation on several fronts.  From applications based on the Internet and the growth of mobile devices to artificial intelligence/machine learning, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things, there is a much broader scope for SEMI to foster heterogeneous collaboration and fuel growth today than ever before.  I am looking forward to leading the global SEMI organization as we strive to maximize value for our members across this extended global ecosystem.”

Manocha was formerly CEO at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, during which he also served as vice chairman and chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).  Earlier, Manocha served as EVP of worldwide operations at Spansion. Prior to Spansion, he was EVP and chief manufacturing officer at Philips/NXP Semiconductors. Manocha also held senior management positions within AT&T Microelectronics. He began his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories as a research scientist where he was granted several patents related to microelectronics manufacturing. Manocha holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi and a master’s degree in physical chemistry from Kansas State University.

Invensas Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tessera Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: TSRA), today announced that Teledyne DALSA, a Teledyne Technologies company, has signed a technology transfer and license agreement for Direct Bond Interconnect (DBI) technology. This agreement enables Teledyne DALSA to leverage Invensas’ revolutionary semiconductor wafer bonding and 3D interconnect technologies to deliver next-generation MEMS and image sensor solutions to customers in the automotive, IoT and consumer electronics markets. Teledyne DALSA is an international leader in high performance digital imaging and semiconductors and also one of the world’s foremost pure-play MEMS foundries.

“DBI technology is a key enabler for true 3D-integrated MEMS and image sensor solutions,” said Edwin Roks, president of Teledyne DALSA. “We are excited about the prospect of developing new products and providing new foundry services to our customers that utilize this technology. By working closely with Invensas, we will be able to move more quickly to deploy this capability efficiently and effectively.”

DBI technology is a low temperature hybrid wafer bonding solution that allows wafers to be bonded instantaneously with exceptionally fine pitch 3D electrical interconnect without requiring bond pressure. The technology is applicable to a wide range of semiconductor devices including MEMS, image sensors, RF Front Ends and stacked memory.

“We are pleased that Teledyne DALSA, a recognized leader in digital imaging products and MEMS solutions, has chosen our DBI technology to accelerate the development and commercialization of their next generation MEMS and image sensor products,” said Craig Mitchell, president of Invensas. “As device makers look for increasingly powerful semiconductor solutions in smaller packages, the need for cost-efficient, versatile 3D technologies is greater than ever before. We are confident that the superior performance and manufacturability of DBI technology will help Teledyne DALSA deliver tremendous value to their customers.”

According to Yole Développement (Yole), the solid-state IC technologies applied to medical imaging applications including CCD, CIS, a-Si FPD, a-Se FPD, SiPM and now cMUT and pMUT are step by step penetrating the medical imaging industry. Yole’s analysts announced a US$350 million in 2016 with a comfortable 8.3% CAGR9 until 2022. In a US$35 billion medical imaging equipment market in 2016 with a 5.5% CAGR until 2022, solid-state IC players are clearly changing the medical imaging landscape by offering competitive disruptive technologies.

The “More than Moore” market research and strategy consulting company, Yole confirmed the growing interest of solid-state technologies in medical imaging applications: in this field, companies aim to reach challenges of minimally invasive solutions, safety of patient and early diagnostic, remote diagnostic and cost effectiveness through miniaturization, low power consumption and serial production.

Under this context, Yole released a new technology & market report entitled Solid-State Medical Imaging. Yole analyzes the medical imaging ecosystem and proposes a relevant overview of solid-state technologies and technological trends. From components to systems, Yole’s MedTech team reviews for each types of equipment the major companies in the supply chains from the sensors to the equipment. Solid-state disruptive solutions bring better performances for existing technologies and pave the way for new market opportunities. Yole’s MedTech analysts offer you today a snapshot of the solid-state IC technologies for medical imaging applications.

medical system

“For some technologies and applications, wafer volume growth is very significant,” explains Yole’s Activity Leader, Pierre Cambou. “For example, the development of SiPM7 in the field of molecular imaging will multiply in quantity by more than 6x over the next five years. This massive transformation from photomultiplier tubes to solid-state IC was derived from the need of multimodal equipment (PET/MRI10) but it’s going to have a direct consequence in the field of PET/CT11 and spread all the way to SPECT12 imaging.”

In the case of endoscopy the switch toward solid-state IC technologies started a decade ago and has completely transformed the landscape. The digitization process is almost complete. The new technological trend is now to move from CCD to CMOS image sensors offering higher image quality and miniaturization perspectives. Small-diameter fiberscope is the last endoscopy domain making the transition.

The medical imaging equipment market is led by 4 major players representing more than 75% of the market share. Indeed Siemens Healthineers, GE Healthcare, Philips Healthcare and Canon/Toshiba medical systems are manufacturing the high end imaging equipment including PET/MRI, PET/CT, SPECT and CT Scanners. But it is an evolving market and several players are focused on smaller systems and are leader on their market. Olympus, Fujifilm or Sirona are covering imaging markets with endoscopy and dental X-Ray equipment for example.

Medical industry and furthermore medical imaging applications require strong competences and knowledge to meet challenges of performances and patient safety from component to the system. Solid-state sensors are based on semiconductor technologies and processes with huge initial investment. Solid-state technologies impose a new paradigm in the supply chain from highly integrated companies to a horizontal network of specialized suppliers.

Yole’s report describes the major players’ position in the supply chain and how, among other, TowerJazz or Hamamatsu are working with Teledyne Dalsa, Perkin Elmer, or Zeiss, as well as large system manufacturers, to provide the best imaging solutions. It is worth noting that the medical imaging industry is also still consolidating through tremendous mergers and acquisitions. A total of US$35 billion of strategic acquisition has been made in the 2 last years at various level of the chain showing an exciting activity of the industry. Most of the companies are expanding field of competences through acquisitions:

Varex acquiring Perkin Elmer x-ray detector field, Canon and Toshiba Medical Systems to meet Canon growth strategy, as well as the US$25 billion acquisition of St. Jude Medical by Abbott.

“In our report, forecasts are paired with each modality’s technology and application overview, since some key players have made significant moves via solid-state technology,” highlights Dr Benjamin Roussel, Business Unit Manager, MedTech at Yole.

“The technologies and related use-cases are constantly evolving, providing space for innovators to differentiate themselves,” comments Jérôme Mouly, Technology & Market Analyst at Yole. And he adds: “Numerous new solid-state innovations are ready to enter the market.”

ams (SIX: AMS), a worldwide supplier of high-performance sensor and analog solutions, announces the completion of the transaction to acquire 100% of the shares in Heptagon and the related capital increase of 11,011,281 new shares from authorized capital excluding subscription rights. ams announced on 24 October 2016 that the company had signed an agreement to acquire Heptagon, a developer of high performance optical packaging and micro-optics.

The upfront consideration for the transaction includes approximately USD 64 million in cash, 5,450,586 ams shares from currently held treasury shares as well as 11,011,281 new shares from authorized capital. The capital increase creating the 11,011,281 new shares from authorized capital was registered with the commercial register today and the shares are admitted to trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange from tomorrow, 25 January 2017, onwards. The total number of shares outstanding of ams AG will therefore be 84,419,826 no par value bearer shares with a calculated nominal value of EUR 1.00 per share.

Following the registration, the selling shareholders of Heptagon hold approximately 19.5% of the total registered share capital of ams. They are subject to a market standard, staggered lock-up obligation ending in the second quarter 2018.

Worldwide semiconductor capital spending is projected to increase 2.9 percent in 2017, to $69.9 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. This is down from 5.1 percent growth in 2016 (see Table 1).

“The stronger growth in 2016 was fueled by Increased spending in late 2016 which can be attributed to a NAND flash shortage which was more severe in late 2016 and will persist though most of 2017. This is due to a better-than-expected market for smartphones, which is driving an upgrade of NAND spending in our latest forecast,” said David Christensen, senior research analyst at Gartner. “NAND spending increased by $3.1 billion in 2016 and several related wafer fab equipment segments showed stronger growth than our previous forecast. The thermal, track and implant segments in 2017 are expected to increase 2.5 percent, 5.6 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.

Compared with early 2016, the semiconductor outlook has improved, particularly in memory, due to stronger pricing and a better-than-expected market for smartphones. An earlier-than-anticipated recovery in memory should lead to growth in 2017 and be slightly enhanced by changes in key applications.

Table 1: Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending and Equipment Spending Forecast, 2015-2020 (Millions of Dollars)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Semiconductor Capital Spending ($M)

 67,994.0

 69,936.6

 73,613.5

 78,355.6

 75,799.3

Growth (%)

5.1

2.9

5.3

6.4

-3.3

Wafer-Level Manufacturing Equipment ($M)

35,864.4

38,005.4

38,488.7

41,779.7

39,827.0

Growth (%)

7.9

6.0

1.3

8.6

-4.7

Wafer Fab Equipment ($M)

 34,033.2

 35,978.6

 36,241.1

 39,272.8

 37,250.4

Growth (%)

8.1

5.7

0.7

8.4

-5.1

Wafer-Level Packaging and Assembly Equipment ($M)

1,831.2

2,026.8

2,247.6

2,506.9

2,567.7

Growth (%)

3.9

10.7

10.9

11.5

2.8

Source: Gartner (January 2017)

Foundries continue to outgrow the overall semiconductor market with mobile processors from Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek and HiSilicon as the demand driver on leading-node wafers. In particular, fast 4G migration and more-powerful processors have resulted in larger die sizes than previous-generation application processors, requiring more 28 nanometer (nm), 16/14 nm and 10 nm wafers from foundries. Nonleading technology will continue to be strong from the integrated display driver controllers and fingerprint ID chips and active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display driver integrated circuits (ICs).

This research is produced by Gartner’s Semiconductor Manufacturing program. This research program, which is part of the overall semiconductor research group, provides a comprehensive view of the entire semiconductor industry, from manufacturing to device and application market trends. Gartner clients can see more in “Forecast Analysis: Semiconductor Capital Spending and Manufacturing Equipment, Worldwide, 4Q16 Update.”

Coupling Wave Solutions, S.A. (CWS) and STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) today announced that they partnered together to reduce time-to-market for high-performance radio frequency (RF) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) designs. RF Designers and design managers will now be able to enhance their designs of RF SOI switches that propel the next generation cellular and Wi-Fi communication chips. STMicroelectronics’ product development kits with SiPEX are available immediately.

“We are thrilled to partner with STMicroelectronics to provide our customers with a breakthrough design productivity solution,” said Brieuc Turluche, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of CWS. “SiPEX™ accurately models interactions between devices, back-end-of-line, and silicon on insulator (SOI) substrates enabling RF Front End Module designers to fully simulate layout and design changes in less than 15 minutes, an accomplishment not possible until now. Our tool also helps simulation take into account physical effects that were only measurable on silicon in the past. This enhanced capability is fundamental to successfully designing high-performance RF SOI switches for the next generation communication chips.”

For the first time ever, with STMicroelectronics’ product development kits, customers can simulate the impact of layout geometry on RF switch losses and non-linearities (H2/H3 distortions), including active devices, metal interconnects, and substrate contributions. This design capability is empowered by the interaction of Spice models, Mentor XRC tool, and the SiPEX substrate simulation tool. This is significant because customers will now be able to design RF SOI Switches reaching a level of performance never achieved before.

“RF front-end components are complex to design. The right design tool is critical for our RF SOI customers to close the gap between simulation and silicon measurements, and optimize the layout to achieve the best linearity in their chips. Partnering with CWS allows our customers to eliminate design re-spins and accelerate time-to-market,” said Cyril Colin-Madan, head of Design Platform at STMicroelectronics.

Thanks to the SiPEX tool, substrate-aware RF switch simulation flow is now part of the H9 SOI FEM PDK design kit which supports RF SOI designs integrated in H9 SOI FEM technology for Cellular and Wi-Fi applications.

“By combining H9 SOI STM technology with substrate modeling via the CWS tool, we produce the world’s highest performance SOI Switches for IoT and Smart Phone applications,” said Greg Caltabiano, CEO of ACCO Semiconductor.