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SITRI, a center for accelerating the development and commercialization of “More than Moore” solutions to power the Internet of Things, and Bosch China—through its subsidiary Bosch (China) Investment Ltd.—a global supplier of technology and services, announced today they have signed an agreement to collaborate on the study, development and promotion of solutions and applications for the rapidly growing IoT (Internet of Things) space. The agreement covers IoT applications such as smart home, wearable devices, smart city, Industry 4.0 and robotics.

The agreement facilitates the development of new paths to market for products destined for the rapidly growing China IoT market, for which some analysts have forecasted a CAGR of over 30 percent between now and 2019. It also opens the door to the possible future development of joint demonstration facilities to speed the commercialization ofIoT technologies and products.

“Innovation and applications in the IoT space are developing rapidly,especially in China,” said Dr. Charles Yang, President of SITRI. “Bringing together Bosch’s global technology leadership with SITRI’s unique platform for rapid incubation and commercialization of new IoT technologies will enable a fast start on designs that can be commercialized quickly forthis fast moving market.”

SITRI is emerging as the center for “More than Moore” commercialization and industry development, providing 360-degree solutions for companies and startups pursuing these new technologies, including investment, design, simulation, market engagement and company growth support. SITRI is associated with the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and has established strong ties to a broad range of Chinese industry, research and university players. This ecosystem enables these new businesses to grow by quickly taking their innovations from concept to commercialization.

Silicon Labs has announced the acquisition of Telegesis, a supplier of wireless mesh networking modules based on Silicon Labs’ ZigBee technology. A privately held company founded in 1998 and based near London, Telegesis has established itself as a ZigBee expert with strong momentum in the smart energy market, providing ZigBee module solutions to many of the world’s top smart metering manufacturers.

In its official release, Silicon Labs said this strategic acquisition accelerates Silicon Labs’ roadmap for ZigBee and Thread-ready modules and enhances the company’s ability to support customer needs with comprehensive mesh networking solutions ranging from wireless system-on-chip (SoC) devices to plug-and-play modules backed by best-in-class 802.15.4 software stacks and development tools. Telegesis modules integrate the antenna and provide a pre-certified RF design that reduces certification costs, compliance efforts and time to market. Customers can migrate later from modules to cost-efficient SoC-based designs with minimal system redesign and full software reuse.

The market for ZigBee modules is large and growing. According to IHS Technology, 20 percent of all ZigBee PRO integrated circuits shipping today are used in modules, and ZigBee module shipments are expected to grow at a compounded rate of 24.6 percent between now and 2019.

Telegesis exclusively uses Silicon Labs’ ZigBee technology in its module products, which are deployed in smart meters, USB adapters and gateways for smart energy applications. Additional target applications include home automation, connected lighting, security and industrial automation. The modules come with Silicon Labs’ rigorously tested, field-proven EmberZNet PRO ZigBee protocol stack, which sets the bar for ZigBee stack reliability and has been deployed in more connected products than any other ZigBee PRO stack. Telegesis also offers comprehensive development and evaluation kits to help developers streamline their ZigBee-based applications.

“The addition of Telegesis’s successful module business strengthens Silicon Labs’ position as the market leader in mesh networking solutions for the Internet of Things,” said James Stansberry, senior vice president and general manager of Silicon Labs’ IoT products. “The combination of Telegesis modules, Silicon Labs mesh networking SoCs, best-in-class 802.15.4 software stacks and easy-to-use wireless development tools provides customers with a seamless migration path from modules to SoCs and from ZigBee to Thread-based networks.”

“The Telegesis team is truly excited to become an integral part of Silicon Labs,” said Ollie Smith, director of business development at Telegesis. “Together, our hardware and software engineering teams will drive innovation in wireless mesh networking while giving customers a flexible choice of module and SoC-based designs leveraging both ZigBee and Thread technology.”

BY PETER CONNOCK, Chairman of memsstar

The dramatic shift from the trend for increasingly advanced technology to a vast array and volume of application-based devices presents Europe with a huge opportunity. Europe is a world leader in several major market segments – think automotive and healthcare as two examples – and many more are developing and growing at a rapid rate. Europe has the technology and manufacturing skills to satisfy these new markets but they must be addressed cost effectively – and that’s where the use of secondary equipment and related services comes in.

While Moore’s Law continues to drive the production of advanced devices, the broadening of the “More than Moore” market is poised to explode. All indicators are pointing to a major expansion in applications to support a massive increase in data interchange through sensors and related devices. The devices used to support these applications will range from simple sensors to complex packages but most can, and will, be built by “lower” technology level manufacturing equipment.

This equipment will, in many cases, be required to be “remanufactured” and “repurposed” but will allow semiconductor suppliers to extend the use of their depreciated equipment and/or bring in additional equipment, matched to their process needs, at reduced cost. In many cases this older equipment will need to be supported by advanced manufacturing control techniques and new test and packaging capabilities.

SEMI market research shows that 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, according to SEMI’s 2015 secondary fab equipment market report. For 2014, 200mm fab investments by leading foundries and IDMs resulted in a 45 percent increase in spending for secondary 200mm equipment.

Secondary equipment will form at least part of the strategy of almost anyone manufacturing or developing semiconductors in Europe. In many cases, it is an essential capability for competitive production. As the secondary equipment industry increases its strategic importance to semiconductor manufac- turers and researchers it is critical that the corresponding supply chain ensures a supply of quality equipment, support and services to meet rapidly developing consumer needs.

Common challenges across the supply chain include:

  • How to generate cooperation across Europe between secondary equipment users and suppliers and what sort of cooperation is needed?
  • How to ensure the availability of sufficient engineering resource to support the European secondary installed base?
  • Are there shortages of donor systems or critical compo- nents that are restricting the use of secondary equipment and, if so, how might this be resolved

Europe’s secondary industry will be in the spotlight during two sessions at SEMICON Europa 2015:

  • Secondary Equipment Session – Enabling the Internet of “Everything”?
  • SEA Europe ‘Round Table’ Meeting

The sessions are organised by the SEMI SEA Europe Group and are open to everyone associated with the secondary industry, be they device manufacturer or supplier, interested in the development of a vibrant industry providing critical support to cost effective manufacturing in Europe.

Bosch Sensortec announced that its CEO, Dr. Stefan Finkbeiner, has been chosen by the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group to receive its prestigious MEMS/Sensors Lifetime Achievement Award.

Stefan Finkbeiner: CEO of Bosch Sensortec (PRNewsFoto/Bosch Sensortec)

Stefan Finkbeiner: CEO of Bosch Sensortec (PRNewsFoto/Bosch Sensortec)

The award was made at the recent MEMS Executive Congress US 2015 in Napa, California.

Dr. Finkbeiner was appointed as CEO of Bosch Sensortec in 2012, having previously served as General Manager and CEO of Akustica Inc, a Bosch Group company which develops MEMS microphones for consumer electronics applications and is located in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Dr. Finkbeiner joined Robert Bosch GmbH in 1995 and has been working for more than 17 years in different positions related to the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of sensors. Senior positions at Bosch have included Director of Marketing for sensors, Director of Corporate Research in microsystems technology, and Vice President of Engineering for sensors.

MEMS Industry Group (MIG) is the trade association advancing MEMS and sensors across global markets. Its members comprise nearly 200 companies and industry partners.

Now in its eleventh year, MEMS Executive Congress is an annual event that brings together business leaders from a broad spectrum of industries: automotive, communications, consumer goods, energy/environmental, industrial and medical.

Systematic – and predictive – cost reduction in semiconductor equipment manufacturing

BY TOM MARIANO, Foliage, Burlington, MA

After a period of double-digit growth, the semiconductor equipment industry has now stabilized to the point where recent market forecasts are predicting anemic single-digit growth rates. This is driven by total market demand from chipmakers. For example, despite strong growth of 12.9 percent in 2014, Gartner, Inc. projects worldwide semiconductor capital spending to only grow 0.8 percent in 2015, to $65.7 billion. [1] Additionally, this industry has always been subject to volatile demand cycles that are notoriously difficult to predict.

Translation: It’s extremely challenging for today’s semiconductor equipment manufacturers to improve their financial performance. There are fewer and fewer opportunities to grow topline revenue through innovation and new product development. And, after several years of cutting costs on existing products and not realizing enough cost reduction to improve margins, it’s difficult to know how to do it differently.

Yet a viable alternative to improve financial performance does exist: A disciplined, rigorous, and systematic approach to reducing costs that delivers more predictive results.

A systematic approach to cost reduction

Where cutting costs was once perceived as the end result of “desperate times, desperate measures,” many innovators are now using this approach much more proactively. By
meeting the idea of cost reduction head on – as an opportunity, not a last resort – many semiconductor equipment makers are uncovering wasteful, inefficient, and costly processes, often in areas they once overlooked. At this point, you may be thinking, “All of this sounds great, but what is a systematic approach to cost reduction, and how is it different from what I’m doing?”

Remember that many manufacturers (in all industries) tend to have a hard time driving costs down. They may set cost reduction goals and then attempt to achieve them using various ad hoc approaches. But they really need to understand exactly what their true costs are, where they exist, and which areas will improve their margins.

A systematic approach to cost reduction gives them this insight. With improved visibility into the entire organization, various processes, and how they execute, semiconductor equipment manufacturers can’t identify the right places to cut costs and hit their cost savings goals. This is a very detailed and planned approach in which organizations closely examine areas such as cost of goods sold, R&D, and service to make more informed decisions that will position their business for long-term success. This is the value of a systematic approach to cost reduction.

This approach also introduces the element of speed, helping equipment makers realize cost savings much faster than ad hoc cost-cutting initiatives and puts them on a path to achieve more predictive results. Beyond the positive (and more obvious) impact successful cost reduction has on a semiconductor equipment manufacturer’s bottom line, it also provides a number of significant benefits such as improving productivity, freeing up key personnel, and providing needed capital to fuel new growth.

The path to predictive results

Even if the concept of a more strategic approach to cutting costs sounds reasonable, many semiconductor equipment manufacturers struggle with how to begin and where to focus. All to often they resort to making reactive decisions regarding existing products without the necessary data, leading them to ask questions such as, “Should we have an obsolescence plan for this product?” “How much could we save?” and “Will this lead to bigger problems down the road?”

Without understanding where your best opportunities for cost cutting are, it’s a lot larder to predict when, and if, cost reduction goals will be met. A systematic approach to cost reduction includes establishing clear cost targets, communicating them to leadership, and measuring and reporting results along the way.

The first step is to engage with an outside firm that has a singular focus on cost reduction, and one that is clearly separated from day-to-day operations and current organizational dynamics. Such an engagement will yield an actionable list of improvements with specific cost targets, realistic timelines for achieving these goals, and future plans for reinvesting the cost savings.

More specifically, a systematic cost reduction approach will focus on three key areas: material costs, R&D costs, and service costs:

1. Material costs: The bill of materials is one of the most common ways to see all the components needed to produce the end product. But this goes well beyond the pure cost of materials. Research has shown that improving the way these components are managed can affect 80-90% of the product’s total costs.[2]

For semiconductor equipment manufacturers, the cost reduction process should start with the selection of the products or sub-assemblies that have the highest potential for savings. Focus on those products that are still generating significant revenue, but may not be receiving much attention in terms or engineering upgrades and enhancements. Thoroughly examine the bill of materials for these products by addressing materials, design, complexity reduction, the potential to create common assemblies, and more.

Value engineering efforts can simultaneously improve product functionality and performance while reducing bill of material costs. This effort should factor in ways to meet RoHS requirements and when to make end-of-life decisions for various electrical components to improve design efficiency and the effectiveness of the product.

A realistic cost reduction goal can then be created and a resulting value-engineering project can commence, often using low-cost offshore resources to best achieve those savings.

2. R&D costs: Making better decisions related to R&D processes and product development can shave considerable costs. Some areas to focus on include:

• When to officially end of life non-performing products
• When to consolidate products, or possibly even entire R&D departments
• When and how to move sustaining engineering efforts offshore, or to other lower-cost alternatives

The critical next step is to look at all products and all product variations to determine if an official end-of-life program should be employed. These decisions are notoriously hard to make and often require difficult conversations with key customers, but they are necessary nonetheless.

Many semiconductor equipment manufacturers have grown through acquisitions, creating redundant engineering groups that can be eliminated or downsized. Performing an organizational analysis of all R&D activities may uncover opportunities to consolidate and combine functions or create centers of excellence that focus on specific technical areas eliminating redundancies of technical specialty.

3. Service costs: Examine engineering and design processes to find ways to improve performance, reliability, and costs. For example, adding data collection technology or product diagnostics to enhance remote support efforts and predictive maintenance.

Improvement of product reliability is usually a large multiplier when it comes to service and spare parts costs. Collect and analyze field data to find the most significant issues driving service costs and then look to cut where possible.

For example, equipment in the field often does not have the capability to report enough information to effectively identify a problem. Adding increased data logging and communication can be used to clarify machine status and point services in the right direction. Connectivity can also help with remote diagnostics, all of which helps reduce costs, uptime, and customer satisfaction.

Cost Reduction as a Competitive Advantage

Short-term market forecasts will continue to make it challenging for semiconductor equipment manufacturers to deliver improved financial results. Yet the concept of a systematic approach to cost reduction is a proven way for them to proactively cut costs – in the right places – and also make better decisions related to existing products and other business systems and processes.

By taking a disciplined, rigorous, and objective look at any and all parts of their organization, semiconductor equipment makers can capitalize on new opportunities to free valuable resources, improve processes and future technology, and reinvest savings for future growth. For many equipment manufacturers the greatest obstacle to successfully exploiting these opportunities is insufficient experience and expertise with a disciplined and unconventional way of approaching cost reduction projects. A systematic approach to cost reduction will be the key to success for companies looking to improve their competitive advantage.

References

1. Gartner, Inc., “Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending to Increase 0.8 Percent in 2015: Conser- vative Investment Strategies Paving the Way to Slower Growth in 2015,” January 13, 2015. http://www.gartner. com/newsroom/id/2961017.

2. Forbes, “Product Lifecycle Management: A New Path to Shareholder Value?” August 5, 2011, http://www. forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2011/08/05/product-lifecycle- management-a-new-path-to-shareholder-value/.

A recent report from Navigant Research analyzes the global market opportunity for residential Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including forecasts for shipments, installed base, and revenue, segmented by region and device type, through 2025.

According to the report, global revenue from shipments of these residential IoT devices is expected to total more than $330 billion from 2015 to 2025. The report also concludes that yearly revenue will grow from $7.3 billion in 2015 to $67.7 billion in 2025. Through devices such as smart thermostats that allow users to remotely control household temperatures or LED lights that can be switched on and off from a smartphone, the much-hyped IoT concept has arrived in the residential setting. Major companies are beginning to recognize the opportunity that these communicating devices offer for increased efficiency, automation, security, and comfort in the home.

“The IoT is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle without any edge pieces, with the number of pieces growing exponentially into the billions,” says Neil Strother, principal research analyst with Navigant Research. “Communicating devices in the IoT traverse a wide range of industries and sectors—virtually all areas of life can expect to see some form of this connected world.”

Despite the many drivers for the residential IoT market, there are at present multiple protocols and standards that are creating an interoperability barrier, according to the report. Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and others are all vying for market viability, which is creating confusion for consumers and stalling overall adoption.

The report, IoT (Internet of Things) for Residential Customers, defines the emerging residential IoT market and examines the global market opportunity related to IoT technologies. The study provides an analysis of the key market drivers and barriers associated with residential IoT devices, including smart meters, smart thermostats, lighting, smart appliances, security and management systems, and smart plugs. Global market forecasts for shipments, installed base, and revenue, segmented by region and device type, extend through 2025. The report also examines the key technologies related to residential IoT devices, as well as the competitive landscape. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the Navigant Research website.

Cambridge, UK — November 9, 2015 — Xaar plc, a world leader in industrial inkjet technology, and Lawter, along with its parent company Harima Chemicals Group (HCG), announced a collaboration to optimize the performance of a line of nanosilver conductive inks in the Xaar 1002 industrial inkjet printhead. The combined solution will be of particular interest to manufacturers of consumer electronics goods looking for a robust and reliable method for printing antennas and sensors with silver nanoparticle ink as part of their manufacturing processes.

Industrial inkjet offers significant advantages over traditional print technologies to manufacturers of consumer electronics products. Inkjet is a cleaner process than other methods of printing silver inks; this is especially relevant when printing onto a substrate, such as a display, in which any yield loss is very expensive. With inkjet, manufacturers can very precisely control the amount of ink dispensed in certain areas of a pattern so that the ink or fluid deposited can be thicker in some areas and thinner in others. Similarly, inkjet enables the deposition of a much thinner layer of fluids than traditional methods, which is significant for the manufacturers looking to produce thinner devices. In addition, inkjet is one of the few technologies able to print a circuit over a substrate that has a structured surface.

“This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our latest technological breakthroughs and demonstrate the unique value that our revolutionary nanoparticle inkjet solutions can play as part of an integrated system solutions in the PE world,” says Dr. Arturo Horta Ph.D., Business Development Manager for Lawter Innovation Group.

HCG pioneered the development and manufacture of silver nanoparticle conductive inks for the printed electronics industry over 20 years ago and has over 100 patents related to its nanoparticle dispersion technology. This line of nanosilver conductive inks for inkjet printing offers a unique combination of low temperature sintering and high circuit conductivity. In addition, Lawter’s novel inks are compatible with a range of photonic curing tools as well as a variety of substrates.  These value-added features, together for the first time in a single product, provide increased project efficiency, decreased raw material costs and finer line printing.  All of this adds up to significant, quantifiable benefits for the end-user.

Xaar, also a major player in industrial manufacturing applications, has been delivering inkjet technology for 25 years. Its leading printhead, the Xaar 1002 is particularly suitable for Lawter’s nanosilver conductive inks due to the printhead’s unique TF Technology™ (fluid recirculation) which ensures a continuous flow of the heavy particulate in the ink to deliver uninterrupted high volume production printing.

“The applications that will benefit from the combination of Lawter’s nanosilver conductive inks and Xaar’s 1002 printhead are exciting,” says Keith Smith, Director of Advanced Manufacturing at Xaar. “We are seeing more and more that the consumer electronics market is looking for a printing solution that provides the quality of the Lawter ink and production reliability of the Xaar GS6 1002 to allow designers to make thinner devices.  The printhead and ink combination, along with photonic sintering, is unlocking mechanical and electrical designs never thought possible before.”

 

TOKYO – November 4, 2015 – SEMI today announced further details on SEMICON Japan, bringing innovation to Tokyo Big Sight on December 16 through 18. SEMICON Japan, already the largest and most important gathering of the semiconductor manufacturing industry, has increased exhibition and programing in the high-growth Internet of Things (IoT) applications and technologies with its World of IoT pavilion. SEMICON Japan will also, for the first time, feature the Innovation Village, showcasing high-tech startups that bring the potential for new driving forces and new ideas for the future growth of the microelectronics supply chain.

Held in conjunction with SEMICON Japan, the World of IoT is a “show-within-a-show” and is the only exhibition showcase and conference in Japan to cover the complete Internet of Things supply chain, from silicon to system. Global key IoT industry players will showcase their applications and technologies including:

  • Alps Electric
  • Amazon Web Services*
  • Dassault Systems
  • Hitachi
  • IBM Research-Tokyo
  • Intel
  • SECOM
  • SIEMENS
  • Toshiba Healthcare Company
  • Toyota Motor
  • Tesla Motors*

*Amazon Web Services and Tesla Motors will have their booth at a SEMICON show for the first time ever.

The IoT conference programming will also feature speakers from the IoT key players including:

  • Amazon Japan – Kazufumi Watanabe, Vice President of Hardlines
  • Cisco Systems – Kazuhiro Suzuki, Managing Director, Cisco Consulting Services
  • Fujitsu – Chairman and Representative Director, FUJITSU LTD
  • Google – Shinichi Abe, Managing Director, Google for Work, Japan
  • IBM Japan – Toshifumi Yoshizaki, IBM Executive Staff, Watson
  • Microsoft Japan – Madoka Sawa, MTC Lead, Microsoft Technology Center
  • Nissan Motor Company – Haruyoshi Kumura, Fellow
  • Rakuten – Masaya Mori, Executive Officer and Representative, Rakuten Institute of Technology

Innovation Village is a new feature at SEMICON Japan that includes 20 emerging startups in an interactive exposition showcase arena. Attendees to the Innovation Village will gain key insights into new technologies and products, advanced research solutions, investment opportunities, as well as technology transfer and partnerships opportunities. The Innovation Village program will include start-up pitches and a “speed-dating” format for matchmaking between start-ups and venture capitals and corporate venture capitals.

Osamu Nakamura, president of SEMI Japan said “The World of IoT and Innovation Village bring new and fresh ideas, technologies, and partnership to SEMICON Japan visitors and exhibitors that are moving forward together to the IoT era.”

Platinum sponsors of SEMICON Japan 2015 include Applied Materials, Disco, and Tokyo Electron. Gold sponsors include Advantest, ASE Group, Daihen, Ebara, Hitachi Chemical, Hitachi High-Tech, JSR, Lam Research, Screen Semiconductor Solutions, and Tokyo Seimitsu.

For complete information of exhibits and programs, visit www.semiconjapan.org/en.

 

Innovative Micro Technology (IMT), the largest pure-play MEMS manufacturer in the USA, announced today the signing of a partner agreement with Silicon Catalyst, the world’s only startup incubator focused exclusively on semiconductor solutions. The partnership with Silicon Catalyst offers the opportunity for IMT to provide MEMS-related technical consulting, manufacturing expertise and prototypes to the Silicon Catalyst portfolio of startup companies that are considering MEMS sensors and solutions.

“MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) technology provides the sensing interface to advanced semiconductor devices that are the core of the ‘Internet of Things.’ We believe the infrastructure Silicon Catalyst is establishing to enable the incubation of semiconductor devices provides numerous links with MEMS devices for the sensing of personal health, environment, energy consumption, agriculture and medical treatment. Additional applications for MEMS technologies also improve cellular phone performance, GPS navigation and smart phone battery consumption. We are pleased to partner with Silicon Catalyst to provide these fundamental sensing technologies to their portfolio companies,” said Craig Ensley, CEO of IMT.

The two organizations plan to work together to provide startup companies that are focused on solutions that require MEMS technology with design and process expertise, prototyping, shuttle wafers and office facilities. IMT has a broad range of expertise in the area of MEMS technology. For more than 15 years, IMT has worked with hundreds of companies to assist them with early stage planning, process integration and volume manufacturing. More than 450 MEMS designs have been implemented and run in the IMT manufacturing facilities. Portfolio companies can benefit from the IMT manufacturing experience and participate in various wafer shuttle opportunities for quick turn prototypes and accelerated market introduction of new MEMS devices.

“As we move into the era of IoT, sensors and other innovative MEMS devices become critical for new applications,” said Dan Armbrust, CEO of Silicon Catalyst. “IMT’s impressive MEMS development capability is the ideal resource for our portfolio companies as they innovate in IoT. We look forward to a long and exciting partnership with IMT.”

11/3/2015 Update: The deadline for papers has been extended to November 11, 2015

SEMI announced today that the deadline for presenters to submit an abstract for the 27th annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) is November 2. ASMC, which takes place May 16-19, 2016 in Saratoga Springs, New York, will feature technical presentations of more than 90+ peer-reviewed manuscripts covering critical process technologies and fab productivity. This year’s event features keynotes, a panel discussion, networking events, technical sessions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing, as well as educational tutorials.

ASMC continues to fill a critical need in our industry and provides a venue for industry professionals to network, learn and share knowledge on new and best-method semiconductor manufacturing practices and concepts. Selected speakers have the opportunity to present in front of IC manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, chief technology officers, operations managers, process engineers, product managers and academia. Technical abstracts are due November 2, 2015. 

This year SEMI is including two new technology areas: 3D/TSV/Interposer and Fabless Experience. SEMI is soliciting technical abstracts in these key technology areas:

  • 3D/TSV/Interposer
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials
  • Advanced Patterning / Design for Manufacturability
  • Advanced Process Control (APC)
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing (CFM)
  • Data Management and Data Mining Tools
  • Defect Inspection and Reduction
  • Discrete Power Devices
  • Enabling Technologies and Innovative Devices
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancements
  • Fabless Experience
  • Factory Automation
  • Green Factory
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Yield Methodologies

Complete descriptions of each topic and author kit can be accessed at http://www.semi.org/en/node/38316. If you would like to learn more about the conference and the selection process, please contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or call 1.202.393.5552.   

Papers co-authored between device manufacturers, equipment or materials suppliers, and/or academic institutions that demonstrate innovative, practical solutions for advancing semiconductor manufacturing are highly encouraged. To submit an abstract, visit http://semi.omnicms.com/semi/asmc2016/collection.cgi

Technical abstracts are due November 2, 2015. To learn more about the SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference, visit http://www.semi.org/asmc2016.