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SEMI today announced that all legal requirements have been met for the ESD (Electronic Systems Design) Alliance to become a SEMI Strategic Association Partner.

Full integration of the Redwood City, California-based association representing the semiconductor design ecosystem is expected to be complete by the end of 2018. The integration will extend ESD Alliance’s global reach in the electronics manufacturing supply chain and strengthen engagement and collaboration between the semiconductor design and manufacturing communities worldwide.

As a SEMI Strategic Association Partner, the ESD Alliance will retain its own governance and continue its mission to represent and support companies in the semiconductor design ecosystem.

The ESD Alliance will lead its strategic goals and objectives as part of SEMI, leveraging SEMI’s robust global resources including seven regional offices, expositions and conferences, technology communities and activities in areas such as advocacy, international standards, environment, health and safety (EH&S) and market statistics.

With the integration, SEMI adds the design segment to its electronics manufacturing supply chain scope, connecting the full ecosystem. The integration is a key step in streamlining SEMI members’ collaboration and connection with the electronic system design, IP and fabless communities. The Strategic Association Partnership will also enhance collaboration and innovation across the collective SEMI membership as ESD Alliance members bring key capabilities to SEMI’s vertical application platforms such as Smart Transportation, Smart Manufacturing and Smart Data as well as applications including AI and Machine Learning.

“The addition of ESD Alliance as a SEMI Strategic Association Partner is a milestone in our mission to drive new efficiencies across the full global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain for greater collaboration and innovation,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI. “This partnership provides opportunities for all SEMI members for accelerated growth and new business opportunities in end-market applications. We welcome ESD Alliance members to the SEMI family.”

“Our members are excited about becoming part of SEMI’s broad community that spans the electronics manufacturing supply chain,” said Bob Smith, executive director of the ESD Alliance. “Global collaboration between design and manufacturing is a requirement for success with today’s complex electronic products. Our new role at SEMI will help develop and strengthen the connections between the design and manufacturing communities.”

All ESD Alliance member companies, including global leaders ARM, Cadence, Mentor, a Siemens business, and Synopsys, will join SEMI’s global membership of more than 2,000 companies while retaining ESD Alliance’s distinct self-governed community within SEMI.

The semiconductor industry today is faced with several substantial issues-not the least of which are the continuing rise in design costs for complex SoCs, the decrease in the incidence of first-time-right designs and the increase in the design cycle time against shrinking market windows and decreasing product life cycles. An additional factor has now been added to SoC design costs with the emergence of very complicated software applications intended to run on the SoC silicon. The costs of the software effort have outstripped the silicon design costs and have become the major part of the cost of these designs. IP integration is also a growing part of design costs. Semico’s new report SoC Silicon and Software 2018 Design Cost Analysis: How Rising Costs Impact SoC Design Starts addresses these and many other design concerns while reporting that the average design cost for Basic SoCs across all geometries in 2017 was $1.7 million.

“Analysis of design activity for the three types of SoC profiled in this report shows that while design costs at new nodes continue to increase, the average design cost at each node is not increasing as quickly, giving room for designers to still accomplish their silicon solutions at reasonable costs if they are prudent in their design selection,” says Rich Wawrzyniak, Sr. Market Analyst for ASIC & SoC at Semico. “For each of the three types of SoC there is still considerable activity at the older nodes of 90nm, 65nm and 40nm. Costs at these geometries are much less than at 10nm and 7nm so even though these newer designs cost much more, the average for all SoCs has dropped due to the increase in new designs for Basic SoC.”

Key findings of the report include:

  • The average design cost for Value Multicore SoCs across all geometries was $4.8M in 2017.
  • The average design cost for all SoCs across all geometries is forecast to increase to $5.3M by 2023.
  • The number of ‘first-time-right’ designs has dropped at every process geometry since the 180nm node.
  • Silicon design costs at the 7nm node for an Advanced Performance Multicore SoC first-time effort are projected to be 23% higher than at the 10nm node.

In a unique, insightful look at this constantly evolving market, Semico Research’s new report, SoC Silicon and Software 2018 Design Cost Analysis: How Rising Costs Impact SoC Design Starts, examines the primary forces and integration pressures that are driving this market today in 135 pages, with 41 tables and 64 graphs. This study analyzes many important questions facing the semiconductor industry today including:

  • What is the current cost for a Complex System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design, and what will it be in the near future?
  • Is it possible to do SoC designs without maximizing the costs for these designs?
  • What is the incidence of ‘first-time-right’ for these designs today and in the near future?
  • How is the design cycle time for these designs changing?
  • How do complicated software applications impact the design costs?
  • How fast are IP integration costs rising, and how high will they go?
  • What strategies are designers using to cope with rising design costs?
  • What is the average silicon design cost today for each process geometry and SoC type, and how quickly is it rising?
  • What impact will EDA tools that include some artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) functionality have on design costs for complex silicon?

Park Systems announced the opening of the Park Nanoscience Lab at the prestigious Indian Institute of Science (IISC) Bangalore India, which has been upgraded to the status of Institute of Eminence.

The Nanoscience Lab will be equipped with Park NX20 AFM at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) and will hold workshops and symposiums on the latest advancements in nanometrology and offer researchers a chance to experience the latest in AFM technology.

The official inauguration ceremony of the Park Nanoscience Lab in India will be held on Wednesday July 25, 2018 at 10 AM featuring a talk by Dr. San Joon Cho of Park Systems Corporation,who will make an official presentation, declaring the Park NanoScience Lab, a national facility where researchers will have access to Park Systems cutting-edge Atomic Force Microscopes with high resolution nanoscale imaging.The event will also include an AFM live demonstration and is open to the press and public. To register to attend go to: http://www.parksystems.com/iisc

“We are honored to have the Park Nanoscience Lab here at Indian Institute of Science,” The Director, CeNSE- Indian Institute of Science further added, “The partnership with Park Systems and their Atomic Force Microscope technology strengthens our academic and scientific community by bringing an exciting new research tool to a shared access location, supporting the growing demand for nanotechnology here in India.”

The Park Nanoscience Labwill showcase advanced atomic force microscopy systems, demonstrate a wide variety of applications ranging from materials, to chemical and biological to semiconductor and devices, and provide hands on experience, training and service, year-round.

“Increasingly, AFM is being selected for Nanotechnology research over other metrology techniques due to its non-destructive measurement and sub-nanometer accuracy,” states Dr. Sang-il Park, Park Systems Chairman and CEO. “The new Park Nanoscience Lab at Indian Institute is a tremendous step forward for researchers in India who work in the advancing fields of nano science and technology.”

Park Systems advanced AFM platform includes SmartScan, an innovative and pioneering AFM intelligence that produces high quality imaging with very few clicks. Park SmartScan’s unique design opens up the power of AFM to everyone and drastically boosts the productivity of all users.

Since going public and listing on KOSDAQ in 2016, Park Systems’ stock has quadrupled as they continue to lead the world in growing AFM market share. Park Systems, a global AFM manufacturer, has Nanoscience Centers in key cities world-wide including Santa Clara, CA, Albany NY, Tokyo, Japan, Singapore, Heidelberg, Germany, Suwon and Seoul.

By Yoichiro Ando

The Japan semiconductor manufacturing supply chain is a global semiconductor industry workhorse, producing about one third of world’s chip equipment and more than half of its semiconductor materials. In contributing the vast majority of these products, SEMI Japan member companies hold the high distinction of enabling continuous development of the worldwide semiconductor industry. Aptly, then, technology powerhouses IBM, Nissan Motors and Toshiba offered insights into the latest trends and innovations in computing and smart cars at the late-May SEMI Japan Members Days in Tokyo with 133 technologists from member companies in attendance.

As the audience discovered, chip innovation never sleeps and, as futuristic as it can be, invariably gives rise to possibilities beyond the human imagination. That was the message of kickoff presentation “Computing Reimagined – AI/Quantum/IoT” – by Dr. Shintaro Yamamichi, Senior Manager, Science & Technology at IBM Research-Tokyo. Dr. Yamamichi cited three examples of how semiconductors uncover new technology frontiers.

  • Computational materials discovery, a novel methodology, is the application of theory and computation to unearthing new materials and the key to enabling an ongoing stream of semiconductor innovation. In particular, using cognitive technology to mine huge volumes of literature reveal new insights into materials that uncover even more functionality such as greater conductivity and heat resistance. With new materials the oxygen of ever more advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing, the semiconductor industry will surely benefit from this methodology.
  • The opportunity to accelerate quantum computing innovation is now. Launched in May 2016, the IBM Quantum Experience gives students, researchers and general science enthusiasts hands-on access to IBM’s experimental cloud-enabled quantum computing platform. The online platform features a forum for discussing quantum computing topics, tutorials on how to program IBM Q devices, and other educational material about quantum computing. Dr. Yamamichi encouraged the audience to join the program.
  • The world’s tiniest computer, unveiled by IBM at the company’s Think 2018 conference in Las Vegas, packs several hundred thousand transistors and, IBM claims, the equivalent power of a 1990s x86 chip into a package smaller than a grain of salt. The computer’s small form factor (less than 1mm x 1mm) and low manufacturing cost means it can be embedded in product price tags and packages as an anti-fraud device using blockchain technology.

Vehicles need to be both electric and intelligent as countries become more populous and traffic density increases. More drivers extend average drive time, boost greenhouse emissions, devour precious energy resources and lead to more traffic congestion and accidents. Dr. Haruyoshi Kumura, fellow at Nissan Motor, highlighted these issues in stressing the importance of a new era of intelligent mobility. To mitigate these problems, Nissan is focusing on the electrification and intelligence of its vehicles:

  • Nissan’s electric vehicle, Leaf, reduces accidents with electric intelligence systems such as e-Pedal, which uses an accelerator pedal only for both acceleration and deceleration, and ProPILOT Park, a feature that automatically parks the car by using multiple cameras and ultrasonic sonars to detect pedestrians and other objects around the vehicle.

  • With more than 90 percent of traffic accidents caused by driver error, Nissan plans to introduce autonomous driving on multi-lane highways by the end of 2018 and on city streets by 2020. By 2022, the company plans to roll out full autonomous driving to reduce traffic accidents caused by inattentive drivers.
  • For full autonomous driving to materialize, sensor fusion technology must incorporate a combination of technologies – radar systems, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems and cameras – to identify the shapes and locations of nearby moving objects and measure their speed. Sensed information is then processed by a 3D graphic analyzer to make electric throttle, braking and steering decisions.

The outlook for automotive industry includes car sharing and more electrification – both insights from Yoshiki Hayakashi, general manager, automotive solution strategic planning division at Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage, who offered his perspectives on trends in Japan’s automotive industry and beyond.

  • To meet the requirements of the COP21 Paris agreement, the global automotive industry is shifting to electrification. Toshiba estimates 60 percent of new cars will be electric vehicles by 2040 to meet the International Energy Agency’s global EV outlook.
  • In Japan, autonomous driving or advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) will be offered in certain areas by 2020, the year of the Tokyo Olympic games. Growth of these advanced driving systems hinges on infrastructure development. Supporting data centers, intelligent transport systems, vehicle-to-everything connections, and smart city are all necessary components.
  • Car ownership will begin to cede ground to car sharing with technology elites such as Tesla, Apple and Google leading the way. To expand the car-sharing industry, new alliances will take shape between new and old-guard automotive companies and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers.
  • Autonomous driving requires precise 3D renderings of actual roadways using sensors for route mapping. While sensor fusion must be deployed for these capabilities, LiDAR offers better sensing range and space resolution precision than ultrasonic sonars, radars, and cameras.

The next SEMI Japan members day is scheduled for October 30 in Tokyo. SEMI holds similar events in most regions where SEMI and its members operate. For the members events in your region, contact the SEMI office nearest you.

Yoichiro Ando is a marketing director in SEMI Japan.

Originally published on the SEMI blog.

BY PAUL VAN DER HEIDE, director of materials and components analysis, imec, Leuven, Belgium

To keep up with Moore’s Law, the semiconductor industry continues to push the envelope in developing new device architectures containing novel materials. This in turn pushes the need for new solid-state analytical capabilities, whether for materials characterization or inline metrology. Aside from basic R&D, these capabilities are established at critical points of the semiconductor device manufacturing line, to measure, for example, the thickness and composition of a thin film, dopant profiles of transistor’s source/drain regions, the nature of defects on a wafer’s surface, etc. This approach is used to reduce “time to data”. We cannot wait until the end of the manufacturing line to know if a device will be functional or not. Every process step costs money and a fully functional device can take months to fabricate. Recent advances in instrumentation and computational power have opened the door to many new, exciting analytical possibilities.

One example that comes to mind concerns the development of coherent sources. So far, coherent photon sources have been used for probing the atomic and electronic structure of materials, but only within large, dedicated synchrotron radiation facilities. Through recent developments, table top coherent photon sources have been introduced that could soon see demand in the semiconductor lab/fab environment.

The increased computational power now at our finger tips is also allowing us to make the most of these and other sources through imaging techniques such as ptychography. Ptychog- raphy allows for the complex patterns resulting from coherent electron or photon interaction with a sample to be processed into recognizable images to a resolution close to the sources wavelength without the requirement of lenses (lenses tend to introduce aberrations). Potential application areas extend from non-destructive imaging of surface and subsurface structures, to probing chemical reactions at sub femto-second timescales.

Detector developments are also benefiting many analytical techniques presently used. As an example, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) can now image, with atomic resolution, heavy as well as light elements. Combining this with increased computational power, allows for further devel- opment of imaging approaches such as tomography, holography, ptychography, differential phase contrast imaging, etc. All of which allow TEM/STEM to not only look at atoms in e.g. 2D materials such as MoS2 in far greater detail, but also opens the possibility to map electric fields and magnetic domains to unprecedented resolution.

The semiconductor industry is evolving at a very rapid pace. Since the beginning of the 21st century, we have seen numerous disruptive technologies emerge; technologies that need to serve is an increasingly fragmented applications space. It’s no longer solely about ‘the central processing unit (CPU)’. Other applications ranging from the internet of things, autonomous vehicles, wearable human-electronics interface, etc., are being pursued, each coming with unique requirements and analytical needs.

Looking ten to fifteen years ahead, we will witness a different landscape. Although I’m sure that existing techniques such as TEM/STEM will still be heavily used – probably more so than we realize now (we are already seeing TEM/STEM being extended into the fab). We will also see developments that will push the boundaries of what is possible. This would range from the increased use of hybrid metrology (combining results from multiple different analytical techniques and process steps) to the development of new innovative approaches.

To illustrate the latter, I take the example of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). With SIMS, an energetic ion beam is directed at the solid sample of interest, causing atoms in the near surface region to leave this surface. A small percentage of them are ionized, and pass through a mass spectrometer which separates the ions from one another according to their mass to charge ratio. When this is done in the dynamic-SIMS mode, a depth profile of the sample’s composition can be derived. Today, with this technique, we can’t focus the incoming energetic ion beam into a confined volume, i.e. onto a spot that approaches the size of a transistor. But at imec, novel concepts were intro- duced, resulting in what are called 1.5D SIMS and self-focusing SIMS (SF-SIMS). These approaches are based on the detection of constituents within repeatable array structures, giving averaged and statistically significant information. This way, the spatial resolution limit of SIMS was overcome.

And there are exciting developments occurring here at imec in other analytical fields such as atom probe tomography (APT), photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), Raman spectroscopy, Rutherford back scattering (RBS), scanning probe microscopy (SPM), etc. One important milestone has been the development of Fast Fourier Transform-SSRM (FFT-SSRM) at imec. This allows one to measure carrier distributions in FinFETs to unparalleled sensitivity.

Yet, probably the biggest challenge materials characterization and inline metrology face over the next ten to fifteen years will be how to keep costs down. Today, we make use of highly specialized techniques developed on mutually exclusive and costly platforms. But why not make use of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) that could simultaneously perform analysis in a highly parallel fashion, and perhaps even in situ? One can imagine scenarios in which an army of such units could scan an entire wafer in the fraction of the time it takes now, or alternatively, the incorporation of such units into wafer test structure regions.

Leti, a research institute at CEA Tech, Transdev, a global provider of mobility services, and IRT Nanoelec, an R&D center focused on information and communication technologies (ICT) using micro- and nanoelectronics, today announced a pilot program to characterize and assess LiDAR sensors to improve performance and safety of autonomous vehicles.

Transdev’s latest innovative transportation technologies already allow to operate fleets of autonomous vehicles for shared mobility. The perception of the environment through sensors is essential to offer the best client experience in terms of comfort and operation speed guaranteeing the required level of safety and security.  Evaluating sensor effectiveness and robustness is critical to develop the Transdev’s Autonomous Transport System that will allow the operation of autonomous vehicles fleets in a maximum of environmental conditions safely and securely.

In the pilot program, Leti teams will focus on perception requirements and challenges from a LiDAR system perspective and evaluate the sensors in real-world conditions. Vehicles will be exposed to objects with varying reflectivity, such as tires and street signs, as well as environmental conditions, such as weather, available light and fog. In addition to evaluating the sensors’ performance, the project will produce a list of criteria and objective parameters by which various commercial LiDAR systems could be evaluated.

“As an innovative supplier of autonomous transportation vehicles for smart cities, Transdev is leading the procession toward responsive, efficient and safe services with buses and shuttles,” said Leti CEO Emmanuel Sabonnadière. “This project will build on Leti’s sensor-fusion knowhow and sensor development expertise to strengthen Transdev’s testing and evaluation of sensors for its vehicles.”

Yann Leriche, Transdev’s CEO North America, said: “Providing the best client experience with the guarantee of safety, security and quality of service, will confirm Transdev as a pioneer in integrating autonomous transport systems into global mobility networks”.

As smart functionality makes its way into homes and businesses, two devices are gaining a foothold into broader ecosystems to maximize growth and revenue opportunities: smart speakers and smart meters. No longer simply intelligent appliances in the home, these devices are becoming key entry points into the massive Internet of Things (IoT) value chain. According to business information provider IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), by the end of 2021, there will be an installed base of 328 million smart speakers and more than 1.13 billion smart electricity, water and gas meters.

“No matter the type of ‘smart’ device, device makers face the same challenge: keep costs down while increasing functionality,” said Paul Erickson, senior analyst for connected device research at IHS Markit. “The IoT is transformational for connected devices, and vendors large and small are vying to be part of the market. Many, like Google and Amazon, are selling their devices at or below margin because they understand the long-term opportunity lies in the applications and services these devices make possible.”

Smart speakers: growth, growth, growth ahead

Smart speakers, which enable voice-based media playback, smart home control, telephony, messaging, e-commerce and informational queries, use a range of connectivity options to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and Cloud capabilities to enable an ever-increasing range of IoT devices.

By 2021, smart speaker revenue is expected to reach $11.2 billion, up from $6.3 billion in 2018, IHS Markit says. “While many options are available to device makers to enter the home ecosystem, the cost and convenience advantages of smart speakers will ensure that demand remains strong for years to come,” Erickson said.

“The smart speaker concept is most powerful when it leverages large, established ecosystems where there is broad app and development support across devices and platforms,” Erickson said. “These ecosystems allow the speakers to access diverse information and e-commerce resources and to receive support from other smart home devices.”

Smart meters: bridging the gap between utilities and their customers

Basic utility meters only monitor power usage, limiting the ability of utility companies to interact with end consumers. Smart meters expand the capabilities of utility companies by providing more regular and informative data, allowing better usage analysis, time-of-use rates and subsidies, leakage warnings and more.

“Smart meters are revolutionizing the way utilities and consumers interact, enhancing capabilities beyond the ‘meter to cash’ process,” said David Green, research manager for smart utilities infrastructure at IHS Markit. “Smart meters will be an increasingly critical entry point into utility ecosystems aiming to create more intelligent, efficient and cleaner electricity networks.”

Like smart speakers, smart meters are anticipated to enjoy considerable growth in the years ahead. Over 188 million smart meters will be shipped in 2023, generating $9.5 billion in hardware revenues, IHS Markit says. In 2023, the installation base of smart electricity, water and gas meters will exceed 1.35 billion. “Smart meters form the backbone of the data collection system for utilities, paving the way for entirely new categories of value-added revenue,” Green said.

STMicroelectronics CEO Jean-Marc Chery and SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha will kick off the co-located SEMI–MEMS & Sensors Industry Group’s (SEMI-MSIG’s) European MEMS & Sensors Summit 2018 and European Imaging & Sensors Summit (September 19-21 in Grenoble, France). Global technology leaders will examine the influence of megatrends, such as artificial and autonomous intelligence, hyperscale data centers, cybersecurity, authentication, human-machine interface, and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) on MEMS, sensors and imaging. Speakers will also explore new platforms, models and materials that support the performance and volume requirements of tomorrow’s MEMS, sensors and imaging devices.

In his executive keynote, NXP Semiconductors SVP/CTO Lars Reger will discuss the powerful decentralized ways that sensors allow cars to perform more human-like decision-making in autonomous driving. Mr. Reger will highlight a complex automotive ecosystem that requires both MEMS and non-MEMS sensors — as well as other electronic measurement and control systems — to advance the autonomous vehicles of today and tomorrow. CEA Leti CEO Emmanuel Sabonnadière will present on how innovation is feeding technology, providing an overview on operational excellence, innovations in technology, talent management and leadership. An additional executive keynote speaker from Renault will be announced soon.

“Our European Summits offer influential stakeholders a unique forum to explore the technological developments — and manufacturing and materials advancements — that will dramatically improve MEMS, sensors and imaging technologies — and the markets in which they play,” said Laith Altimime, president, SEMI Europe. “Whether partners, competitors, suppliers or end-customers, attendees will also benefit from mutual engagement during the exhibition and networking events that make our European Summits so unique.”

Other Highlights

  • Feature Presentations

o   Megatrends impacts on the MEMS business — Eric Mounier, Yole Développement

o   Future trends and drivers for sensors markets — Dr. Michael Alexander, Roland Berger

o   Disruption in the authentication sensor market — Manuel Tagliavini, IHS Markit

o   Image sensors technology innovations enabling market megatrends — Roberto Bez, LFoundry

o   Embracing design for manufacturing in MEMS – success and disappointment — Ian Roane, Micralyne

o   Advanced substrates for MEMS and photonic applications — Vesa-Pekka Lempinen, Okmetic Oy

o   Sensors enabling smart HMI — Christian Mandl, Infineon Technologies

o   Image and vision sensors, systems and applications for smart cities — Thierry Ligozat, Teledyne e2v

o   Trends and recent developments in 3D microscopy for biomedical applications — Michael Kempe, Carl Zeiss AG

o   AI-enabled imaging at the edge — Petronel Bigiogi, XPERI

  • MEMS and Imaging Technology Showcase — several strictly vetted companies will perform live demos of their MEMS-, imaging- or sensors-based products as they compete for audience votes.
  • Joint Show-Floor Exhibition
  • Networking events such as the welcome reception and a gala dinner held for both MEMS and Sensors and Imaging & Sensors Summit attendees
  • MEMS & Sensors Summit: stay in touch via Twitter at www.twitter.com (use #MEMSEU).
  • Imaging & Sensors Summit: stay in touch via Twitter at www.twitter.com (use #imagingEU).
  • Registration: registration is open now, with early-bird pricing available until August 17, 2018. Visit: http://www.semi.org/eu/mems-and-sensors-2018-registration

 

SEMI-MSIG’s Summits will be held at the WTC in Grenoble, France, in the heart of the French Silicon Valley (5-7 Place Robert Schuman, 38000 Grenoble, France). Premier sponsors of the Summits include: Gold Sponsors ASE Group, Presto Engineering, Inc. and SUSS MicroTec Group; Silver Sponsors Applied Materials, EV Group, LFoundry, and SPTS Technologies. Event sponsors include: JSR Micro N.V., Materion, Okmetic, and Trymax.

FlexTech, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner, is now soliciting proposals for projects that advance flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) for sensors, power and other key electronic components. SEMI-FlexTech plans to announce multiple awards to teams or organizations with research and development capability in the U.S. White paper proposals are due July 9, 2018, at 5:00 PM PDT. Review the full Request for Proposal (RFP) for more information about the submission process here.

In partnership with the U.S Army Research Laboratories (ARL), SEMI-FlexTech is seeking proposals for projects that advance heterogeneous packaging for FHE including integrated systems, system architecture and design, and integrated power management components such as batteries, supercapacitors, and energy harvesting.

SEMI-FlexTech’s Technical Council will evaluate and rank proposals, prioritize and manage projects, and administer funding. Grant recipients must match the fund award with cash and in-kind contributions to cover total project cost. Historically, grant recipients have provided, on average, more than 60 percent of project costs. A product demonstration is also required for award consideration.

“This solicitation emphasizes FHE for the Internet of Things (IoT) as we seek to advance the state of the art and incorporate thinned ICs, flexible and printed electronics, power and sensors into a flexible, conformal, low-power package,” explained Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, Executive Director and CTO of SEMI-FlexTech. “The SEMI-FlexTech program is designed to engage multi-disciplinary teams from across the supply chain to develop creative solutions that accelerate the introduction of new FHE technologies.”

SEMI-FlexTech will fund technical approaches that are revolutionary or carry high risk as well as lower-risk evolutionary approaches with shorter development and delivery timetables. SEMI-FlexTech funds research and development initiatives that fall within the U.S. government’s Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 3-6 and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs) 1-3.

Driven by the colossal Internet of Things (IoT) opportunity, wireless technologies—including wireless local area network (WLAN), Bluetooth, cellular and low-power wireless—will account for 55 percent of connectivity integrated circuit (IC) shipments in 2018, according to a new report from business information provider IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO). Over the next five years, wireless connectivity will play an increasingly crucial role in market segments including automotive and transportation, commercial and industrial electronics, communications, computers, consumer and medical.

“Massive IoT use cases requiring long battery life, deep coverage and mobility are fueling demand for cellular and low-power wireless,” said Julian Watson, senior principal analyst for IoT at IHS Markit. “WLAN, Bluetooth and Zigbee are already entrenched in the home automation and consumer electronics segments. And in the coming years, wireless is going to have a huge impact on industries such as healthcare, where providers will lean heavily on wireless connectivity to track and trace costly equipment across large sites and to monitor the condition of patients within domestic settings.”

The IoT opportunity is also spurring competition among wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Long Term Evolution (LTE) and challengers like long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN), Sigfox and Thread. “The diversity of IoT use cases requires multiple technologies, and because of this we’ll see competition between technologies intensify,” Watson said. “The end result is that connectivity technologies will either compete, complement or combine—and whatever is most cost-effective will win out.”

Five connectivity technologies to watch

In its new Connectivity Technologies report, IHS Markit identifies five connectivity technologies to watch:

5G

The move to 5G will trigger significant investment across the value chain from 2020 to 2030, with $2.4 trillion in capital expenditures during this time frame. 5G will start by addressing enhanced broadband uses cases, but industry, not humans, will be the chief 5G driver. Most growth in new subscriber connections will come from industrial use cases rather than consumer markets.

Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)

NB-IoT enables connectivity in devices used in a wide array of applications such as utilities, digital sensor monitoring, agriculture, location-based services and smart cities. Strong NB-IoT deployment in China and Europe will continue, while LTE Cat-M1 will remain dominant in the US. Asia is projected to account for 88 percent of global NB-IoT connections in 2020.

LoRa

Despite intense competition from NB-IoT, LoRa is the low-power WAN (LPWAN) technology of choice for private networks and non-traditional service providers such as cable operators due to its accessibility and differentiation. LoRa has earned a leading role in the LPWAN market, with more than 32 million nodes shipped in 2017, growing to over 57 million nodes in 2018.

Bluetooth mesh

Bluetooth’s momentum and massive installed base gives it an advantage that will be hard for incumbent technologies like Zigbee to challenge. Although it is still perceived as a consumer technology, mesh technology will allow Bluetooth to cross over into commercial and industrial applications such as lighting and building automation, with an anticipated 392 million lighting and building automation device shipments in 2022.

802.11ax

As greater numbers of Wi-Fi–enabled devices are added into homes and enterprises, the 802.11ax standard will gain more prominence in the marketplace and is expected to become the de facto Wi-Fi standard in the next decade. The 802.11ax market will grow rapidly beginning in 2020, after the Wi-Fi alliance launches a certification program. 802.11ax chipset revenue is expected to reach $855 million in 2022.