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Tight supplies of display panel materials and components, such as driver integrated circuit (IC), glass substrate and polarizer, are expected to slow the decline rate of liquid crystal display panel costs, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO).

Supply of driver IC is forecast to tighten throughout 2018, estimated to exceed demand by 4 percent, per the new Display Driver IC Market Tracker by IHS Markit. Foundries have cut their production capacity of cheap driver ICs while increasing production of high-profit ICs and large-scale integrations (LSIs), mainly to satisfy orders from industries producing Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive technologies.

In addition, large panel driver ICs are mainly produced using 8-inch wafers but no foundries are making further investments into these wafer sizes as a generational transition is making its way into 12-inch wafers. “It seems that panel makers can secure driver IC supplies only by offering higher prices,” said Tadashi Uno, senior analyst at IHS Markit.

The average driver IC price increased by about 10 percent during the first half of 2018. Tight supply of driver ICs has impacted the prices of IT panels, such as desktop monitors, notebook PC and tablet PC panels, and has also extended into TV and smartphone panel prices since the third quarter of 2018.

Glass substrates are also in a tight supply situation since the beginning of  third quarter2018, according to the Display Glass Market Tracker by IHS Markit. The supply-demand glut in the third quarter has been below 5 percent, which is considered a tight supply threshold, while taking into account later delivery times.

“Major glass makers are investing in glass-melting tanks in China, but the higher glass consumption of Chinese panel makers’ means it exceeds more than double the glass production capacity of the country,” Uno said. “Chinese panel makers also import products from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan but they are stymied by glass production delays and delivery.”

According to the Display Optical Film Market Tracker by IHS Markit, polarizers have been in a tight supply situation since the third quarter. In July, film makers, such as Dai Nippon Printing and Nitto Denko, stopped operations for more than a week due to heavy rain in Japan. The production facilities are not damaged directly, but damaged infrastructures, such as roads, waterworks and electric facilities, have caused delivery delays.

Logistics issues remain even though operations have resumed. “Non-TAC polarizers, especially acryl polarizers, were already in tight supply but the recent floods have made the situation worse,” said Irene Heo, senior principal analyst at IHS Markit. Polarizer supply-demand glut is expected to be 4 percent in the third quarter, below the 5 percent balance bar.

The cash cost of a typical 32-inch high-definition (HD) open cell is expected to decline 1.4 percent in third quarter2018 compared to a year ago, according to the Large Area Display Cost Model. The contraction rate has slowed from 2.9 percent in the same period last year. “The main reason for the slow cost reduction is the increasing price of driver ICs,” Uno said. “However, glass substrate and polarizer price reductions have been relatively stable.”

Air Products (NYSE : APD ) today announced it has been awarded by Samsung Electronics additional gaseous nitrogen and hydrogen supply to its semiconductor fab in Giheung, South Korea.

Air Products, who has been supplying industrial gases to Samsung Electronics’ Giheung site since 1998, will invest in building a new air separation unit, multiple hydrogen plants, and pipelines, which are scheduled to be operational in 2020 to supply the customer’s increased demand.

“We are proud to expand our longstanding relationship with Samsung Electronics and have their continued confidence in our ability to support their technological development and growth plans,” said Kyo-Yung Kim, president of Air Products Korea. “Our latest investment once again reinforces Air Products’ commitment to serving our strategic customer, as well as the broader semiconductor and electronics industries, with our safety, reliability, efficiency and excellent service.”

Air Products supplies many of Samsung’s operations worldwide, including its semiconductor cluster in the north region of South Korea spanning Giheung, Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek. In Pyeongtaek, the company has been undertaking a multi-phase expansion project to support Samsung Electronics’ multibillion dollar fab.

A leading integrated gases supplier, Air Products has been serving the global electronics industry for more than 40 years, supplying industrial gases safely and reliably to most of the world’s largest technology companies. Air Products is working with these industry leaders to develop the next generation of semiconductors and displays for tablets, computers and mobile devices.

SEMI announced today the October 9 deadline for presenters to submit abstracts for the annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference(ASMC). ASMC, May 6-9, 2019, in Saratoga Springs, New York, will feature technical presentations of more than 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts covering critical process technologies and fab productivity.

ASMC 2019 will feature keynotes, a panel discussion, networking events, technical sessions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing, and tutorials. The conference will also feature a special student poster session to highlight student projects related to semiconductor manufacturing.

Selected speakers will present to IC manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, chief technology officers, operations managers, process engineers, product managers and academia. All technical papers will be published by IEEE, and authors also may receive an invitation to publish their papers in a special section for ASMC 2019 to be featured in IEEE Transactions on Semiconductor Manufacturing. Technical abstracts are due October 9, 2018, and can be submitted here. 

ASMC 2019 will cover the following topics:

  • Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials
  • Advanced Patterning / Design for Manufacturability
  • Advanced Process Control
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing
  • Big Data Management and Mining
  • Defect Inspection and Reduction
  • Discrete and Power Devices
  • Enabling Technologies and Innovative Devices
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancements
  • Factory Automation
  • The Fabless Experience
  • Green Factory
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • MOL and Junction Interfaces
  • Smart Manufacturing
  • Yield Enhancement/Learning
  • Yield Methodologies
  • 3D Packaging and Through Silicon Via

ASMC, in its 30th year, continues to fill a critical need for the industry, providing a venue for professionals to network, learn and share knowledge about semiconductor manufacturing best practices.

Details on how to upload abstracts can be found here. 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 by device manufacturers, equipment or materials suppliers, and/or academic institutions that demonstrate innovative, practical solutions for advancing semiconductor manufacturing are highly encouraged.

ASMC is organized by SEMI Americas to connect more than 2,000 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics manufacturing

SEMI and TechSearch International today announced a new edition of the Worldwide OSAT Manufacturing Sites Database – the only outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT) supplier database available in the market. The report, an essential business tool for anyone interested in device packaging, tracks facilities that provide packaging and testing services to the semiconductor industry.

The new edition includes more than 80 updates spanning packaging technology offerings, product specialization, new facility announcements, as well as ownership/shareholder updates, bringing the total number of facilities tracked in the report to 320.

Combining the expertise of SEMI and TechSearch International, the Worldwide OSAT Manufacturing Sites Database update also features a new section listing the revenues of the world’s top 20 OSAT companies in 2016 and 2017 and captures changes in technology capabilities and service offerings at various facilities.

The Worldwide OSAT Manufacturing Sites Database is a comprehensive report offering insights into global OSAT facilities in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The report highlights new and emerging packaging offerings by manufacturing location and by companies. Specific details tracked include:

  • Plant site location, technology, and capability: Packaging, Test, and other product specializations, such as sensor, automotive and power devices are highlighted.
  • Packaging assembly service offered: BGA, specific leadframe type such as QFP, QFN, SO, flip chip bumping, WLP, Modules/SIP, and sensors.
  • New manufacturing sites announced, planned or under construction.

Tracking advances in packaging technology, which directly affects chip performance, reliability and cost, requires understanding company offerings by location. Key features of the updated report include:

  • More than 120 companies and 300 facilities
  • Over 90 facilities offering leadframe CSP
  • Over 25 bumping facilities, including 20 with 300mm wafer bumping capacity
  • More than 45 facilities offering WLCSP technology
  • New facilities offering FOWLP and FOPLP
  • 92 facilities in China, 89 in Taiwan, 39 in Southeast Asia

The database findings are based on information gathered and compiled from over 120 companies globally. All information in the Worldwide OSAT Manufacturing Sites Database was gathered by SEMI and TechSearch International. Report licenses are available for single-user and multi-users. SEMI members save 16 percent or more depending on the type of license.

For more information about the Worldwide OSAT Manufacturing Sites Database and to order a sample copy, please click here. For pricing and ordering information, please click here.

Dr. Gary Patton, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Worldwide Research and Development at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, will deliver the opening keynote address at the inaugural GSA Silicon Summit – East, being held Tuesday, October 9 in Saratoga Springs, NY.

The conference is presented by the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership (Saratoga Partnership), Saratoga County, NY’s economic development agency; the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), a leading voice for the worldwide semiconductor industry; and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG), a regional economic and business development organization.

A well-recognized industry leader in semiconductor technology R&D with over 30 years of semiconductor experience, Gary Patton is responsible for GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ semiconductor technology R&D roadmap, operations and execution. His address will discuss “Market Drivers for Moore and Beyond Moore Semiconductor Technologies.”

“We are delighted that Gary Patton, a distinguished technologist, innovator, visionary and thought leader in the semiconductor industry, will be launching the first GSA Silicon Summit – East with his keynote,” said Shrikant Lohokare, Executive Director and Senior Vice President, GSA. “I can see Gary’s unique insights into technology inflections and emerging market opportunities they enable at the leading edge of Moore’s Law and Beyond setting the tone for a fantastic program and discussions to follow.”

“Gary Patton is the perfect choice to kick off Silicon Summit – East, which focuses the eyes of the semiconductor world squarely on Saratoga County,” said Marty Vanags, President of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership. “Gary’s leadership role in enabling GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ position as the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing operation demonstrates his success in driving innovative technology that delivers business results.”

Prior to joining GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Patton was Vice President of IBM’s Semiconductor Research and Development Center, where he was responsible for IBM’s semiconductor R&D and technology development alliances. A Fellow of the IEEE, he received the 2017 IEEE Frederik Philips Award for industry influence and leadership in the development of leading-edge microelectronics technology and collaborative research, and in 2016 was inducted into the VLSI Research Hall of Fame for his contributions to the advancement of the semiconductor industry over several decades.

Additional speakers confirmed at this time include Mukesh Khare, Vice President of the IBM Research Semiconductor Group; Gary Bronner, Deputy CTO and Senior Vice President of Rambus Labs/Rambus; and Huibert Verhoeven, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the IoT Division, Synaptics.  A complete list can be found at https://www.gsaglobal.org/2018sse/meet-the-speakers/.

Registration is now open for Silicon Summit – East at https://www.gsaglobal.org/2018sse/registration/. Complete information about the event, including the program and sponsorship opportunities, can be found at https://www.gsaglobal.org/2018sse/.

GSA Silicon Summit – East is the product of a strategic alliance established last year by the Saratoga Partnership and GSA, which represents more than 400 member companies in 32 countries that combine for over 75 percent of revenue in the $400 billion semiconductor industry. With a theme of “Harnessing Emerging Semiconductor Market Opportunities,” the event is designed to promote partnerships and drive efficiencies that advance semiconductor technology and business, while also informing the regional ecosystem on growth opportunities.

 

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: LSCC), a provider of customizable smart connectivity solutions, announced the appointment of Steve Douglass as the Company’s Corporate Vice President, R&D, effective immediately. Mr. Douglass brings extensive experience building and leading global high performing engineering and customer-facing teams that deliver industry-leading IC products and solutions. He has a proven track record of creating and executing business strategies that inspire customer innovation and deliver profitable results. Prior to Lattice, Mr. Douglass was the Corporate Vice President, Customer Technology Deployment at Xilinx, Inc.

Jim Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited to have Steve Douglass join Lattice. His proven ability to lead global FPGA and CPLD teams, and drive customer-focused innovation in targeted applications make him the perfect fit. His technical skills, market knowledge and leadership capabilities will help further strengthen Lattice as we drive sustained growth and profitability by accelerating the worldwide adoption of our ground-breaking hardware and software solutions.”

Mr. Douglass said, “I am excited to be joining Lattice and leading its R&D efforts. Lattice has an excellent programmable product offering built by a talented engineering team. I look forward to the opportunity to further strengthen the portfolio with market driven innovations that will help deliver profitable growth for the Company.”

Steve Douglass brings to the role over 30 years of broad technology experience developing programmable solutions for many markets including wired and wireless communications, industrial, automotive and test and measurement. He is a 20-year Xilinx executive, most recently serving as Corporate Vice President, Customer Technology Deployment and leading the Worldwide Technical Sales and Support team since 2012. Prior to that, he held a wide range of leadership positions, including Vice President and GM, Advanced Products Division, and Vice President of Product Development.

Mr. Douglass was previously at Cypress Semiconductor for 13 years and served in various leadership roles, including Business Unit Director, CPLDs and FPGAs. He began his career as a Circuit Design Engineer at Intel Corporation. He was awarded 23 U.S. and International patents for FPGA and PLD architectures and circuits, and has received numerous industry honors including EDN’s Product of the Year and Innovator of the Year. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University. He also serves on Santa Clara University’s Electrical Engineering Industry Advisory Board.

Veeco Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: VECO) today announced that John Peeler, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, effective October 1, 2018.  William J. Miller, currently President, will become Chief Executive Officer and will join the Company’s board of directors bringing the size of the board to eight.  Additionally, Shubham (Sam) Maheshwari will be named Chief Operating Officer and will continue in his role as Chief Financial Officer.

Peeler joined Veeco in 2007 as Chief Executive Officer and became Chairman of the Board in 2012.  As Executive Chairman, Peeler will work closely with Miller and the Board to ensure an effective transition of management.

“With his impressive background and track record of notable achievements across strategic, product development and operational assignments, there is no one better suited than Bill to take over the helm as Veeco looks forward to its next chapter,” stated Peeler. “Bill and the executive team have the industry experience to execute Veeco’s vision while remaining committed to enabling tomorrow’s technology breakthroughs.”

Over the last 16 years, Miller has held a variety of roles within Veeco.  Miller became President in 2016, overseeing all of Veeco’s global business units. Previously, he guided the strategic direction and product development for the Company’s MOCVD and Ion Beam product lines and was responsible for the Company’s global operations organization. Prior to joining Veeco, Miller held engineering and operations leadership roles with Advanced Energy and Exxon Corporation. He holds BS, MS and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

“Veeco has built a reputation of helping customers overcome their most difficult technical challenges. This inspires us—along with our commitment to customer satisfaction,” noted Miller. “I want to thank John for his guidance and building such a strong leadership team. I intend to build on this legacy while discovering new opportunities to leverage the Company’s outstanding technology and unmatched talent.  I also appreciate the confidence the Board has placed in me.”

Richard D’Amore, Veeco’s lead independent director, added, “When John joined the Company in 2007, Veeco was considered a data storage and metrology company.  John’s vision and focus on execution transformed Veeco to be on the leading edge of the compound semiconductor and advanced packaging markets.  The Board appreciates all that John has contributed to the success of the Company and we have every confidence that Bill will build upon his progress, taking Veeco to the next level of performance.”

Maheshwari joined Veeco in 2014 with more than 20 years of experience in finance. He previously held senior and executive level positions in the semiconductor industry at KLA-Tencor, Spansion and OnCore. Maheshwari holds BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business.  Working side-by-side with Miller, Maheshwari will be charged with advancing Veeco’s operations, customer satisfaction and profitability.

Veeco (NASDAQ: VECO) is a manufacturer of innovative semiconductor process equipment. Our proven MOCVD, lithography, laser annealing, ion beam and single wafer etch & clean technologies play an integral role in producing LEDs for solid-state lighting and displays, and in the fabrication of advanced semiconductor devices.

SEMI Europe and AENEAS today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a strategic partnership to support the European electronics industry’s growth. Under the agreement, SEMI Europe and AENEAS will collaborate to bolster the industry through joint advocacy and communications, awareness building and the exchange of best practices.

As the global electronics industry enters a new area of digitalisation, Europe is aiming to take the research and development lead in smart applications such as autonomous transportation, augmented and virtual reality, wearables, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing.

“To foster Europe as a centre of excellence in smart applications, we need to strengthen its electronics ecosystem by creating tighter connections among large companies, SMEs, research organisations and academia,” said Reinhard Ploss, AENEAS President. “Our strategic partnership with SEMI Europe will help drive greater technology innovation by bringing these critical players together and enable members of both associations to pursue growth opportunities at the European level.”

“With excellent RD&I institutes, globally competitive materials and equipment businesses, and semiconductor manufacturers, Europe is strategically positioned to lead in the global electronics value chain,” said Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe. Together, SEMI Europe and AENEAS are committed to working to drive closer European-level collaboration between industry and research institutions in pre-competitive areas to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the digital economy.”

AENEAS is a non-profit industry association established in 2006. The purpose of the association is to promote Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) in order to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry across the complete Electronics Components and Systems (ECS) value chain.

Semiconductor industry growth drivers artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and automotive take center stage as more than 45,000 visitors gather at SEMICON Taiwan starting today. Showcasing the latest developments and innovations in the microelectronics supply chain, SEMICON Taiwan – September 5-7, at the Taipei Nanang Convention Center – is the largest semiconductor supply chain event in Taiwan. The event opens with Taiwan’s semiconductor industry revenue poised to grow 6 percent to $84.76 billion U.S. dollars ($2.6 trillion NT dollars) in 2018.

Taiwan leads the world in semiconductor foundry, package and test services and is second in chip design. SEMICON Taiwan features more than 2,000 booths and 680 exhibitors from around the world.

SEMICON Taiwan 2018’s IC 60 – Master Forum, a special event co-organized by SEMI and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), celebrates the 60th anniversary of the birth of the integrated circuit. With their sights set on emerging opportunities, Taiwan semiconductor industry luminaries will highlight the pioneering spirit and tenacious pursuit of smaller, faster, lower-power devices that gave rise to today’s ICs and are the heart of the digital economy.

Premier of Executive Yuan, Ching-de Lai will speak at today’s opening ceremony to highlight the administration’s support for the sustainable growth of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. Semiconductor heavyweights, academic professionals, and other officials – all key players in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry – are also expected at the ceremony.

With semiconductor processes ramping to the 5nm technology and below and novel techniques such as heterogeneous integration ushering in improvements to chip functionality, SEMICON Taiwan is the ideal platform for connecting, collaborating and innovating to take advantage of future opportunities.

New show floor features at SEMICON Taiwan include the Smart Manufacturing Journey to highlight future trends and opportunities in smart semiconductor manufacturing and the Smart Workforce Pavilion, which promotes the development of the semiconductor industry talent pipeline. In addition, 22 theme and regional pavilions and a series of forums and networking events spotlight market trends and cutting-edge technologies and open opportunities for cross-field and cross-region collaboration.

“Semiconductors are the backbone of the Taiwan’s economic growth and its leadership position in the global semiconductor industry,” said Terry Tsao, president of SEMI Taiwan. “As critical partners, Taiwan policy makers continue to work closely with the industry and will propose a series of reforms across tax, trade, talent, and technology to enrich the region’s investment climate and encourage industry upgrades.”

“Taiwan is in a strong position to help power future semiconductor industry growth with its highly specialized, fully integrated supply chains and years of management experience,” Tsao said. “Taiwan will long remain a key strategic player in the global semiconductor industry.”

For more event information, please visit SEMICON Taiwan. For a SEMICON Taiwan 2018 overview including featured speakers and the list of international forums, please click here.

NXP acquires OmniPHY


September 4, 2018

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI), the world’s largest supplier of automotive semiconductors, has acquired OmniPHY, a provider of automotive Ethernet subsystem technology. The company’s expertise includes automotive Ethernet, a technology that enables the rapid data transfer required for autonomous driving. OmniPHY’s advanced high-speed technology, combined with NXP’s leading portfolio and heritage in vehicle networks, uniquely positions NXP to deliver the next-generation of data transfer solutions to carmakers. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

An automotive networking revolution is underway, driven by the need for higher data capacity and speed to meet the requirements of increasingly autonomous and connected vehicles. New advanced autonomous driving systems will require gigabit data speeds and beyond. Current plans for next-generation vehicles call for eight or more cameras, high definition radar, lidar and V2X capability, all of which generate steep data challenges for current car networks. These requirements, combined with the modern vehicle’s need to offload data to enable the new business opportunities of the connected car, will soon make terabyte levels of data processing commonplace.

“One of the vexing questions of the Autonomous Age is how to move data around the car as fast as possible,” said Ian Riches, executive director in the Strategy Analytics Global Automotive Practice. “Cameras and displays will ramp the number of high-speed links in the car to 150 million by 2020 and by 2030 autonomous car systems will aggressively drive that number to 1.1 billion high-speed links.”

As the self-driving ecosystem works to deliver on emerging automotive data requirements, many have turned to enterprise networking solutions as a stopgap measure for testing. Yet long-term solutions will need to be automotive grade and of a size and weight that make their implementation feasible. NXP’s acquisition of OmniPHY, which has already begun to translate 1000BASE-T1 Ethernet for the automotive space, will give NXP a significant position in this rapidly evolving area.

“Our heritage in vehicle networks is rich and with our leadership positions in CAN, LIN, and FlexRay, we hold a unique viewpoint on automotive networks,” said Alexander E. Tan, vice president and general manager of Automotive Ethernet Solutions, NXP. “The team and technology from OmniPHY give us the missing piece in an extensive high-bandwidth networking portfolio.”

OmniPHY is a pioneer in high-speed automotive Ethernet IP and automotive qualified IP for 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 standards. Over its six-year history, it has worked with some of the largest consumer companies in the world and has developed competitive 1st-silicon-right solutions for emerging markets like automotive and industrial Ethernet. OmniPHY interface IP and communication technology along with NXP’s automotive portfolio will form a “one-stop shop” for automotive Ethernet. The companies’ technology synergies will center on 1.25-28Gbps PHY designs and 10-, 100- and 1000BASE-T1 Ethernet in advanced processes.

“We are very excited to join NXP – a leader in automotive electronics, for a front-row seat to the autonomous driving revolution, one that will deliver profound change to the way people live,” said Ritesh Saraf, CEO of OmniPHY. “The combination of our teams and technology will accelerate and advance the delivery of automotive Ethernet solutions providing our customers with high quality and world-class automotive Ethernet innovation.”