Tag Archives: letter-pulse-business

Brewer Science has been awarded a 2018 Top Workplaces honor by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Based solely on feedback obtained through an anonymous employee survey, the designation recognizes St. Louis-area employers that offer dynamic work environments to satisfied employees.

The survey, which measured various aspects of workplace culture, was administered by research partner Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools.

“Top Workplaces is more than just recognition,” said Doug Claffey, CEO of Energage. “Our research shows organizations that earn the award attract better talent, experience lower turnover, and are better equipped to deliver bottom-line results. Their leaders prioritize and carefully craft a healthy workplace culture that supports employee engagement.”

Since the inception of the company in 1981, Dr. Terry Brewer, founder and president of Brewer Science, has been dedicated to creating an environment where employees have the freedom to be innovative. “The culture of creativity at Brewer Science provides opportunities for employees to grow personally and professionally,” explains Alan Gerson, Executive Director, Human Resources. “By giving employees opportunities to participate in wellness programs, community events and mentorships as well as engage in challenging work, Brewer Science is committed to being a company of the people, by the technology and for the customer. This commitment sets us apart as a unique company and makes Brewer Science a rewarding place to work.”

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has previously recognized Brewer Science as a Top Workplace or honorable mention in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

TowerJazz, the global specialty foundry, today announced details on its 13th annual Technical Global Symposium (TGS) being held in China, Japan, and the United States. This year, TowerJazz TGS will focus on the Company’s leading analog technology offerings, advanced manufacturing solutions and commitment to customer partnerships. All TGS events will commence with a keynote from TowerJazz CEO, Mr. Russell Ellwanger focusing on the Company’s performance, business strategy and industry leadership through alignment with customer roadmaps, innovative and superior technology, and worldwide manufacturing capabilities.

During TGS, speakers will discuss market directions and the latest TowerJazz plans, developments and activities for strategic growth in its specialty process technologies such as Radio Frequency (RF) & High Performance Analog (HPA), power management, and CMOS image sensors (CIS), as well as its process transfer offering (TOPS) for the rising markets of automotive, sensors, the IoT, and 5G, among others. In addition, TowerJazz will present the latest design enablement tools and solutions jointly developed with its EDA partners as well as the Company’s expanded manufacturing capacity and multi-sourcing capabilities.

The global TGS events facilitate customer and partner interaction with TowerJazz team members and industry executives to exchange information on the latest unique and advanced solutions for next-generation analog ICs. TowerJazz focuses on strong roadmap alignment and long-term partnerships with its customers to meet their current and future needs with the most innovative process platforms, addressing the requirements of the fastest growing markets.

As the leading analog pure play foundry, TowerJazz continues to be committed and passionate toward creating value for its customers. The Company offers the most advanced analog technology and best-in-class design enablement while providing global capacity assurance and flexibility to enable customers with competitive advantage and fast time to market.

This year, TowerJazz TGS events will be hosted in the following locations:

Sponsors at TowerJazz TGS events include the industry’s leading EDA vendors and tool providers who will share the latest design capabilities offered in collaboration with TowerJazz: Cadence, HES, Integra Tech, Keysight Technologies, Magwel, Mentor, PacTech, Photronics, Presto, Silvaco, Synkom and Synopsis.

For more information about TowerJazz TGS and registration please visit:
http://www.towerjazz.com/events.html#tgs

AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) today announced awards for key suppliers that contributed to the successful launch of 10 new high-performance computing and graphics product families in 2017. The companies honored demonstrated commitment to AMD through excellence in delivery of material, services and technology.

“Our multi-year strategy to design and deliver high-performance products requires a team effort across our global supply chain. Our deep collaboration with our ecosystem of suppliers enables AMD to focus on bringing innovation and choice to the market,” said Keivan Keshvari, senior vice president of Global Operations for AMD. “We look forward to continuing this shared success with our suppliers as market momentum continues to grow for our Ryzen™, Radeon™ and EPYC™ products. Beyond these acknowledgements, AMD extends thanks and appreciation to its entire global network of suppliers for their role supporting our joint success.”

2017 was a successful year for AMD fueled by a record number of innovative product launches delivered to the market. The following suppliers are being recognized as those who played a leading role in enabling these results:

Despite better-than-expected first-quarter demand for thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) TV sets and TV panels, market players would be well advised to adopt a more conservative outlook in demand growth for the coming quarters, according to IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

Earlier market expectations assumed that demand would slow in the first quarter prompted by the observation that TV set makers would put a hold on panel purchases based on hopes that panel prices would drop further. Such a view was largely attributed by the development of Chinese panel makers planning aggressive investments over the next two to three years.

As it turned out, panel makers managed to sell more panels than originally forecasted in the first quarter because panel prices declined much faster than expected. According to IHS Markit, TV panel unit shipments increased by 13.3 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago, while TV set shipments rose 7.9 percent during the same period.

“LCD TV panel shipments are expected to grow faster than the LCD TV set shipments, expanding the accumulated gap between the two even further,” said Ricky Park, director of display research at IHS Markit.

According to the latest Display long term demand forecast tracker by IHS Markit, the accumulated gap between LCD TV panel and set shipments in the second and third quarters of 2018 is expected to be higher than past 10 years, reaching 8.3 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively, from 7.9 percent in the first quarter. Furthermore, the gap is expected to remain high until 2019.

“The main reason for the higher gap is the aggressive investment in 10.5 generation fabs. TFT LCD capacity, in terms of area, will soar in the next four years,” Park said. “As capacity is expected to increase more than demand, panel suppliers will likely push to sell panels at lower prices while set makers are to hesitate buying panels expecting the price to drop even further.”

However, when the accumulated gap in panel-set shipments is high, an inventory correction should always follow. “TV makers should narrow the gap for healthy inventory control and reducing panel orders is a step in that direction,” Park said. “If TV set makers’ panel purchasing drops, it will likely cause a cash flow issue to panel suppliers, and they would need to reduce the utilization rate to control the supply.”

According to a recent report published by Allied Market Research, titled, Global Organic CMOS Image Sensor Market by Image Processing, Array Type, Industry Vertical and Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2025, the global organic CMOS image sensor market is expected to value at $696.0 million in 2020, and is projected to reach $1,750.0 million by 2025, registering a CAGR of 20.9% from 2021 to 2025.

At present, North America dominates the market, followed by Europe. In 2020, U.S dominated the North America market and rest of Europe led the overall market in Europe. However, in North America, the U.S. currently dominates the market.

The high photoelectric conversion property, better low-light performance and richer colors & textures drive of the organic CMOS image sensor make way for the growth of the market. In addition, introduction of technologies such as 8K resolution and global shutter technology also contribute to the market growth. However, excessive generation of heat in the organic sensor technology hampers this stated growth.

Key Findings of the Organic CMOS Image Sensor Market:

  • The linear image sensors segment generated the highest revenue in the global organic CMOS image sensor market in 2020.
  • In 2020, the 2D Sensors segment was the highest revenue contributor in the image processing segment.
  • Asia Pacific is anticipated to exhibit the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
  • In 2020, North America contributed the highest market share, followed by Europe, Asia Pacific and LAMEA.

The key players profiled in the report include are Fujifilm Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Sony Corporation, Samsung Electronics, Siemens AG, NikkoIA SAS, Xenics NV, AMS AG, Canon, and OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ON) plans to invest $51 million to support expansion of the Luzerne County facility. The ON Semiconductor Mountain Top location specializes in the manufacturing of semiconductor discrete devices used in power management applications across a wide variety of industries, including automotive, industrial, communication and computing.

Today, ON Semiconductor occupies 437,000 square feet of space on 84 acres in the Crestwood Industrial Park. The Mountain Top site is a high-tech location with a highly skilled workforce, benefits, clean work environment and open communication environment. The investment is planned to increase production and in turn create over 70 new jobs, including production staff, technicians, engineers and other support staff.

“We have an outstanding team of highly motivated employees combining our technical capabilities and expansive space capacity to meet exploding business growth in critical markets for ON Semiconductor,” said Heather Carreiro, general manager at ON Semiconductor’s Mountain Top facility. “The initial phase of expansion is currently underway. I’m very proud of our accomplishments and excited about the future of our operation here in Mountain Top.”

With its acquisition of Fairchild’s product portfolio of medium and high voltage products in late 2016, complementing ON Semiconductor’s specialization in low power, the company now has a complete suite of power conversion and power management technologies. This makes ON Semiconductor uniquely positioned to support customers across multiple sectors in working purposefully toward realizing the degree of energy efficiency desired by their customers and increasingly required by regulations.

ON Semiconductor is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and offers a portfolio of over 80,000 energy efficient power management, analog, sensors, logic, timing, connectivity, discrete, SoC and custom devices utilized in, computing, consumer, industrial, medical and military/aerospace applications. The company operates a network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and design centers which are located in key markets throughout North America, Europe, and in the Asia Pacific region.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.70 billion in billings worldwide in May 2018 (three-month average basis), according to the May Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI. The billings figure is 0.6 percent higher than the final April 2018 level of $2.69 billion, and is 19.2 percent higher than the May 2017 billings level of $2.27 billion.

“May 2018 monthly global billings of North American equipment manufacturers exceeded last month’s level to set yet another record,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI. “Demand for semiconductor equipment remains strong on the back of smart, data-centric applications such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and edge computing.”

The SEMI Billings report uses three-month moving averages of worldwide billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.
Billings
(3-mo. avg)
Year-Over-Year
December 2017
$2,398.4
28.3%
January 2018
$2,370.1
27.5%
February 2018
$2,417.8
22.5%
March 2018
$2,431.8
16.9%
April 2018 (final)
$2,689.9
25.9%
May 2018 (prelim)
$2,705.8
19.2%

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), June 2018

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.

FormFactor, Inc. (NASDAQ:FORM), an electrical test and measurement supplier to the semiconductor industry, announced today the company has deployed an integrated CM300xi probing solution for wafer-level testing of silicon photonics (SiPh) devices. Teams from GLOBALFOUNDRIES, FormFactor and Keysight worked together to ensure the system is flexible to meet engineering needs and to deliver high throughput in volume production.

Silicon photonics can enable the transfer of enormous amounts of data at high speeds using optical signals instead of electrical signals. The silicon photonics market is gaining momentum for data center, automotive, and other applications because it allows optical devices to be made cost effectively –reducing power and size — using silicon semiconductor fabrication techniques. The global silicon photonics market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.3% between 2017 and 2025, according to Inkwood Research.

The Cascade CM300xi from FormFactor, combined with Keysight Technologies’ Photonics Application Suite measurement software, provides industry-first capabilities of automated alignment and simultaneous optical-optical and optical-electrical device tests.  Key features of the system include:

  • Six-axis automated optical fiber positioning for precision alignment
  • Two-stage solution for both coarse and fine alignment
  • Optical alignment algorithms integrated with high-speed hardware control to shorten test times
  • FormFactor’s SiPh software to simplify integration with Keysight’s Photonics Applications Suite and optical instrumentation
  • Customized scripting and test programs to optimize the system for fast, accurate measurements
  • Keysight’s high speed, single sweep polarization-dependent-loss (PDL) test that enables high accuracy and repeatability testing without prior polarization alignment.

“GF’s silicon photonics leverages standard silicon manufacturing techniques to improve production efficiency and reduce cost for customers deploying optical interconnect systems,” said Jeffrey Lam, Vice President of product, test and failure analysis, at GF. “We’re excited to be at the forefront in deploying new test capabilities, including wafer level solutions to ramp this important technology.”

“With our long history of working with FormFactor to deliver wafer measurement solutions and decades of experience in photonic testing we are pleased to further equip the silicon photonics industry,” said Joachim Peerlings, Vice President and General Manager Networks & Data Centers, Keysight Technologies. “With Keysight’s Photonics Application Suite and instrumentation, we’ve built a proven, integrated measurement system that enables customers to quickly develop test routines that provide deep insight into photonics devices during R&D and design validation and has the flexibility and scalability for cost effective high-volume production.”

“Emerging technologies like silicon photonics offer FormFactor the opportunity to develop fully integrated probe systems. GF is a forward-thinking company in their adoption of these new test technologies,” said Mike Slessor, President and CEO of FormFactor. “Our collaboration with both Keysight and GF Singapore delivers a solution that truly addresses the unique test and measurement challenges of silicon photonics devices.”