Tag Archives: letter-pulse-business

By Junko Collins

The SEMI International Standards program is operated in all major electronics manufacturing regions including the Americas, Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China to increase the manufacturing efficiency and interoperability. More than 5,000 volunteers representing over 2,000 companies work in 20 global technical committees and over 200 task forces to find solutions to common technology challenges.

At SEMICON Japan 2019 – December 12-14 at Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo – SEMI recognized two industry veterans active in the Japan chapter for their longtime contributions to the SEMI International Standards program. The award ceremony took place on December 13 with 56 Standards committee members and SEMI executives including Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI, and Jim Hamajima, president of SEMI Japan, in attendance.

Hiromichi Enami of Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation and Isao Suzuki of MKS Japan Receive SEMI Japan Honor Award. Left to right: Jim Hamajima (SEMI), Ajit Manocha (SEMI), Hiromichi Enami (Hitachi High-Technologies), Isao Suzuki, James Amano (SEMI) and Mike Ciesinski (SEMI)

Contributing to SEMI Standards for more than 20 years, Mr. Hiromichi Enami of Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation has been dedicated to committee management by acting as co-chair of the Gases Technical Committee and the Facilities Technical Committee. In addition, as chairman of the division, he has strived for harmonization with other committees and regions. (The current SEMI International Standards program has no division structure).

Mr. Isao Suzuki, formerly of MKS Japan, is also a long-time contributor to the SEMI standards activities, having demonstrated his commitment to the management of the Gases Technical Committee and as a co-chair of the Facilities Technical Committee. He has also made significant efforts towards cooperation with Information & Control Committee activities related to sensor bus activities.

The SEMI Japan Honor Award is given to members who has contributed to the SEMI International Standards program as a member of Japan Regional Standards Committee or as a Global Technical Committee Japan Chapter co-chair for more than four years.

By Junko Collins, director of Standards and EHS, SEMI Japan

Flexible and printed electronics innovations and autonomous mobility sensors will take center stage as more than 700 attendees gather for 120 market and technical presentations, 70 exhibits and four short courses at the co-located FLEX 2019 and MEMS & Sensors Technical Congress (MSTC) in Monterey, California, February 18-21, 2019. Click here to register for both events.

Themed Electronics Out of the Box, FLEX 2019, the Flexible & Printed Electronics Conference and Exhibition, will highlight new form factors enabled by advances in flexible, printed and hybrid electronics. MSTC, themed Sensor Systems Enabling Autonomous Mobility, will showcase sensor innovations and emerging applications. The events cover a broad span of new applications and innovation drivers in key markets such as SMART Medtech, SMART Transportation and Internet of Things (IoT).

FLEX and MSTC will unite in the exhibition, opening keynotes, panel discussion, networking events and short courses, with the events featuring separate technical sessions. Attendees will connect with a broad group of subject matter experts and industry innovators.

FLEX 2019 and MSTC 2019 at a Glance

FLEX 2019 technical sessions will spotlight innovations in flexible and printed electronics products, equipment and materials as well as unique electronics applications they deliver – from new battery structures and antennas to bio-medical devices. Follow FLEX 2019 on Twitter: #FLEX2019 and @flextechnews

MSTC 2019 sessions will highlight wearables, point-of-care medical devices, food delivery, agriculture platforms, remote monitoring systems and other applications with stringent sensor, data storage, processing and transmission requirements. Follow MSTC on Twitter: #MSTC2019 and @MEMSGroup

“Advances in flexible electronics, MEMS and sensors have immediate, positive impact on the world we live in,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI. “FLEX 2019 and MSTC 2019 are the ideal platforms to showcase how sensors harness the power of data and improve our lives.”

The special poster session highlighting student projects related to flexible electronics or MEMS and sensors will be back by popular demand. The posters are evaluated for their scientific methods, command of the subject matter and usefulness of the ideas to the industry. Winners receive cash awards, plaques and recognition at the annual FLEXI Awards ceremony.

Keynotes include:

  • Ford Motor Company – The changing automotive sensor landscape
  • John Deere Electronics Solutions – Autonomy in agriculture to solve challenges in space, form factor, power availability and harsh operating conditions
  • Rogers Research, Northwestern University –  The emergence of diverse, novel classes of biocompatible electronic and microfluidic systems with skin-like physical properties to enable innovations in sports and fitness
  • STMicroelectronics – Profiles of new precision sensors for industrial applications, including combination sensors, specialized sensors, and complete inertial modules

Although overall TV shipments in the third quarter of 2018 were flat compared to the previous year, the average TV unit-shipment screen size increased more than any previous quarter in more than a year. While strong seasonality from promotions for the World Cup raised TV unit sales more than 7 percent in the first half of the year, Western Europe, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa all experienced double-digit TV shipment year-over-year declines in the third quarter, according to IHS Markit(Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.

Global shipments of 60-inch and larger TV screen sizes increased more than 40 percent, year over year in the third quarter, with even stronger growth in North America and emerging markets, as prices fell to new lows for 65-inch and 75-inch sizes. This growth rate is more than 10 percent higher than in recent quarters.

“Each year during the holiday shopping season, brands and retailers try to push ever larger screen sizes to keep revenues growing and encourage adoption of value-added features like 4K and smart TV,” said Paul Gagnon, research and analysis executive director, IHS Markit. “This year, there’s higher interest in 65-inch 4K TVs for many of the key promotional deals, leading to less focus on smaller screen sizes under 50 inches.”

Growth in larger size TVs leads to a rising share of 4K resolutions since larger sizes have already largely completed the transition from 1080p to 4K. In fact, the share of 4K TV shipments in the third quarter reached a record high of nearly 44 percent. Due to sustained premiums and larger average size, 4K TVs made up more than 71 percent of all TV revenues during the quarter. 8K TV shipments are still very small, with just one brand currently shipping a very small number of units in Japan and China. IHS Markit expects additional brands to start shipping 8K TVs by the end of 2018.

Prices of 65-inch 4K LCD TVs fell to an average of $1,110 in North America during the third quarter, from $1,256 in the previous quarter. In China, the average price of 65-inch TVs was even lower – just $928, after already falling below $1,000 in the second quarter. Xiaomi and other brands have aggressively pushed prices lower as competition intensifies in China. In other regions, prices were considerably higher for 65-inch 4K TVs, due to less intense retail competition and a smaller addressable market.

OLED TV shipments were down slightly in the third quarter compared with the previous quarter, with the anticipated promotional focus shifting to LCD for the holiday season. LCD TV shipments increased by 14 percent, quarter over quarter. Quantum dot LCD TV shipments rose to 663,000 units in the third quarter, with an average size exceeding 60-inches. The average size of OLED TVs increased to more than 59 inches for the first time, as the 65-inch shipments share grew to a new high of more than 38 percent.

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) today announced that the Liberty Technical Advisory Board (LTAB) and Interconnect Modeling Technical Advisory Board (IMTAB) have ratified new modeling constructs to address timing and parasitic extraction challenges at process nodes down to two nanometers (nm). Mobile device requirements for ultra-low power and manufacturing challenges require new approaches to ensure the best accuracy at signoff while enabling design tools to optimize for the lowest power consumption. In addition, device architectures, mask, and patterning techniques at these nodes result in artifacts that must be modeled by new extensions in the interconnect technology file (ITF).

In power analysis, the Liberty standard has been enhanced to provide better insight into the assumptions use for computation of dynamic power values in the library models. Extraction modeling in the ITF file now addresses gate resistance for new device architectures, as well as patterning extensions on interconnect and trench contact structures.

“Through close collaboration with leading foundries and IDMs, we are able to keep modeling standards out in front of the next wave of advanced process nodes,” said Jacob Avidan, senior vice president of engineering in Synopsys’ Digital Group. “The latest modeling enhancements ratified by the Liberty and ITF technical advisory boards are essential to achieving timing and power requirements that allow our partners to bring the highest quality designs to market in the shortest time possible.”

All LTAB/IMTAB proposals have been quickly incorporated into Synopsys’ Fusion Design Platform™to enable support for early technology adopters. Tools in the Fusion Design Platform include Design Compiler® synthesis, IC Compiler™ II place-and-route, StarRC® extraction, PrimeTime®signoff, and PrimePower power analysis.

GIGAPHOTON Inc., a manufacturer of light sources used in semiconductor lithography, announced that following the high level of response to its initial March 2018 announcement of “FABSCAPE™” for the operational monitoring and analysis of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, at least seven major semiconductor chipmakers have been implementing the functionality into their manufacturing within 9 months after FABSCAPE™ was launched.

FABSCAPE™ is an open platform capable of integrating the collection and analysis of operational data for the many and varied devices used in semiconductor manufacturing processes, and also efficiently resolving various problems relating to productivity and yield. With the introduction of FABSCAPE™, customer FAB and the various GIGAPHOTON service bases are connected through the network, enabling real-time monitoring and analysis of the data from each tool. In the future, applications will be provided to solve users’ specific individual issues, and improvement will be made to realize more efficient operation across all semiconductors manufacturing environment.

Katsumi Uranaka, President & CEO of GIGAPHOTON commented, “FABSCAPE™ has received favorable reviews from those customers who have already introduced it, and we are confident that those customers planning to do so will also be very happy with the outcome. GIGAPHOTON will continue to contribute in further productivity improvements for our customers.”

JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, today announced the publication of an update to JESD235 High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) DRAM standard. HBM DRAM is used in Graphics, High Performance Computing, Server, Networking and Client applications where peak bandwidth, bandwidth per watt, and capacity per area are valued metrics to a solution’s success in the market. The standard was developed and updated with support from leading GPU and CPU developers to extend the system bandwidth growth curve beyond levels supported by traditional discrete packaged memory. JESD235B is available for download from the JEDEC website.

JEDEC standard JESD235B for HBM leverages Wide I/O and TSV technologies to support densities up to 24 GB per device at speeds up to 307 GB/s. This bandwidth is delivered across a 1024-bit wide device interface that is divided into 8 independent channels on each DRAM stack. The standard can support 2-high, 4-high, 8-high, and 12-high TSV stacks of DRAM at full bandwidth to allow systems flexibility on capacity requirements from 1 GB – 24 GB per stack.

This update extends the per pin bandwidth to 2.4 Gbps, adds a new footprint option to accommodate the 16 Gb-layer and 12-high configurations for higher density components, and updates the MISR polynomial options for these new configurations. Additional clarifications are provided throughout the document to address test features and compatibility across generations of HBM components.

SiFive, the provider of commercial RISC-V processor IP, today announced it has been recognized as the 2018 Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company by the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) at the GSA awards dinner on Dec. 6, 2018. This recognition caps a momentous year for the company, in which SiFive has experienced unprecedented growth.

“SiFive’s unique model makes it one of the most exciting and revolutionary emerging companies in the industry today and accordingly their peers have chosen them as the Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company,” said Jodi Shelton, GSA President. “The GSA is proud to honor them with this award which is a recognition of their leadership in the RISC-V ecosystem and its innovative cloud-based design platform.  We look forward to their continuous leadership in pushing open hardware to address the burgeoning global opportunities.”

The GSA Most Respected Private Semiconductor Company award honors companies that garner the most respect from the industry in terms of its products, vision and future opportunities. Since its founding in 2015, SiFive has grown its Core Series IP to seven distinct 32- and 64-bit product lines, suitable for use in real-time, embedded and high end, linux application use cases. At the RISC-V Summit earlier this month, more than 10 SiFive partners showcased a wide array of prototypes and demo devices. The company also has grown from its core founding employees to more than 300 people, and established a robust set of partnerships including TSMC, Cadence and Microsoft. In total, SiFive recently secured significant double-digit design wins across their Core IP 2, 3, 5, and 7 Series. Of those, over 10 design wins alone were for their highly successful E2 Core IP Series. SiFive will be announcing further details in the coming weeks.

“To be honored by the GSA as the most respected privately held company in the industry less than three years after our launch is quite rewarding,” said Naveed Sherwani, CEO, SiFive. “This industry recognition is a rewarding validation of SiFive’s mission to lead the paradigm shift under way in the silicon industry as it looks for the next wave of innovation. I am so proud of our team for their efforts to push the boundaries of what’s possible every day.”

IC designers are increasingly seeking ways to keep production costs down while implementing low power, high endurance embedded flash. Microchip Technology Inc. via its subsidiary Silicon Storage Technology (SST) has announced a strategic partnership with SK hynix system ic to expand the availability of SuperFlash® technology. The partnership will introduce SST’s embedded SuperFlash technology to SK hynix system ic’s 110 nanometer (nm) CMOS platform, providing designers a cost-effective and low-power embedded flash memory solution. 

SST’s embedded SuperFlash technology offers low power, high reliability, superior data retention and endurance for a range of applications, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, smart cards and microcontroller-based applications. The technology’s power efficiency and fast erase time are ideal for low-power applications such as remote IoT edge nodes and contactless payment devices. 

 “The combination of area-efficient, low-power SuperFlash technology and the highly cost-effective 110 nm process node opens up exciting new product opportunities, especially for IoT and microcontroller-based applications,” said Mark Reiten, vice president of SST, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microchip. “This partnership will enable customers who require low power, high endurance embedded flash to keep their production costs down by using the highly optimised 8-inch CMOS platform.”

SST’s SuperFlash technology complements SK hynix system ic’s embedded flash memory solutions with low power and high reliability IP. SK hynix system ic is a fully owned subsidiary spun off from SK hynix (000660: Korea SE) in July 2017. It is a pure 200 mm foundry specialised in Display Driver IC (DDI), CMOS Image Sensor (CIS), and Power IC with a process range of 500 nm to 57 nm. 

“We believe that the adoption of SST’s embedded SuperFlash will enable SK hynix system ic to expand our technology portfolio, and it will help to respond to customer requests for highly reliable and robust embedded non-volatile memory solutions,” said Dr. SB You, marketing vice president of SK hynix system ic. “Moreover, we will provide customers with a cost-effective embedded flash solution to support their competitiveness in the market. As the demand for embedded flash memory solutions increases, there will be many customers coming to us to use our 110nm CMOS technology-based embedded flash memory solution.” 

The process development commenced earlier this year and is expected to be completed in early 2019. Contact SST for more information on the company’s extensive custom library of off-the-shelf IP blocks optimised for smartcard System-on-Chips (SoCs). 

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:046890) (“Seoul”), a developer of LED products and technology, announced that it won a patent litigation against Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Everlight”) in Germany.

The patent involved in this litigation relates to an LED package structure for thermal dissipation. Everlight purchased this patent from a U.S. company in 2017, and subsequently brought a patent lawsuit against Seoul in the Manheim Court of Germany.

In December 2018, however, the Manheim Court ruled in favor of Seoul and ordered that Everlight, as the losing party, should bear the statutory costs of the court proceeding.

In the United Kingdom, Seoul had already won a patent litigation against Everlight earlier this year. At that time, the UK Patent Court also ordered that Everlight must pay approximately one million dollars in litigation costs to Seoul. In the meantime, Seoul is pursuing patent infringement lawsuits against a global distributor of Everlight’s high-power and mid-power LED products in Germany, Italy and Japan.

Everlight has previously sued another of its competitors in Japan after purchasing a patent from a foreign company, but it lost that action as well. In April 2017, Everlight filed a patent lawsuit against Nichia Corporation and Citizen Electronics in Japan, relying on the purchased-patent. However, the Tokyo District Court dismissed Everlight’s lawsuit in October 2018.

“Seoul has invested approximately 100 billion won per year in research and development to ensure that it creates its own cutting-edge technology and products, thereby establishing its own formidable patent portfolio,” said Nam Ki-bum, Executive Vice President of the Lighting Department at Seoul. “We hope that our commitment and success for technology innovation would inspire young entrepreneurs and small businesses.”

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: LSCC), a provider of customizable smart connectivity solutions, announced the appointment of Glenn O’Rourke as the Company’s Corporate Vice President, Global Operations, effective immediately. Mr. O’Rourke brings extensive business and technical experience, and expertise in supplier management, technology, product quality, and cost optimization to his new role. Prior to Lattice, Mr. O’Rourke was Corporate Vice President of Supplier Management, Technology & Product Cost Center at Xilinx, Inc.

Jim Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “We are excited to welcome Glenn O’Rourke to Lattice’s leadership team, as we continue to attract key talent to our team. Glenn’s deep understanding of the FPGA industry and all facets from strategic planning through manufacturing and quality make him a perfect fit as we work to better optimize Lattice’s operations to support our strategic goals and customers’ multi-year product roadmaps.”

Mr. O’Rourke said, “I am excited to be part of Lattice’s leadership team. Having worked in the FPGA industry for many years I know the strength of the Company’s FPGA portfolio, global customer base and talented employees. I look forward to leveraging my expertise to help the Company enhance the capability, efficiency and profitability of its operations to enable exceptional growth.”

Glenn O’Rourke brings to the role 30 years of FPGA technology and semiconductor industry experience. Over the last 15 years, he has been responsible for Xilinx Inc.’s supplier strategy, management and sourcing; foundry, package, assembly and reliability engineering; and product cost center and gross margin. He most recently served as Corporate Vice President of Supplier Management, Technology and Product Cost Center at Xilinx, Inc. He was previously Vice President of Technology, Product Quality and Reliability for all Xilinx processes and products, after serving as Senior Director of Product Development Engineering. Earlier in his career Mr. O’Rourke was Senior Group Manager Product and Test Engineering at Lattice Semiconductor, and was a Product Development Manager / Program Manager at STMicroelectronics. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University.