Tag Archives: letter-pulse-business

Lam Research Corporation (Nasdaq:LRCX), a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Coventor, Inc., a provider of simulation and modeling solutions for semiconductor process technology, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and the Internet of Things (IoT). The combination of Lam and Coventor supports Lam’s advanced process control vision and is expected to accelerate process integration simulation to increase the value of virtual processing, further enabling chipmakers to address some of their most significant technical challenges.

“We see a strong synergy between our modeling capability and Lam’s desire to enable virtual experimentation of process development for customers and within its business units,” said Mike Jamiolkowski, president and CEO of Coventor. “We believe that our combination will increase the value we can deliver to our customers by providing more capability and improving their time to market.”

Customers rely on Coventor software and expertise to help predict the structures and behavior of designs before committing to time-consuming and costly wafer fabrication. This fast and accurate “virtual fabrication” allows technology developers and manufacturers to understand process variation effects early in the development timeframe and reduce the number of silicon learning cycles required to bring a successful product to market.

“We are looking forward to Coventor being a part of Lam and increasing the value and contribution we jointly provide to our customers,” said Rick Gottscho, executive vice president and corporate chief technical officer of Lam Research. “To keep pace with future design requirements, new technologies such as virtual fabrication and processing will be crucial to improve time to market. Together, our collective goal is to deliver more simulation, more virtual fabrication, and an overall increase in computational techniques to support the development of next-generation transistors, memories, MEMS and IoT devices.”

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: KLIC) (“Kulicke & Soffa”, “K&S” or the “Company”) announced today its collaboration agreement with Kinik Company, to provide comprehensive dicing blades solutions.

This sales and distribution agreement enhances both organizations’ complementary product offerings within select markets. Kulicke & Soffa’s electro-plated dicing blades target silicon wafer and non-metalized package singulation, while Kinik’s molded dicing blades focus on metalized packages and hard-material substrate singulation applications. This initial collaboration partnership establishes a foundation for more meaningful joint development opportunities in the future.

“This is a perfect match for K&S and Kinik to provide customers with a complementary portfolio of dicing blades products,” said Eugene Tan, Kulicke & Soffa’s Senior Director of Capillary and Blade Business Lines. “We look forward to enhancing this partnership in the future.”

William Lee, Kinik’s General Manager and Head of Diamond Business Unit said, “This collaboration is an important step in our commitment to better support our customers. Together, with our aligned market-driven strategy, we will provide a broad range of competitive dicing blades solutions to customers.”

SiFive, the first fabless provider of customized, open-source-enabled semiconductors, today announced that UltraSoC will provide debug and trace technology for the SiFive Freedom platform, based on the RISC-V open source processor specification as part of the DesignShare initiative. UltraSoC’s embedded analytics IP will be available through the recently announced SiFive DesignShare ecosystem that gives any company, inventor or maker the ability to harness the power of custom silicon. UltraSoC’s debug and trace functionality will enable users of the Freedom platform to access a wide variety of tools and interfaces to use in their developments.

The DesignShare concept enables an entirely new range of applications. Companies like SiFive, UltraSoC and other ecosystem partners have developed efficient, pre-integrated solutions to lower the upfront engineering costs required to bring a custom chip design based on the SiFive Freedom platform to realization. The partnership between SiFive, originator of the industry’s first open-source chip platform, and UltraSoC, the industry leader in vendor-neutral on-chip debug and analytics tools, significantly strengthens the ecosystem surrounding RISC-V, the open source processor specification which is often dubbed “the Linux of the semiconductor industry.”

“SiFive was founded with the mission to disrupt the semiconductor industry by leveling the playing field for anyone who wants to develop custom silicon,” said Naveed Sherwani, CEO of SiFive. “The DesignShare ecosystem enables aspiring system designers with the tools they need when designing their SoC. We’re thrilled to welcome UltraSoC to the DesignShare ecosystem and look forward to seeing the innovations our collaboration brings to the market.”

UltraSoC’s IP simplifies the development of systems on chip (SoCs) and provides embedded analytics features that enable chip makers to cut development costs significantly and increase the profitability of their projects. The company has taken a leading role in producing a specification for RISC-V processor trace functionality, which UltraSoC and SiFive intend to work together with the RISC-V Foundation to incorporate fully into the RISC-V standard. Trace is a fundamental requirement for developers working with any processor architecture, allowing engineers to view the behavior of their programs in detail, isolating bugs and identifying areas for improvement. UltraSoC and SiFive IP fully supports this recently released trace specification.

“UltraSoC is committed to increasing the number of silicon design starts, and our participation in DesignShare with SiFive is a natural extension of that work,” said Rupert Baines, CEO of UltraSoC. “We are committed to driving the acceleration of the democratization of the semiconductor industry, both through our membership in the RISC-V Foundation and via individual partnerships like this one with SiFive. Making UltraSoC’s IP available through the DesignShare model will enable chipmakers everywhere to leverage the benefits of open source hardware and introduces new innovative designs to the market.”

Rick O’Connor, executive director of the RISC-V Foundation, commented: “The idea behind the open source movement is that one doesn’t have to design everything from scratch. The idea behind DesignShare is to help speed the development of new silicon designs by reducing the barriers of cost, process and integration that have traditionally held back innovation in the semiconductor industry. SiFive, UltraSoC and the other companies that are making their IP available through DesignShare are fundamentally enabling this revolution in an otherwise stagnant industry.”

SiFive was founded by the inventors of RISC-V – Andrew Waterman, Yunsup Lee and Krste Asanovic – with a mission to democratize access to custom silicon. In its first six months of availability, more than 1,000 HiFive1 software development boards have been purchased and delivered to developers in over 40 countries. Additionally, the company has engaged with multiple customers across its IP and SoC products, started shipping the industry’s first RISC-V SoC in November 2016 and announced the availability of its Coreplex RISC-V based IP earlier this month. SiFive’s innovative “study, evaluate, buy” licensing model dramatically simplifies the IP licensing process, and removes traditional road blocks that have limited access to customized, leading edge silicon.

UltraSoC allows designers to create an on-chip infrastructure that non-intrusively monitors a chip’s behavior – both hardware and software. In development, engineers can use this IP to gain an intimate understanding of the interactions between on-chip processor blocks, custom logic, and system software. The company joined the RISC-V Foundation in 2016, with a mission to provide the RISC-V community with secure, independent on-chip development and debug capabilities; earlier in 2017 it offered its RISC-V processor trace specification for adoption by the RISC-V Foundation as part of the open source specification.

Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced the appointment of Richard M. Beyer to its board of directors.

Beyer was chairman and CEO of Freescale Semiconductor from 2008 through June 2012. Prior to Freescale, he served as president, CEO and director of Intersil Corporation from 2002 to 2008. He has also previously served in executive management roles at Elantec Semiconductor, FVC.com, VLSI Technology Inc. and National Semiconductor Corporation. Beyer currently serves as chairman of the board at Dialog Semiconductor PLC and sits on the board at Micron Technology Inc. In addition, he served three years as an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq: CY) today announced the appointment of Catherine P. Lego to its board of directors. She will serve on the company’s Audit Committee. Lego brings to Cypress an established board record with public technology companies and more than a dozen private enterprises, plus invaluable experience supporting executive teams to drive the strategic growth of component, module and systems businesses.

“We are pleased to have Cathy Lego join Cypress’ board,” said Steve Albrecht, Cypress’ chairman. “She will be an excellent addition. Cathy brings a wealth of high tech board experience that aligns well with Cypress’ strategic evolution to become a high-growth leader of embedded solutions. We expect her to be an outstanding resource who will help the management team continue its strong execution of the Cypress 3.0 strategy.”

Lego currently serves on the boards of Lam Research Corporation and IPG Photonics Corporation. At Lam Research, she chairs the Compensation Committee and is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. From 2009 until 2014, she chaired the Audit Committee. At IPG Photonics, her roles include chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Audit Committee. She was previously on the board of Fairchild Semiconductor from 2013 until its 2016 acquisition by ON Semiconductor. In addition, she served on the boards of SanDisk Corporation and JDS Uniphase. During her tenure of more than 25 years contributing in various committee roles, Lego has been trusted as chair or member of Audit Committees for almost every public or private company board she has been affiliated with. In 2015, she received a Directors 100 award from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) for her board service.

Lego previously was a partner at two venture capital funds and practiced as a certified public accountant with Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC). She is the founder, owner and principal of Lego Ventures, LLC, where she consults with early-stage technology companies, develops business plans, obtains seed and expansion financing, and advises on strategic growth through mergers or acquisitions.

Lego, 60, holds a B.A. in economics and biology from Williams College and an M.S. in accounting from the New York University Graduate School of Business.

Lama Nachman will share Intel‘s story of using contextually aware computing to improve assistive technology for Stephen Hawking during her keynote at the 13th annual MEMS & Sensors Executive Congress(November 1-2, 2017 in Napa Valley, Calif.). Hosted by MEMS & Sensors Industry Group®(MSIG), the event also features NXP‘s Lars Reger exploring the critical role of MEMS and non-MEMS sensors in the complex automotive ecosystems of today and tomorrow. Other speakers will address diverse topics spanning ingestible sensors that leverage integrated circuits (ICs), MEMS spectral sensors that improve crop yields, low-power acoustic sensing platforms for always-on voice-activated products, and thin-film pressure-sensitive tiles used for gait and performance analysis.

“Understanding the essential role of MEMS and sensors in integrated systems, such as smart home, smart automotive, smart biomedical/wellness and smart industrial, is critical to extracting maximum value from these devices, which market research firm Yole Développement expects to grow from $38 billion in 2016 to $66 billion in 2021,” said Karen Lightman, vice president, MSIG, a SEMI Strategic Association Partner. “From our keynote speakers to our featured presenters and panelists, MEMS & Sensors Executive Congress speakers will delve into some of the most exciting ways that MEMS and sensors add intelligence and insight to integrated systems.”

Other Highlights

  • Emerging MEMS & Sensors: Technologies to Watch ─ Alissa Fitzgerald, A.M. Fitzgerald & Associates
  • MEMS & Sensors: Outtakes of 2017 and Outlook for 2018 ─ Jérémie Bouchaud, IHS Markit
  • BioMEMS: The Next Big Thing for MEMS Players? ─ Sébastien Clerc, Yole Développement
  • Fireside Chat with Industry VCs ─ Wen Hsieh of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byersand Rudy Burger of Woodside Capital Partners
  • Featured “Tech Talks” on “Creating Six Senses” ─ styled in the manner of TED Talks™, these short talks feature Marcellino Gemelli of Bosch Sensortec and Peter Hartwell of InvenSense/TDK

For conference registration, please visit: www.semi.org/en/mems-sensors-executive-congress-agenda-register. Register by September 26 for a discount.

 

By Dave Anderson, president, SEMI Americas

The SEMI Strategic Materials Conference (SMC) is the industry’s premier event devoted to technology and business drivers of materials in the electronics supply chain. Slated for September 18-20 in San Jose, Calif., the 18th annual SMC “offers a unique chance to network and discover opportunities in and around the industry in a year where dramatic growth has returned to the semiconductor market,” observes SMC 2017 co-chair Mark Thirsk of Linx Consulting, who will provide opening remarks at the conference.

SMC features three distinguished keynote speakers: AMD’s CTO, Mark Papermaster, will discuss “The Future of Semiconductors: Moore’s Law Plus.”  Next, Lam Research’s CTO, Dave Hemker, will present “The Next Level: Is it Time for Equipment and Materials Suppliers to Collaborate More?” describing how the current market environment is having a rippling effect across the supply chain. “As the continuation of Moore’s Law becomes ever-more challenging, closer, earlier collaboration between materials suppliers, equipment makers, and semiconductor manufacturers becomes necessary,” says Hemker.   SMIC’s Sunny Hui, senior VP of Marketing, will kick off day two telling the audience how to “Collaborate to Win in China.”

The first day’s agenda features “Economic and Market Trends: The Consolidation Game (M&A), China, 200mm & More,” with speakers from Applied Materials, Credit Suisse, Linx Consulting, and SEMI China.

Detailing Heterogeneous Integration for Performance and Scaling, UCLA’s Subramanian S. Iyer will describe how adapting silicon-inspired processing, integration, and materials to advanced packaging constructs may be the key to perpetuating Moore’s Law.

The Future of Materials Market in China will focus on the state of China’s semiconductor materials industry, government policies, growth opportunities for suppliers, and best practices for companies operating in this expanding environment.  Hear from Dow Chemical, Konfoong Materials International (KFMI) and SMIC.

More than twenty program sessions will explore the developments driving industry growth and enabling innovative new materials for today’s evolving electronics industry. The conference agenda also includes:

  • Process Challenges at 5nm & Beyond: Insights from ARM, Samsung, and TSMC.
  • Universities − Innovation Drivers: Viewpoints from Stanford University, University of California Berkeley, and University of Chicago.
  • Materials Supply Chain Challenges in Adjacent Industries: Perspectives from Linde Group, PARC (Xerox), and Pixelligent Technologies
  • Heterogeneous Integration − Design to New Materials & Packaging: Insights from ASE Group, imec, and UCLA

SMC 2017 will close with an Executive Panel discussion addressing emerging material challenges for each participant’s company and the segment within which it operates. Executives from Intel, Tokyo Electron, TSMC and Versum Materials will share their views on how the industry can collectively address challenges through focused R&D investment, collaboration throughout the vertical supply chain, and the application of innovative business strategies to ensure a win-win for all companies across the extended supply chain.

I hope to see you at the SEMI Strategic Materials Conference this month. Learn more and register here.

Note: The SEMI Strategic Material Conference (SMC) is organized by the Chemical and Gas Manufacturers Group, a SEMI not-for-profit Special Interest Group comprised of leading manufacturers, producers, packagers, and distributors of chemicals and gases used in the electronics industry.

 

Flex Logix Technologies, Inc., the supplier of embedded FPGA IP and software, today announced that it has joined the TSMC IP Alliance Program included in TSMC’s Open Innovation Platform.

Flex Logix has worked closely with TSMC since Flex Logix was founded in 2014 and now has its EFLX Embedded FPGA IP and software tools available for TSMC 16FFC/FF+, TSMC 28HPM/HPC and TSMC 40ULP/LP. For each EFLX IP core in each process, Flex Logix has designed, fabricated and validated a validation chip to demonstrate full-speed, high utilization performance and power specs over the full temperature and voltage operating ranges. Flex Logix has worked with TSMC to ensure its documentation, design methodology, validation chip architecture and testing all meet TSMC’s rigorous standards to become an IP Alliance Member.

EFLX embedded FPGA arrays are available on these TSMC processes in a wide range of sizes from 100 LUTs to >100,000 LUTs with options for DSP/MAC and any type/size RAM. Flex Logix will implement EFLX embedded FPGA on any additional TSMC process node as TSMC customers request. Over time, Flex Logix expects EFLX to be available on every node from 180nm to 7nm.

“Flex Logix offers high density, high performance, scalable embedded FPGA,” said Suk Lee, TSMC Senior Director, Design Infrastructure Marketing Division. “We see good customer activity and interest in this emerging Semiconductor IP category and are pleased to have Flex Logix as an IP Alliance Member.”

Embedded FPGA is a new type of semiconductor IP enabling high-volume chip designers to incorporate reconfigurable logic to allow chips to be updated even in-system to adapt to new standards, new protocols, new algorithms and to customize chips for customers faster and more cost effectively than mask changes. Applications for embedded FPGA exist for networking, wireless base station, data center, deep learning, microcontroller, IoT, aerospace/defense and a range of other markets.

“We are proud to be joining the TSMC IP Alliance and appreciate TSMC’s support in helping us achieve membership,” said Geoff Tate, CEO of Flex Logix. “Our customers are in fab, in design, and in evaluation of EFLX embedded FPGA for a wide range of applications and our IP Alliance membership will enable us to support them even better going forward.”

FlexTech, a SEMI strategic association partner, will host a one-day Flexible Hybrid Electronics and Sensors Automotive Industry workshop in Detroit, Michigan on September 13, 2017 to explore how FHE adds functionality, decreases weight and impacts design. Automotive and electronics industry leaders will gather to discuss the market demands and challenges with automotive technology and present disruptive changes brought by flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and sensors.

The forum will breakdown the topic into four key areas: OEM applications; market analysis and forecasts; challenges to integration; and solutions for Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers. Speakers include representatives from SBD Automotive, Fiat-Chrysler Group LLC, Velodyne LiDAR, Lumitex, Alpha Micron, NextFlex, Auburn University, Universal Instruments, Interlink Electronics, Georgia Institute of Technology, DuPont Photovoltaics & Advanced Materials and more.

“This forum is an excellent opportunity to discover the possibilities of flexible electronic systems incorporating advanced semiconductors, MEMS, and sensors, which will provide lightweight, sensor networks that conform, curve, and possibly more.  New automotive applications in this area will enable wholly new approaches for the in-cabin driving experience,” said Dr. Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, CTO for Flexible Electronics & Advanced Packaging at SEMI | FlexTech.

Company tours to Ford and a networking dinner are scheduled for September 12, 2017. For more information on the forum and how to register visit the event websiteat www.semi/org/en/FHE-forum-summary.

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) has announced the integration of its contactless NFC technology with MediaTek’s mobile platforms. This creates a complete solution for handset developers to design next-generation smartphones capable of supporting tightly integrated NFC mobile services.

Mobile payments are expected to see triple-digit growth in the coming years, with contactless transport ticketing also rising fast in Asia, notably in China’s largest cities.

By integrating ST’s NFC chipset with the MediaTek mobile platforms, the two partners help mobile OEMs overcome key technical challenges such as antenna design and integration, antenna miniaturization, and bill-of-material optimization while assuring interoperability with payment terminals in locations like retailers and transportation hubs.

MediaTek is the world’s second-largest supplier of mobile-handset solutions, and with the addition of ST’s technology can demonstrate high contactless performance relative to alternative platforms.

“ST will provide its NFC technology to MediaTek, to deliver high contactless performance solutions to OEMs with a focus on cost and integration optimization through smaller antennas and reduced bill of materials,” said Marie-France Florentin, Group Vice President, General Manager, Secure Microcontroller Division, STMicroelectronics. “While ST has for years been providing to customers its own robust NFC and RFID technology, the ST21NFCD is the first device from ST to integrate the market-proven booster technology ST recently acquired.”

About ST’s Mobile-Transaction (NFC) Technology:

Mobile payments and other contactless applications are primarily enabled by Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, as found in contactless-payment cards and payment terminals. ST’s NFC chipset, or System-in-Package, solves the challenges of achieving a robust wireless connection over extended communication distances to make mobile payments easy, dependable, and private, while protecting against cybersecurity threats including eavesdropping and hacking.

ST’s latest NFC Systems-in-Package ST54F and ST54H comprise the ST21NFCD NFC controller with active load modulation for extended range with ST33G1M2 and ST33J2M0 embedded secure element (eSE), and operating system.