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By James Amano, International Standards, SEMI

At its recent Spring 2017 meeting, the North American Regional Standards Committee (NARSC) approved formation of a Taiwan chapter of the global SEMI Standards Automation Technology Committee. Taiwan joins existing Automation Technology chapters active in Japan and Europe. The Taiwan chapter will be led by K.C. Chou (ASE), C.S. Wu (MIRDC), Jen-Hui Tsai (Mechanical & Mechatronics Systems Research Laboratories, ITRI), and Gwo-Sheng Peng (Center for Measurement Standards, ITRI).

Co-Chair Chou explains the need for the Taiwan chapter:  “SEMI has a strong reputation for successful standardization, which is why the Taiwan PCB industry has selected the global SEMI Standards platform to develop consensus on equipment communication and other manufacturing areas where standards are needed to drive down cost.”

The initial focus of the Taiwan chapter will be to develop a guide for PCB equipment communication interfaces. The guide will be based on SEMI E4: SEMI Equipment Communications Standard 1 Message Transfer (SECS-I), SEMI E5: SEMI Equipment Communications Standard 2 Message Content (SECS-II), E37: High-Speed SECS Message Services (HSMS) Generic Services, E37.1: High-Speed SECS Message Services (HSMS) Generic Services, and E30: Generic Model for Communications and Control of Manufacturing Equipment (GEM).

David Lai of the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association comments: “Without automation standards, it will be difficult for the PCB industry to achieve its ambitious performance targets. In order to fulfill the goal of PCB automation, the standard will simplify the implementation of data collection & analytics, M2M communication and datamation step by step. Therefore, I am pleased that activities in the Taiwan SEMI Standards Automation Technology TC Chapter are underway.”

While the initial chapters of the Automation Technology Committee are located in Europe, Japan, and Taiwan, all interested parties, regardless of location, are invited to join in the global effort. To get involved, please contact your local SEMI Standards staff or visit: www.semi.org/standards.

 

Umicore’s business unit Precious Metals Chemistry today inaugurated its production unit for advanced metal organic precursor technologies used in the semiconductor and LED markets, respectively TMGa (Trimethylgallium) and TEGa (Triethylgallium). The event was attended by European and overseas customers as well as local and regional politicians. The guest of honor was Dr. Barbara Hendricks, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

Umicore’s TMGa manufacturing process is innovative and unique. It offers a more sustainable and ecological production method by minimizing hazardous side streams and material losses and optimizing yield to nearly 100%.

Dr. Lothar Mussmann, Vice-President of Umicore Precious Metals Chemistry said, “I am proud that this patented innovation has now become a world-class and industrial scale manufacturing plant. It will provide benefits for our customers and the environment and underlines Umicore’s position as a pioneer in sustainable technologies.”

Umicore Precious Metals Chemistry is the only European manufacturer of TMGa and TEGa and supplies customers across the world from its Hanau manufacturing base. Umicore Precious Metals Chemistry helps to reduce cost of ownership through its innovative approach to process chemistry and its collaborative approach with customers and end users.

About Trimethylgallium and Umicore’s manufacturing process

Trimethylgallium (TMGa) is a colorless liquid with very high vapor pressure, which boils at low temperatures. Umicore’s new production process increases the yield of TMGa in comparison with current production technologies. In this way, organic solvents can be completely dispensed with. The TMGa is prepared by chemically reacting gallium trichloride with a more efficient methylating agent in molten salt. This reduces the amount of waste per kilogram of TMGa by more than 50%, with the resulting intermediates being recycled in the process. The finished product is then used in the semiconductor industry, where it evaporates in closed systems onto a substrate. This creates, for example, environmentally friendly LED lamps.

Presto Engineering, Inc., an outsourced operations provider to semiconductor and Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers, announces a management expansion: Cedric Mayor has been named Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Martin Kingdon has been appointed VP Sales.

“We have experienced growing demand for IoT and related turnkey production & operations outsourcing,” said Michel Villemain, CEO, Presto Engineering. “Our expanded management team will complement our talented employee base to help meet this market demand and advance Presto Engineering into the next phase of innovation and growth.”

Mayor was previously the Chief Technology Officer for Presto Engineering. In his new role as COO, he will work with Presto’s Europe and Asia-based facilities to take customers’ new product releases from prototype to high-volume production, and through wafer procurement to finished goods. He has been with the company for more than seven years and has over a decade of experience in semiconductor design and manufacturing. A graduate of Ecole Centrale Marseille, France, Mayor has a Master’s degree in Physics and Electrical Engineering and holds several patents in chip design.

Kingdon has more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing of semiconductor devices, IP, and test & manufacturing. Prior to joining Presto as VP Sales, Kingdon served as European sales director for the test and manufacturing services division of TT Electronics plc. Kingdon graduated from the University of York, UK, and holds a Master’s degree in Electronic Systems Engineering.

CMOS image sensor sales are on pace to reach a seventh straight record high this year and nothing ahead should stop this semiconductor product category from breaking more annual records through 2021 (Figure 1), according to IC Insights’ 2017 O-S-D Report—A Market Analysis and Forecast for Optoelectronics, Sensors/Actuators, and Discretes.

After rising 9% in 2017 to about $11.5 billion, worldwide CMOS image sensors sales are expected to increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% to $15.9 billion in 2021 from the current record high of $10.5 billion set in 2016, based on the five-year forecast in the 360-page O-S-D Report, which covers more than 40 different product categories across optoelectronics, sensors and actuators, and discrete semiconductors.

Figure 1

Figure 1

After strong growth from the first wave of digital cameras and camera-equipped cellphones, image sensor sales leveled off in the second half of the last decade.  However, another round of strong growth has begun in CMOS image sensors for new embedded cameras and digital imaging applications in automotive, medical, machine vision, security, wearable systems, virtual and augmented reality applications, and user-recognition interfaces.

Competition among CMOS image sensor suppliers is heating up for new three-dimensional sensing capability using time-of-flight (ToF) technology and other techniques for 3D imaging and distance measurements.  ToF determines and senses the distance of faces, hand gestures, and other things by measuring the time it takes for light to bounce back to sensors from emitted light (often an infrared laser or LED).  CMOS technology has progressed to the point of supporting integration of ToF functions into small chip modules and potentially down to a single die.  Sony, Samsung, OmniVision, ON Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, and others have rolled out and developed 3D image sensors. Infineon has also jumped into the image sensor arena with a 3D offering that is built in ToF-optimized CMOS technology.

Automotive systems are forecast to be the fastest growing application for CMOS image sensors, rising by a CAGR of 48% to $2.3 billion in 2021 or 14% of the market’s total sales that year, says the 2017 O-S-D Report.  CMOS image sensor sales for cameras in cellphones are forecast to grow by a CAGR of just 2% to $7.6 billion in 2021, or about 47% of the market total versus 67% in 2016 ($7.0 billion).  Smartphone applications are getting a lift from dual-camera systems that enable a new depth-of-field effect (known as “bokeh”), which focuses on close-in subjects while blurring backgrounds—similar to the capabilities of high-quality single-lens reflex cameras.

BY PETE SINGER, Editor-in-Chief

What if the automotive industry had achieved the incredible pace of innovation as the semiconductor industry during the last 52 years? A Rolls Royce would cost only $40, go around the world eight times on a gallon of gas, and have a top speed of 2.4 million miles per hour.

That point was made by Subi Kengeri speaking at The ConFab in May. Kengeri is vice president, CMOS Business Unit, at GlobalFoundries. He also noted that if one of today’s high performance graphics chips were produced using 1960 vs state-of-the-art “it would be the size of a football field.”

Clearly, no other industry can match the pace of innovation of the semiconductor industry. “The transistor count per square inch in 1965 was roughly 100. In 52 years, if you follow Moore’s Law of 2 years per innovation cycle, that gives 26 innovation cycles. That’s 100 millionX improvement (2X26),” Kengeri noted.

Of course, there has been plenty of innovation in the automotive industry. Interestingly, most of the exciting new innovations such as backup cameras, collision avoidance, navigation/ infotainment, self-parking, and anti-lock brakes are only possible because of semiconductor technology.

Kengeri said that Moore’s Law scaling will continue – “there’s no question about it,” he said – but there’s a growing need for new innovation to address the increasingly diverse array of semicon- ductor applications. These are driven by growth in mobile computing, development in IoT computing, the emergence of intelligent computing and augmented/virtual reality.

“Leading edge innovation will continue and all the leading manufacturers continue to invest, whether it is litho scaling in terms of EUV, or device archicture,” Kengeri said. “What is really important is how do we continue to innovate, how do we continue to get the value at competitive costs? Trying to get the scaling at any cost is not what is needed in the majority of the markets. It’s still okay at the very high end, for CPUs and servers, but in all markets, managing cost is really critical.”

“On top of all of that, we have to continue to deliver on time. Because of the complexity, things aren’t getting slower. We’re doing everything we can do continue to keep the same pace as we used to,” he added.

Kengeri said continued advances mean changing the way we think about innovation. It will require continued technical Innovation (materials and processes, device architecture and design-technology co-optimization), but – perhaps more importantly – business model innovation. This includes new thinking about long-term R&D focus/ investment, shared investments/learning/reuse, and consolidation and collaboration.

ULVAC Technologies, Inc. (www.ulvac.com), a supplier of production systems, instrumentation and vacuum pumps for technology industries, has opened an office in Santa Clara, California. The Silicon Valley office location gives ULVAC West Coast customers easier access to the company’s sales and service operations. It also locates company operations closer to the Japanese headquarters and various Asian markets. The new location will include a vacuum pump and leak detector repair center to serve the regional customer base.

A new product line for ULVAC Technologies, Inc. is vacuum cooling systems for use in large-scale farms to extend the product shelf life of fresh agricultural products, flowers and meats. These systems are also used in the processed foods industry as well, to extend the life of products such as airplane meals. Local demonstration capability of the new Vacuum Cooling System is planned for the Santa Clara location. “Much of the vacuum cooling market is located in California, and the new Santa Clara office puts us in close proximity to major customers,” said Wayne Anderson, President/CEO of ULVAC Technologies, Inc.

In summary, “The Santa Clara office will serve as a business development hub within a technology-rich region, enabling us to expand our market share in semiconductor, MEMS and other high-technology industries”, he added.

MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), the industry association advancing MEMS and sensors across global markets, today announced its line-up of speakers for its TechXPOT program, What’s Next for MEMS & Sensors: Big Growth of Disruptive Applications for Smart Sensing Changes the Business, on July 11 during SEMICON West 2017. Speakers from industry and academia will explore the disruptive influence of MEMS and sensors on applications that span human-machine interfaces, disposable wireless electronics, and wireless sensor nodes for smart cities. They will also discuss advancements in piezoelectric materials for emerging applications as well as MEMS foundry process technologies that speed time to market.

“From smart autos and smart manufacturing to smart cities and smart health monitoring, emerging markets for MEMS and sensors are creating greater demand for integrated intelligence,” said Karen Lightman, vice president, MEMS & Sensors Industry Group, SEMI. “MSIG speakers at SEMICON West will help MEMS and sensors suppliers to more ably respond to this demand, as they learn how to add value through technological innovation and integration.”

Topics and presenters at the MEMS program at the SEMICON West TechXPOT on July 11 include:

  • What’s Next for the MEMS Industry? ─ Jean-Christophe Eloy, CEO and founder, Yole Développement
  • New MEMS Opportunities from Piezoelectric Technology ─ David Horsley, professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of California Davis
  • Smart IT Systems and Development Protocols Enable Faster Time-to-Market in MEMS ─ Tomas Bauer, senior VP, sales/business development, Silex Microsystems
  • Waggle and the Future of Edge Computing and Smart Cities ─ Pete Beckman, co-director, Northwestern-Argonne Institute for Science and Engineering
  • Roll-up Implementation of Gesture Sensing and Voice Isolation Sensing Wall for Future Human-Machine Interface ─ James Sturm, professor, Electrical Engineering, Princeton University
  • Three Bit NFC Sensor Labels Based on a Flexible, Hybrid Printed CMOS TFT Process ─ Arvind Kamath, VP of Engineering, Thin Film Electronics

Register now for MSIG’s session at SEMICON West or contact MSIG at [email protected] for more information.

Standards and Task Force Meetings at SEMICON West

MSIG also invites members to attend the MEMS/NEMS Committee Meeting, including a Task Force on microfluidics, from 3:30-5:30 pm on July 13 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Visit: www.semiconwest.org/standards

GLOBALFOUNDRIES and ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ON) today announced the availability of a System-on-Chip (SoC) family of devices, on GF’s 55nm Low Power Extended (55LPx), RF-enabled process technology platform. ON Semiconductor’s new RSL10 products are based on a multi-protocol Bluetooth 5 certified radio SoC capable of supporting the advanced wireless functionalities in IoT and “Connected” Health and Wellness markets.

“Bluetooth low energy technology continues to advance as the key enabler for connecting IoT devices, especially with low power consumption requirements,” said Robert Tong, vice president of ON Semiconductor’s Medical and Wireless Products Division. “GF’s 55LPx platform – with its low power logic and highly reliable embedded SuperFlash memory combined with proven RF IP – was an ideal match. The RSL10 family offers the industry’s lowest power consumption in Deep Sleep Mode and Peak Receiving Mode, enabling ultra-long battery life, and supporting functionalities like Firmware Over the Air updates. ON Semiconductor’s new RSL10 SoCs use these advanced features to address a wide range of applications including wearables and IoT edge-node devices such as smart locks and appliances.”

“GF’s 55LPx platform, combined with ON Semiconductor’s design, has delivered wearable SoC technology at 55nm, with industry leading energy efficiency,” said David Eggleston, vice president of embedded memory at GF. “This is another proof point that 55LPx is becoming the preferred choice for SoC designers that are seeking cost effective performance, low power consumption, and superior reliability in extreme environments.”

GF’s 55nm LPx RF-enabled platform provides a fast path-to-product solution that includes silicon qualified RF IP and Silicon Storage Technology’s (SST) highly reliable embedded SuperFlash memory featuring:

  • Very fast read speed (<10ns)
  • Small bitcell size
  • Superior data retention (> 20 years)
  • Superior endurance (> 200K cycles)
  • Fully qualified for Auto Grade 1 operation (AEC-Q100)

GF’s 55LPx eFlash platform has been in volume production at the foundry’s 300mm line in Singapore since 2015. The 55LPx eFlash platform is a cost effective solution for a broad range of products, ranging from wearable devices to automotive MCUs.

Customers can start optimizing their chip designs with GF’s process design kits, enabling designers to develop differentiated eFlash solutions that require cost effective performance, low power consumption, and superior reliability in extreme environments.

Pixelligent Technologies, a developer of high-index advanced materials (PixClear) for displays, solid state lighting and optical components, announces that it has been named the 2017 Manufacturer of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. It won this award in the small/midsize company category for companies with revenues under $1B, for its PixClearProcess that is revolutionizing chemical composite technology. The winner for the large company 2017 Manufacturer of the Year was Dow Chemical.

Over the past five years, Pixelligent has invested over $20 million in designing and building its advanced product development and manufacturing platform, the PixClearProcess. This proprietary platform has enabled Pixelligent to scale from a manufacturing capacity of grams-per-year, to one of the most sophisticated and highly capital efficient manufacturing lines in the world, capable of mass production volumes in the tons.

“We are deeply honored to be named the 2017 Manufacturer of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. It’s especially gratifying as we competed against some of the most respected high-tech manufacturers in the world. This award is also a great recognition of what we are most proud of, namely the balanced approach we have executed in developing both one of the most innovative materials in the world alongside one of the most advanced manufacturing lines in the world,” remarked Craig Bandes, CEO, Pixelligent Technologies.

The Company’s breakthrough PixClearProcess allows its customers to more efficiently tune and magnify the desired optical, mechanical, and electrical properties of their formulations with unprecedented levels of precision. Depending on product performance requirements, incorporating PixClear can deliver the highest possible light extraction, near perfect transmission, increased mechanical strength, and dramatic improvements in overall operating efficiencies. We enable our customers to deliver unprecedented levels of performance for OLED and HD displays, LED and OLED lighting devices, and optical components.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.27 billion in billings worldwide in May 2017 (three-month average basis), according to the May Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide billings of North American equipment manufacturers in May 2017 was $2.27 billion. The billings figure is 6.4 percent higher than the final April 2017 level of $2.14 billion, and is 41.9 percent higher than the May 2016 billings level of $1.60 billion.

“Semiconductor equipment billings for North American headquartered equipment manufacturers increased for the fourth month in a row and are 42 percent higher than the same month last year,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI.  “The strength of this cycle continues to be driven by Memory and Foundry manufacturers as the industry invests in 3D NAND and other leading-edge technologies.”

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 2016
$1,869.8
38.5%
January 2017
$1,859.4
52.3%
February 2017
$1,974.0
63.9%
March 2017
$2,079.7
73.7%
April 2017 (final)
$2,136.4
46.3%
May 2017 (prelim)
$2,273.0
41.9%

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), June 2017

SEMI ceased publishing the monthly North America Book-to-Bill report in January 2017. SEMI will continue publish a monthly North American Billings report and issue the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ).