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UnitySC, a developer of advanced inspection and metrology solutions, today announced multiple orders from a leading integrated device manufacturer (IDM) for its modular 4See Series automated defect inspection platform. The systems were selected because they deliver optimal wafer backside surface and edge defect inspection, post thinning and metallization. The 4See Series will be used for automotive applications by a market leader in power semiconductor manufacturing to improve the reliability and performance of its products.

“Being selected by a market leader validates the strength of our solutions and confirms our strategy to address new markets with our advanced process control solutions,” said Gilles Fresquet, CEO, UnitySC. “This win expands our reach beyond the traditional substrate control market to include wafer thinning for power semiconductors.”

IHS Markit predicts USD $3 billion in global market growth for the power semiconductors used in cars and light passenger vehicles, over the next six years. Increasing electronic content is a key driver, particularly in hybrid and electric cars, due to consumer demand for constant connectivity. The automotive industry’s push to deliver autonomous, green vehicles in the next decade is also driving growth. These technologies rely on the latest power semiconductor devices, enabled by advanced wafer manufacturing processes like wafer thinning.

“As the wafers used in power semiconductor manufacturing become thinner, controlling wafer quality through the backside thinning and metallization process steps becomes more critical to end-device performance and reliability,” noted Fresquet. “For years, manufacturers have considered our Deflector module be the best-in-class solution for silicon and silicon-on-insulator wafer slip line detection. Combined with the Edge module, this 4See Series configuration delivers industry-leading inspection capabilities that meet semiconductor market needs.”

UnitySC’s new 4See Series for all-surface inspection of semiconductor wafers is a modular system with up to three module offerings: Deflector, Edge and LineScan. The platform can be configured according to application needs, such as wafer thinning, µbumping, MEMS, and more, and can include any number of the modules in desired configurations.

  • Based on phase shift deflectometry technology, the Deflector module is a wafer surface inspection solution that achieves high throughput and very high vertical sensitivity in the nanometer range. It can detect slip lines, grinding marks, failures, cracks, comets, embedded particles, residue, and stains. The Deflector module is well suited to frontside and backside inspection, even under highly warped conditions.
  • The Edge module is a high throughput and versatile solution based on confocal chromatic technology, which is used to inspect the full wafer edge: top, top bevel, apex, bottom bevel and bottom. It has a high depth of focus and does not require a backside contact chuck.

Combining the Deflector and Edge modules in one system offers full wafer characterization compliant with 8″ or 12” wafer high-volume manufacturing requirements. The 4See Series is scheduled to ship in Q3 2017 to fab locations around the world.

Orbotech Ltd., a provider of process innovation technologies, solutions and equipment that are enabling the transformation of the global electronics manufacturing industry, announced today that Tianma Micro-electronics Co. Ltd. (“Tianma”), a producer of display solutions with over three decades of experience in the Flat Panel Display (FPD) field, has selected Orbotech’s ArrayChecker and Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) solutions for its production line upgrade to flexible AMOLED technology.

Tianma has invested approximately $1.8 billion to extend its Gen 6 AMOLED fab in Wuhan, China. The Wuhan fab is designed for the production of flexible AMOLED display panels which are rapidly gaining popularity in consumer electronics devices.  When the new line ramps up to mass production during the second half of 2017, Tianma expects to achieve capacity of 30,000 panels per month, with an additional 30,000 per month capacity increase in 2018.

According to the IHS Display Long-Term Demand Forecast Tracker Q4 2016, “AMOLED’s share of overall FPD revenue will increase to almost 30% in 2023. Revenue from AMOLED displays is expected to grow from $15 billion in 2016 to $36 billion in 2023 for a CAGR of 17%.”

“We are delighted that Tianma has selected our solutions for their flex AMOLED fabrication line,” stated Mr. Edu Meytal, President of Orbotech Pacific Display.  “These solutions, which were designed to enable the new manufacturing processes required to produce flex AMOLED displays, will enable our customers to produce the most advanced FPD products available with high yields.  This deal builds upon past successful implementations of Orbotech’s inspection, testing and repair solutions.”

SiFive, the first fabless provider of customized, open-source-enabled semiconductors, today announced it has raised $8.5 million in a Series B round led by Spark Capital with participation from Osage University Partners and existing investor Sutter Hill Ventures. This Series B round brings the total investment in SiFive to $13.5 million. The funding comes as SiFive experiences a growing demand for RISC-V IP and increased interest in custom silicon.

SiFive was founded by the inventors of RISC-V – Krste Asanovic, Yunsup Lee and Andrew Waterman – 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.

“At Spark Capital, we believe technology is the great equalizer. SiFive’s singular goal of putting custom chips into the hands of everyone from startups to exploratory design teams to inventors with a healthy crowdfunding campaign resonates with our core values,” said Todd Dagres, general partner at Spark Capital, who will join the SiFive board of directors. “We are excited at the potential for SiFive to enable new and emerging sectors to bring innovative solutions to market that might otherwise never see the light of day.”

RISC-V has developed a strong ecosystem of more than 60 companies including Google, HPE, Microsoft, IBM, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Samsung, Microsemi and others. Member companies, as well as third-party open-source contributors, are actively contributing to a maturing stable of software and toolchains, including GCC and binutils, both of which have been upstreamed. SiFive maintains an easy to install toolchain, SDK and BSPs with binaries of the latest open source tools, including OpenOCD, GNU Debugger, Arduino IDE and the Eclipse integrated development environment. More updates are expected at the 6th RISC-V Workshop this week in Shanghai.

This Series B financing comes amid a string of significant milestones for SiFive in the past year:

  • Product Innovation: SiFive launched its Freedom Everywhere platform – designed for microcontroller, embedded, IoT and wearable applications – and its Freedom Unleashed platform – for machine learning, storage and networking applications – in July 2016. At the 5th RISC-V Workshop in November, SiFive announced general availability of the Freedom Everywhere 310 (FE310) SoC and the HiFive1 software development board.
  • Industry Recognition: SiFive was recognized as the Startup of the Year by the 2016 ACE Awards. Its contributions to the open source community were noted by the Linley Group’s Analyst Choice Awards, which named RISC-V its Technology of the Year for 2016. Additionally, the seminar computer architecture textbook, “Computer Organization and Design,” has been updated to include RISC-V in the latest edition, which was released in April.
  • Customer Adoption: Earlier this month, SiFive launched its Coreplex IP and announced a growing ecosystem of partners, including Faraday, Microsemi and United Design Systems, making SiFive Coreplex IP available to their downstream customers.
  • Company Growth: SiFive’s employee base has grown more than 280 percent to support the development of its Freedom Everywhere and Freedom Unleashed SoCs, as well as the launch of its E31 and E51 Coreplex IPs. SiFive’s leadership team continues to grow with key engineers from Altera, ARM, Atmel, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco, Intel, Juniper, Marvell, Nvidia Qualcomm, Synopsys and Xilinx.

“We are energized by the partnerships we have forged with our investors and their strong belief in SiFive’s mission,” said Jack Kang, vice president of product and business development at SiFive. “This investment will enable our continued growth for years to come, and will allow SiFive to further establish that alternatives really matter in an era where traditional silicon vendors no longer are the most innovative in the industry.”

StratEdge Corporation, a designer of high performance semiconductor packages for microwave, millimeter-wave, and high speed digital devices, announces the opening of its Amazon Store to sell its off-the-shelf high-frequency packages.

“It is a relatively new concept to use Amazon to sell such a highly technical and complex product,” said Tim Going, StratEdge president. “Many things have to be considered when selecting a package for a semiconductor chip. However, we believe that by providing the frequency, cavity size, number of leads, and specific information for each package, along with the photo, that this will make it easier for our customers and potential customers to purchase their packages through the store. Of course, we are also available to answer any questions via phone or email.”

StratEdge’s Amazon store is initially offering 11 packages that include hermetic molded ceramic flatpacks with combo lids, leaded surface mount DC-18 GHz packages with plastic lid and epoxy, leaded amplifier packages for both KA band and DC-23 GHz including the plastic lid with epoxy, and leadless DC-63 GHz packages including a plastic lid with epoxy. Lot sizes include either 10 or 25 pieces. The packages are shipped from StratEdge’s facility in San Diego, California and usually arrive within a week.

Additional products will be added to StratEdge’s Amazon store.

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 6 percent annually to reach 353 million units in Q1 2017. Samsung recaptured first position with 23 percent global smartphone marketshare, while Apple dipped to 14 percent share. OPPO surged 78 percent annually and was once again the star performer.

Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew a steady 6 percent annually from 333.1 million units in Q1 2016 to 353.3 million in Q1 2017. The global smartphone market reached a bottom in the first quarter of 2016, when it fell 3 percent, but demand has picked back up and the growth outlook for this year is improving due to economic recovery and stronger consumer sentiment in major regions like China and Brazil.”

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung shipped 80.2 million smartphones worldwide in Q1 2017, rising 2 percent annually from 79.0 million units in Q1 2016. Samsung recaptured first place this quarter, after losing top spot to Apple in the previous Q4 2016 holiday season. Samsung has done well to recover quickly from its recent Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco, and we expect the new Galaxy S8 portfolio will help to maintain Samsung’s upward momentum through the middle of 2017. Apple fell 1 percent annually and shipped a lackluster 50.8 million smartphones for 14 percent marketshare worldwide in Q1 2017. Apple iPhone shipments have declined year-on-year in four of the past 5 quarters. Apple has been unable to capitalize on Samsung’s Note 7 missteps, and it is clear that Apple has to do something radical with its rumored upcoming iPhone 8 portfolio in the second half of this year to arrest the ongoing slowdown.”

Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Huawei maintained third position with 10 percent global smartphone marketshare in Q1 2017, up from 8 percent a year ago. Huawei’s smartphone growth rate has more than halved, to 22 percent annually in Q1 2017, compared with 64 percent annual growth in Q1 2016. Huawei is facing intense competition from OPPO, Vivo and other emerging Chinese rivals such as Gionee.”

Linda Sui, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “OPPO shipped a healthy 27.6 million smartphones and maintained fourth position with a record 8 percent global marketshare in Q1 2017. OPPO grew 78 percent annually in the quarter, outperforming all its major rivals. OPPO is now just two percentage points of marketshare behind Huawei and closing in fast. If current trends continue, OPPO could soon be battling Huawei for third position in the global smartphone market. Vivo held fifth place, capturing a record 6 percent global smartphone marketshare in Q1 2017, leaping from 4 percent a year ago. Vivo’s range of Android models, such as the V3 and X7, are proving wildly popular in China, taking share from rivals such as Xiaomi, Samsung and Apple. Meanwhile, LG returned to 6th place with 4 percent global smartphone share, as it performed well in North America and leapt ahead of ZTE, Xiaomi and others.”

Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Marketshare in Q1 2017 1

Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units) Q1 ’16 Q1 ’17
Samsung 79.0 80.2
Apple 51.2 50.8
Huawei 28.3 34.5
OPPO 15.5 27.6
Vivo 13.5 22.1
LG 13.5 14.8
Others 132.1 123.3
Total 333.1 353.3
Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare (%) Q1 ’16 Q1 ’17
Samsung 23.7% 22.7%
Apple 15.4% 14.4%
Huawei 8.5% 9.8%
OPPO 4.7% 7.8%
Vivo 4.1% 6.3%
LG 4.1% 4.2%
Others 39.7% 34.9%
Total 100.0% 100.0%
Total Growth: Year-over-Year (%) -3.4% 6.1%
Source: Strategy Analytics

The full report, Global Smartphone Shipments Hit 353 Million in Q1 2017, is published by the Strategy Analytics Wireless Smartphone Strategies (WSS) service, details of which can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/kzv9t4g.

Sigenics, Inc. has received a $1M award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop electronics technology that is key to a brain-based visual prosthesis system. The Sigenics award is part of an $11.8 million grant to Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) funded by the White House BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies). The project’s goal is to test an artificial vision system that may provide visual perception to people with blindness.

The intracortical visual prosthesis (ICVP) system will translate images, captured by a glasses-mounted camera, into patterns of electrical stimulation and wirelessly deliver them to the visual cortex of the brain. A group of miniature 16-channel implantable stimulator modules, called wireless-floating-microelectrode-arrays (WFMA), that use Sigenics-designed wireless electronic chips will deliver the patterned electrical stimulation to the user’s brain through ultraminiature needle-like electrodes; about five of the electrode tips could be placed at the end of a human hair. Sigenics has also developed the non-implanted hardware that will process the camera image and prepare it for communication with the brain.

Mr. Glenn DeMichele and Dr. Douglas Kerns, Sigenics’ Director of Engineering and Chief Technology Officer respectively, have been working with IIT for over 20 years toward the clinical deployment of this technology.  Sigenics’ CEO, Dr. Philip Troyk, is a professor of biomedical engineering at IIT, and is principal investigator for the NIH project.

“This innovative project is the beginning of a bright future, where technology is applied in novel ways to treat disability and disease,” said DeMichele. “Our company is very excited and honored to be part of the exceptional team doing this pioneering work.”

The ICVP project is supported by the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UG3NS09555. The content here is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

The annual Symposia on VLSI Technology and Circuits, held together since 1987, provides an opportunity for the world’s top device technologists, circuit and system designers to exchange leading-edge research related to VLSI, with venues alternating between Japan and Hawaii. This year, the Symposia will be held at the Rihga Royal Hotel, Kyoto, Japan from June 5 to 8, 2017, with a fully-overlapping schedule for the first time. The full-day short courses and a new demo session are on Monday June 5, plenary talks are on the morning of Tuesday June 6, and the panel discussions are on the evening of Tuesday June 6.

This year marks the 37th anniversary for the Symposium on VLSI Technology, and the 31st for the Symposium on VLSI Circuits. The Circuits’ 30th anniversary ceremony will be held just before the panel discussions on the evening of June 6. The Symposia are followed by a special event on Friday June 9, the “International Forum on Singularity: Exponential X,” details of which will be announced shortly. In order to emphasize synergies between technology and circuits, the 2017 Symposia on VLSI Technology & Circuits offer the attendees an opportunity to participate in both the Technology and Circuits Symposia with a single registration.

Comment by Satoshi Inaba of Toshiba Memory Corporation, chair of the 2017 Symposium on VLSI Technology:

“This year, for the first time, we will have a three-day program overlapping with the 2017 Symposium on VLSI Circuits at the same location. In line with our common theme of “Harmonious Integration Toward Next Dimensions,” the various events during the two Symposia will stimulate harmonious co-optimization between device technology and circuit design. In addition, the Symposium on VLSI Technology will present 7nm CMOS, emerging memory, and 3D integration technologies. We expect the combination of activities in the two Symposia will generate new dimensions of engagement to maintain the continuous growth of our VLSI community.”

Comment by Masato Motomura of Hokkaido University, chair of the 2017 Symposium on VLSI Circuits:

“Our Symposium on VLSI Circuits will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. We’ve introduced several changes to sustain the continued growth of this premier conference. The three-day overlap mentioned above allows us to start a new associated event, the “International Forum on Singularity: Exponential X,” in which distinguished presenters will talk about integrations beyond VLSI.”

Plenary Talks (June 6)
On Tuesday morning, two consecutive welcome and plenary sessions will be held in the same conference room. First, in the Technology plenary session, Dr. Takashi Tsutsui, Chief Scientist  & SVP, SoftBank Corporation, Japan, will talk about state-of-the-art 5G communication technology and its context up until 2020, and Dr. Fari Assaderaghi, CTO & SVP, NXP Semiconductors, USA, will talk about the latest IoT technology topics. In the following Circuits plenary session, Dr.  Takeshi Yukitake, CTO, Connected Solutions  Company,   Panasonic Corporation, Japan, will give a talk about the innovative solutions for society to which AI, robotics and IoT will lead us. The final talk of the plenary sessions will be given by Dr. Daniel Rosenband, Google, USA, about leading-edge self-driving car technology.

Focus Sessions (June 6, 7, 8)
Focus sessions for both Symposia will explore different aspects of the conference theme of harmonious integration. Technology focus sessions include “1D and 2D Atomic Thin Materials and Devices” and “Emerging Memory Technology,” addressing perspectives on the further development of 1D/2D devices, and the future direction of embedded memories. The Circuits focus sessions are “Ultra-Low Power Wireless Transceivers for IoT Systems” and “Advanced Sensing Systems,” examining the development of wireless systems and sensing systems. Joint focus sessions shared by the Technology and Circuits programs include “Ultra Low Power for IoT,” “Computing beyond von Neumann,” “Emerging Reliability Solutions,” and “Advanced Assembly,” enabling participants from each of the Symposia to share ideas on the cross-linkage of these critical technology areas.

Panel Discussions (June 6)
Panel discussions provide an opportunity for Symposia participants to interact with leading industry experts in examining critical issues surrounding major industry developments.

“Transistor Future; How Does It Evolve after FinFET Era?” (Tech. Panel)
It is uncertain whether FinFETs can satisfy performance requirements beyond 5nm. Alternative FET structures such as nano-sheets/wires or 2D channels may emerge to secure scaling, but these devices struggle with drive current improvement. To maintain the area scaling, 3D monolithic structures may emerge, but they also have some issues (cost, thermal budget, Joule heating, etc.). A FET roadmap for the post-FinFET era will be discussed by device experts.

“How Will We Survive the Post-Scaling Era?” (Joint Panel)
For many decades the semiconductor industry has enjoyed the benefits of scaling. While we have largely maintained area scaling, it has been difficult to obtain even modest node-to-node improvements in performance and power. What happens when scaling slows to the point that it has, for practical purposes, stopped? How will we survive the post-scaling era? The panel of experts, spanning VLSI technology, circuits, and business, looks at the difficulties ahead and potential ways forward.

“The Most Important Circuits of 2037” (Circuit Panel)
Many innovative circuit design techniques have been presented during the history of 30 years of the Symposium on VLSI Circuits, but what kinds of VLSI circuits will be presented, and for what kind of applications, 20 years from now? Answers will be revealed by a mix of young specialists and senior specialists from across the circuit  spectrum.

Full-day Short Courses (June 5)
VLSI Technology Short Course: “Technology Enablers for 5nm and the Next Wave of Integration.” This short course will introduce various technology innovations for enabling the 5nm node and a new integration scheme for the Internet of Things and AI era. The course comprises eight lectures given by distinguished experts in their respective fields, covering CMOS device technology, design and technology co-optimization (DTCO), interconnect, 2.5D/3D integration, scaled analog/RF, embedded memory, and in-memory computing.

VLSI Circuit Short Course: Two circuit short courses will be held. First, “Machine Learning for Circuit Designers” introduces the audience to the basics and to recent developments in machine learning, gives an overview of promising applications, and provides insight into state-of-the-art implementation techniques. Second, “Integrated Circuits for Smart Connected Cars and Automated Driving” demystifies recent advances in automotive electronics covering wireless/wireline communication, powertrain, and various sensors, from the fundamentals to future trends.

Symposia Demo Session (June 5)
The newly-created demo session will provide an opportunity for in-depth interaction with authors of outstanding papers selected from both Technology and Circuits sessions. More than 10 demonstrations will illustrate technological concepts and analyses, table-top real-time presentations of new device characterization, their chip operation highlighting key results, and systems showcasing potential applications for circuit-level innovations.

Sponsoring Organizations
The Symposium on VLSI Technology is sponsored by the Japan Society of Applied Physics and the IEEE Electron Devices Society, in cooperation with the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society.

The Symposium on VLSI Circuits is sponsored by the Japan Society of Applied Physics and the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society, in cooperation with the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers.

Further information, registration, and a complete program, visit: http://www.vlsisymposium.org.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $30.9 billion for the month of March 2017, an increase of 18.1 percent compared to the March 2016 total of $26.2 billion and 1.6 percent more than the February 2017 total of $30.4 billion. Sales from the first quarter of 2017 were $92.6 billion, up 18.1 percent compared to the first quarter of 2016 but down 0.4 percent compared to the last quarter of 2016. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“Global semiconductor sales saw solid sales growth in March, increasing sharply compared to last year and more modestly compared to last month,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Global sales are up 18 percent compared to last year, the largest increase since October 2010, with all major regional markets posting double-digit year-to-year growth. All major semiconductor product categories also experienced year-to-year growth, with memory products continuing to lead the way.”

Year-to-year sales increased across all regions: China (26.7 percent), the Americas (21.9 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (11.9 percent), Europe (11.1 percent), and Japan (10.7 percent). Month-to-month sales increased in Europe (5.0 percent), Japan (3.6 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (2.9 percent), and China (0.2 percent), but decreased slightly in the Americas (-0.5 percent).

March 2017

Billions

Month-to-Month Sales                               

Market

Last Month

Current Month

% Change

Americas

5.99

5.96

-0.5%

Europe

2.82

2.96

5.0%

Japan

2.77

2.87

3.6%

China

10.05

10.07

0.2%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.77

9.02

2.9%

Total

30.39

30.88

1.6%

Year-to-Year Sales                          

Market

Last Year

Current Month

% Change

Americas

4.89

5.96

21.9%

Europe

2.67

2.96

11.1%

Japan

2.59

2.87

10.7%

China

7.95

10.07

26.7%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.05

9.02

11.9%

Total

26.15

30.88

18.1%

Three-Month-Moving Average Sales

Market

Oct/Nov/Dec

Jan/Feb/Mar

% Change

Americas

6.33

5.96

-5.8%

Europe

2.80

2.96

5.6%

Japan

2.84

2.87

0.9%

China

10.17

10.07

-0.9%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.86

9.02

1.7%

Total

31.01

30.88

-0.4%

Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RTEC) announced today that two of the industry’s leading suppliers of advanced packaging services have purchased multiple Firefly Inspection Systems. The Firefly System, with Rudolph’s patented Clearfind Technology, can detect defects that are almost impossible to find using conventional imaging techniques – helping to significantly reduce yield-robbing failures in both the front- and back-end of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

“Advanced packaging is rapidly becoming a critical differentiator for mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers with growth in multiple technology segments. This includes fan-out wafer level packaging, which Yole Développement estimates will have a compound annual growth rate as high as 50 percent over the next three years. We are excited to enable this rapid growth in advanced packaging through reduced cost and improved reliability of next generation technologies with our new Firefly inspection solution,” said Mike Goodrich, vice president and general manager of Rudolph’s Process Control Group. “The Firefly System provides a unique combination of defect sensitivity and substrate flexibility, in a single platform, which helps our customers reduce their capital investment requirements. By including our automatic defect classification TrueADC software and yield management Discover software, these systems will deliver a complete solution for process control and quick yield learning at critical steps in advanced packaging processes.”

Mike Plisinski, chief executive officer added, “Rudolph collaborates extensively with customers early in the development cycle in order to gain a deeper understanding of their specific challenges. In doing so, we are able to leverage Rudolph’s broad technology portfolio and experience to provide a more comprehensive solution to our customers. In recent years, Rudolph has made a conscious effort to cultivate strategic relationships across our customer base to transform our focus from supplying equipment to being a process control solution partner.”

Two manufacturing service providers, a foundry and an outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) facility, have placed orders for multiple Firefly Systems for fan-out and wafer-level chip scale packaging (WLCSP) applications. The Firefly System’s Clearfind Technology, which can see critical defects that may otherwise escape detection, was an important consideration in all cases. Such defects, including un-etch metal residues that can be obscured by graininess and low-contrast organic residues, are becoming increasingly important as vias and redistribution line (RDL) features continue to shrink. A total of seven systems have been ordered, all of which will ship this year.

ASML and ZEISS today announced that both companies are filing initial legal claims against Nikon for infringement of more than 10 patents, related to a broad range of products in the fields of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, flat panel display manufacturing equipment and digital cameras. This follows Nikon’s announcement on April 24, 2017, that it has sued ASML and ZEISS. Both companies have denied infringement allegations.

ASML has today filed suits in Japan, both on its own and jointly with its strategic partner ZEISS. Additional suits will be brought in the United States.

Peter Wennink, ASML President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We have no choice but to file these countersuits. We have tried for many years to come to a cross-license agreement that reflects the increased strength of our patent portfolio. Unfortunately, Nikon has never seriously participated in negotiations. Now that Nikon has decided to take this dispute to court, we also have to enforce our patent portfolio, and we will do this as broadly as possible.”

ASML has been confronted with Nikon’s claims of supposed patent infringement before. In 2001, Nikon went to the United States International Trade Commission (US ITC). Two years later, the Commission found no violation and ASML won on all 15 accounts. ASML and Nikon subsequently settled in a cross-license agreement that allowed both companies to focus on further developing products and serving chipmakers, without the unnecessary distraction of an intellectual property dispute. Some patents were perpetually licensed; for others, the license period ended on 31 December 2009. A transitional period, during which the parties had agreed not to bring suit, ended on 31 December 2014. Nikon’s patent portfolio was larger than the portfolio of ASML and ZEISS in 2004, a situation which is now reversed.

Through sustained high investment in Research and Development totaling more than EUR 8 billion since 2004, ASML built up a portfolio of more than 10,000 patent rights. The application of these technologies has been adopted by all of the world’s largest chipmakers.

ZEISS holds more than 7,000 patents in many countries around the globe, developing technologies in optics and optoelectronics in areas such as microscopy, medical technology and lithography.