Tag Archives: letter-pulse-business

Materion Corporation (NYSE: MTRN) announced today that its Precision Optics business has acquired the proprietary thin film gettering technology and related intellectual property assets from Integrated Sensing Systems (ISS), of Ypsilanti, Michigan, a global leader in the design and manufacture of microelectromechanical (MEMs)-based products and getter technology.

The assets acquired include the NanoGetters® technology, patents and trademarks. Getter technology is used to improve the long-term reliability of hermetically sealed sensor packages by capturing moisture and other stray gas molecules. The NanoGetters technology developed by ISS uses a proprietary set of materials that are precisely vacuum deposited, providing an alternative solution to traditional non-evaporative gettering technology. Nanogetter technology offers many advantages over other getter solutions including its compatibility with clean semiconductor processing techniques and its low activation temperature.

NanoGetters® materials are already being used by customers worldwide in MEMs to improve vacuum packaging in a wide range of end-use sensor applications including infrared imaging, chemical sensors, microfluidic devices and other electronics devices.

The acquisition provides a technology augmentation and completes the vertical integration of Materion Precision Optics’ wafer level process flow for thermal imaging applications. In 2014, Materion Precision Optics commissioned a 3,000-square-foot class 1,000 clean room with state-of-the-art infrared coating chambers in anticipation of the thermal imaging industry’s ongoing shift from traditional singular window packaging to wafer level packaging (WLP). With this original investment at Westford, Massachusetts, Materion gained the capability to provide customers with two of the process steps for wafer level packaging: optical coating and metallization. With the acquisition of the NanoGetters® trade name and getter technology, Materion is now able to provide a full wafer level packaging coating solution to customers, an offering unmatched in the marketplace.

“This is a technology and commercial differentiator for Materion Precision Optics. It presents major new opportunities for existing and new customers to benefit from the cost and logistical efficiencies, consistency in operational processes and product quality, as well as an overall convenience from having their full offering provided from a single partner and sequenced under one roof,” commented Michael Newell, Ph.D., President, Materion Precision Optics. He explained, “Our customers have been asking for a solution like this and we are extremely pleased to be providing it.”

The new gettering capability is expected to facilitate additional business and will enhance the value-added revenue from each wafer processed. Additionally, Materion anticipates expanding the gettering technology to applications beyond infrared imaging including inertial sensors, medical sensors, oscillators and other MEMs devices, leveraging its wafer-level technology, product development and operational capabilities.

Materion Precision Optics is a Materion Corporation business. Materion Corporation is headquartered in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, supplies highly engineered advanced enabling materials to global markets. Products include precious and non-precious specialty metals, inorganic chemicals and powders, specialty coatings, specialty engineered beryllium alloys, beryllium and beryllium composites, and engineered clad and plated metal systems.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced the addition of eight new partners to its growing FDXcelerator Program, including Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (ASE Group), Amkor Technology, Infosys, Mentor Graphics, Rambus, Sasken, Sonics, and QuickLogic. These new partners join Synopsys, Cadence, INVECAS, VeriSilicon, CEA Leti, Dreamchip, and Encore Semi to provide a suite of services that will enable GLOBALFOUNDRIES customers to rapidly implement 22FDX system-on-chip (SoC) designs in low-power applications spanning Internet-of-Things (IoT), mobile, RF connectivity, and networking markets.

The FDXcelerator Partner Program builds upon GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 22FDX and 12FDX technologies, an alternative to FinFET-based technologies for chips that require performance on demand and energy efficiency at the lowest solution cost. GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 22FDX platform provides a lower-cost migration path from bulk nodes such as 40nm and 28nm, which allows customers to design differentiated, intelligent, and fully-integrated system solutions.

FDXcelerator partners play a critical role by providing a set of specific solutions and resources that help increase design productivity on FDX technology and reduce time-to-market for its customers. GLOBALFOUNDRIES works closely with program partners to help customers create high-performance 22FDX designs while minimizing development costs through access to a broad set of quality offerings, specific to 22FDX technology. The partner ecosystem allows GLOBALFOUNDRIES to accelerate its traction in the market and more effectively offer its FDX products and services to a broader range of customers.

The partner program extends the reach of the FD-SOI ecosystem, creating an open framework that allows selected partners to integrate their products or services into a validated, plug-and-play catalog of design solutions. The program encompasses FDX-tailored solutions and services, including:

  • EDA tools that leverage differentiated FD-SOI body-bias features, built into industry-leading design flows;
  • IP design elements and complete libraries, including foundational IP, interfaces and complex IP to enable foundry customers to start designs quickly with validated IP elements;
  • ASIC platforms for a complete 22FDX ASIC offering;
  • Reference solutions and system-level expertise in emerging application areas to speed time-to-market;
  • Outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) solution featuring extensive manufacturing capacity to enable state-of-the art SoC delivery, and;
  • Design consultation and other services dedicated to FDX technology.

“As the FDXcelerator program continues to expand, partners play a critical role in helping to serve our growing number of customers and extend the reach of our FD-SOI ecosystem by providing innovative FDX-tailored solutions and services,” said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president of product management at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “These new partners will help drive deeper engagement and enhance technology collaboration, including tighter interlock around quality, qualification and development methodology, enabling us to deliver advanced 22FDX SoC solutions.”

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is focused on building strong ecosystem partnerships with industry leaders. With the FDXcelerator program, GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ partners and customers can now benefit from a greater availability of resources to take advantage of the broad adoption and accelerating growth of the FDX market.

SEMI this week announced that Toshio Maruyama has been selected as the 2017 recipient of the SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, inspired by Bob Graham. He will be honored for outstanding achievement in semiconductor equipment and materials marketing during ceremonies at SEMICON Japan on December 14 in Tokyo.

Toshio Maruyama

Toshio Maruyama, senior executive advisor at Advantest, was selected to receive the 20th SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award for his contributions and leadership in pioneering the marketing of reliability in semiconductor Automated Test Equipment (ATE), as a key product advantage. Maruyama faced entrenched highly regarded competition. However, he relentlessly pursued and marketed a more reliable (higher yield) ATE system.  This drove SEMI members to improve reliability, which has been crucial to the growth of the industry. By making ATE reliability a differentiator, he set a precedent. His contribution has benefited the semiconductor industry as a whole.

SEMI also recognizes Maruyama for the value of his long service in industry organizations such as IEEE, SEAJ and SEMI, in addition to his long-held goal to promote harmony in the semiconductor industry so customers and suppliers could focus on advancing technology without global trade and political disruption. Maruyama served on the SEMI Board of Directors from 2008 to 2016.

“Maruyama is recognized both for his innovative marketing leadership and his steadfast commitment to guiding industry associations. Today, SEMI and its membership recognize Maruyama-san for his contributions to the success of our industry,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.

The SEMI Sales and Marketing Excellence Award was inspired by the late Bob Graham, the distinguished semiconductor industry leader who was part of the founding team of Intel and who helped establish industry-leading companies such as Applied Materials and Novellus Systems. The Award was established to honor individuals for the creation and/or implementation of marketing programs that enhance customer satisfaction and further the growth of the semiconductor equipment and materials industry.

Eligible candidates are nominated by their industry peers and are selected after due diligence by an award committee. Previous recipients of this SEMI award include: Jim Bowen (2016), Terry (Tetsuro) Higashi (2015), Winfried Kaiser (2014), Joung Cho (JC) Kim (2013), G. Dan Hutcheson (2012), Franz Janker (2011), Martin van den Brink (2010), Peter Hanley (2009), Richard Hong (2008), Richard E. Dyck (2007), Aubrey (Bill) C. Tobey (2006), Archie Hwang (2005), Edward Braun (2004), Shigeru (Steve) Nakayama (2003), Jerry Hutcheson and Ed Segal (2002), Jim Healy and Barry Rapozo (2001), and Art Zafiropoulo (2000).

SEMI today announced the lineup for six forums at SEMICON China and FPD China held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on March 14-16, 2017. SEMICON China is the largest and most important gathering of the semiconductor supply chain in China.

SEMICON China will feature six forums, including a new forum:

  • NEW: Automotive Forum: From self-parking to anticipatory braking, semiconductors are critical for cars’ safety, communication, navigation, and entertainment. Increasingly adoption of ADAS applications and other driver assistance technologies will be discussed.
  • China IC Industry Forum: A four-day forum that includes: China Semiconductor Technology International Conference (CSTIC, March 12-13); China Memory Strategic Forum; Building China’s IC Ecosystem: Advanced Manufacturing, Assembly & Test (morning) and Equipment and Materials (afternoon).
  • Power and Compound Semiconductor Forum’s four sessions, including: LED & Optoelectronics, Wide Band Gap (WBG) Power Electronics, Compound Semiconductor in Communications, and Emerging Power Device Technology.
  • Tech Investment Forum: An international platform to explore investment, M&A, and China opportunities. Speakers include executives from: China’s National IC Fund and municipal IC funds, and the global leading investment institutions.
  • Emerging Display Forum: Co-organized by SEMI and SID and concurrent with FPD China 2017, the forum is an exchange of knowledge on emerging display technologies and future development of the display, including: Flexible Displays, Evolving Equipment and Materials, and OLED and “MicroLED.”
  • IoT Forum: MSIG Conference ─ Creating and Capturing Value in the MEMS and Sensors Ecosystem (Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai): Presented by SEMI’s MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), speakers will highlight areas of opportunity for products “on the cusp” of commercialization. The conference will also address the convergence of MEMS/sensors and semiconductors.

Further information on sessions and events at SEMICON and FPD China 2017, please visit www.semiconchina.org/en/54.

SEMICON China also features six exhibition floor theme pavilions: IC Manufacturing, LED and Sapphire, Semiconductor Materials, MEMS, Touch (Panel Display), and OLED.

Register now for SEMICON China 2017 (www.semiconchina.org/en).

SiFive, the first fabless provider of customized, open-source enabled RISC-V semiconductors, has been named “Startup of the Year” at the UBM Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards held in conjunction with the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley in San Jose.

The ACE Awards showcase the best of the best in today’s electronics industry. The “Startup of the Year” category recognizes companies less than three years old with working prototypes or proof of concepts of innovative new electronics technologies. The award was judged by a panel comprising UBM editors and dignitaries from the electronics industry.

“This award caps a banner year for SiFive, one in which we not only brought to market the first ever commercial open-source RISC-V-based silicon but also sold out of our development kits in less than a week,” said Krste Asanovic, co-founder and chief architect, SiFive. “The momentum and excitement around RISC-V – and SiFive – was palpable during ESC, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2017. We are proud to receive this recognition of the team’s efforts, and humbled to join the ranks of the other innovative companies who have received this distinction in the past.”

“The innovation and thought leadership introduced by this year’s ACE Awards finalists and winners is true a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft,” said Nina Brown, VP Events, UBM Americas. “We’d like to thank each of this year’s participants for their incredible work in the electronics field and celebrate their accomplishments as they help to further the industry in new and exciting ways.”

SEMICON Japan 2016, the largest and most influential event for the electronics manufacturing supply chain in Japan, opens tomorrow at Tokyo Big Sight. The exposition and conference offers the latest in technology and innovations for the electronics industry, including emerging opportunities in the Internet of Things (IoT). This year is the 40th anniversary of SEMICON Japan (December 14-16) and registration is now open for both the exhibition and conference programs.

SEMICON Japan 2016 connects the players and companies across the electronics supply chain, and in a newly expanded “show-within-a-show”, to the World of IoT. Japan is uniquely positioned for the IoT revolution with its large 200mm fab capacity, diverse IC product mix and leadership in markets such as MCUs, automotive, power devices, MEMS, sensors and LEDs.

The SuperTHEATER at SEMICON Japan offers nine forums in three days:

  • Opening “Into the Future” Keynotes, with Dario Gil, IBM Research, “The Cognitive Era and the New Frontiers of Information Technology” and Yoichi Ochiai, University of Tsukuba, “The Age of Enchantment”
  • Semiconductor Executive Forum, “The Creation of New Business Opportunities,” with executives from Murata Manufacturing, Toshiba, and TSMC
  • SEMI Market Forum, “The Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain,” with  presenters from Edwards Japan, IHS Markit, VLSI Research, and SEMI
  • Autonomous and Connected Car Forum, “Automated Driving and Safety Control,” with Advantest, Honda, NVIDIA, and Renesas Electronics
  • Industrial IoT Forum, “Competition in Manufacturing Industry Digitizes,” with speakers from FANUC, GE International, and Siemens Japan
  • IoT Innovation Forum, “Semiconductor Devices for IoT,” with Analog Devices, Infineon Technologies, and ASE Group Kaohsiung
  • Manufacturing Innovation Forum, “Breakthrough Technologies for the Future,” with Canon, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and VAT Group
  • Technology Trends Forum, “The Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Innovation for All,” with representatives from the Japanese Cabinet, Japan National Institute of Public Health, and Panasonic
  • U.S. Commercial Service IT Forum, “Cyber Security for the Manufacturing Industry,” with Cisco Systems, Darktrace Japan, Hitachi America, McAfee (Intel Security Group), and Palo Alto Networks

In addition, theme pavilions ─ including Sustainable Manufacturing Pavilion, providing solutions focused on sustainability for 200mm technologies, and the Manufacturing Innovation Pavilion, with exhibits on innovations for developing higher performing, faster and lower-cost semiconductor devices ─ are in East  Hall 1.

Showcasing start-up pitch presentations, exhibition booths, and meet-ups, 33 early-stage companies will convene at INNOVATION VILLAGE to connect with investors and prospective technology partners.

Register now for SEMICON Japan. For a detailed agenda, please see the “SEMICON Japan Schedule-at-a-Glance.”

Silicon Labs (NASDAQ:SLAB) takes the top spot among semiconductor companies achieving $500 million to $1 billion in annual sales at the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) awards celebration held on Dec. 8 in Santa Clara, California.

“For the past 20 years, Silicon Labs has pioneered technologies that enable a more connected world, delivering design simplicity to our customers while improving lives and transforming industries,” said Silicon Labs CEO Tyson Tuttle. “We’re extremely proud the GSA recognizes our continued success as a leading supplier of silicon and software for the IoT and infrastructure markets.”

Annually, 275 GSA member companies cast online votes for semiconductor companies at various revenue levels based on best products, profitability, vision and future opportunities.

“GSA proudly recognizes Silicon Labs as the ‘Most Respected Public Semiconductor Company’ in its revenue category for the second year in a row,” said GSA President Jodi Shelton. “This repeat award highlights Silicon Labs’ strong reputation for innovation and solid financial performance.”

Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ:  MENT) today announced the winners of its second annual Don Miller Award for Excellence in System-Level Thermo-Fluid Design. The award is named after Don Miller, former research director for British Hydromechanics Research (now BHR Group) in the U.K., who served as one of the judges. Miller is also the author of Internal Flow Systems, the book which served as the foundation for Mentor Graphics FloMASTER software technology. Award submissions were received from around the world, including entrants from India, China, and Brazil.

The 2016 Don Miller Award winners were selected based on their demonstration of excellence for a range of thermo-fluid design applications, including automotive engine cooling, two-phased refrigeration processes, and rail transport passenger comfort. A team comprising Soujanya Chintalapudi, Sundaram Veeraraghavan, and Sampath Sathish Kumar from Chrysler India Automotive, Pvt. Ltd. received the first place award for their design featured in their SAE paper, Simulation of Split Engine Cooling System. Their design used a FloMASTER simulation model for a new method of developing a split engine cooling system.

Two runners up were selected by the panel of judges. Thiago Rubens Vieria Ebel from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Department of Mechanical Engineering in Brazil received his award fora unique application of the FloMASTER tool used to understand the water hammer effects that can occur in a novel refrigeration system. The application was described in his thesis, Viability Analysis and Computational Simulation of a Hydraulic Circuit for a Magnetic Refrigeration System.

The second joint runner-up award went to the team of Yifei Zhu, Yugong Xu, and Xiangdong Chen from the School of Mechanical Electronic and Control Engineering, Beijing Jiao Tong University in Beijing, China. They investigated the interaction between the external environment and the internal air flow through the ventilation of a high-speed train during operation. They described it in their paper, Study On the One-Dimensional Carriage and Ventilation System of High-Speed Train,

“We congratulate this year’s winners of our annual Don Miller Award for excellence in thermo-fluid design applications, and we are impressed by the broad range of submissions from our FloMASTER customers worldwide,” stated Roland Feldhinkel, general manager of Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division. “We are proud of the innovations made possible by the use of our technology, and we look forward to reviewing next year’s FloMASTER award submissions.”

Ultratech, Inc. (Nasdaq: UTEK), a supplier of lithography, laser-processing and inspection systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs), as well as atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems, today announced that the Laboratory for Emerging and Exploratory Devices (LEED), led by Professor Sayeef Salahuddin, Ph.D. of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department at UC Berkeley (EECS UC Berkeley), has chosen the Ultratech-CNT Fiji G2 PEALD system as its instrument of choice for its research activities. Professor Salahuddin was recently honored at the White House by President Barack Obama for his work in developing nano-scale electronic and spintronic devices for low power logic and memory applications.

“ALD provides an exciting way of accessing ferroelectric materials, which play a key role in these types of devices, by providing a means of controlling the film properties through the precise engineering of the composition,” noted Professor Salahuddin. “This has led the way for us to explore the ferroelectric properties of rare earth oxides, such as Hafnium oxide, by adding a variety of dopants, such as silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), and yttrium (Y). Our decision in choosing the Fiji system was motivated not only by the system’s performance, and flexibility but also because of the strong reputation that the Ultratech ALD team has for R&D expertise, coupled with its excellent support.”

Adam Bertuch, senior thin film scientist at Ultratech-CNT, who has played a key role in the development of PEALD oxides at the company, said, “The Fiji is an extremely versatile instrument, which has been at the leading edge of the development of complex materials. Professor Salahuddin’s work in the field of ferroelectric materials speaks for itself, and we are looking forward to having a strong collaborative relationship with him, as well as his scientific group at UC Berkeley.”

Ultratech Fiji G2 ALD System

For advanced thin films, the Fiji series is a modular, high-vacuum ALD system that accommodates a wide range of deposition modes using a flexible architecture and multiple configurations of precursors and plasma gases. The result is a next-generation ALD system capable of performing thermal and plasma-enhanced deposition. Ultratech CNT has applied advanced computational fluid dynamics analyses to optimize the Fiji reactor, heaters, and vapor trap geometries. The system’s intuitive interface makes it easy to monitor and change recipes and processes as required. The Fiji is available in several different configurations, with up to six heated precursor ports that can accommodate solid, liquid or gas precursors, and up to six plasma gas lines. Options include a built-in ozone generator, Load Lock as well as several in-situ analysis tools, which offer significant experimental flexibility in a compact and affordable footprint.

ClassOne Technology, manufacturer of cost-efficient wet processing equipment for ≤200mm substrates, has reported its best-ever sales quarter and is currently doubling its Kalispell manufacturing capacity to meet the demand.

“We’ve been seeing a steady increase in market interest and sales,” said ClassOne Technology President, Kevin Witt. “Most of these users are now focusing on capabilities they couldn’t get before, like wafer-level packaging and More than Moore technologies.”

Witt explained that wafer-level packaging (WLP) has been used for some time with 300mm and larger substrates — but the equipment has not been available for 200mm. “Fortunately, ClassOne focuses specifically on the smaller-wafer markets,” said Witt. “At a very affordable price, we deliver the new technology and advanced 3D features they’re looking for. For example, our Solstice® line of multifunctional electroplating systems enables high-efficiency Cu Through Silicon Via (TSV), Pillar, Bump and Barrier Plating and other capabilities that WLP requires. And that’s one major reason they’re coming to us.”

ClassOne reports that many of the new buyers are keenly interested in More than Moore (MtM) technologies to increase functionality while reducing cost per device. They are producing compound semiconductors, LEDs, MEMS, RF, Wi-Fi and a range of IoT-related sensors and other devices. ClassOne cites the combination of ≤200mm-specific tools, advanced capabilities and affordable pricing as the primary driver behind the current equipment-buying surge in emerging markets.

ClassOne Technology offers a selection of new-technology wet processing tools designed for 75mm to 200mm wafer users. These include three different models of Solstice electroplating systems for production and development as well as the Trident families of Spin-Rinse-Dryers and Spray Solvent Tools. All are priced at less than half of what similarly configured systems from the larger manufacturers would cost — which is why the ClassOne lines are often described as delivering “Advanced Wet Processing for the Rest of Us.”