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11/3/2015 Update: The deadline for papers has been extended to November 11, 2015

SEMI announced today that the deadline for presenters to submit an abstract for the 27th annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) is November 2. ASMC, which takes place May 16-19, 2016 in Saratoga Springs, New York, will feature technical presentations of more than 90+ peer-reviewed manuscripts covering critical process technologies and fab productivity. This year’s event features keynotes, a panel discussion, networking events, technical sessions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing, as well as educational tutorials.

ASMC continues to fill a critical need in our industry and provides a venue for industry professionals to network, learn and share knowledge on new and best-method semiconductor manufacturing practices and concepts. Selected speakers have the opportunity to present in front of IC manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, materials suppliers, chief technology officers, operations managers, process engineers, product managers and academia. Technical abstracts are due November 2, 2015. 

This year SEMI is including two new technology areas: 3D/TSV/Interposer and Fabless Experience. SEMI is soliciting technical abstracts in these key technology areas:

  • 3D/TSV/Interposer
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Equipment Processes and Materials
  • Advanced Patterning / Design for Manufacturability
  • Advanced Process Control (APC)
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing (CFM)
  • Data Management and Data Mining Tools
  • Defect Inspection and Reduction
  • Discrete Power Devices
  • Enabling Technologies and Innovative Devices
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancements
  • Fabless Experience
  • Factory Automation
  • Green Factory
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Yield Methodologies

Complete descriptions of each topic and author kit can be accessed at http://www.semi.org/en/node/38316. If you would like to learn more about the conference and the selection process, please contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or call 1.202.393.5552.   

Papers co-authored between device manufacturers, equipment or materials suppliers, and/or academic institutions that demonstrate innovative, practical solutions for advancing semiconductor manufacturing are highly encouraged. To submit an abstract, visit http://semi.omnicms.com/semi/asmc2016/collection.cgi

Technical abstracts are due November 2, 2015. To learn more about the SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference, visit http://www.semi.org/asmc2016.

New S$150 million joint investment is expected to create 60 jobs for highly skilled scientists, engineers and researchers.

SINGAPORE, October 19, 2015 – Applied Materials, Inc. today announced it plans to establish a new R&D laboratory in Singapore in collaboration with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The S$150 million joint investment will focus on developing advanced semiconductor technology to fabricate future generations of logic and memory chips.

The S$150 million joint lab will be housed within A*STAR’s new R&D cluster at Fusionopolis Two and will feature a 400 square meter Class 1 cleanroom with state-of-the-art semiconductor process equipment that has been custom designed and built by Applied Materials. The facility will be staffed by 60 highly skilled researchers and scientists, working together with extended research teams at A*STAR’s other research institutes.

The joint lab combines Applied Materials’ leading expertise in materials engineering with A*STAR’s multi-disciplinary R&D capabilities. A*STAR’s Institute of Microelectronics (IME), Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), and Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) will contribute to research in low-defect processing, ultra-thin film materials, materials analysis and characterization, and modelling and simulation in many areas. The joint lab is also supported by The Singapore Economic Development Board, and is in line with its efforts to promote leading-edge R&D and advanced manufacturing activities. The intention is for products developed by the joint lab to be manufactured by Applied Materials in Singapore. In addition, Applied Materials plans to conduct experiments on the synchrotron at the Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS) and work with the National University of Singapore where a new beamline for semiconductor applications is to be developed. Funding for the construction of the new beamline is supported by the National Research Foundation.

Mr. Gary Dickerson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Applied Materials, Inc., said, “A*STAR and the government of Singapore have been great R&D partners for Applied Materials. We are excited to expand our collaboration to develop advanced semiconductor technology for extending Moore’s Law. Applied Materials’ leading expertise in materials engineering can help solve the challenges of producing future generations of logic and memory chips.”    

Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman, A*STAR, said, “This collaboration will catalyse the development of emerging technologies for the global electronics market and advance Singapore’s position as a key R&D hub for the industry. The joint lab reaffirms A*STAR’s multi-disciplinary R&D capabilities to drive innovation in the electronics sector, a key growth area for Singapore’s economy, and will generate further economic value through the creation of good jobs.”

“The joint lab will strengthen capabilities for Applied Materials in Singapore, as we expand from advanced manufacturing to early stage R&D and designing global products,” said Mr. Russell Tham, Corporate Vice President & Regional President South East Asia, Applied Materials, Inc. “Successful public-private partnerships, leveraging complementary strengths, help create new forms of value from Singapore and keep the local industry competitive.”

Prof. Raj Thampuran, Managing Director, A*STAR, said, “The new joint lab takes the longstanding collaboration between Applied Materials and A*STAR to the next level, and will marshal our combined strengths in research, development, innovation and industrial applications. This technology will pioneer new processes and techniques to advance the fabrication of semiconductor devices.”

The new joint lab marks Applied Materials’ second collaboration with A*STAR. In 2012, Applied and A*STAR’s IME formed a Center of Excellence in Advanced Packaging in Singapore to develop advanced 3D chip packaging technology.

Transparency Market Research (TMR), a market intelligence company based in the U.S., projects the global organic electronics market to grow at a CAGR of 32.6% from 2012 to 2018. The report, titled “Organic Electronics Market – Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2012-2018”, is available on the company website for sale. The TMR study points out that the organic electronics market has tremendous potential in the fields of display technologies and electronic circuits, and is expected to register high growth rates in the coming years. The growth of the organic electronics market will be boosted by a combination of OLED lighting, OLED displays, OFRID, and organic photovoltaics.

As per the TMR study, the displays segment held the largest share of the organic electronics market. For the purpose of the study, the displays segment is segregated into electrophoretic, OLED displays, and other displays. Of these, OLED displays are projected to lead the organic electronics market and are projected to be worth US$10,450 million by 2018. This is due to their low energy consumption, high-speed performance, and sharp display features. Further, the study found the electrophoretic sub-segment is projected to be worth US$3,950 million by 2018, growing at a CAGR of 58.4% for the study period. Additionally, the continuous expansion of end-use applications beyond OLED lighting, OLED displays, and organic photovoltaics (OPV) is responsible for the robust growth of the global organic electronics market, as per the study analysis. Moreover, RFID labels and logic and memory are increasingly becoming the prime focus for OE manufacturers due to the high usage of these segments in the organic electronics market.

TMR’s findings show organic electronics will mostly be newly created rather than used as a replacement for other existing electronics, which will drive the growth of the market. Moreover, organic electronics, in spite of being capable of complemented with conventional silicon electronics, have the ability to produce flexible circuits. Owing to this trait, organic electronics have a rapidly increasing application base for flexible displays such as intelligent textiles, RFID labels, e-paper, bio-sensors, and intelligent packaging.

For the purpose of the study, the global organic electronics market is segmented into Asia Pacific, the U.S., Europe, and Rest of the World (RoW). In the geographical scenario, Asia Pacific is expected to lead the organic electronics market by revenue till 2018. As per the TMR research findings, Asia Pacific will boast a 50% share of the total revenue of the global organic electronics market in 2018 and will be followed by Europe.

In response to the current crisis in confidence brought on by revelations of misreporting of emissions levels by a major multinational car manufacturer, Edwards Ltd and its subsidiaries (Edwards), the leading supplier of exhaust management abatement systems to the Semiconductor, Flat Panel Display, Solar and LED industry, reassures its customers that all of its exhaust management abatement system products are designed to meet industry emission standards.

“Environmental responsibility is one of our top priorities at Edwards,” states Paul Rawlings, Vice President Marketing, Semiconductor & DSL Business Unit. “We take great pride in adhering to high standards in our worldwide manufacturing facilities, as well as in all the products that we make. All of our exhaust management abatement systems have been independently verified in use according to internationally recognised methods and standards, including those set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other national and international regulatory bodies.”

Paul Rawlings adds, “The recent news and controversy about a German car company apparently deliberately designing its products to evade emissions tests is very surprising and serves as a reminder of the need to always verify testing methodologies when reviewing performance data. As a global leader in the design and manufacture of exhaust management abatement systems for the electronics industry we want to reassure our customers that all of our abatement products comply with internationally recognized standards and that protecting the environment from harmful gasses is a responsibility we all share – across all industries, and across all borders.”

A*STAR‘s Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and Lumerical Solutions, Inc. (Lumerical), a global provider of photonic design software, today announced they have co-developed a calibrated compact model library (CML) for IME’s silicon photonics platform and process design kit (PDK). The CML will help photonic integrated circuit (PIC) designers who use IME’s silicon photonics process to improve the accuracy and reliability of their designs.

IME’s 25G silicon photonics platform and PDK are built on validated processes and devices. They offer state-of-the-art performance and enable PIC designers to build reliable devices, system architectures and achieve prototyping and product manufacturing with ease.

PIC design is often manual and iterative, and is based on custom component libraries and workflows, which may lead to errors and multiple design revisions. Leveraging IME’s capabilities in silicon photonics process and device technology, and Lumerical’s expertise in integrated photonics device simulation and circuit design tools, the collaboration overcame these challenges by adding calibrated simulation models to IME’s silicon photonics PDK. The CML enables designers to accurately simulate and optimize the performance of complex PIC designs prior to fabrication.

The CML includes 15 active and passive elements, from waveguides to modulators and photo detectors, and forms part of IME’s silicon photonics PDK, along with process data, layer tables, cells for device layout and design rules.

“With silicon photonics emerging as a leading technology platform for high bandwidth optical communication, R&D is critical in addressing the industry’s needs for increasingly complex photonic-electronic circuits. I am confident that the combined strengths of IME’s capabilities in silicon photonics technologies for integration and manufacturing, and Lumerical’s experience in innovating design tools will enable designers to produce quality photonic integrated circuits, and accelerate the production of next generation devices”, said Prof. Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director, IME.

“The addition of calibrated models to IME’s photonic PDK is a compelling step forward in establishing the design and fabrication ecosystem necessary for photonic circuit designers to realise the commercial potential of integrated photonic technologies,” stated Todd Kleckner, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Lumerical. “We are excited to work with a renowned and innovative research institute like IME and support joint users of IME’s MPW services and our design tools to confidently scale design complexity and deliver on their next ambitious design challenge.”

 

By Peter Connock, chairman of memsstar and co-chair of the European SEMI Secondary Equipment and Applications Special Interest Group

The dramatic shift from the trend for increasingly advanced technology to a vast array and volume of application-based devices presents Europe with a huge opportunity. Europe is a world leader in several major market segments – think automotive and healthcare as two examples – and many more are developing and growing at a rapid rate. Europe has the technology and manufacturing skills to satisfy these new markets but they must be addressed cost effectively – and that’s where the use of secondary equipment and related services comes in.

Secondary Equipment & Applications ─ Enabling the Internet of “Everything”

While Moore’s Law continues to drive the production of advanced devices, the broadening of the “More than Moore” market is poised to explode. All indicators are pointing to a major expansion in applications to support a massive increase in data interchange through sensors and related devices. The devices used to support these applications will range from simple sensors to complex packages but most can, and will, be built by “lower” technology level manufacturing equipment.

This equipment will, in many cases, be required to be “remanufactured” and “repurposed” but will allow semiconductor suppliers to extend the use of their depreciated equipment and/or bring in additional equipment, matched to their process needs, at reduced cost. In many cases this older equipment will need to be supported by advanced manufacturing control techniques and new test and packaging capabilities.

SEMI market research shows that investment in “legacy” fabs is important in manufacturing semiconductor products, including the emerging Internet of Things (IoT) class of devices and sensors, and remains a sizeable portion of the industries manufacturing base:

  • 150mm and 200mm fab capacity represent approximately 40 percent of the total installed fab capacity
  • 200mm fab capacity is on the rise, led by foundries that are increasing 200mm capacity by about 7 percent through to 2016 compared to 2012 levels
  • New applications related to mobility, sensing, and IoT are expected to provide opportunities for manufacturers with 200mm fabs

SEMI_Europe1

Out of the total US$ 27 billion spent in 2013 on fab equipment and US$ 31 billion spent on fab equipment in 2014, secondary fab equipment represents approximately 5 percent of the total, or US$ 1.5 billion, annually, according to SEMI’s 2015 secondary fab equipment market report. For 2014, 200mm fab investments by leading foundries and IDMs resulted in a 45 percent increase in spending for secondary 200mm equipment.

SEMI_Europe2

Establishing a Vibrant and Professional Secondary Equipment Industry in Europe

Secondary equipment will form at least part of the strategy of almost anyone manufacturing or developing semiconductors in Europe. In many cases, it is an essential capability for competitive production. As the secondary equipment industry increases its strategic importance to semiconductor manufacturers and researchers it is critical that the corresponding supply chain ensures a supply of quality equipment, support and services to meet rapidly developing consumer needs. Common challenges across the supply chain include:

  • How to generate cooperation across Europe between secondary equipment users and suppliers and what sort of cooperation is needed?
  • How to ensure the availability of sufficient engineering resource to support the European secondary installed base?
  • Are there shortages of donor systems or critical components that are restricting the use of secondary equipment and, if so, how might this be resolved

Join us at SEMICON Europa to find out more about Europe’s Secondary Industry

Europe’s secondary industry will be in the spotlight during two sessions at SEMICON Europa 2015:

The sessions are organized by the SEMI SEA Europe Group and are open to everyone associated with the secondary industry, be they device manufacturer or supplier, interested in the development of a vibrant industry providing critical support to cost effective manufacturing in Europe.

About the Secondary Equipment and Applications (SEA) Group

The SEA group in Europe is working on activities to:

  • Increase market knowledge
  • Create a European network of relevant customers, suppliers and representative organizations
  • Establish quality and standards in secondary equipment
  • Catalyze Engineering resource development
  • Understand key issues facing the European Secondary industry and any required project activity (e.g., impact of EU laws such as RoHS2, parts supply, etc.)

The market for microcontroller units (MCUs) used in Internet of things (IoT) applications is on the rise, which is having a positive effect on overall MCU market growth. The market for MCUs used in connected cars, wearable electronics, building automation and other IoT applications is expected to grow at an overall compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11 percent, from $1.7 billion in 2014 to $2.8 billion in 2019, according to IHS Inc., the leading global source of critical information and insight. The overall MCU market is expected to grow at a CAGR of just 4 percent through 2019.

IHS_MCU_market_IoT_apps_chart “What some still consider to be only hype surrounding emerging IoT trends has already begun disrupting the MCU market,” said Tom Hackenberg, senior analyst for IHS Technology. “In fact, without the influence of IoT application growth, the MCU market is predicted to stagnate by the end of the decade.”

According to the latest Microcontroller Market Tracker from IHS, IoT comprises both existing Internet-protocol- (IP-) addressable devices and Internet-connectable electronic devices. This definition differs from the Internet of everything (IoE), whereby even unconnected electronics and unconnected objects are expected to be represented on the Web.

IHS sub-divides the IoT market into three distinct categories: controllers, such as PCs and smartphones; infrastructure, such as routers and servers; and nodes, such as closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, traffic lights and appliances. “Each of these categories offers a distinct opportunity for suppliers of hardware, software and services,” Hackenberg said.

“The IoT trend has a strong relationship with the MCU market, as the small nodes used for connectivity, and sensor hubs to collect and log data, are primarily based on MCU platforms,” Hackenberg continued. “Most serious suppliers of MCUs are already closely following the hype around the billions of connected devices; however, the industry’s challenge now is to quantify this new opportunity, since IoT is a conceptual trend, not a device, application or even a new feature.”

Given that IoT connectivity demands a new consideration of semiconductor features, many semiconductor companies have begun developing IoT platform solutions, while others have reorganized with an IoT division to address this real opportunity. This is especially true in the MCU market. Among the semiconductor suppliers adopting loT-focused strategies are: Atmel Corporation, Broadcom, Cisco Systems Inc, Freescale Semiconductor, Infineon Technologies, Intel, Microchip Technologies, NXP, Qualcomm, Renesas Electronics Corporation and Texas Instruments.

“IoT is a sweeping term that addresses broad opportunities for hardware, software and services across many different applications,” Hackenberg said. “Suppliers must therefore focus on their target markets and concentrate on the specific values they bring to these markets.” The IHS Microcontroller Tracking Service now offers market size and forecast for the MCUs targeting IoT applications specifically in 25 distinct market opportunities.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.67 billion in orders worldwide in August 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.06, according to the August EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 1.06 means that $106 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in August 2015 was $1.67 billion. The bookings figure is 5.0 percent higher than the final July 2015 level of $1.59 billion, and is 23.8 percent higher than the August 2014 order level of $1.35 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in August 2015 was $1.58 billion. The billings figure is 1.3 percent higher than the final July 2015 level of $1.56 billion, and is 21.9 percent higher than the August 2014 billings level of $1.29 billion.

“Given the trends through the year so far, the book-to-bill ratio stayed above parity on a three-month average basis,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “An adjustment in the trends is anticipated for the rest of the year due to the near-term economic outlook and lower demand for electronics in some sectors.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

 

Billings
(3-mo. avg)

Bookings
(3-mo. avg)

Book-to-Bill
March 2015

$1,265.6

$1,392.7

1.10
April 2015

$1,515.3

$1,573.7

1.04
May 2015

$1,557.3

$1,546.2

0.99
June 2015

$1,554.9

$1,517.4

0.98
July 2015 (final)

$1,556.2

$1,587.3

1.02
August 2015 (prelim)

$1,576.1

$1,667.0

1.06

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), September 2015 

 

The global power module market is projected to comprise nearly one third (30 percent) of the power semiconductor market by 2019, growing at twice the rate of power discretes, from 2014 to 2019. The overall power semiconductor market, including both power discretes and power modules, is predicted to grow 5 percent in 2015 to reach $17 billion. In 2014, year-over-year power discrete revenue grew 5 percent and power module revenue grew 12 percent, according to IHS Inc.

IHS_Power_Module_Market

Power modules contain multiple discrete power semiconductor devices. Compared to discrete power semiconductors, power module packages provide higher power density and more reliability, according to the latest Power Semiconductor Discretes and Modules Report from IHS Technology

“OEMs will continue to want modular power solutions, which can be integrated easily into various subsystems and used in many different devices,” said Richard Eden, senior analyst of the semiconductor value chain for IHS Technology. “Power modules are widely found in inverters for wind converters, photovoltaic solar energy systems and other renewable energy applications. They are also found in industrial motor drives and hybrid and electric vehicles.”

“Standardized discrete power semiconductors have become commoditized with little differentiation,” said Victoria Fodale, senior analyst of the semiconductor value chain for IHS Technology. “OEMs and ODMs typically multisource discrete products through distributors. Suppliers will continue to face challenges, when it comes to increasing profit in commodity segments of the power discrete market.”

Supplier M&A causes market share shakeup

Infineon continued to be the largest supplier for the global power semiconductor market in 2014, with an estimated market share of 13 percent. Mitsubishi ranked second, at 7 percent.  STMicrosystems moved up to the third market position, displacing Toshiba, with an estimated market share of 6 percent.

With the acquisition of International Rectifier (IR) by Infineon last year, the market landscape for power semiconductors is changing. The merged companies held almost 27 percent of the power transistor market in 2014. The transistor product category includes bipolar transistors, metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) products, accounting for about two thirds of the total discrete power semiconductor market.

Mitsubishi Electric was the largest supplier for power modules in 2014, although the company’s estimated share of the market remained at 24 percent for 2013 and 2014. Infineon maintained the second-ranked position at 20 percent. The top four power module suppliers – Mitsubishi, Infineon, Semikron and Fuji Electric – accounted for 65 percent of the global power module market in 2014.

Soitec (Euronext), which generates and manufactures semiconductor materials for the electronics and energy industries, and Shanghai Simgui Technology Co., Ltd. (Simgui), a Chinese silicon-based semiconductor materials company, jointly announced today that the first 200-mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers have been produced at Simgui’s manufacturing facility in Shanghai using Soitec’s proprietary Smart Cut (TM) technology, and will be shipped within the next weeks for customers’ qualification. This major milestone in the companies’ licensing and technology transfer agreement, signed in May 2014, demonstrates that the process has been successfully implemented at Simgui and that the technology transfer is proceeding as planned to produce Soitec’s SOI products in order to increase SOI wafer capacity to serve the growing RF and power markets.

“We are very pleased to have reached this major milestone with Simgui, which now has the capability to manufacture Soitec’s SOI products using our Smart Cut technology. This represents a key step in our commitment to increase capacity in response to the needs of our customers who serve the fast-growing RF and power markets, both in China and worldwide,” said Paul Boudre, CEO and chairman of the board of Soitec.

“China is a hot spot for the IC industry today. The fast growth of China’s mobile devices demands a large number of SOI wafers. Through the collaboration with Soitec, Simgui has successfully demonstrated a strong technical ability and expanded capacity to meet our customers’ needs. In addition to the planned high-volume manufacturing of SOI wafers, we will continue to promote the SOI ecosystem in China and build a globally influential Chinese silicon industry,” said Dr. Xi Wang, chairman of the board of directors of Simgui.

The two companies formed their international partnership last year to address both China’s growing demand and to increase worldwide production capacity for 200-mm SOI wafers used in fabricating semiconductors for RF and power applications. When completed, the partners’ first wafer production line in China will boost the industrial manufacturing capacity of SOI wafers to meet increasing worldwide usage and will also be a key element in establishing an SOI ecosystem in China.

Simgui is a high-technology company in Shanghai focused on supplying SOI wafers and providing foundry services for epitaxial (epi) wafers used in key sectors of the semiconductor industry. Soitec designs and manufactures high-performance semiconductor materials.