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North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.39 billion in billings worldwide in December 2017 (three-month average basis), according to the November Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI.  The billings figure is 16.3 percent higher than the final November 2017 level of $2.05 billion, and is 27.7 percent higher than the December 2016 billings level of $1.87 billion.

“December 2017 monthly billings for North American equipment manufacturers ended the year at the highest levels in this record-breaking year,” said Ajit Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI. “For 2017, total billings for North American equipment companies soared over 40 percent compared to 2016.”

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
July 2017
$2,269.7
32.9%
August 2017
$2,181.8
27.7%
September 2017
$2,054.8
37.6%
October 2017
$2,019.3
23.9%
November 2017 (final)
$2,052.3
27.2%
December 2017 (prelim)
$2,387.8
27.7%

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), January 2018

SEMI publishes a monthly North American Billings report and issues the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). The WWSEMS report currently reports billings by 24 equipment segments and by seven end market regions. SEMI also has a long history of tracking semiconductor industry fab investments in detail on a company-by-company and fab-by-fab basis in its World Fab Forecast and SEMI FabView databases.

 

Applied Materials, Inc. today announced the appointment of Scott A. McGregor to serve on its Board of Directors.

“Scott is an outstanding leader in the global semiconductor industry and brings deep management experience as a long-serving chief executive,” said Tom Iannotti, chairman of the board of Applied Materials. “Applied is working at the foundation of major technology trends with profound implications for the way semiconductors are made, and Scott’s industry experience makes him an excellent addition to our board of directors team.”

Mr. McGregor served as president and chief executive officer and as a member of the board of directors of Broadcom Corporation from 2005 until the company was acquired by Avago Technologies Limited in 2016. He joined Broadcom from Philips Semiconductors (now NXP Semiconductors), where he was president and chief executive officer. He previously served in a range of senior management positions at Santa Cruz Operation Inc., Digital Equipment Corporation (now part of HP), Xerox PARC and Microsoft, where he was the architect and development team leader for Windows 1.0. Mr. McGregor currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Equifax Inc. He previously served as a member of the boards of directors of Ingram Micro Inc. and Xactly Corporation.

Intermolecular, Inc. (NASDAQ: IMI), the trusted partner for advanced materials innovation and SITRI, the innovation center for accelerating the development and commercialization of “More than Moore” (MtM) technologies, today announced they have expanded their strategic alliance to address the growing need for advanced new memory technologies in the China market. As part of this alliance, IMI has begun delivering critical unit films to SITRI and the two companies will work together with an end goal of producing a working memory device that their joint customers can use to drive future memories and IoT innovations forward.

There is a major need in the industry today for next-generation memory technologies that can deliver the performance, density, low power and small form factors needed for future memories and IoT devices. Current technologies face inherent limitations in meeting these requirements, making it more important to find new materials that can solve these challenges. By combining IMI’s high-throughput experimentation platform with SITRI’s expertise and strong ecosystem, the two companies can rapidly ease materials screening to enable advanced memory technologies to power the future.

“IMI has extensive experience working with memory technologies, including the thin film and stacks required to manufacture these devices,” said Chris Kramer, CEO of Intermolecular.   “This expertise, combined with SITRI’s expansive services, resources and industrial ecosystem, will be ideal for accelerating the development of an advanced memory technology.”

“We see tremendous opportunity for a new memory technology in the China market, but the process of selecting, testing and commercializing the right materials to deliver this can be costly and very time consuming,” said Charles Yang, president of SITRI. “Intermolecular already has this experience and proven methodology, which will help us greatly speed this process and provide our customers with new innovations in memory.”

With an extensive patent portfolio focused on memory technology, Intermolecular will provide SITRI with the expertise and knowledge base to produce a working memory device at a SITRI fab, which can later be transferred to their joint customers. Intermolecular will gain access to test vehicles and device capability through the use of SITRI’s MtM fab and SITRI will leverage Intermolecular’s new materials expertise in memory to perform rapid screening to optimize critical material selections.

Entegris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTG), a developer of specialty chemicals and advanced materials solutions for the microelectronics industry, announced today that it acquired Particle Sizing Systems, LLC (PSS), a company focused on particle sizing instrumentation for liquid applications in both semiconductor and life science industries.

This acquisition reflects Entegris’ value creation strategy by leveraging its global technology platform and customer relationships. The total purchase price of the acquisition was approximately $37 million in cash, subject to customary working capital adjustments. Entegris expects this transaction to be accretive to 2018 earnings.

Digital transformation continues to create a high demand for sophisticated cloud computing infrastructures that require the most advanced logic and memory chips available. However, advanced-node manufacturers already challenged by a continuously shrinking process window and high fab costs struggle to maintain yield  and  eliminate losses  associated with CMP performance.

In advanced-node CMP applications, scratch defects are often caused by the agglomeration of slurry abrasive particles that have the potential to become a key factor in process yield performance. With the technology from PSS, Entegris is enabling customers to perform particle size analysis online and in real time, directly in the fluid stream process.  Automating the monitoring process can lead to the application of more effective solutions like proper filter selection and system maintenance. This ability to intervene with these solutions prevents costly yield excursions.

“To stay competitive, our advanced-node customers need tools that allow them to shorten process times while maintaining accuracy and consistency in order to meet the high-quality standards of the manufacturers they partner with,” says Todd Edlund, Chief Operating Officer, Entegris. “PSS technology is unique in that it measures every particle in the slurry, making it more accurate than commonly used methods that employ averaging techniques. As a result, this technology eliminates the need for manual sampling and intervention, which is less efficient and runs a higher risk of slurry excursions.”

SkyWater Technology Foundry, the industry’s most advanced U.S.-based and U.S.-owned trusted foundry, announced today that it has appointed Steve Wold as Chief Financial Officer. Steve has more than 25 years of leadership experience, holding a variety of senior corporate finance roles. He brings a rich background to the company in capital markets, including equity, corporate financing and recapitalizations, and risk management. Steve succeeds Bart Zibrowski, who will move on to the role of Vice-Chairman for the company.

“As we complete our foundry transformation in 2018, I am delighted to welcome Steve Wold to SkyWater as our new CFO,” said Thomas Sonderman, President, SkyWater Technology Foundry. “With his background in high-performance growth organizations, Steve is ideally suited to help us deliver on our long-term vision. I’d also like to thank Bart Zibrowski for the tremendous job he did in putting a strong foundation in place for our finance organization over the last year as we created the company.” 

Steve comes to SkyWater Technology Foundry after most recently serving as a key member of the leadership team of Arctic Cat Inc. (formerly ACAT – NASDAQ), where he was instrumental in completing the sale of the company to Textron Inc. in 2017. Prior to that, he was at Orbital ATK (OA – NYSE) for 18 years, where he was focused on transforming processes, change management, and driving operational efficiencies, as the company grew from approximately $1 billion to over $5 billion in revenue. Steve began his career as a CPA with Deloitte Audit and Assurance for over 7 years, where he focused on providing services to both publicly traded and privately held manufacturing entities. He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of North Dakota, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Minnesota Society of CPAs. 

SkyWater is a U.S.-based technology foundry, specializing in the development and manufacturing of a wide variety of differentiated semiconductor manufacturing solutions.

Beijing NAURA Microelectronics Equipment Co.,Ltd. (“NAURA”) and Akrion Systems LLC today jointly announced that the previously announced acquisition by NAURA has been completed. As a result of the closing of the transaction, NAURA Akrion Inc. (“NAURA Akrion”), a wholly owned subsidiary of NAURA in the United States, acquired Akrion’s surface preparation business.

“We are very pleased to have completed the transaction,” said Mr. Michael Ioannou, NAURA Akrion CEO. “Enhanced by the strong strategic and financial support of our new investors, the company’s future is brighter than ever. We are excited to continue building and growing NAURA Akrion into a global leader in wet-processing systems as part of NAURA.”

“The successful completion of the transaction will enhance NAURA’s cleaning equipment product line rapidly, and allow it to cover the integrated circuit chip process including Pre Film Deposition Clean, PR Strip, Backside Clean, Wafer Reclaim, Post Etch Clean, SiN/Oxide Etch,Post Metal Deposition and Al pad clean, and other Wet technologies. This is a strong upgrade of NAURA’s surface preparation business and will boost NAURA’s overall market competitiveness.” Commented by Mr. Jinrong Zhao, President & CEO of NAURA. “Upon completion of the transaction, the new entity NAURA Akrion will continue to focus on and promote the existing line of 8-12 inch batch and single wafer systems designed for integrated circuit chip manufacturing, silicon wafer fabrication, MEMS and advanced packaging. NAURA Akrion will invest resources in R&D on new application development, new process development and new product development. It will also stay customer-focused and continue to support existing and future customers worldwide with expanded product and solutions.

Acuity Advisors LLP, a UK based M&A technology advisory firm, served as the financial advisor and Perkins Coie served as the legal advisor to Akrion Systems LLC. Needham & Company served as the financial advisor, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as the US legal advisor to NAURA.

NAURA Akrion is a supplier of advanced surface preparation systems and processes used in the manufacture of solar, semiconductor and related devices.

By Dan Tracy and Ji-Won Cho, SEMI

2017 proved to be record-setting year for the semiconductor industry. According to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), worldwide semiconductor market will have grown 20 percent, exceeding $400 billion for the first time. Among all major product segments, memory is the strongest, with sales are on track to grow 60 percent year-over-year, contributing to 30 percent of worldwide semiconductor sales in 2017. The consensus is that the growth momentum in memory will continue in 2018, driven by stable market demand and a favorable pricing environment.

Korean memory makers are the biggest beneficiaries of this memory super cycle. According to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), the memory export value from Korea grew 86 percent through November 2017 compared to a year earlier, indicating that Korean memory makers are gaining more market share. On the supply side of the market, both Samsung and SK Hynix saw record high capital expenditures in 2017, contributing to the revenue surge from Korean suppliers. The spending spree is expected to continue in 2018. Together, Samsung and SK Hynix are forecast to invest over $20 billion in fab tools worldwide in 2018. (Track fab projects in detail with the SEMI World Fab Forecast or SEMI FabView databases).

WFF-Dec2017-chart

Samsung’s anchor project in 2018 is the ramp of its new Fab P1 phase 2 line in Pyeongtaek. Samsung plans to add new 3D NAND as well as DRAM capacity at this fab, fortifying its leading position in memory market. Beyond 2018, Samsung’s Xian phase 2 plan is also underway for future expansion.

SK Hynix, on the other hand, will ramp up M14 fab in 2018, adding new capacity for both 3D NAND and DRAM. In the meantime, SK Hynix is building a new fab, M15, in Cheongju, Korea, for 3D NAND and Fab C3 in Wuxi, China, for DRAM.

Both of these leading memory makers plan to ride this memory cycle and intend to vault ahead of the competition. Future demand for 3D NAND will continue to be the strongest, driving new fab projects in Korea now and later in China. Nevertheless, DRAM supply will also see new capacity coming online this year, followed by rare new fab projects. Memory not only accounts for a major portion of worldwide semiconductor sales but will also propel the investment momentum in the coming years.

SEMICON Korea 2018

The strong memory growth sets the stage for SEMICON Korea, January 31 through February 2 in Seoul. The largest microelectronics event in Korea, with over 40,000 attendees expected, SEMICON Korea will focus on enabling participants to “Connect, Collaborate, and Innovate.”

Key SEMICON Korea highlights include:

  • The 1,919 booths are sold out as major equipment, materials, and subsystem/parts companies exhibit their new products and technology solutions at the show.
  • Industry giants including Samsung, Micron, Intel, Toshiba, Sony, SK Hynix and LAM Research will connect with Korean equipment, materials and subsystems/parts manufacturers through the Supplier Search Program.
  • Participation by engineers is expected to be strong this year, after more than 10,000 engineers from​ Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and DB Hitek attended SEMICON Korea 2017.

Major SEMICON Korea programs, including the following, will provide key insights into the Korea electronics manufacturing ecosystem:

  • Smart Automotive Forum
  • Smart Manufacturing Forum
  • Test Forum
  • SEMI Technology Symposium
  • Market Seminar

For a complete schedule of programs, visit www.semiconkorea.org/en/agenda-glance.

Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation today announces its corporate name change to pSemi™ Corporation, a Murata company focused on semiconductor integration. The name change coincides with two major milestones—the company’s 30-year anniversary of RF-CMOS innovation and the shipment of its 4 billionth chip. pSemi will serve as Murata’s semiconductor arm and is tasked with growing rapidly to support its expanding product portfolio and the hiring of engineers and professionals globally.

The new name is derived from Peregrine Semiconductor and reflects its proud 30-year history. pSemi will have the same experienced semiconductor team at the helm, but it will have a broader scope and an expanded product portfolio. Building on its strong foundation in RF integration, pSemi’s product portfolio will span power management, connected sensors, optical transceivers, antenna tuning and RF frontends.

“We’ve challenged the pSemi team to broaden their scope, increase their intellectual property (IP) portfolio and grow on a global scale to support more semiconductor innovations,” says Norio Nakajima, senior executive vice president, module business unit at Murata. “As a Murata company, pSemi will leverage the breadth of Murata’s manufacturing and technology leadership, while maintaining a level of autonomy that accelerates its path to semiconductor integration. pSemi will serve as the hub for Murata’s semiconductor activities, and we are investing in its aggressive growth strategy to fuel our move into more advanced and intelligent modules.”

Under the new name, pSemi celebrates its 30-year anniversary of RF-CMOS semiconductor technology innovation and the shipment of its 4 billionth chip. The 4 billionth chip was shipped in an order to Samsung. In Jan. 1988, the company’s founders published a research paper that served as the foundation for Peregrine’s UltraCMOS® technology platform. This paper was the first of many semiconductor technology innovations the company would build upon over its history.

“As pSemi celebrates these significant milestones, we reflect on the company’s history,” says Stefan Wolff, CEO of pSemi. “Over a span of three decades, many industry firsts were achieved, such as CMOS switches, SOI power amplifiers and mmWave beamforming. Our patent portfolio continues to grow and is now ranked as one of the technology world’s most valuable patent portfolios, and finally, we became a Murata company. The launch of pSemi is the next chapter in this company’s history. I am grateful to Murata for selecting us for this important growth strategy, and I am honored to lead this incredible team forward. With pSemi, we are building the ‘dream team’ of engineers, and we need more talented people to join us.”

With the new name, pSemi also launches a new logo and company website. The name change is effective immediately and will be rolled out across new products. Legacy Peregrine Semiconductor products will remain branded under the Peregrine Semiconductor name and logo and will be supported by the same sales teams, distributors and applications engineers.

Littelfuse, Inc. (NASDAQ:LFUS) today announced the completion of its acquisition of IXYS Corporation (NASDAQ:IXYS). IXYS is a global pioneer in the power semiconductor market with a focus on medium- to high-voltage power semiconductors across the industrial, communications, consumer and medical device markets.

“Today marks a significant step forward in our company strategy to accelerate growth within the power control and industrial OEM markets,” said Dave Heinzmann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Littelfuse. “The combination of our companies brings together a broad power semiconductor portfolio, complementary technology expertise and a strong talent pool.”

The transaction is expected to be immediately accretive to adjusted EPS. Littelfuse expects to achieve more than $30 million of annualized cost savings within the first two years after closing. The combination is also expected to create significant revenue synergy opportunities longer term, given the companies’ complementary offerings and combined customer base.

In conjunction with the close of the transaction, IXYS founder Dr. Nathan Zommer has been appointed to the Littelfuse Board of Directors, increasing the size of the board to nine members.

With today’s transaction close, each former IXYS stockholder is entitled to receive, per IXYS share held immediately prior to the closing, either $23.00 in cash or 0.1265 of a share of Littelfuse common stock. In total, 50% of IXYS stock was converted into the cash consideration and 50% into the stock consideration.

Picosun Oy, a supplier of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) thin film coating technology for global industries, partners with STMicroelectronics S.r.l. to develop the next generation 300mm production solutions for advanced power electronics.

Power electronic components are right at the heart of many core elements of our society, where energy saving, sparing use of natural resources, and CO2 emission reductions are called for to provide for sustainable future. Energy production with renewables such as wind and solar, clean transportation with electric vehicles and trains, and industrial manufacturing with energy-smart power management and factory automation are key markets where the demand for advanced power components is increasing.

Most power semiconductor industries use 200 mm wafers as substrates. Transfer to 300 mm enables more efficient, ecological, and economical production through larger throughputs with relatively smaller material losses, and adaptation of novel manufacturing processes such as ALD allows smaller chip sizes with increased level of integration.

As a part of the funded project R3-POWERUP (*), Picosun’s PICOPLATFORM™ 300 ALD cluster tool will be optimized and validated for 300 mm production of power electronic components. The SEMI S2 certified PICOPLATFORM™ 300 cluster tool consists of two PICOSUN™ P-300S ALD reactors, one dedicated for high-k dielectric oxides and one for nitrides, connected together and operated under constant vacuum with a central vacuum robot substrate handling unit. The ALD reactors are equipped with Picosun’s proprietary Picoflow™ feature which enables conformal ALD depositions in high aspect ratios up to 1:2500 and even beyond. Substrate loading is realized with an EFEM with FOUP ports. The fully automated cluster tool can be integrated into the production line and connected to factory host via SECS/GEM interface.

“Our PICOPLATFORM™ 300 cluster tools have already proven their strength in conventional IC applications, so expansion to the power semiconductors is only natural. We are very pleased to work with a company such as STMicroelectronics to tailor and validate our 300mm ALD production solutions to this rapidly growing market. This is also a prime opportunity both to contribute to the future of European semiconductor industries, and to utilize ALD to provide technological solutions to the global ecological and societal challenges such as climate change and dwindling natural resources,” summarizes Juhana Kostamo, Managing Director of Picosun.