Tag Archives: letter-wafer-business

Versum Materials, Inc. (NYSE: VSM), a materials supplier to the semiconductor industry, announced today it received the “Excellent Performance Award” by the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC). TSMC maintains a rigorous supply chain, and each year recognizes its most valuable suppliers who have made an outstanding contribution to the supply of advanced materials and equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. On February 23, 2017, Versum Materials received the prestigious “Excellent Performance Award” from TSMC in the Taiwanese city of Hsinchu for its contributions to TSMC.

SMC recognized Versum Materials for developing a new formulated post etch residue remover, a sustainable alternative to the material previously supplied for cleaning aluminum interconnects and pads. The new product advances TSMC’s green manufacturing initiatives by removing undesirable organic solvents in the product, process and eventually the waste stream. Furthermore, the new product reduces the required number of post-cleaning steps and cuts energy use during the manufacturing process at TSMC.

TSMC also credited Versum Materials for the positive impact its increased local presence had around improving the development responsiveness and cycle time affiliated with the new product development in the advanced materials realm. Additionally, TSMC cited superior technical support and reliable supply for our precursor offerings in the Advanced Deposition Materials (ADM) platform.

“We thank TSMC for recognizing Versum Materials with this prestigious award. The development of this new product demonstrates the importance of collaborating with our customers to drive technology forward, while also creating differentiated value for the customer. By working closely together with TSMC, we helped to further reduce their products’ environmental footprints,” stated Edward Shober, Senior Vice President, Materials at Versum Materials. “This award reflects the commitment that the entire company provides to TSMC, including our marketing, commercial, technology, operations, supply chain, procurement, EH&S and engineering teams.”

Soitec, a designer and manufacturer of semiconductor materials for the electronics industry, announced that the ramp up to high-volume production of 200mm silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers – manufactured with Soitec’s Smart Cut technology – has begun at the manufacturing facility of its Chinese partner Shanghai Simgui Technology Co., Ltd. (Simgui) fully qualified by key Soitec customers. This successful implementation of a partnership model represents a key milestone for Soitec in managing its worldwide manufacturing capacity to meet market demand for 200mm SOI wafers used in fabricating semiconductors for the growing communications and power device markets.

“Establishing this second source in China allows us to ensure the needed capacity of 200mm SOI wafers from two sites in different regions of the world, with each facility producing exactly the same products from a specifications and quality standpoint,” said Dr. Bernard Aspar, executive senior vice president of Soitec’s Communication & Power Business Unit. “Our partnership with Simgui is now running in an efficient way and our customers have been supportive and instrumental in this strategic move, which fully validates Soitec’s technology-transfer expertise and manufacturing strategy.”

“Simgui has been working on SOI materials for 16 years in China. Partnering with Soitec, Simgui is fully ready to support Soitec’s ramp up of 200mm SOI wafers manufactured with the Smart Cut technology at our facility in Shanghai and to help in developing the SOI ecosystem in China,” said Dr. Jeffrey Wang, CEO of Simgui.

The first 200mm SOI wafers produced at Simgui’s manufacturing facility in Shanghai using Soitec’s proprietary Smart Cut technology were qualified by the initial customers at the end of last year. Additional customers are currently in the process of qualifying the wafers. Producing the wafers in China has been a key objective of Soitec’s and Simgui’s licensing and technology-transfer agreement, signed in May 2014, and validates Smart Cut as a standard process. This wafer production line in China will boost the industrial manufacturing capacity of 200mm SOI wafers to meet increasing worldwide usage and also will be a key element in establishing the SOI ecosystem in China.

Soitec’s 200mm RF-SOI and Power-SOI products are dedicated to the mobile and automotive markets respectively. As the leading SOI substrate innovator and manufacturer, Soitec has the largest worldwide capacity and produces both 200mm and 300mm wafers at multiple fabs in France.

Simgui will be exhibiting Soitec’s Smart Cut-based 200mm product line in booth W5 #5159 at SEMICON China in Shanghai, March 14-16.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced the addition of two leading U.S. semiconductor companies, Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:  SWKS) and Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC), as SIA members. Skyworks Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board David Aldrich and Western Digital CEO Steve Milligan are expected to be elected to the SIA board of directors at the association’s next board meeting on March 8. SIA previously announced the heads of two additional new SIA member companies, IDT President & CEO Greg Waters and Marvell President & CEO Matt Murphy, are also expected to be elected to the SIA board tomorrow. Additionally, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Inc. CEO Sanjay Jha will replace Ajit Manocha on the SIA board.

“The addition of Skyworks and Western Digital as SIA members shows growing momentum for collaboration among key semiconductor leaders to shape public policies that impact our industry,” said John Neuffer, SIA President and CEO. “Each new SIA member adds their voice to the industry’s collective call for initiatives that foster growth and innovation. These include making the U.S. tax system globally competitive, investing in university-based basic research, expanding access to global markets, and strengthening America’s tech workforce.”

Aldrich has served as Chairman of the Board at Skyworks since May 2014. Prior to his appointment as Executive Chairman in May 2016, he served as CEO since the company was formed in 2002 via a merger between Alpha Industries and Conexant Systems’ wireless business. Before the creation of Skyworks, he served as President and CEO of Alpha Industries, a position he held since April 2000. He joined Alpha Industries in 1995 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and held various management positions in the ensuing years, including president and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this, he held senior management positions at Adams-Russell and M/A-COM. Mr. Aldrich received a bachelor’s of arts in political science from Providence College in 1979 and a master’s in business administration from the University of Rhode Island in 1981.

“It is a true pleasure to represent Skyworks on the SIA board of directors at an exciting and pivotal time for our industry,” said Aldrich. “I look forward to working in concert with my colleagues to advance the semiconductor industry’s interests in Washington, D.C. and in capitals around the world.”

Milligan re-joined Western Digital as President in March 2012 and was appointed CEO effective Jan. 2, 2013. Immediately prior to returning to Western Digital, Milligan was President and CEO of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST). During his tenure, Milligan led Hitachi GST through a financial and operational turnaround culminating in Western Digital’s acquisition of Hitachi GST in March 2012. Prior to joining Hitachi GST in 2007, Milligan was Western Digital’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He originally joined Western Digital in 2002 as Vice President, Finance. Milligan holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Ohio State University.

“The IT landscape is transforming as rapidly as it ever has, and the semiconductor industry plays a critical role in defining its course,” said Milligan. “Industry participants must work together in support of our common goals, and I look forward to collaborating with other industry leaders through SIA to make meaningful progress on issues of great importance to us all.”

Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (Nasdaq:  CY) today announced it has sold the subsidiary that owns its semiconductor wafer fabrication facility in Bloomington, Minnesota to SkyWater Technology Foundry for $30 million. Backed by Minnesota-based holding company Oxbow Industries, LLC, SkyWater Technology has purchased the capital stock of the subsidiary and will operate the fab as a standalone business that will manufacture wafers for Cypress and for other semiconductor manufacturers. The transaction allows Cypress to reduce its manufacturing footprint and cost structure while increasing the utilization of its Fab 25 in Austin, Texas, in line with the company’s plan to improve gross margins. Seattle-based ATREG, Inc. acted as Cypress’ advisor in this operational fab sale.

“This transaction demonstrates our commitment to reshape Cypress and improve gross margin, in line with our long-term financial model,” said Hassane El-Khoury, Cypress President and CEO. “The sale of Fab 4 in Minnesota allows us to reduce our manufacturing costs as we exit the fab while using the proceeds to pay down debt. We will also be able to improve the utilization and efficiency of Fab 25 in Texas, into which we have been transitioning products over the last 18 months. We believe this agreement represents another milestone in our path to achieving higher gross margins.

“In addition to looking at a potential deal’s impact on Cypress’ bottom line, we set out to ensure uninterrupted supply for our customers,” continued El-Khoury. “This agreement allows Cypress to maintain uninterrupted wafer supply for our products manufactured at the fab, with no disruptions for our customers, and it gives our former employees in Minnesota the opportunity to help the new business flourish and continue the fab’s tradition of quality U.S.-based manufacturing.”

“Given the proven history of efficiency at Fab 4, the expertise and dedication of its workforce and its established success in delivering specialized wafers on time to a diverse customer base, the SkyWater management team sees a strong foundation for growing a standalone business,” said Dr. Scott Nelson, Chief Technology Officer of SkyWater Technology Foundry. “We are committed to continuing the fab’s support of Cypress and its customers with superior quality and on-time delivery.”

Semiconductor manufacturing thought leaders will convene at the annual SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC 2017) on May 15-18 in Saratoga Springs, New York. The conference will feature 35 hours of technical presentations and over 100 experts addressing all aspects of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. This year’s event features a panel discussion on “The Next Big Thing: Technology Drivers for Next-Gen Manufacturing − Where will the Road take Us?” and a tutorial on Piezoelectric MEMS by Professor Gianluca Piazza, director of Nanofabrication Facility, Carnegie Mellon University.

SEMI‘s ASMC continues to provide a venue for industry professionals to network, learn and share knowledge on new and best-method semiconductor manufacturing practices and concepts.  The conference is co-chaired by Delphine LeCunff of STMicroelectronics and Russell Dover of Lam Research.  ASMC 2017 offers keynotes by Roberto Rapp, VP of Manufacturing at Robert Bosch GmbH; William Miller, VP of Engineering of Qualcomm; and Robert Maire, president of Semiconductor Advisors.

The topical areas that ASMC 2017 will address include:

  • 3D and Power Technologies
  • Advanced Equipment and Materials Processes
  • Advanced Metrology
  • Advanced Patterning
  • Advanced Process Control (APC)
  • Contamination Free Manufacturing (CFM)
  • Yield Management; Defect Inspection
  • Equipment Reliability and Productivity Enhancement
  • Factory Optimization

ASMC includes an interactive poster session and reception, which provides an ideal opportunity for networking between presenters and conference attendees.

The new ‘Women in Semiconductors‘ program takes place on May 15 in conjunction with ASMC 2017.  Sponsored by Applied Materials, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Nikon and TEL, the program will focus on “The Power of Talk: Getting a Seat at the Table.”  Registration is complimentary for ASMC attendees.

ASMC 2017 is presented by SEMI with technical sponsors: Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE), IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS), and IEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT). Corporate sponsors include: BisTEL, Edwards, GreeneTweed, KLA-Tencor, Mellor Consulting Group, Nikon, and Valqua America.

Registration for the SEMI Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference (ASMC) is available at www.semi.org/asmc.  For more information, contact Margaret Kindling at [email protected] or phone 1.202.393.5552. Qualified members of the media are invited to contact Deborah Geiger (SEMI Public Relations) at [email protected] for media registration information.

Materion Corporation (NYSE:MTRN) announced today that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the target materials business of the Heraeus Group, of Hanau, Germany, for approximately $30 million.

The acquisition strengthens Materion’s position in precious and non-precious target materials for the architectural and automotive glass, photovoltaic, display and semiconductor markets. The business, now operating within the Materion Advanced Materials business segment, is expected to generate approximately $50 to $60 million in new value-added sales on an annualized basis and be accretive to 2017 earnings. Materion Advanced Materials reported value-added sales of $176.3 million in 2016.

Through this transaction, Materion’s Advanced Materials segment gains target manufacturing capability in Europe, Asia and the U.S., as well as new technologies and a highly specialized workforce of 135 employees.

Donald G. Klimkowicz, President, Materion Advanced Materials, commented, “Beyond accelerating and solidifying our global materials offering in semiconductor and display, the acquisition provides diversification, critical mass and new opportunities in other growing target-related areas where Materion has not enjoyed as strong a position including glass and photovoltaic. This truly is a winning combination.”

Added Materion Chief Executive Officer Richard J. Hipple, “This transaction is the latest in a series of advanced materials acquisitions made by Materion since 2005 to augment our growth and further our diversification into a leading advanced materials organization. I am very excited about the prospects for future growth that this acquisition brings us in existing and new markets, and how closely the values and culture of the Heraeus employees who join us match with our own. We welcome them to the Materion family.”

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.

The eBeam Initiative, a forum dedicated to the education and promotion of new semiconductor manufacturing approaches based on electron beam (eBeam) technologies, today announced that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC)–one of the world’s leading global foundries–has joined the eBeam Initiative. This leading authority on semiconductor technology will add its unique perspective and leadership to the more than 45 existing eBeam Initiative member companies and advisors spanning the semiconductor photomask and lithography supply chain.

In related news, the eBeam Initiative also announced today that it will focus its education efforts in 2017 on eBeam technology requirements and new developments to support extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography and multi-beam mask writing. These topics will be addressed by industry luminary guest speakers at eBeam Initiative events throughout the year, including the annual eBeam Initiative members and press luncheon event being held today during the SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference at the San Jose Convention Center.

“SMIC is pleased to have been a participant in the eBeam Initiative’s annual mask makers survey since it was commissioned two years ago,” stated Eric Guo, Senior Director of Mask Operation in SMIC. “As a new member of the eBeam Initiative, we look forward to continuing to support projects like the survey that provide a benefit not only to us but to the industry as a whole.”

Last year, the eBeam Initiative’s fifth annual perceptions survey, which was completed by 73 industry luminaries and members from across the semiconductor and photomask manufacturing supply chain, revealed that pessimism in EUV lithography was at its lowest level ever recorded by the survey, while confidence in EUV remained steady overall and increased compared to other lithography approaches. At the same time, perceptions of multi-beam mask writing also stood out, with expectations on its use in high volume manufacturing (HVM) by 2018 remaining strong. With the survey results indicating a clear direction and interest among the eBeam Initiative members in new eBeam developments surrounding EUV and multi-beam mask writing, the eBeam Initiative will increase its education focus on these critical technology areas.

“This is truly an exciting time for the eBeam Initiative,” stated Aki Fujimura, CEO of D2S, managing company sponsor of the eBeam Initiative. “Not only are we witnessing continued progress and growing optimism in bringing EUV lithography into production, but optical lithography continues to extend its physical limitations beyond the imaginable–through various multi-patterning techniques, inverse lithography technology (ILT), complex mask shapes and multi-beam mask writing. All of these developments are enabled by new innovations in eBeam technology, which shines a brighter spotlight on the need for collaborative industry efforts like those of the eBeam Initiative. To that end, we are very pleased to welcome SMIC as a new member. The company brings a unique perspective to our ongoing mission to educate the photomask and semiconductor industries on the importance of eBeam technology.”

The annual eBeam Initiative members and press luncheon event being held today will feature presentations from industry luminaries on the following topics: advances in eBeam technology for rapid edge-placement-error (EPE) metrology; mask modeling for multi-beam mask writing; and the resurgence of ILT. Copies of these presentations will be made available after February 28 on the eBeam Initiative website at www.ebeam.org.

“Beyond the SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference, the eBeam Initiative will continue to promote education on new eBeam developments in EUV lithography and multi-beam mask writing at other industry forums throughout the year,” added Fujimura. “Over the next few months alone, we will highlight these important topics at the China Semiconductor Technology International Conference (CSTIC) in March and the Photomask Japan Conference in April, the latter of which will also include special sessions involving GPU acceleration of mask technologies.”

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) today announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., (TSMC) has signed an agreement to participate in two SRC research initiatives. In addition to joining SRC’s New Science Team (NST) project, TSMC will be participating in the Global Research Collaboration (GRC) program. TSMC is the pioneer and global leader of the IC foundry business.

The NST project, consisting of both the JUMP and nCORE programs, is a 5-year, $300M research project focused on co-optimized hardware/software solutions for high performance, energy efficient microelectronics. SRC is actively recruiting a diverse group of electronics companies to participate on the NST project that will launch on January 1, 2018. GRC is SRC’s core program consisting of eleven research thrusts that span a wide array of research topics such as analog/mixed-signal, packaging, logic and memory devices, and nano-manufacturing materials and processes.

“SRC is pleased to welcome TSMC to our research consortium of leading semiconductor and technology companies. Today’s announcement represents a strategic partnership for the research and development of disruptive technologies that extend beyond traditional scaling,” said Ken Hansen, President & CEO of SRC. “As SRC continues to grow our global partnerships, one thing is certain, great things happen when we bring brilliant minds together! We look forward to the unique and broad perspective that TSMC can bring to SRC-sponsored research.”

“Our mission to forge a powerful innovation force in the semiconductor industry has led TSMC to this collaborative venture with SRC,” said Dr. Jack Sun, Vice President of Corporate Research and Chief Technology Officer, TSMC. “We believe the NST and GRC research programs exemplify collaborative research amongst industry leaders that will lead to fundamental discoveries upon which TSMC will develop into leading edge process and subsystem integration solution offerings. Together, we will expand semiconductor research and development in the pursuit of next-generation innovation.”

With the addition of TSMC, six of the top 10 global semiconductor companies are now members of SRC. Furthermore, this membership announcement signifies the fourth non-U.S. headquartered company to join SRC within the last 18 months.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.86 billion in billings worldwide in January 2017 (three-month average basis), according to the January Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide billings of North American equipment manufacturers in January 2017 was $1.86 billion. The billings figure is 0.5 percent lower than the final December 2016 level of $1.87 billion, and is 52.3 percent higher than the January 2016 billings level of $1.22 billion.

“Global billings reported by the North American equipment makers begin the New Year at high levels,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “We expect strong spending growth in 2017 based on investments in leading-edge memory and foundry fabs.”

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
August 2016

$1,709.0

8.4%
September 2016

$1,493.3

-0.1%
October 2016

$1,630.4

20.0%
November 2016

$1,613.3

25.2%
December 2016 (final)

$1,869.8

38.5%
January 2017 (prelim)

$1,860.3

52.3%
Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), February 2017

 

SEMI ceased publishing the monthly North America Book-to-Bill report in January 2017.  The decision to discontinue the Book-to-Bill report was based on changes in reporting by some participants where the reporting of orders/bookings into the data collection program is no longer considered a necessary component of their industry analysis.

SEMI will continue publish a monthly North American Billings report and issue the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). The WWSEMS report currently reports billings by 24 equipment segments and by seven end market regions. Beginning with the January 2017 WWSEMS report, bookings information will only be available for the back-end equipment segments of the industry.

GlobalFoundries_Ajit_ManochSEMI, the global association connecting and representing the worldwide electronics manufacturing supply chain, today announced the appointment of Ajit Manocha as its president and CEO. He will succeed Denny McGuirk, who announced his intention to retire last October. The SEMI International Board of Directors conducted a comprehensive search process, selecting Manocha, an industry leader with over 35 years of global experience in the semiconductor industry.  Manocha will begin his new role on March 1 at SEMI’s new Milpitas headquarter offices.

“Ajit has a deep understanding of our industry’s dynamics and the interdependence of the electronics manufacturing supply chain,” said Y.H. Lee, chairman of SEMI’s board of directors. “From his early days developing dry etch processes at AT&T Bell Labs, to running global manufacturing for Philips/NXP, Spansion, and, as CEO of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Ajit has been formative to our industry’s growth. Ajit is the ideal choice to drive our SEMI 2020 plan and beyond, ensuring that SEMI provides industry stewardship and engages its members to advance the interests of the global electronics manufacturing supply chain.”

“Beyond his experience leading some of our industry’s top fabs, Ajit has long been active at SEMI and has served on boards of several global associations and consortia,” said Denny McGuirk, retiring president and CEO of SEMI. “Ajit’s experience in technology, manufacturing, and industry stewardship is a powerful combination. I’m very excited to be passing the baton to Ajit as he will continue to advance the growth and prosperity of SEMI’s members.”

“I have tremendous respect for the work SEMI does on behalf of the industry,” said Ajit Manocha, incoming president and CEO of SEMI. “I am excited to be joining SEMI at a time when our ecosystem is rapidly expanding due to extensive innovation on several fronts.  From applications based on the Internet and the growth of mobile devices to artificial intelligence/machine learning, autonomous vehicles, and the Internet of Things, there is a much broader scope for SEMI to foster heterogeneous collaboration and fuel growth today than ever before.  I am looking forward to leading the global SEMI organization as we strive to maximize value for our members across this extended global ecosystem.”

Manocha was formerly CEO at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, during which he also served as vice chairman and chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).  Earlier, Manocha served as EVP of worldwide operations at Spansion. Prior to Spansion, he was EVP and chief manufacturing officer at Philips/NXP Semiconductors. Manocha also held senior management positions within AT&T Microelectronics. He began his career at AT&T Bell Laboratories as a research scientist where he was granted several patents related to microelectronics manufacturing. Manocha holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi and a master’s degree in physical chemistry from Kansas State University.