Tag Archives: letter-wafer-business

Lattice Semiconductor announces appointment of Brian Beattie to Board of Directors

July 7, 2016

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ:LSCC) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Brian Beattie to the Company’s Board of Directors and Audit Committee. Mr. Beattie brings to the Board more than 35 years’ experience in finance, business operations, information technology, corporate development and strategy.

Mr. Beattie is currently Executive Vice President, Business Operations, and Chief Administrative Officer of Synopys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS), where he served as Chief Financial Officer from January 2006 to December 2014. Prior to joining Synopsys, Mr. Beattie was Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration at SupportSoft for 6 years. He was instrumental in growing the business and helped lead the company from the start-up phase through its successful IPO in 2000. Mr. Beattie began his career at Nortel Networks where over a 19 year period he took on increasing corporate, financial and operational responsibilities, and rose to become the finance executive responsible for the company’s merger and acquisition strategy. He earned both his Bachelor of Commerce degree and MBA in International Finance and Management from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

John Bourgoin, Lattice’s Chairman of the Board, commented, “We are very pleased to have Brian join our Board of Directors given his proven track record. He brings substantial additional financial and operations expertise to our Board, which will be helpful as the Company continues to execute on its business strategy and lays the groundwork for its longer-term growth.”

Rising number of fabless semiconductor companies,Â test houses to augment chip handler market

July 7, 2016

According to the latest market research report by Technavio, the semiconductor chip handler market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4% until 2020.

In this report, Technavio covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global semiconductor chip handler market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, we consider the revenue generated from the sales of automated test equipment and the contribution of chip handlers in the automated test equipment market.

“A large number of fabless semiconductor companies are increasing the net aggregate demand for semiconductor ICs, creating the demand for automated test equipment. An increase in test houses has resulted in a rising number of potential automated test equipment customers, boosting revenue sales of market vendors,” said Asif Gani, one of Technavio’s lead industry analysts for semiconductors.

Semiconductor chip handler market in APAC: largest region

The global chip handler market in APAC was valued at USD 469.8 million in 2015. Taiwan, South Korea, China, and Japan are the key countries contributing to the growth of this region. The presence of prominent semiconductor foundries, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, United Microelectronics Corporation, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International, is creating the demand for chip handlers in APAC. The increase in the demand for consumer electronics and the rollout of LTE technology have led to an expansion of LTE base station infrastructure in China, increasing the demand for semiconductor ICs. These ICs need to be tested to avoid glitches and snags, thereby creating the demand for chip handlers.

The presence of prominent mobile and consumer electronic device manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, Fujitsu, and Panasonic in APAC is supporting the demand for semiconductor devices and thereby the demand for chip handlers in the region.

Semiconductor chip handler market in the US: second largest region

The global chip handler market in the US was valued at USD 104.4 million in 2015. The sports nutrition market in Europe is growing steadily. The increase in the demand for communication devices, such as smartphones and phablets, and automobile applications has been driving the production of semiconductor ICs in the US. The presence of few prominent semiconductor manufacturers, such as GlobalFoundries and Intel that fabricate wafers of sizes 200 nm and 300 nm, will create the demand for chip handlers in the nation.

Semiconductor chip handler market in Europe

The global chip handler market in Europe was valued at USD 43.96 million in 2015. Infineon Technologies, NXP Semiconductors, and STMicroelectronics are among the semiconductor manufacturing companies that account for the majority market share in this region. However, Europe will contribute low revenue to this market during the forecast period due to small concentrations of semiconductor IC manufacturers compared to APAC and the US. In addition, the Euro crisis in 2009 compelled many manufacturers to shift their semiconductor manufacturing facilities to APAC due to the availability of cheaper resources. This is likely to reduce the demand for chip handlers in the region during the forecast period.

Nova and Leti collaborate to enhance process control schemes for advanced lithography

July 7, 2016

Leti, an institute of CEA Tech, and Nova Measuring Instruments (Nasdaq: NVMI), a provider of metrology solutions for advanced process control used in semiconductor manufacturing, announced today a joint program to develop innovative metrology methods to enable leading-edge process control solutions for multi e-beam and directed self-assembly (DSA) advanced lithography techniques. Based on this new joint initiative, Nova has already installed its advanced suite of products at Leti’s state-of-the-art facility in France.

In order to meet the fabrication process challenges at the most advanced technology nodes, several lithography technologies are currently evaluated beyond mainstream multi-patterning optical lithography. The main alternatives to be considered include DSA and multi-beam direct-write lithography (ML2). The joint program between Leti and Nova will focus on developing innovative process-control solutions to address the challenges related to these new patterning methods. The collaboration will utilize Nova’s T600 multi-channel stand-alone optical metrology platform combined with its innovative MARS modeling software and the recently introduced Hybrid solution, which combines several measurements from different metrology platforms.

“Nova is Leti’s ideal partner for this strategic collaboration,” said Fabrice Geiger, head of Leti’s Silicon Technologies Division. “Nova’s state-of-the-art innovative metrology solutions, including its unique capability to hybridize measurements, are essential to speed up the qualification and ramp up of these new lithography technologies, and therefore to reduce their time-to-market introduction.”

“We are excited with the opportunity to work in partnership with Leti, join the IMAGINE and IDEAL programs, and demonstrate the value of our metrology solutions for early-stage R&D,” said Dr. Shay Wolfling, Nova’s CTO. “Such collaboration, early in the development cycle, is part of Nova’s stated long-term strategy and allows us to align our technology roadmap accordingly, in order to contribute later on to our customers’ success.”

Global semiconductor sales up slightly in May

July 5, 2016

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $26.0 billion for the month of May 2016, an increase of 0.4 percent compared to the previous month’s total of $25.9 billion, but a decrease of 7.7 percent compared to the May 2015 total of $28.1 billion. Month-to-month sales into all regional markets held relatively steady, with China leading the way with 3.1 percent market growth. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“The small uptick in global semiconductor sales in May marked the market’s largest month-to-month growth in six months, but the overall landscape remains somewhat stagnant due to soft demand and unfavorable macroeconomic conditions,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Most regional markets have struggled to gain traction in 2016, with the Americas falling well behind sales posted through the same point last year. Sales of analog products were a bright spot in May, notching both month-to-month and year-to-year increases.”

Regionally, month-to-month sales increased in China (3.1 percent), but slipped slightly in the Americas (-0.1 percent), Europe(-0.8 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (-0.8 percent), and Japan (-1.8 percent). Year-to-year sales increased marginally in Japan(0.4 percent), but dropped in China (-0.5 percent), Europe (-8.8 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (-11.5 percent), and the Americas (-15.0 percent).

May 2016
Billions
Month-to-Month Sales
Market	Last Month	Current Month	% Change
Americas	4.78	4.78	-0.1%
Europe	2.64	2.62	-0.8%
Japan	2.60	2.55	-1.8%
China	7.80	8.04	3.1%
Asia Pacific/All Other	8.03	7.96	-0.8%
Total	25.85	25.95	0.4%

Year-to-Year Sales
Market	Last Year	Current Month	% Change
Americas	5.62	4.78	-15.0%
Europe	2.87	2.62	-8.8%
Japan	2.54	2.55	0.4%
China	8.08	8.04	-0.5%
Asia Pacific/All Other	9.00	7.96	-11.5%
Total	28.11	25.95	-7.7%

Three-Month-Moving Average Sales
Market	Dec/Jan/Feb	Mar/Apr/May	% Change
Americas	5.03	4.78	-5.0%
Europe	2.66	2.62	-1.5%
Japan	2.47	2.55	3.0%
China	8.03	8.04	0.2%
Asia Pacific/All Other	7.83	7.96	1.6%
Total	26.03	25.95	-0.3%

Plasma-Therm acquiresÂ Nano Etch Systems Inc.

July 5, 2016

Plasma-Therm, a supplier of wafer process technology solutions to specialty semiconductor and nanotechnology markets, has acquired Nano Etch Systems Inc. of California, a developer of ion beam etch (IBE) and ion beam deposition (IBD) systems.

Nano Etch Systems (NES) was founded in 2009. NES also produces ion beam source and Marathon grid upgrade solutions for existing systems from various manufacturers’ to cost- effectively improve performance and extend system life.

“We are pleased to incorporate NES’ outstanding technology into our product portfolio,” said Plasma CEO Abdul Lateef. “The superior performance of NES Pinnacle systems, coupled with Plasma-Therm’s award-winning customer service, make a compelling value proposition for manufacturers in data storage, MEMS, wireless, and other markets.”

Pinnacle systems use superior components and offer higher performance and lower cost of operation than competing systems. Pinnacle IBD delivers 24 percent higher throughput than the industry average, and Pinnacle IBE delivers up to 40 percent greater process efficiency than the industry average. Marathon grids used on Pinnacle systems deliver better uniformity and longer life than competing designs, while the proprietary Swift Motion Control of fixture tilt, rotation, and target indexing increases productivity.

NES Pinnacle systems are currently used in production by manufacturers of advanced data storage devices, and its grid, ion-beam source, and other upgrade packages are being installed on existing systems to improve performance and extend system capabilities.

Pinnacle systems are available in single-chamber and cluster configurations. A modular software architecture simplifies configuration and the graphical user interface is designed for maximum efficiency. Data sampling at 100ms for critical parameters provides best-in-class run-to-run control. The Pinnacle control system supports SECS\GEM for factory automation and collection of process data.

Ultratech receives multiple system, follow-on order for fan-out wafer-level packaging applications

June 28, 2016

Ultratech, Inc., a supplier of lithography, laser processing and inspection systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and high-brightness LEDs (HBLEDs), as well as atomic layer deposition (ALD) systems, today announced that it has received a multiple-system, follow-on order from a leading semiconductor manufacturer for its advanced packaging AP300 lithography systems. The AP300 systems will be utilized for high-volume, fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) applications used to manufacture leading-edge chips. Ultratech will begin shipping the additional systems in the second quarter of this year to the customer’s facility in Asia.

Ultratech General Manager and Vice President of Lithography Products Rezwan Lateef stated, “Fan-out technologies continue to be regarded as the optimal solution for the highly-demanding mobile and wireless markets. While traditional 3D techniques, such as TSV, are still too expensive for industry-wide adoption, FOWLP is being leveraged as a cost-effective packaging solution that delivers excellent performance and a small form factor. Ultratech’s application-specific options for FOWLP lithography provide superior results to meet the challenges of fan-out wafer processing, such as die surface-to-mold non-planarity, die misalignment and wafer warpage. This follow-on order further confirms our technology leadership and the value proposition of our AP300 systems over full-field 1X scanners and reduction steppers. As we continue to build on our relationship with this valued customer, we look forward to supporting their aggressive technology roadmap which includes the utilization of interposers for high-end processors.”

Ultratech’s AP300 family of lithography steppers

The AP300 family of lithography systems is built on Ultratech’s customizable Unity Platform, delivering superior overlay, resolution and side wall profile performance and enabling highly-automated and cost-effective manufacturing. These systems are particularly well suited for copper pillar, fan-out, through-silicon via (TSV) and silicon interposer applications. In addition, the platform has numerous application-specific product features to enable next-generation packaging techniques, such as Ultratech’s award winning dual-side alignment (DSA) system, utilized around the world in volume production.

FormFactor completes acquisition of Cascade Microtech

June 28, 2016

FormFactor, Inc. today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Beaverton, Oregon-based Cascade Microtech, Inc.

“By completing the acquisition of Cascade Microtech, FormFactor transforms into a broader test and measurement market leader with significant scale and increased diversification,” said Mike Slessor, FormFactor’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Against a robust demand environment for the combined company’s products and technologies, we will benefit from significant financial synergies, driving improved gross margins, profitability and earnings accretion on a non-GAAP basis in the second half of 2016 and beyond,” added Slessor.

In conjunction with this acquisition, FormFactor is appointing Mr. Ray Link to its board of directors, effective June 27, 2016. Mr. Link, formerly a member of the Cascade Microtech’s board of directors, brings his significant financial and operational management experience with publicly held companies in the technology sector. He also currently serves on the board of directors of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc., and nLight Corporation.

The former shareholders of Cascade Microtech approved of the transaction on June 23, 2016. At the effective time of the acquisition, the outstanding shares of Cascade Microtech common stock were each cancelled and converted into the right to receive $16.00 in cash, without interest, and 0.6534 of a share of FormFactor common stock. The total consideration payable on the cancelled shares consists of approximately 10.5 million shares of FormFactor common stock and approximately $255.9 million in cash to former Cascade Microtech shareholders. As a result of the acquisition, Cascade Microtech shares will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Market effective today, June 24, 2016.

In connection with the acquisition, FormFactor entered into a Credit Agreement with HSBC Bank USA, National Association, as administrative agent, co-lead arranger, sole bookrunner and syndication agent, and other lenders that may from time to time be a party to the Credit Agreement. Pursuant to the Credit Agreement, the lenders have provided FormFactor with a senior secured term loan facility of $150 million to finance a portion of the cash used to complete the transaction and pay fees and expenses related to the facility.

Needham & Company, LLC, acted as financial advisor and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP acted as legal counsel to FormFactor. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, acted as financial advisor and Perkins Coie LLP acted as legal counsel to Cascade Microtech.

SiC power business is a reality

June 27, 2016

Today, SiC benefits are not a secret anymore and progressively lot of industries are considering the development of new products including SiC technologies.

”The SiC power business is concrete and real, with a promising outlook,” announced Yole Développement (Yole) in its latest compound semiconductor report, Power SiC 2016: Materials, Devices, Modules & Applications. The SiC power market, diode and transistor included is estimated to be more than $200 million in 2015 and forecasted to be more than $550 million in 2021, with a 2015 – 2021 CAGR of 19%. SiC diodes still dominate the overall SiC market with 85% market share. According to Yole, this leading position will not change for several years. In parallel, SiC transistors are more and more present and should reach 27% market share in 2021. SiC solutions are diffusing step by step into multiple application segments: “We are at the opening stage of the SiC industry for power electronics applications,” confirmed Yole’s analysts.

This SiC technology & market analysis is not the first edition for Yole. Therefore, the “More than Moore” market research and strategy consulting company has been working for fifteen years on SiC technologies, associated markets and more globally within the WBG area. This year, this report is probably the most successful achievement with a global comprehension of the market needs and technology challenges.

Yole’s analysis details a relevant description of the SiC power industry landscape and lists the key related market data. It also proposes a detailed review per market segment, a full analysis of the SiC supply chain including new entrants, mergers and acquisitions and a technology roadmap. A special section has been also performed by Yole’s analysts to understand the current issues in China and identify business opportunities. With this 2016 edition, Yole confirms its leadership within the analysis of the WBG industry, its technologies and market trends.

Not surprisingly, the PFC power supply market is still the leading application with almost 50% market share (in revenue), consuming a large volume of diodes in 2015. However this market share is expected to decrease little by little after 2016. So far behind, PV inverters are close behind. Indeed SiC diodes and MOSFETs are now used by various PV inverter manufacturers in their products. It has been confirmed that SiC implementation provides several performance benefits including increased efficiency, reduced size and weight. In addition, it allows to low cost at the system level in certain power range. “At Yole, we have received increasingly positive feedback from the market”, said Dr. Hong Ling, Technology & Market Analyst at Yole. “And we expect other manufacturers to follow in the footsteps of the early adopters, leading to a rapid expansion of the PV segment in the coming years.”

Other SiC applications include UPS , motor drive, wind, EV/HEV and rail, all with different levels of adoption. Within the rail sector, SiC penetration continues. For EV/HEV applications, OEMs and Ter1 are testing SiC devices but qualification time is long…

The benefits enabled by SiC, the continuous performance improvement, and the cost erosion of SiC power devices will clearly fuel the implementation of SiC in different applications. “Under this new SiC edition, we propose a deep understanding of SiC implementation in different segments”, comments Dr Ling at Yole. Indeed this analysis offers a comprehensive summary of SiC power device market data (split by application), including PFC/power supply, PV, EV/HEV, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), motor drives, wind, and rail.

SiC power is creating many opportunities for many different types of suppliers. Indeed, attracted by the market’s potential, more and more players are entering at different levels of the value chain:
• At the module packaging level, Starpower just showed their SiC module in May 2016.
• At the device level, after investing in Monolith Semiconductors in 2015, Littlefuse released its SiC diode products in May this year, with the intention to develop a full product range. Yole has also identified other newcomers including Brückewell, YangJie Technology, Gengol, each with different backgrounds and different business models.
• On the materials side, Aymont, the SiC growth furnace supplier, has started to supply SiC wafers.

Furthermore, existing players will expand their products. For example, Infineon Technologies just released its 1200V SiC MOSFET and plans to go into mass production in 2017. Also, Fuji’s full SiC module will be available. As more and more products reach the market, Yole expects an acceleration of SiC. This growing market is generating plenty of opportunities for different types of suppliers: passive components, materials suppliers, test equipment suppliers, and more.

Presto Engineering signs agreement with NAGRA for secure product production

June 27, 2016

Presto Engineering Inc., a semiconductor product engineering and supply chain service provider, announced today that it has signed a multi-year supply agreement with NAGRA, a Kudelski Group company in secure digital TV access and management systems. Presto will provide supply chain management and production services for several of NAGRA’s key products in the Pay TV market.

“We are delighted that NAGRA has placed trust in Presto to be its production partner for volume products,” said Michel Villemain, CEO, Presto Engineering. “Leveraging team and expertise acquired from INSIDE Secure in 2015, this is a natural complement to our strategy of deploying an independent subcontract back-end manufacturing and supply chain service for the secure card industry and IoT markets.”

Providing full production support and secured back-end operations (EAL5+), Presto Engineering will leverage the teams, operations and platforms it has established in France (Meyreuil) and Asia (Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong) to provide supply chain services for NAGRA.

“We wanted to secure a rapid and trouble-free transition for the production of some of our important products,” said Maurice Van Riek, Senior Vice President, Head of Content & Asset Security, NAGRA. “Presto Engineering has demonstrated flexibility, dedication, and a high degree of expertise in developing global solutions, which will ensure continuity and performance through the transition and in production. We are very pleased to initiate this partnership with them.”

Qualcomm files complaint against Meizu in China

June 24, 2016

Qualcomm Incorporated announced that it has filed a complaint against Meizu in the Beijing Intellectual Property Court. The complaint requests rulings that the terms of a patent license offered by Qualcomm to Meizu comply with China’s Anti-Monopoly Law, and Qualcomm’s fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing obligations. The complaint also seeks a ruling that the offered patent license terms should form the basis for a patent license with Meizu for Qualcomm’s fundamental technologies patented in China for use in mobile devices, including those relating to 3G (WCDMA and CDMA2000) and 4G (LTE) wireless communications standards.

Qualcomm has negotiated extensively and in good faith with Meizu to sign a patent license agreement consistent with the terms of the rectification plan submitted by Qualcomm to, and accepted by, China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in 2015. Although Qualcomm would have preferred to reach a resolution with Meizu without the need for litigation, Meizu, unfortunately, has been unwilling to negotiate in good faith and enter into a license agreement on the rectification plan terms while unfairly expanding its business through the use of Qualcomm’s innovations without compensating Qualcomm for the use of Qualcomm’s valuable technologies. In contrast, more than 100 other companies have already accepted the rectification plan terms, including the largest Chinese mobile device suppliers.

“Qualcomm’s technologies are at the heart of all mobile devices. Meizu is choosing to use these technologies without a license, which is not only unlawful, but is unfair to other licensees that are acting in good faith and respectful of patent rights, and ultimately damaging to the mobile ecosystem and consumers,” said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm Incorporated. “We are, and have been, a good partner in China, and we are pleased to see how China’s mobile ecosystem is thriving. Chinese smartphone suppliers are succeeding both domestically and globally, and we are pleased to help drive that growth. Qualcomm looks forward to continuing to increase its level of commitment to, and investment in, China across both the wireless and semiconductor ecosystems.”