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SEMI today reported that worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached US$ 8.82 billion in the third quarter of 2014. The billings figure is 8 percent lower than the second quarter of 2014 and 15 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago. The data is gathered jointly with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from over 100 global equipment companies that provide data on a monthly basis.

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $9.32 billion in the third quarter of 2014. The figure is 4 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago and 6 percent lower than the bookings figure for the second quarter of 2014.

The quarterly billings data by region in billions of U.S. dollars, quarter-over-quarter growth and year-over-year rates by region are as follows:


Region


3Q2014


2Q2014


3Q2013

3Q14/2Q14
(Q-o-Q)

3Q14/3Q13
(Y-o-Y)
Taiwan

2.30

2.48

2.24

-7%

3%
North America

2.16

2.32

1.22

-7%

77%
Japan

1.10

1.00

0.83

10%

32%
Korea

1.00

1.73

1.50

-42%

-34%
China

0.96

1.03

0.60

-7%

59%
Europe

0.66

0.57

0.60

16%

9%
ROW

0.64

0.50

0.64

28%

1%
Total

8.82

9.62

7.64

-8%

15%

Source: SEMI/SEAJ December 2014;Note: Figures may not add due to rounding.

The Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) from SEMI provides comprehensive market data for the global semiconductor equipment market.

Veeco Instruments Inc. announced that it has acquired privately held Solid State Equipment Holdings LLC (“SSEC”), based in Horsham, Pennsylvania. SSEC is an innovator in single wafer wet etch, clean and surface preparation equipment targeting high growth segments in advanced packaging, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and compound semiconductor.

“SSEC is a highly successful process equipment company that is a great strategic fit with Veeco,” said John R. Peeler, Veeco’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Their complementary and differentiated ‘soak and spray’ technology delivers single wafer control with the low cost of batch processing. SSEC extends our compound semiconductor and MEMS footprint, and represents a stepping stone to the high-growth advanced packaging market. This is a synergistic transaction that will be immediately accretive and that we expect will drive growth and profitability.”

Demand for higher performance, increased functionality, smaller form factor and lower power consumption in mobile devices, consumer electronics and high performance computing is accelerating advanced packaging technology adoption. Key drivers for this inflection are applications in 3D stacked memory, 3D system-on-chip and MEMS. Increasing shipments in smartphones and wearable electronics with more sophisticated sensing functions further drive growth in the MEMS market. Veeco estimates that its served available markets for advanced packaging, compound semiconductor and MEMS are all growing at double-digit compound annual growth rates.

Herman Itzkowitz, SSEC’s Chief Executive Officer said, “We are excited to join the Veeco team. Veeco is a dynamic market leader in compound semiconductor equipment for LED, power electronics, and wireless devices. Combining resources will enable us to accelerate growth and to pursue market opportunities in advanced packaging and MEMS. In addition, we have significant untapped potential in Asiaand Europe, where Veeco’s impressive sales and service network will provide connectivity to key customers.”

ON Semiconductor has announced new distribution channel partner agreements with two multi-national electronics trading franchises based in Japan. Ryosan Co., Ltd. and Macnica Inc. join the roster of ON Semiconductor channel sales partners to help expand domestic sales within Japan and work to drive sales growth in China and other Asia-Pacific geographies.

Both companies have demonstrated experience in supporting a broad range of electronic systems and components with a focus on semiconductor devices. Each of these new partners has been granted rights to sell all ON Semiconductor product lines in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region, but will focus heavily on expanding sales in the automotive and industrial segments.

Ryosan Company, Limited has more than 60 years of experience in the electronics space. This technology trading company undertakes the sale of semiconductors, electronic components and electronic equipment. Semiconductors have been a key focus for Ryosan and the company is expanding the field of technical support for electronic components and embedded devices to provide system solution to customers. From its headquarters in Tokyo, Ryosan operates approximately 50 operating bases located primarily in Japan and Asia. In 2014, Ryosan established the subsidiary RINNOVENT Co., Ltd. which will handle ON Semiconductor’s products in Japan.

Macnica, Inc. has more than 40 years of experience in services and high-value products, including semiconductor components, electronic devices, network equipment and software. Primarily, Macnica supports Japanese and international electrical and electronics manufacturers who lead the information and telecommunication industry. The company has focused on providing technical support and has been expanding its global network with operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. To support ON Semiconductor, the company has assigned Altima Corp. for Japan, Macnica Hong Kong Ltd. and Cytech Technology Ltd. for China and Hong Kong, Galaxy Far East Corp. for Taiwan, and Cytech Global Pte Ltd. for ASEAN and India. Prior to ON Semiconductor’s acquisition of Aptina Imaging, Macnica was responsible for selling the company’s image sensor products and will now continue to do so for ON Semiconductor.

“We are pleased to have Ryosan and Macnica as our new channel partners,” said Jeff Thomson, vice president of Global Channel Sales at ON Semiconductor. “By leveraging their extensive business experience and technical expertise in the electronics and semiconductor space within Japan and throughout the Asia Pacific region, we anticipate these new partners will assist us in accelerating sales growth. Both these multi-national franchises will support customers from demand-creation through fulfillment.”

Microelectronics industry executives will convene at the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) on  January 11-14 to discuss “Riding the Wave of Silicon Magic.”  The SEMI executive conference, which takes place in Half Moon Bay, Calif., will explore the economic, market, technology and manufacturing trends taking place in the industry. ISS brings industry executives together to hear diverse perspectives from IC design, manufacturing, foundry, R&D, and consumer electronics.  At the Industry Strategy Symposium, industry leaders present the current status of their major technological and economic challenges while economists and industry analysts present their views of global economic and industry forecasts.

Rising complexity and costs for developing and manufacturing IC devices has led to major consolidation of device makers and semiconductor equipment and material suppliers. Consolidation has changed the industry supply chain and raises the stakes for those making the “silicon magic” that is enabling our digital world. The availability of digital devices, the ubiquitous tablets and smart phones, and the exciting possibilities of the Internet of Things (IoT) are forecast to increase growth in ICs again in 2015.  ISS will focus on the realities of a changing supply chain ecosystem and directions for continued growth and inflection in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

Highlights of the conference include:

·        Keynotes: Scott McGregor, president and CEO at Broadcom, and Charles Toups, VP at Boeing

·        Economic Trends session: Keynote by Nariman Behravesh, chief economist, IHS; with presentations from IDC, Linx Consulting, Stratfor, and VLSI Research

·        Market Perspective session: Keynote by Jim Elliott, corporate VP at Samsung Semiconductor; with presentations by CEA, Cisco, Gartner, Intel, and McKinsey

·        Technology and Manufacturing session: Keynote by Cliff Hou, VP at TSMC; with presentations by ASE, ASE Group, Honeywell, imec, Intel, Micron, and XMC

·        Opportunities at the Edge: Presentations by IBM, Illumina, and Lux Research

For more information on the SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium, please visit: www.semi.org/issus.

SEMI projects that worldwide sales of new semiconductor manufacturing equipment will increase 19.3 percent to $38.0 billion in 2014, according to the SEMI Year-end Forecast, released today at the annual SEMICON Japan exposition.  In 2015, strong positive growth is expected to continue, resulting in a global market increase of 15.2 percent before moderating in 2016.

The SEMI Year-end Forecast predicts that wafer processing equipment, the largest product segment by dollar value, is anticipated to increase 17.8 percent in 2014 to total $29.9 billion. The forecast predicts that the market for assembly and packaging equipment will increase by 30.6 percent to $3.0 billion in 2014. The market for semiconductor test equipment is forecast to increase by 26.5 percent, reaching $3.4 billion this year. The “Other Front End” category (fab facilities, mask/reticle, and wafer manufacturing equipment) is expected to increase 14.8 percent in 2014.

For 2014, Taiwan, North America, and South Korea remain the largest spending regions.  In terms of percentage growth, SEMI forecasts that in 2015, Europe will reach equipment sales of $3.9 billion (47.9 percent increase over 2014), Taiwan will reach $12.3 billion (28.1 percent increase), and South Korea sales will hit $8.0 billion (25.0 percent increase).

The following results are given in terms of market size in billions of U.S. dollars:

The Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) from SEMI provides comprehensive market data for the global semiconductor equipment market.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains.

Over 500 exhibiting companies from 20 countries and more than 40,000 attendees are expected to attend SEMICON Korea 2015, to be held February 4-6 at COEX in Seoul. Keynotes include ES Jung, EVP and GM, Samsung Electronics, on “Breaking the Limits of Semiconductor Technology through Open Collaboration,” Wen-Hann Wang, corporate VP at Intel, on “Inventing a Better Future: Intelligence Everywhere,” and Maciej Kranz, VP at Cisco, on “Internet of Everything: Turning Vision into Reality.” SEMICON Korea will bring together global leaders in semiconductor manufacturing to share critical new technological development and business opportunities. The event is co-located with LED Korea 2015, the largest exhibition in the world for LED manufacturing. Complimentary registration opens today.

Some of the largest projects driving the Korean equipment market this year include, but are not limited to, Samsung’s Line 16 and S1 line, and Hynix’s M10 and M11. In 2014, front-end fab equipment spending in Korea is expected to reach about $6 billion with another $7-8 billion forecast for 2015. In 2015, for fab equipment, Korea is forecast to outspend all regions except one.

Highlights include:

  • Semiconductor Technology Symposium (STS): With the theme “Breaking through the Limitations of Semiconductor Technology,” STS addresses the global trends and new technologies of the semiconductor manufacturing process, including: Lithography; Process Technology; Device Technology; Etching Technology; CMP Technology; Packaging; and Advanced Metrology and Inspection.
  • Supplier Search Program: Where global leading device makers like Intel, SONY and TI find new local business partners.
  • OEM Supplier Search Meeting: Local parts and components companies to pursue new business opportunities with top level OEMs.
  • Presidents Reception: Attracts more than 340 participants including industry leaders, decision makers and VIPs.
  • Standards: STEP: Equipment Data Acquisition, EDA; and technical chapter meetings (IC; FPD Metrology)

Premier sponsors of SEMICON Korea 2015 include: Lam Research, Applied Materials, Wonik, Advantest, TEL, Hanmi Semiconductor, Exicon, ASE, Hitachi High Technologies and PSK.

SEMICON Korea 2015 is the leading semiconductor technology event to explore the latest market trends and future developments for technology, featuring extensive technical forums, business programs and standards programs. A complete schedule of programs is available here: www.semiconkorea.org/en/Programs/ProgramCalendar

In conjunction with SEMICON Korea, LED Korea 2015 will hold a three-day technical conference to present the latest technical perspectives on LED manufacturing and applications.

Online pre-registration for visitors and programs is now in process for free entrance to SEMICON Korea 2015 and LED Korea 2015. For registration, please visit www.semiconkorea.org  and www.led-korea.org.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.10 billion in orders worldwide in October 2014 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.93, according to the October EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.   A book-to-bill of 0.93 means that $93 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2014 was $1.10 billion. The bookings figure is 7.0 percent lower than the final September 2014 level of $1.19 billion, and is 1.9 percent lower than the October 2013 order level of $1.12 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2014 was $1.18 billion. The billings figure is 5.8 percent lower than the final September 2014 level of $1.26 billion, and is 10.6 percent higher than the October 2013 billings level of $1.07 billion.

“While the global semiconductor equipment industry will see strong double-digit growth this year and is slated for further growth in 2015, order activity posted by North American suppliers has moderated, resulting in a book-to-bill ratio below parity for two consecutive months,” said SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk.

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
May 2014

$1,407.8

$1,407.0

1.00
June 2014

$1,327.5

$1,455.0

1.10
July 2014

$1,319.1

$1,417.1

1.07
August 2014

$1,293.4

$1,346.1

1.04
September 2014 (final)

$1,256.5

$1,186.2

0.94
October 2014 (prelim)

$1,184.0

$1,102.9

0.93

Source: SEMI, November 2014 

ON Semiconductor Corporation today announced that Paul A. Mascarenas has joined its Board of Directors. The Board also appointed Mr. Mascarenas to its Science and Technology Committee.

“Paul Mascarenas is an outstanding addition to our Board of Directors,” said Dan McCranie, chairman of ON Semiconductor’s Board of Directors. “Paul brings significant technical strategy, planning and R&D experience in the automotive industry from his leadership and strategic planning roles at Ford Motor Co. Automotive electronics remains a primary focus for ON Semiconductor, currently accounting for approximately 30 percent of annual revenues. Mascarenas will be valuable addition to the Board as we continue to grow our automotive business and align the company toward our vision of becoming the premier supplier of energy efficient system solutions worldwide.”

Paul A. Mascarenas served as the Chief Technical Officer and Vice President of Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford Motor Co. from Jan. 1, 2011 to Sept. 30, 2014, where he oversaw Ford’s worldwide research organization as well as the development and implementation of the company’s technology strategy and plans. From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Mascarenas served as Ford’s Vice President of Engineering, and from 2005 to 2007 he served as Vice President of North American Vehicle Programs. During his tenure with Ford, which began in 1982, Mr. Mascarenas held various development and engineering positions both in the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Mascarenas holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of London, King’s College in England as well as an honorary doctorate degree from Chongqing University in China. He currently serves as the President of FISITA – The International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies.

ON Semiconductor offers a portfolio of energy efficient power and signal management, logic, discrete and custom solutions to help design engineers solve their unique design challenges in automotive, communications, computing, consumer, industrial, LED lighting, medical, military/aerospace and power supply applications.

Carbonics, Inc., aims to revolutionize traditional electronics by employing earth-abundant carbon nanomaterials to vastly improve the power consumption and performance of wireless products that include next-generation smartphone and wearable devices.

The Los Angeles-based company leverages advanced carbon research conducted at UCLA and USC and is backed by a $5.5 million investment from TAQNIA International. Carbonics intends to incorporate carbon nanomaterials into semiconductor radio frequency (RF) components to reduce battery demands and increase device efficiency.

While many carbon-based nanomaterials under development are focused on semiconductors such as logic microchip processors, Carbonics technology focuses on replacing existing semiconductor RF transistor devices—ubiquitous components found in all wireless products.

“Carbonics technology will allow smartphones to be charged once a week instead of once a day, and these same devices won’t heat up in your hand,” said Carbonics CEO Kos Galatsis. “Consumers don’t want to deal with these limitations, and existing scaled semiconductor technologies need new materials and designs to improve the user experience.”

Harnessing the power of carbon

Mobile wireless, wireless infrastructure, broadband and satellite communications for consumer, defense, big data and emerging markets such as wearables, are on a growth trajectory. The driver of increased data requirements is demand for high-resolution video, VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), file sharing, big-data analytics and interactive gaming.

Increased mobile traffic has created a need for RF semiconductor solutions that deliver better signal quality, higher data rates, lower noise, higher linearity and less power consumption. Carbonics technology not only offers increased power efficiency, but it also offers performance enhancements such as superior linearity across a wide bandwidth. Such capabilities enable 4G LTE (2GHz), next generation-WiFi such as WiGig (60GHz) and advanced imaging capability for biometric security (>100GHz) to operate using the same single active nanodevice transistor.

Carbonics is currently fabricating RF transistor prototypes to customer specifications, with products scheduled for manufacturing via foundry partners in the second half of 2015.

The company is made up of seasoned technologists and entrepreneurs. Galatsis is a nanotechnologist and former UCLA professor and researcher with more than a decade of experience driving semiconductor technology programs. Co-founder Hani Enaya is an energy and semiconductor technologist with experience in structured finance and international development.

Additionally, Carbonics technology is a product of university research driven by Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world’s leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies. Enaya is also a SRC graduate from North Carolina State University.

“SRC research has a strong track record of providing new technology for its sponsors and available for licensing for new businesses,” said Gilroy Vandentop, executive director of SRC’s STARnet program. “We are delighted to see SRC-funded researchers moving technology opportunities from the laboratory to industry.”

Today, nanoelectronics research center imec announced that SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of advanced systems for the semiconductor industry, has joined imec’s suppliers hub for joint R&D in cleaning, wet etch and advanced lithography coat/develop processing.

In today’s consolidating semiconductor landscape, equipment and material suppliers are playing a key role in collectively tackling the scaling challenges posed by today’s fast-evolving, equipment-intensive industry. Strong R&D interactions between manufacturers and suppliers at an early stage of development help to accelerate technology advancements, allowing for efficient cost sharing, minimalized risk, and optimized the return on investment for semiconductor manufacturers and equipment suppliers.

“Imec’s supplier hub aims to offer a neutral, open innovation R&D platform that involves suppliers more deeply and at an early stage of process step and module development,” said Luc Van den hove, president and CEO at imec. “SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions’ advanced lithography track, cleaning and etching tools are paramount to imec’s research platform on advanced semiconductor process technologies, and we are extremely pleased to strengthen our ecosystem with this global player, following other major companies who have also recently joined imec’s supplier hub.”

“Our extended imec collaboration enables SCREEN to perform joint state-of-the-art R&D and continue to provide innovative solutions for advance semiconductor manufacturing,” said Tadahiro Suhara, President of SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions. “The supplier hub environment facilitates our early development in front and back end-of-line cleaning as well as lithography patterning technologies for the 7nm node and beyond.”

Suppliers joining imec’s supplier hub have the ability to assess their tools on product stacks, develop process control, hardware/software options and integrate new materials. As part of the joint R&D agreement, SCREEN will advance process development on their AquaSpin SU-3200 single wafer cleaners for FEOL and BEOL applications as well as SOKUDO DUO coat/develop track processes for lithography patterning.