The ConFab Finalizes Programs and Speakers

The ConFab (June 3-6), which is an invitation-only global conference and networking event for semiconductor industry executives, announces that Ali Sebt, CEO of Renesas Electronics America, will provide the keynote on the second day of the conference. The ConFab is announcing a number of confirmed speakers, including:

• Jackie Sturm, vice president of Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group and general manager of Worldwide Materials
• An Steegen, senior vice-president, process technology, imec
• Tom Jefferson, G450 Consortium
• David McCann, senior director, technical business operations at Global Foundries
• Mike Barrow, EVP and COO, International Rectifier
• Dan Hutcheson, CEO and chairman of VLSI Research
• Nick Yu, vice president of technology development, Qualcomm
• Jim Feldhan, president of Semico

The ConFab also welcomes the latest addition to the conference advisory board, Richard Young, vice president of manufacturing at SEMATECH.

In Sebt’s talk titled "Smart Society, the Sensing Era and Signal Chain," he will address how we as an industry need to support this smart society and help it grow by focusing on the complete signal chain — from analog to digital to low power to the software intelligence — to develop connected, low-power-foundation devices that will shape the next generation of connectivity for a smarter world. 

The first keynote, previously announced, will come from Dr. John Chen, vice president of technology and foundry operations at Nvidia. In a talk titled "The Next Transformation of the Semiconductor Industry," Chen will present the concept of "virtual IDM" as a way for foundries, fabless and OSATs to collaborate to solve the new challenges in technology, manufacturing and business.

The conference, which will be held June 3-6, 2012, is moving to at a new venue, The Encore at the Wynn Las Vegas. The ConFab is operated by PennWell Corp., a diversified global media and information company, and is the primary event produced by Solid State Technology, the leading global information source on semiconductor manufacturing.

The ConFab also welcomes the industry association SEMI, which has again agreed to sponsor
The ConFab, continuing the first-year agreement in 2011. Other confirmed sponsors to-date include: Advantest, AG Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Applied Seals, ATMI, AZ Electronic Materials, Brewer Science, EV Group, KLA-Tencor, Hitachi, Lam Research, Levitronix,
LORD Corp., Nikon, Novellus, Pall Corporation, Qcept Technologies, Rudolph Technologies,
RED Equipment, Tokyo Electron, Ulvac and Valqua.

With the addition of Richard Young of SEMATECH, The ConFab advisory board now includes:
David Bennett, VP Alliances, GLOBALFOUNDRIES; Janice Golda, director Lithography Capital Equipment Development, Intel; Abraham Yee, director Advanced Technology & Package Development, Nvidia Corp; Sima Salamati, president, ZYadS Inc., Engineering and Manufacturing Consulting (Retired Texas Instruments Fab and Test manager); Paul Farrar, VP, Albany Expansion and Strategic Initiatives, IBM Corporation; Hans Stork, CTO, ON Semiconductor; Geoffrey Yeap, VP of Technology, Qualcomm Inc.; Lori Nye, COO/Executive director Customer Operations, Brewer Science; Paul Edstrom, consultant (formerly CTO GE Commercial Finance); John Lin, director of Mfg Technology Center, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.; Ken Rygler, president, Rygler & Associates (founder of Toppan Photomasks); Takeshi Hattori, president, Hattori Consulting International; Bill Tobey, president, ACT International; Tom Jefferson, G450 Consortium, and Pete Singer, editor-in-chief, Solid State Technology.

"We're delighted to have Ali Sebt and so many other excellent speakers confirmed to speak at The ConFab in 2012," said Pete Singer, Conference Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Solid State Technology. "The semiconductor industry is in an interesting phase of solid growth as electronic products of all types continue to proliferate, combined with uncertainty about the world economy, the impact of consolidation, and the ever-higher costs of R&D. It's great to have so many industry leaders willing to attend The ConFab and provide their insights into what lies ahead."

The ConFab 2012 will continue the conference's traditional focus on the economics of semiconductor manufacturing, and associated industries such as LEDs, MEMS and displays. Attendees will hear about:

• The outlook for 2012 and 2013.
• Technical challenges facing the industry, including next generation lithography, the
  450mm wafer transition, 3D integration, and the advanced packaging and testing of increasingly complex chips.
• Opportunities to maximize collaborative efforts between fabless companies, foundries, OSATs, and equipment and materials suppliers.
• The opportunities of high growth markets such as MEMS, LEDs, flexible displays and
  energy storage.

About The ConFab

 Entering its eighth year, The ConFab (www.theconfab.com) is an exclusive invitation-only global conference and business meeting where executives from semiconductor equipment and material suppliers can meet with key decision makers from manufacturers of semiconductors, LEDs, MEMS and other types of electronics. At The ConFab, these executives discuss business and technology issues and collaborate on future strategic development in device manufacturing. Ample time is available for private face-to-face meetings between equipment and material suppliers and manufacturers. Attendance is by invitation only and attendees are pre-screened to verify that they are key participants in the buying process. For sponsorship information, please contact Sabrina Straub (SabrinaS@pennwell.com).

Interested in attending The ConFab? If you are a senior-level decision maker from a semiconductor manufacturing or fabless company, contact Luba Hrynyk to find out if you qualify to attend as our complimentary VIP guest.

April 3, 2012