The seemingly simple act of commanding consumer devices by voice is a choice that nearly 118 million Americans now make every day, according to a recent report from eMarketer, the digital marketing research firm.While the voice interface is convenient for users, its implementation comes at the potential loss of individual privacy. The reason? Always-on, always-connected voice-first devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home require a wall plug and an internet connection to powerful cloud processors, making it possible for cloud companies — however benignly — to collect data on personal habits, location and conversation that were never intended for sharing. Move processing to the edgeTo address concerns over user privacy, device designers are attempting to do more of the audio processing within the consumer device, rather than sending users’ voices into the cloud. Moving more processing to the edge is a trend across the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, and not just for voice data but for other types of sensitive or proprietary data as well.Yet designers have realized limited success because the conventional approach to always-listening edge processing is notoriously inefficient: It digitizes and processes 100% of incoming sound data even though up to 90% of the data is irrelevant noise. This digitize-first approach wastes vast amounts of system power digitizing and analyzing the audio signal as it searches for a wake word when there isn’t even speech present, making it impractical for use in small, battery-operated devices.Workarounds don’t workTackling this power issue is critical to keeping private data secure. Unfortunately, it’s also exceptionally difficult. Design engineers have tried workarounds to decrease power consumption in an always-listening system, including duty cycling and reducing the power of each individual component in the audio signal chain that handles the data. The reality is that these kinds of approaches don’t address the root cause of the problem: too much data.To truly tackle the problem, we need to change our approach to a system solution, not a component solution. By moving to a more efficient edge architecture that intelligently minimizes the amount of data that moves through the system, we can focus the system’s energy resources on analyzing voice and not on searching for a wake word in irrelevant noise. Analyze, THEN digitize It’s time to move away from the digitize-first approach that has dominated voice wake-up device architecture since the invention of voice-first applications.Inspired by the way the human brain efficiently filters incoming information, differentiating, for example, a dog bark from a baby’s cry, an ultra-low-power analog machine learning technology is changing this paradigm. For the first time, device designers can use low-power analog machine learning to detect which data are important for further processing and analysis prior to data digitization.Leveraging an analyze-first architecture, a new analog neuromorphic semiconductor platform allows the higher-power-processing components in the system to stay asleep until voice has actually been detected, and only then does it wake them to listen for a possible wake word.Delivering a post-microphone audio chain that draws as little as 25µA of current when always-listening and collecting preroll data, this analyze-first architecture allows designers to extend battery lifetime significantly. That’s the difference between smart earbuds that run for weeks instead of hours or a battery-powered smart speaker that runs for months instead of weeks.More importantly, it’s the difference between the current always-listening devices that indiscriminately record and send all sound data to the cloud, and one that has the localized intelligence to select and send only the relevant data, reducing the user’s vulnerability to the loss of private data.Balance convenience with privacyThe trade-off between making our lives easier and keeping our personal information private is a choice that we are asked to make throughout our day in a hundred different ways. Bringing more audio processing capability to the mobile device without draining the battery is the first step toward delivering more secure voice-first solutions. But to succeed in this effort, we must shift to a bio-inspired architecture that determines which data are important and requires further processing at the earliest point in the signal chain. Once we move to the analyze-first approach, only a small fraction of the tens of zettabytes of data collected by the forthcoming generation of always-on IoT devices will require further processing in the device and in the cloud.A better balance between cloud and edge processing is a better balance between convenience and privacy, and that’s a win for everyone.About the AuthorTom Doyle is CEO and founder of Aspinity. He brings over 30 years of experience in operational excellence and executive leadership in analog and mixed-signal semiconductor technology to Aspinity. Prior to Aspinity, Tom was group director of Cadence Design Systems’ analog and mixed-signal IC business unit, where he managed the deployment of the company’s technology to the world’s foremost semiconductor companies. Previously, Tom was founder and president of the analog/mixed-signal software firm, Paragon IC solutions, where he was responsible for all operational facets of the company including sales and marketing, global partners/distributors, and engineering teams in the US and Asia. Tom holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from West Virginia University and an MBA from California State University, Long Beach. For more information, please visit https://www.aspinity.com/Technology.Aspinity is a member of MEMS Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), a SEMI technology community, that enables the MEMS and sensor industry to address common challenges, innovate and accelerate business results.

GlobalFoundries recently announced that its embedded magnetoresistive non-volatile memory (eMRAM) has entered production on the company’s 22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®) platform. (See the full press release here.) The company says this advanced embedded non-volatile memory on its FDX™ platform provides a cost-effective solution for low-power, non-volatile code and data storage applications. It is now working with several clients with multiple production tape-outs scheduled in 2020. GF heralds the announcement as a significant industry milestone, demonstrating the scalability of eMRAM as a cost-effective option at advanced process nodes for IoT, general-purpose microcontrollers, automotive, edge-AI, and other low-power applications. [caption id="attachment_31334" align="alignright" width="485"] (Courtesy: GlobalFoundries. Click to enlarge.)[/caption] “We continue our commitment to differentiate our FDX platform with robust, feature rich solutions that allow our clients to build innovative products for high performance and low power applications,” said Mike Hogan, senior vice president and general manager of Automotive and Industrial Multi-market at GlobalFoundries. “Our differentiated eMRAM, deployed on the industry’s most advanced FDX platform, delivers a unique combination of high performance RF, low power logic and integrated power management in an easy-to-integrate eMRAM solution that enables our clients to deliver a new generation of ultra-low power MCUs and connected IoT applications.”[bctt tweet="In production! @GlobalFoundries’ eMRAM on #22FDX FD-SOI replaces #eFlash for #IoT genpurpose #microcontrollers #automotive #edgeAI more. #lowpower #chipdesign #FDSOI" username="@soiconsortium"] [caption id="attachment_31330" align="alignleft" width="467"] (Courtesy: GlobalFoundries. Click to enlarge.)[/caption] Designed as a replacement for high-volume embedded NOR flash (eFlash), GF’s eMRAM allows designers to extend their existing IoT and microcontroller unit architectures to access the power and density benefits of technology nodes below 28nm. It is a highly versatile and robust embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM) that has passed five rigorous real-world solder reflow tests, and has demonstrated 100,000-cycle endurance and 10-year data retention across the -40°C to 125°C temperature range. The FDX eMRAM solution supports AEC-Q100 quality grade 2 designs, with development in process to support an AEC-Q100 quality grade 1 solution next year. [caption id="attachment_31331" align="alignright" width="280"] GF’s state-of-the-art 300mm production line at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, will support volume production of 22FDX with MRAM. (Courtesy: GlobalFoundries)[/caption] Custom design kits featuring drop-in, silicon validated MRAM macros ranging from 4 to 48 mega-bits, along with the option of MRAM built-in-self-test support is available today from GF and their design partners. eMRAM is a scalable feature that is expected to be available on both FinFET and future FDX platforms as a part of the company’s advanced eNVM roadmap. GF’s state-of-the-art 300mm production line at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, will support volume production of 22FDX with MRAM. Prior to this announcement, an excellent GF blog by David Lammers recapped GF's 2019 IEDM presentation of their eMRAM reliability data. You can read that here. It also provides a lot of interesting background information.

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, affecting over 13 million people each year and costing tens of billions of dollars. Sensome, a French medtech that offers connected medical devices, has developed micrometric AI-powered impedance sensors that can identify the biological nature of the tissue they touch in real-time. Integration of this proprietary technology into a probe to guide medical devices in arteries (a guidewire) has given rise to Sensome’s first product, Clotild®, which recognizes blood clot types in ischemic strokes so clots can be treated faster to improve patients’ chances of a full recovery. The Sensome technology also helps transform the current standard of care in oncology.SEMI spoke with Franz Bozsak, CEO and co-founder of Sensome, about innovative medical technology trends and how microelectronics plays a crucial role.SEMI: When did your adventure with Sensome start? Bozsak: My former Ph.D. advisor Abdul Barakat and I spun-out Sensome from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris in early 2014 after receiving a 200.000 Euro grant from the French government. We then developed a micrometric impedance sensor that coupled to machine-learning algorithms to identify biological tissues on contact. We are still integrating this sensing technology with existing medical devices in order to create a new category of smart medical devices that provides physicians with relevant insights during their interventions and treatments. These additional insights aim to render healthcare treatments more effective by reducing the risk of complications and the cost of interventions while improving patient monitoring.SEMI: How are strokes typically treated? Bozsak: Before 2014 the almost exclusive way of treating ischemic stroke was by injecting tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) intravenously in order to chemically dissolve an arterial clot. This treatment approach has severe limitations and can only be used in the first 4.5 hours following the onset of a stroke. In 2015, several randomized clinical trials demonstrated the efficacy of a new treatment modality: mechanical thrombectomy.Medical devices that allow a clot to be removed mechanically either using a grid-like structure (a stentriever) or by aspirating the clot using an aspiration catheter completely changed the paradigm in the treatment of ischemic stroke for up to a third of all patients. This new intervention removes the clot in up to 90% of all cases and can for certain patients be used up to 24 hours after the onset of the stroke.Mechanical thrombectomy is now one of the most effective medical treatments in the world. The clinical data gathered over the past years also shows that, in order to maximize the patient’s chances to lead a life free from disability after a stroke, it is not only a question of getting the clot out but also about how the clot was removed. Removing the clot on the first attempt significantly increases the patient’s chances of recovery – the first-pass-effect that is now the objective when treating ischemic stroke patients. And this is exactly where Sensome wants to help since clot removal after several attempts increases risk for patients. SEMI: How did you improve mechanical stroke treatments?We have integrated our sensor technology into a guidewire, the first device to enter a patient’s blood vessels for navigation to the clot. Once in place, the smart guidewire – called Clotild® – guides the thrombectomy device to provide the physician with information on the clot to help the physician choose the thrombectomy device with the highest chances of achieving the first-pass-effect. SEMI: Medical technology has made astonishing advances over the years. How did Sensome develop the micrometric AI-powered impedance sensors?Bozsak: The development of a product like Clotild® would have not been possible five years ago, and many people considered what we wanted to achieve simply incredible. Today, we can answer those same people: We knew it was almost impossible and therefore we just did it. By combining diverse semiconductor technologies, we were able to build the smallest impedance meter in the world. This was then integrated into a guidewire that can be connected via a transmitter to a tablet that serves as the interface with the physician. The guidewire provides impedance measurements that can be analyzed by a machine-learning algorithm, which in turn identifies the tissue in contact with the sensor. A very diverse team of people, collaboration and several different disciplines such as micro-electronics, data science, biology and engineering were required to make this happen.Our ambitious team has been able to flourish and accomplish their ideas in the very stimulating and resourceful environment of the Ecole Polytechnique, while being embedded into the rich and fertile start-up ecosystem of Paris. It is the combination of all these factors taken together that have made our innovation possible.SEMI: What are the main challenges and what are the market opportunities? Bozsak: Bringing semiconductor technology into the medical field is not a straightforward process. The primary hurdle is the simple fact that medical device production volumes are not comparable with consumer electronics volumes and that development cycles are much longer due to regulatory constraints. Both factors are, at first sight, not necessarily compatible with today’s business model of the semiconductor industry. At the same time, this is also a unique opportunity for the semiconductor industry to diversify and expand into a new field – sensors and, in particular, their seamless integration into the healthcare workflow, are a key driver for the healthcare sector of the future. And to achieve this objective, semiconductor technologies are key. What is beneficial, in my opinion, is that the quality standards and requirements of the semiconductor industry are highly compatible with the needs of the medical device industry.SEMI: Are market fragmentation and the high level of regulation making medtech innovation harder?Bozsak: Both are challenging but very rewarding to pursue since the impact on a patient’s life can be profound. Innovation is harder because many stakeholders are involved in ensuring the success of a medical device launch. The involved, milestone-driven, highly regulated process of developing a medical device and bringing the device to the market assures its eventual success. The development process differs very much from those for normal consumer devices. In our case the beneficiary, the patient, is not necessarily the user of the device but rather the physician. The physician is not necessarily the buyer of the device, but the hospital. The hospital is not necessarily paying the device, but ideally the government.The interests of all these stakeholders need to be satisfied to bring a successful device to the market.SEMI: What are your expectations regarding the future of medtech digital innovation? Bozsak: This is the right moment for the medical device and semiconductor industries to come together. The healthcare sector is not low on medical needs for which innovative ideas exist, and the semiconductor industry has many technologies that can enable these ideas to generate solutions. But to make this happen, both sectors need to collaborate. Working together requires both sides to understand their respective needs and constraints. The earlier the knowledge exchange starts, the more powerful the solutions. SEMI MedTech Forum at SEMICON Europa last year was a wonderful opportunity for Sensome to get this discussion going. We are looking forward to continuing the exchange and push the frontiers of the possible further to create the future of digital healthcare.Franz Bozsak, CEO and co-founder at Sensome, obtained a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Stuttgart and a Ph.D. from the Ecole Polytechnique in Biomedical Engineering on the optimization of stents. He is a graduate of the Stanford Ignite/Polytechnique business program. In 2014, he co-founded Sensome and has since built a team of renowned scientists, engineers and doctors to realize his vision of connected medical devices. He was named Innovator Under 35 by the MIT Technology Review in 2016. Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.

SEMI has urged government representatives around the U.S. and world to designate the semiconductor industry as an essential business so operations at companies across the chip supply chain can continue without interruption as the spread of COVID-19 continues. SEMI President and CEO Ajit Manocha assured the U.S. and global officials that SEMI members – the device makers and suppliers of chemicals, materials, components, design tools and equipment at the heart of chip manufacturing – “are employing all measures necessary to maintain the health and safety of their employees and local communities” to help contain the virus. Manocha last week sent letters to the governors of 16 states and the chairs of the National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and National Association of Counties requesting consideration of the semiconductor industry as an essential business if shelter-in-place or similar orders are issued to curb the spread of COVID-19. More than half of U.S. states have imposed shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders in the past month. The designation would allow SEMI members to maintain continuous operations to ensure that manufacturing of components for critical infrastructure equipment, the defense industrial base, and other vital technological products and services is not jeopardized. Semiconductors are the foundation of modern electronics and information technology and are critical in helping health workers effectively treat COVID-19 symptoms, Manocha told the officials. The devices also play a central role in containing its spread by enabling artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, digital communications, telemedicine, robotics, remote health monitoring, telecommuting, online shopping and other digital services.Manocha urged state and local officials to follow guidelines issued on March 19 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identifying “manufacturers and supply chain vendors that provide hardware and software, and information technology equipment (to include microelectronics and semiconductors) for critical infrastructure as ‘essential critical infrastructure workers.’” Most states issuing shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders have followed the DHS guidelines and/or separately designated the semiconductor industry an essential business. Likewise, other nations have recognized the power of technology in effectively containing COVID-19 and similarly designated the semiconductor industry an essential business.On March 27, SEMI, the Semiconductor Industry Associations in China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and the U.S., as well as several other trade associations in Asia issued a statement “calling on all governments to specify semiconductor industry operations as ‘essential infrastructure’ and/or ‘essential business’ to allow continuity in operations.” The global semiconductor supply chain forms a highly intricate network consisting of research, design and manufacturing operations. Operating restrictions in one region can compromise production in others, leading to inefficiencies and breakdowns that cascade across the supply chain.With semiconductors underpinning vital sectors of the global economy, the chip associations called on all global governments at all levels – central, states, provinces and localities – to help protect the uninterrupted operations of domestic semiconductor companies and their suppliers by applying the essential infrastructure or essential business designation.Joe Pasetti is Vice President of Global Public Policy and Advocacy at SEMI.

Hello SEMI members:First and foremost, I hope this finds you all healthy and safe. With new developments emerging every day on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, we want to make sure you’re aware of the resources that SEMI is making available to your business, and many others in the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, to help you navigate through these tumultuous times. Our SEMI Responds webpage lists best practices for company policies, communications and working from home, based on recent calls with members led by our Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Information Technology Leadership (ITL) groups. The EHS section provides tips on facilities and meetings, employee policies, business travel and communications, while the ITL section lists insights on computing hardware for staff, licensing, networks, security and employee policies. SEMI greatly appreciates the invaluable member input. Our goal is to help our member companies make informed business decisions during these highly challenging and uncertain conditions, and your contributions to this effort will benefit the industry as a whole. I am pleased to announce that SEMI has partnered with McKinsey Company to provide an additional source of information: a joint-webinar – COVID-19 Insights: Microelectronics Industry Impact and Best Practices – on Thursday, March 26 at 4pm PT. We will present insights gathered through SEMI member surveys and other industry outreach along with the latest expert data from McKinsey Company to help guide your business continuity plans. Click here to register.The SEMI Global Advocacy team has been evaluating how government responses to the outbreak will impact the industry. In the U.S., the team sent letters to 16 state governors last week to request the classification of the semiconductor industry as an “essential business” so that operations can continue if states institute “shelter-in-place” orders. The letters note that SEMI members are “employing all measures necessary to maintain the health and safety of their employees as they maintain continuous operations critical to the industry” based on the input of participating companies.As for SEMI events, I want to reassure you that SEMI continues to make the safety of our members, exhibitors, visitors and employees our top priority. We continue to track COVID-19 developments worldwide and advisories from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We are also working with our regional offices to engage with industry contacts for inputs, and SEMI has postponed or cancelled several of our major events including: Canceling SEMICON Korea 2020, which was scheduled for February 5-7 Postponing SEMICON China 2020 from March 18-20 to June 27-29 Postponing ISS Europe 2020 from April 1-3 to September 1-3 Postponing ASMC 2020 from May 4-7 to the week of August 23 (still finalizing) Postponing SEMICON Southeast Asia from May 12-14 to August 11-13 If plans for any other upcoming events change, SEMI will immediately notify event exhibitors, visitors and speakers. You can find the latest information on changes to our event schedule on our Coronavirus Status Updates webpage. SEMI is working to help our members continue to connect and do business in the interim. For example, our Standards team is hosting virtual meetings for task forces, and we are exploring other virtual events and ways to keep the lines of communication open. I have challenged the SEMI team to think outside the box and will keep you posted as we make new services available.In the meantime, SEMI continues preparations for later events with laser-sharp focus and determined intent to help spark the industry to reignite business growth and meet pent-up demand. The first major rescheduled event is our largest, SEMICON China in Shanghai. You have probably heard news on some of the positive signs coming out of China. You can read about some of these developments in this blog post from the SEMI China team, which has been in close contact with key exhibitors, domestic suppliers and large multi-national corporations that have confirmed that they will participate in SEMICON China based on the current outlook. We are determined to help the industry return to growth. For the first time we will feature an IC Design Pavilion at SEMICON China to help our traditional semiconductor manufacturing members form more connections across the microelectronics supply chain.In the U.S., this year is proving how quickly everything can change. While the immediate future is steeped in uncertainty, we are diligently assessing current conditions while planning for SEMICON West 2020 in San Francisco from July 20-23, though the event dates are subject to change. SEMI is monitoring the COVID-19 containment efforts closely, and we will keep you informed of any changes in plans.In closing, I want to provide a brief reminder that SEMI members should be proud of the roles your companies have played in enabling the technology that will beat the COVID-19 coronavirus. The most powerful supercomputers in the world are helping in the push to develop a vaccine, and these machines would not exist without countless innovations from SEMI members over our 50-year history. The team at SEMI is proud to serve you all and is absolutely committed to doing all that we can to help the industry rise to meet this newest challenge. Sincerely yours,Ajit ManochaPresident and CEO, SEMI

In the two months since the COVID-19 outbreak in January, the Chinese economy has shifted from shock to ongoing recovery under the guidance of the Chinese government. China has worked tirelessly to restore production at its chip manufacturing facilities, a core strategic industry in the region, and the effort is paying off. Operations at several fabs and OSATs – the domestic semiconductor industry’s chief growth engines – have begun to stabilize.As of mid-March, SMIC had restored its manufacturing lines to over 90% of production capacity and expects to be operating at full bore in the next few weeks, while the company’s R D line has returned to full operation. Huahong Grace reestablished normal supplies of various equipment parts and production raw materials. At Huahong Fab2, 12 new pieces of equipment went online to help increase production capacity, and production at Huahong Fab1 and Huahong Fab3 is now stable. JCET said the company's overall return rate has exceeded 90%. Meanwhile, IDM maker Silan Microelectronics' 6-inch and 8-inch lines maintained 90% production.Production lines at Huahong Group, SMIC, CanSemi, GTA Semiconductor, Samsung (Xi'an) and other mainland China chip manufacturers have been generally operating at normal capacity since the Spring Festival. Lines at YMTC, Tianma, CSOT, and BOE, all in the Coronavirus epicenter of Wuhan, have also returned to normal operations. China’s chip industry is finding its footing, and an impressive host of semiconductor companies are gearing up to participate at SEMICON China 2020, rescheduled to June 27-29. The list includes the major domestic wafer foundries such as Huahong, the major packaging and testing companies such as JCET, TFME, Huatian, and large domestic and foreign equipment companies, among them TEL, ASMPT, DISCO, ULVAC, VAT, ASML, KLA, NAURA, AMEC, Anji, CETC, Sinyang, SMEE, CAS, CANON and SPIROX.DigiTimes, a daily newspaper covering the semiconductor, electronics, computer and communications industries in Asia, interviewed SEMI China President Lung Chu in mid-March about what’s ahead for China’s semiconductor industry. Following is an English translation of the interview. DigiTimes InterviewAs China continues to ramp back up to normal activity, SEMI China is making every effort to hold SEMICON China 2020, a leading international semiconductor industry platform for promoting growth and innovation in China's semiconductor industry supply chain. SEMI China president Chu emphasized that the strong support of SEMICON China 2020 exhibitors and the Chinese government made rescheduling the event to June possible.Chu, a semiconductor industry veteran who has experienced numerous economic and industry upheavals over his career including the SARS shock in 2003, said current global economic uncertainty stems from two black swans – the global COVID-19 pandemic and how long it will take to contain it, and the sharp drop in oil prices triggered by the recent geopolitical dispute between Russia and Saudi Arabia. In China, the government responded with strict containment actions and promoted public awareness of self-isolation, resulting in effective domestic containment as of mid-March. As a major oil consumer, China sees the lower prices as relatively favorable to its economy. Those dynamics should allow China to recover sooner than many other regions, and it could emerge even stronger once the pandemic is contained, despite the current slump in global semiconductor demand, Chu said. Once the epidemic has passed, China is in a position of "turning crisis into opportunity," and the semiconductor industry will recover from the trough, he said. Companies in semiconductor supply-chain sectors face various challenges in restoring normal operations. IC design companies experienced relatively low impact since employees can work from home and most companies are located in major cities in China, where epidemic prevention control is strict. For most chip manufacturers, production has not stopped but is hampered by manpower shortages from restrictions on employees returning to work. IC packaging and testing companies are suffering bigger impacts because of the more labor-intensive nature of their operations. However, all companies in the supply chain will be affected by the decline in demand for electronic products and ICs in 2020. As the COVID-19 threat recedes in China, the region remains unwavering in its commitment to semiconductors as a strategic industry with its continuing efforts to evolve sustainable and reliable localized supply chains, Chu said. Investments in “new Infrastructure” for 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), data centers, as well as public health services should help drive semiconductor demand for smart applications and devices associated with the new infrastructures as are all powered by ICs, benefiting companies in the global supply chain. The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a slowdown in new factory construction after the Chinese government implemented restrictions on the flow of people resulting in a worker shortage. SEMI has revised downward its forecast of wafer equipment spending in China to just a 3% increase this year.Market analysts revised downward forecasts for 2020 annual global semiconductor revenue growth from 7-10% to 0-5%, while some expect negative growth. The recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Europe, the United States and other regions have created more uncertainty. Declining end-user demand for electronics will drive down spending on upstream equipment for both memory and logic IC device makers. For Chu and his SEMI China staff, the postponement of SEMICON China 2020 has been a “major challenge,” he said. “It is a huge project to communicate and coordinate with the government and to reconfirm with exhibitors and industry leaders.”As a leading industry platform, SEMICON China attracts a large number of global customers and suppliers each year. The major China domestic suppliers, leading foundries and OSATs have confirmed their attendance in SEMICON China 2020. Most key foreign suppliers are planning to staff the event with local teams in case some executives are unable to enter China by June due to travel restrictions if the COVID-19 virus has not been brought under control in the United States, Europe and other regions. To assure the success of the concurrent Forums, SEMI has prepared multiple contingency plans, including live broadcast, video and slide presentations. SEMI will also hold the grand opening session at a larger venue than last year’s event to accommodate more attendees with more sitting distance apart. SEMI will follow government guidelines to implement appropriate public health and safety measures during SEMICON China. "Ensuring the welfare of all exhibitors and guests and providing a safe exhibition environment is SEMI’s top priority," Chu said.Cherry Sun is a marketing manager at SEMI China.

Skills are the key to the future. It is thanks to its skilled workforce that Europe will reap the benefits of the green and digital transitions and remain competitive. At the same time, upskilling and reskilling is a clear social policy because it ensures that workers can more easily navigate from one job to another.Microelectronics is at the crossroads of many sectors, such as the automotive industry, manufacturing, health, and energy. The European electronics industry is facing an acute shortage of skills in all tiers of its value chain, particularly in electronics design, both digital and analog, and in system and software engineering. A sustainable provision of qualified personnel is key to maintain competitiveness and innovation leadership. Yet, companies in this area suffer from a critical shortage of engineers with competence in microelectronics technology and design. The rapid evolution of the electronics industry calls for a continuous update of skills and knowhow.Vocational education and training has an important role to master these challenges. Modern, inclusive and dynamic vocational education and training programmes are a pre-requisite to remain competitive in the digital age. We must support agile partnerships to develop skills for smart industrial specialisation and the green and digital transitions. Everybody must be on board to shape the workforce transformation in Europe: industry, social partners, education and training organisations, as well as policymakers. The Blueprint for sectoral cooperation on skills launched in 2016 is an excellent model for strategic collaboration and will be extended.The Commission has recently proposed an update of our successful Skills Agenda for Europe. One key element is the new Pact for Skills, in order for all stakeholders to generate new concrete commitments to invest in upskilling and reskilling. It will help us to respond to the extent and speed of change in the economy and society. I warmly invite the microelectronics industry to participate in the Pact.I welcome the fact that SEMI and its 19 partners from 14 countries launched METIS – MicroElectronics Training, Industry and Skills Erasmus+ Project – in November 2019. METIS will receive 4 million EUR EU funding to implement a comprehensive strategy with a view to identify and fill skills shortages, to tackle skills mismatches, and to support upskilling and reskilling in order to address the challenges of the future of work and digitalisation.Nicolas Schmit is European Commissioner Jobs and Social Rights.

Dear SOI Community, The ongoing pandemic of the CoronaVirus COVID-19 has impacted the whole world. Governments are reacting strongly to contain the spread of the pandemic. Gatherings, conferences and meetings are not possible today. Health and safety are the priority. We have postponed our May events. We follow the evolution of the pandemic and we will update you with the June and July workshops. We are committed to ensure the quality of our conferences at a later date. Please take note of the updates for the Consortium events: Singapore Electronics Week (26-29 May) co-organized with Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association and Semi SEA: postponed to 1Q2021 SOI Silicon Valley Symposium (19 May), DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose, CA: December 1st, 2020 SOI Photonics Workshop hosted by Semicon West (22 July), Virtual Event 8th FD-SOI Forum and RF-SOI/5G International Workshop (16-17 September), Shanghai: maintained till further notice Member event: LETI Innovation Days, Grenoble, France: October 12-16, 2020 We will communicate the updates and confirm new dates as soon as we have enough visibility. If you have any questions, please contact us. We thank you for your understanding and support. Looking forward to hosting you in our events later this year. Stay safe! Very best regards, Carlos Mazure, Chairman and Executive Director Jon Cheek, Executive Director SOI Industry Consortium

Plunging stock prices and Coronavirus-driven business shutdowns presently dominate the news. Current economic data, including the recently released February Global Purchasing Manager Index, support earlier negative predictions of an imminent industry decline.

In the future, electronics-related gear including advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) will account for a whopping 50 percent of automotive costs. More importantly, with more control of vehicles shifting to automation, the margin of error in component performance and reliability will become vanishingly small as zero defects become the new safety standard.SEMI spoke with Antoine Amade, Senior Regional Director EMEA, Entegris about zero defects as a new collaborative approach necessary to shape the car of the future and the automotive industry.SEMI: The next generation of automobiles will be more electric, autonomous and connected. What is the most pressing next step for automotive players to pursue this goal? Amade: The automotive ecosystem faces many challenges. For example, when cars become autonomous, their interaction with the cloud and the massive amount of data computed simultaneously could be vulnerable to cyberattacks capable of seizing control of the vehicle.Another example is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as there is a big opportunity to explore and define the right architecture while also meeting automotive quality requirements. The quality challenge will be amplified by advanced nodes. Reliability is also critical since 90 percent of device failures are extrinsic, or unrelated to device design. Today, the top priority should be to eliminate latent defects, those that remain undetected until the product is in use. These latent defects may appear at some future point in the life of vehicle – 1 month, 1 year, 10 years, etc. This is the vital focus of the carmaker and the supply chain.SEMI: With in-line metrology tools reaching their detection limits, how will the industry reduce latent defects? Amade: Minimizing latent defects is now a top priority in semiconductor fabs. However, there is a gap between visible and non-visible defects. Although fabs can detect small defects, human intervention is still needed to manage them. We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the contamination control strategy in auto chip production, from contamination control for yield to contamination control for reliability. The shift is born of the recognition that all particles, regardless of size, and parts per trillion (ppt) concentration levels of contaminants matter, impact both defectivity and reliability. Contamination management will play a key role in enabling the industry to reach parts per billion (ppb) failure rates at the component level. SEMI: How will the industry reach the goal of zero defects? Amade: A sound contamination management strategy that follows three main axes of actions will be one key to reaching zero defects: the ambient air in the fab, the wafer’s environment over its lifetime, and the integrity of the materials in the clean chemical delivery pathway.Contamination management in each of these three areas presents opportunities to limit process variability. The first step in limiting variation is detecting it, which can be difficult when the contaminants causing the variation are hard to identify or caused by an unexpected event. When a contaminant signature can be detected, it leaves clues to its root cause. Careful scrutiny of these signatures can inform a contamination control strategy to eliminate the root cause and reduce overall defectivity.SEMI: What collaborative engagement model do you see as the best for reaching zero defects? Amade: Entegris sees the SEMI Global Advisory Automotive Council (GAAC) as the perfect collaboration platform for the entire automotive semiconductor ecosystem, from car manufacturers to material suppliers. Entegris is also a member of the Platform for Automotive Semiconductor Requirement Across the Supply Chain (PASRASC). Both forums help raise the visibility of key challenges and potential solutions.Collaboration starts with agreement on a definition of automotive based on existing standards and guidelines that must be communicated across the value chain. Another important element for collaboration is standardizing on how new materials such as SiC Semiconductors (silicon carbide) should be used. Entegris plays a leading role in contamination management for defectivity reduction through its New Collaborative Approach (NCA) platform, which brings a new level of knowledge sharing to all those involved in detecting and improving defectivity.SEMI: Can you explain the New Collaborative Approach in more detail?Amade: During the SEMI Smart Transportation Forum at SEMICON Europa, we presented the process and tools we have been developing in collaboration with car makers and are implementing with chipmakers as part of our New Collaborative Approach. Our data-driven tools compare current contamination solutions practices and identify optimization opportunities. A good indicator of the maturity of the ecosystem, the tools allow chipmakers to compare the contamination mitigation practices of peers with their own and identify hot topics for advancing contamination management strategies. Every year, during Entegris Technology Days, we share best known methods, case studies, and review fab processes in order to propose customized solutions. It is all about improving defectivity.Mr. Amade joined Entegris in 1995 as an Application Engineer in its semiconductor business. In his current role as EMEA/NA Sr. Director, Mr. Amade is focused primary on growing the semiconductor business in Europe and Middle East through market strategies, and the management of sales, customer service, and marketing teams. Mr. Amade held leadership positions at Entegris in functions including gas microcontamination market management, strategic account management, and regional sales management. Mr. Amade has a degree in Chemical Engineering from ENS Chimie Lille and is a member of the SEMI Electronic Materials Group and the Global Automotive Advisory Council for Europe (GAAC).Serena Brischetto is a marketing and communications manager at SEMI Europe.