MILPITAS, Calif. – September 23, 2020 – SEMI Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC) today released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for innovations in ambulatory monitoring, wearable technologies for cognitive assessment, and innovative power sources for wearable monitors. Proposals are also welcome for new concepts to advance mobile human monitoring and diagnostic capabilities. Projects will be awarded with cash budgets ranging from $500,000 to $2 million. The RFP is funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

SEMI-NBMC focuses on innovation challenges and opportunities during research and development (R&D) to increase the technology and manufacturing readiness levels (TRL/MRL) of nanotechnologies and biotechnologies. The SEMI-NBMC program and committee encourages submission of novel technical approaches that carry significant risk as well as those that represent evolutionary improvements on existing technical capabilities, which tend to be less risky and involve shorter development and delivery times.

Industry experts on the NBMC RFP Review Committee selected the RFP topics based on an analysis of strategic market gaps and will evaluate all white paper submissions against that gap analysis. To learn more about the aeromedical mission and the status of biomarkers and sensors for telemedicine, watch the SEMI-NBMC and AFRL August MedTech Workshop Series.

After evaluating white papers, the committee will invite select organizations to submit full proposals that will be rigorously evaluated on criteria including budget, collaboration value, dual-use (commercial and military/aerospace) applicability, relevance to the digital healthcare ecosystem, relevance to advancing nano-bio materials for human monitoring, schedule and milestones, deliverables, and overall proposal quality. See the complete SEMI-NBMC 2020 Request for Proposals for more details on the evaluation process.   

The consortium strongly encourages partnerships among industrial companies, R&D organizations and university teams. SEMI-NBMC funding will be matched with funds provided by grant recipients to cover total project cost. Development partners retain ownership of intellectual property developed under a SEMI NBMC contract.

White paper responses, the first step in responding to the RFP, are due October 20, 2020. SEMI-NBMC staff will review the RFP topics and submission and review process during a live webinar on October 2, 2020 at 10:00am PDT. Registration is open to anyone considering submitting a proposal. A recording of the webinar will be available for those unable attend the live event.

About SEMI-NBMC

SEMI-NBMC was founded in 2013 to bring together scientists, engineers and business development professionals from industry, government and universities to collaboratively initiate research and development of electronic technologies to improve human performance monitoring and performance augmentation capabilities. To date, over 25 industry partners have advanced the state-of-the-art in human-performance monitoring in 26 projects. Advancements include subsystems designed for ECG, functionalized biomarker sensors, and hydration sensors.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

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HSINCHU, Taiwan – September 22, 2020 – SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid opens tomorrow with advanced, smart and green manufacturing in the spotlight on-site and online as industry visionaries and experts gather for the latest market trends, business opportunities and innovations across the semiconductor supply chain. The first hybrid SEMICON ever, the September 23-25 exhibition at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 (TaiNEX 1), will feature a virtual platform with an exposition hall, live streaming forums, networking opportunities and virtual reality (VR) technology offering an immersive online experience accessible around the world. SEMICON Taiwan 2020 registration is open.

Entering its 25th year, SEMICON Taiwan features 15 theme pavilions and innovation zones as well as 19 international forums as in-show experience. For the first time, Smart Manufacturing Taiwan, Compound Semiconductor Innovation Zone, Heterogeneous Integration Innovation Zone, and Smart Workforce Pavilion will go virtual.

After registering for SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid online, attendees can log in to the virtual platform and find all exhibition information on the front page for easy navigation of the event. Key online features include:

1. Virtual Exhibition Hall: See the latest technologies and solutions from key exhibitors. View a sneak peek video of the hybrid experience.
2. 1-on-1 Chat: Connect with exhibitors and visitors in real time.
3. Networking Lounge: Exchange opinions with industry experts worldwide and uncover potential business opportunities and technical solutions.
4. SEMICON Taiwan Live Tour: Explore exciting activities and behind-the-scenes highlights of SEMICON Taiwan from an exclusive online perspective.
5. Forum Live Broadcast: Get insights from industry opinion leaders firsthand via live broadcasts of international forums. Visit the SEMICON Taiwan 2020 website for the forum schedule.
6. Virtual Reality (VR) Experience: For a better, faster visual experience, enter the virtual exhibition hall using a VR device and your smartphone’s screen.

For more information, visit the SEMICON Taiwan 2020 website.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contacts

Jo-ann Su
SEMI Taiwan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 886.3.560.1777 ext. 202

Irene Huang
SEMI Taiwan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 886.03.560.1777 ext. 205

• Read more about SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid Opens Tomorrow With Advanced, Smart and Green Manufacturing in Spotlight

MILPITAS, Calif. — September 17, 2020 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $2.65 billion in billings worldwide in August 2020 (three-month average basis), according to the August Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Billings Report published today by SEMI. The billings figure is 3.0 percent higher than the final July 2020 level of $2.57 billion, and is 32.5 percent higher than the August 2019 billings level of $2.00 billion.

“August billings of North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers demonstrate solid performance and strong year-over-year growth,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “Semiconductor equipment demand remains robust despite supply chain uncertainties and new regulatory constraints.”

The SEMI Billings report uses three-month moving averages of worldwide billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), September 2020

SEMI publishes a monthly North American Billings report and issues the Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics (WWSEMS) report in collaboration with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ). The WWSEMS report currently reports billings by 24 equipment segments and by seven end market regions. SEMI also has a long history of tracking semiconductor industry fab investments in detail on a company-by-company and fab-by-fab basis in its World Fab Forecast and SEMI FabView databases. These powerful tools provide access to spending forecasts, capacity ramp, technology transitions, and other information for over 1,000 fabs worldwide. For an overview of available SEMI market data, please visit www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo.

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contact

Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

Notes

Next SEMI Billings report is October 22, 2020 at 3:00pm Pacific.

For information on SEAJ Billings Express Report, visit www.seaj.or.jp. 

• Read more about North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts August 2020 Billings

HSINCHU, Taiwan – September 10, 2020 – Advanced, smart and green manufacturing will take center stage on-site and online September 23-25 as SEMICON Taiwan 2020 gathers industry visionaries and experts for the latest market trends, business opportunities and innovations across the semiconductor supply chain. Bringing together 550 exhibitors across 2,000 booths at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1 (TaiNEX 1), the hybrid event will also feature a virtual platform with an expo hall, live streaming forums and virtual reality (VR) technology for an immersive online experience accessible around the world. SEMICON Taiwan 2020 registration is now open.

The event coincides with the emergence of work from home, cloud services and telemedicine merged as drivers of semiconductor industry growth. Enabling technologies artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G are also key forces at play. The three technology areas – critical bulwarks in the world’s continuing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic – will contribute to a record US$67.7 billion in global fab equipment spending, an increase of 24%, next year, according to SEMI.  

SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Highlights

• Master Forum – High-technology thought leaders from TSMC, Foxconn, STMicroelectronics, Micron, FET, and Lam Research will explore how the semiconductor industry can leverage AI and 5G to fuel the next wave of innovation.
• Hi-Tech Corporate Growth & Innovation Forum – Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) and Taiwania Capital will join SEMI for the first time to discuss how more corporations can make strategic investments to drive sustainable innovation. In addition, more than 10 semiconductor startups will introduce cross-discipline technologies designed to drive innovation.
• SMART Mobility Forum – Industry experts from IBM, Renesas Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics and Jaguar Land Rover will share the latest automotive technologies and market trends.
• SMART MedTech Forum – Experts from the Ministry of Science Technology (MOST), National Yang-Ming University and Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing will introduce cutting-edge medical technologies for the COVID-19 era and beyond.
• SMART Workforce Pavilion – To help build the electronics industry’s talent pipeline, SEMICON Taiwan 2020 will feature the Talent Cultivation Symposium, Women-in-Tech Forum and Talent Forum. In addition, talent-matching events will connect microelectronics companies with students to help them take an early step in launching their careers in high technology.
• Theme Pavilions & Innovation Zone – The event’s 15 theme pavilions and innovation zones will focus on critical areas of chip industry innovation and growth ranging from heterogeneous integration to compound and opto semiconductors, testing and materials while targeting macro issues such as circular economy and green power.
• 5 Concurrent Events – SEMICON Taiwan is co-located with FLEX Taiwan, ITC-Asia, Strategic Materials Conference Taiwan, SiP Global Summit, and SMART Manufacturing Taiwan.

Visitor Safety at SEMICON Taiwan 2020

The safety and well-being of visitors to all SEMI events is SEMI’s top priority. To help protect attendees at the on-site SEMICON Taiwan 2020, SEMI encourages all visitors to wear face masks. Attendees can also take advantage of hand sanitizers and body temperature checks at the event. In addition, contact-tracing information will be gathered.

For more event information, visit SEMICON Taiwan 2020.

About SEMI

SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Association Partners, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contacts
Jo-ann Su
SEMI Taiwan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 886.3.560.1777 ext. 202

Irene Huang
SEMI Taiwan
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 886.3.560.1777 ext. 205

• Read more about SEMICON Taiwan 2020 Hybrid to Lead the Way in AI and 5G Era

Kalispell, MT – Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ClassOne Technology announced the sale of its Solstice® LT electroplating system to Jenoptik for manufacturing semiconductor material for high-power diode lasers at its semiconductor production facility in Berlin-Adlershof, Germany. High-power diode lasers play an important role in optical pumping of solid-state lasers as well as in direct use applications such as material processing, sensing as well as in healthcare & life science. The dual-chambered Solstice LT is specially configured for high-performance gold processing. The announcement was made jointly by ClassOne CEO, Byron Exarcos, and Dr. Juergen Sebastian, plant manager of the Jenoptik facility in Berlin.

"The new Solstice LT will replace a manual plating wet bench," explained Dr. Sebastian. “This will significantly improve process stability, plating quality as well as reduce our metallization step costs. That’s important because at Jenoptik, we build all the semiconductors that go into our diode lasers in-house. The new Solstice LT electroplating system thus ensures very high quality, performance and service life of our end products. Moreover, the new system also promotes Jenoptik’s policy of sustainability thanks to the new electrolyte technology.”

“The Solstice LT for Jenoptik is specially configured with our GoldPro™ processing chamber,” said Exarcos. “GoldPro can deliver unprecedented levels of repeatability – wafer-to-wafer, die-to-die, within-die, and within-feature. The bottom line is exceptional uniformity and reproducibility, along with reduced cost of ownership.”

With the new electroplating system, Jenoptik is now able to process different GaAs wafers sizes to accommodate different customer requirements. Another reason for selecting Solstice was the flexibility of its design, which readily allows the handling of multiple wafer sizes on the same tool.

“We’re proud to be on the Jenoptik team because their semiconductor lasers are industry leaders,” said Exarcos. “Their quality is based on advanced manufacturing, with strict quality controls and state-of-the-art process technologies. It's an environment in which Solstice can play an integral role, and we're looking forward to the next generations of Jenoptik diode lasers!”

ClassOne Solstice systems provide high-performance electroplating specifically for ≤200mm wafer processing. The Solstice series includes fully-automated 8-chamber and 4-chamber systems with up to 75-wph throughput as well as a 2-chamber semiautomated configuration that can be used both for process development and production. In addition to electroplating, the unique Plating-Plus™ capabilities of the Solstice platform enable it to handle many other important functions, such as wafer cleaning, high-pressure metal lift-off, resist strip, UBM etch, and more. Solstice’s class-leading performance and flexibility consistently make it the tool of choice for ≤200mm plating.

• Read more about ClassOne’s Solstice LT Plating System Selected by Jenoptik for Producing High-Power Diode Lasers

MRSI launches submicron die bonding solution for silicon photonics, co-packaging, and wafer-level packaging

At CIOE 2020 MRSI Systems will introduce a new product, MRSI-S-HVM high-speed, flexible 0.5 micrometer die bonder for silicon photonics, co-packaging electronic and photonic chips, and wafer-level packaging.

This advanced die bonder is based upon MRSI’s field proven high-speed HVM die bonder platform for high-volume manufacturing of integrated photonics that requires ultimate accuracy at the submicron level. It has inherited the speed using multiple levels of parallel processing from the HVM platform. It also has the HVM’s high level of flexibility for multiple die applications using auto-tool changing and multiple process applications with eutectic, epoxy stamping and dispensing in one machine.

The MRSI-S-HVM flexibility is elevated to another level with the capability to switch automatically between two modes of accuracies - 0.5 micrometer and 1.5 micrometer. The 0.5 micrometer mode uses a real-time alignment mechanism facilitated by the on-axis z-force bonding for the best possible co-planarity and final accuracy. For flip-chip bonding, it aligns the features on the bonding surfaces of the die and the carrier. This eliminates the expensive step for the customer to make alignment fiducials on both top and bottom sides of a chip during wafer fabrication, and it also eliminates the subsequent die bonder alignment step in order to calibrate the top and bottom surface of the chip. All these advantages are essential for volume manufacturing capability for those emerging applications.

The MRSI-S-HVM die bonder is capable of chip-on-wafer (CoW) process with dies from III-V wafer being picked, placed, and bonded onto a silicon wafer (12 inches) including fine lateral motions. It can also be applied to chip-on-interposer (CoI) and chip-on-substrate (CoS). Three heating options are available including high-density top heating eutectic bonding, bottom thermal heating, and MRSI’s proprietary bottom laser soldering solution, avoiding secondary reflow of adjacent chips, and improving UPH.

“The addition of this new submicron die bonder product family re-enforces MRSI’s industry-leading position in the field of manufacturing automation for advanced optoelectronics devices. We look forward to working with customers to help them to scale at this improved level of accuracy without compromising speed or flexibility,” said Dr. Yi Qian, VP & GM MRSI Systems, Mycronic.

To schedule an appointment and discuss a prototype demonstration, please contact us at [email protected].

For additional information, please contact:
Dr. Limin Zhou
Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, MRSI Systems
Tel: +86 135 0289 9401, e-mail: [email protected]
Time Zone: CST – China Standard Time

About MRSI Systems
MRSI Systems, part of Mycronic Group, is the leading manufacturer of fully automated, high-speed, high-precision and flexible eutectic and epoxy die bonding systems. We offer “one-stop-shop” solutions for research and development, low-to-medium volume production, and high- volume manufacturing of photonic devices such as lasers, detectors, modulators, AOCs, WDM/EML TO-Cans, Optical transceivers, LiDAR, VR/AR, sensors, and optical imaging products. With 30+ years of industry experience and our worldwide local technical support team, we provide the most effective systems and assembly solutions for all packaging levels including chip-on-wafer (CoW), chip-on-carrier (CoC), PCB, and gold-box packaging. For more information visit www.mrsisystems.com

About Mycronic
Mycronic AB is a Swedish high-tech company engaged in the development, manufacture and marketing of production equipment with high precision and flexibility requirements for the electronics industry. Mycronic headquarters are located in Täby, north of Stockholm and the Group has subsidiaries in China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States. Mycronic AB (publ) is listed on NASDAQ Stockholm. www.mycronic.com

• Read more about MRSI launches submicron die bonding solution for silicon photonics, co-packaging, and wafer-level packaging

MILPITAS, Calif. – September 8, 2020 – Soaring pandemic-fueled demand for chips that power everything from communications and IT infrastructures to personal computing, gaming and healthcare electronics will drive an 8% increase in global fab equipment spending in 2020 and a 13% increase in 2021, SEMI announced today in its World Fab Forecast report. Rising demand for semiconductors for datacenter infrastructures and server storage along with the buildup of safety stock as U.S.-China trade tensions intensify are also contributing to this year’s growth.   

The bullish trend for overall fab equipment investments comes as the semiconductor industry recovers from a 9% decline in fab spending in 2019 and navigates a roller-coaster 2020 with actual and projected spending drops in the first and third quarters mixed with second- and fourth-quarter increases. See figure below.

Of all chip sectors, memory will see the largest spending increase in 2020, growing US$3.7 billion, or 16% year-over-year (YoY), to US$26.4 billion, and tack on an 18% increase to reach US$31.2 billion in 2021. 3D NAND spending will log the largest percentage surge this year, expanding 39%, and register modest growth of 7% in 2021. DRAM is expected to see 4% growth after a slowdown in the second half of 2020 before jumping 39% percent next year.

Equipment spending forecasts for other semiconductor sectors:

• Foundry, the next largest sector in equipment spending for 2020, is forecast to rise US$2.5 billion, or 12% YoY, to US$23.2 billion and edge up 2% to US$23.5 billion in 2021.
• MPU equipment spending will decline US$1.2 billion, or 18%, in 2020 and rise 9% to US$6 billion in 2021.
• Analog spending will grow a robust 48% in 2020 and rise 6% in 2021, an expansion chiefly driven by equipment investments for mixed-signal/power fabs.
• Image sensors equipment spending is expected to rise 4% to US$3 billion in 2020 and jump 11% to US$3.4 billion in 2021.

The SEMI World Fab Forecast report covers more than 1,300 fabs and lines and includes capacity and technology by fab and construction investments. The report shows 21 new construction projects – ranging from R&D to volume and including high- and low-probability parameters – starting in 2020. China accounts for the most (nine) of the new projects; followed by Taiwan at five; Southeast Asia and the Americas at two each; and Japan, Korea, and Europe/Mideast at one each. The report also tracks 18 new construction projects planned to begin next year – 10 in China, four in the Americas, three in Taiwan, and one in Europe/Mideast.

About SEMI
SEMI® connects more than 2,400 member companies and 1.3 million professionals worldwide to advance the technology and business of electronics design and manufacturing. SEMI members are responsible for the innovations in materials, design, equipment, software, devices, and services that enable smarter, faster, more powerful, and more affordable electronic products. Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), FlexTech, the Fab Owners Alliance (FOA) and the MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) are SEMI Strategic Technology Communities, defined communities within SEMI focused on specific technologies. Visit www.semi.org to learn more, contact one of our worldwide offices, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Association Contacts
Michael Hall/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7988
Email: [email protected]

Christian G. Dieseldorff/SEMI
Phone: 1.408.943.7940
Email: [email protected]  

• Read more about COVID-19 Drives Rise in Global Fab Equipment Spending, SEMI Reports