ESPOO, Finland, 22nd of March 2022 – Picosun Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) has been demonstrated to be a suitable solution for protection of surfaces exposed to atomic oxygen degradation in Low Earth Orbit. High material survivability is a requirement for objects sent to space as they are faced with a number of degrading circumstances, such as exposure to atomic oxygen.

Researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA) have tested and analysed various material samples provided by Picosun to verify the protective coatings’ suitability for protection against atomic oxygen. This testing was performed in the ESTEC TEC-QEE Laboratory LEOX facility as part of an “open lab” test campaign. These campaigns are intended to provide access to ESA’s unique space environmental test facilities and allow collaboration with ESA’s research fellows, especially for SMEs and institutes new to the space business.

The test simulates the corroding effect of atomic oxygen, for which satellites, including the International Space Station (ISS), are exposed to. The results of the tests, performed on Kapton® HN polyimide film, silicon pieces and PCBs (Printed Circuitry Boards) protected with Picosun ALD coating clearly demonstrated the erosion protection provided by the ALD coating. The demonstrated low temperature (125 °C) film was relatively thin (20 nm) enabling coating of different relevant materials. Decreased thickness of ALD coating is known to withstand more deformation required for flexible materials than thick layers. Also, ALD coating can be applied to a 3D surface with extreme aspect ratios. The analysis performed by ESTEC consisted of mass measurement, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) inspection and thermo-optical properties measurement, partially, before and after the test.

“Atomic oxygen erosion has a major impact on the choice of external materials available for spacecrafts and satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit. Picosun ALD showed atomic oxygen resistance in the tests and forms a suitable protective coating for extreme environmental conditions, applicable also for flexible materials”, explains Adrian Tighe, Senior Materials Engineer in the Materials’ Physics and Chemistry Section at ESA.

“ALD is an advanced thin film coating method for ultra-thin, highly uniform and conformal material layers. It has proved to be the coating solution of choice already in production in solutions and innovations operating in extreme environments. Today, they can be found everywhere from deep seabed to Mars”, says Juhana Kostamo, VP, Industrial Business Area of Picosun Group.

More information:
Juhana Kostamo
Vice President, Industrial Business Area, Picosun Group
Tel: +358 50 369 9565
Email: [email protected]
www.picosun.com

About Picosun
Picosun provides the most advanced ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition) thin film coating solutions for global industries. Picosun’s ALD solutions enable technological leap into the future, with turn-key production processes and unmatched, pioneering expertise in the field – dating back to the invention of the technology itself. Today, PICOSUN® ALD equipment are in daily manufacturing use in numerous leading industries around the world. Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in Germany, USA, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China mainland and Taiwan, offices in India and France, and a world-wide sales and support network. Visit www.picosun.com.

• Read more about Picosun ALD demonstrates effective surface protection for materials in space conditions in ESA's tests.

With fab construction activity at its highest level in many years, it is not surprising that there has been talk of a market crash coming from too much capacity being added. The new Global Wafer Capacity 2022 report makes the case that, while fab expansion plans are certainly aggressive and could lead to some downward pricing pressure in 2024, a significant market downturn caused by too many fabs sitting with idle capacity is not expected.

In 2021, IC manufacturers responded to widespread shortages by increasing capacity 8.6%. This was the highest rate since 8.0% in 2011 or 10.4% in 2008. For 2022, an 8.7% expansion of capacity is expected, followed by 8.2% growth in 2023.

Capital spending for fabs and equipment, expressed as a percent of semiconductor revenue, was at 25% in 2021, the highest rate since 2001 when the ratio was 26%. In the past, very high spending-to-sales ratios usually indicated too much capacity was being added and a market correction was coming soon. In 2001, capacity utilization rates tumbled sharply from 2000 when chip demand crashed. However, in contrast to 2001, unit shipments in 2021 were very strong, resulting in a high overall utilization rate of nearly 94%.

The capex-to-sales ratio is forecast to remain high in 2022 as chip manufactures continue adding wafer capacity to address on-going shortages. Because of the depth and length of the shortages, there has been a revival in the global interest of building fabs. Governments in countries that have spent the past decade de-emphasizing the business of making chips have renewed interests in providing incentives for companies to build fabs in their countries.

Naturally, the current elevated status of fab construction activity and flood of new fab construction plans raise some concern that too much capacity will be added in the next couple years, leading potentially to downward pricing pressure from supply exceeding demand. However, Knometa Research partner IC Insights predicts good growth for IC unit demand in 2022 and 2023, followed by a lower but still positive increase in 2024.

A 5% decline in the IC average selling price in 2024 is forecast by IC Insights and a falling ASP is a sign of supply outstripping demand. However, unit shipments that year are still expected to increase 4%, resulting in a market contraction of just 2%. Furthermore, IC Insights is projecting a return to growth in 2025 and 2026.

Based on continuing healthy demand for integrated circuits and the fact that manufacturers are still working to address the vast shortage situations, the industry’s capacity current expansion plans do not seem overly excessive.

About Global Wafer Capacity 2022
Global Wafer Capacity provides a detailed examination of existing fab capacity along with a five-year forecast. The report has been published on an annual basis since 2007, initially by IC Insights. In December 2021, IC Insights transferred business associated with Global Wafer Capacity to co-founder Trevor Yancey. Mr. Yancey became an independent contractor in 2014 but continued as the principal analyst and project manager for Global Wafer Capacity. Published in February 2022, Global Wafer Capacity 2022 is sold by Mr. Yancey’s company Knometa Research. For more information, visit https://knometa.com/gwc.

About Knometa Research
Knometa Research is a semiconductor technology and market analysis firm led by former IC Insights executive, Trevor Yancey. Mr. Yancey co-founded IC Insights in 1997 with Bill McClean and Brian Matas. In 2014, Mr. Yancey established Knometa Research to serve as an independent contractor for IC Insights and TechSearch International. For more information, visit https://knometa.com.

Contact
Trevor Yancey, President
Knometa Research Corp.
+1-619-378-9898
[email protected]

• Read more about Industry’s aggressive fab expansion plans do not necessarily mean a capacity glut is looming

TEMPE, Ariz.—March 17, 2022—Moov, a data-fueled marketplace for used semiconductor manufacturing equipment, today announced the location of its new headquarters in the 100 Mill building in Tempe, Arizona.

Moov will command the 16th floor, spanning about 32,000 square feet, at 100 Mill. That 18-story tower is among the premier commercial real estate locations in Greater Phoenix. Amazon and Deloitte also are building tenants.

“With our permanent headquarters at 100 Mill, we establish Moov as among the most significant players within the semiconductor industry here in the Silicon Desert,” said Moov co-founder and CEO Steven Zhou. “Our accelerating success and funding are affirmations that Moov is filling a critical need in the semiconductor industry — creating a more flexible supply chain for capital equipment while drastically reducing procurement lead times. As the United States and other countries around the world double down on growing their domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, the ability to quickly and cost-effectively source capital equipment to expand existing capacity and equip new fabs is critical.”

Moov’s new headquarters also sets the stage for the company’s plan to increase its headcount by about 300% in 2022. Moov will employ more than 150 total employees by the end of this year. About three-quarters of the new hires will be based in Greater Phoenix.

The region has become a burgeoning national semiconductor hub, attracting billions of investment dollars in recent months.

A growing urgency has pervaded the sector, as the shortage of new manufacturing equipment, especially for legacy nodes, is increasingly acute. Lead times on some types of equipment can exceed a year. Chip shortages are expected to spur a 10% increase in expenditure on semiconductor equipment this year, hitting a record high of $98 billion, according to the industry trade group SEMI.

Moov is uniquely positioned to solve a problem identified by a U.S. Department of Commerce January report: Less-advanced chips are feeling supply shortages most keenly; they are produced by equipment often no longer in production — an obstacle compounded by the fact that no unified secondary market for equipment exists.

Chicago-based Cushman & Wakefield plc (NYSE: CWK) is assisting Moov’s custom buildout with real estate and project management services.

Amenities at the state-of-the-art 100 Mill building include 10-foot floor-to-ceiling glass, a rooftop deck, a fitness center, a training room and conference center, a tenant bar and lounge, a covered outdoor first-floor patio, a lobby coffee shop, on-site bike storage and retail space spanning 7,500 square feet.

“We are investing time and resources to custom-build our new space, which will accommodate our ambitious hiring plan for the greater Phoenix area, while keeping employee wellness in mind,” Zhou said. “What can we provide to make them most productive while elevating the electric culture we’ve already created? The layout of our new headquarters space encourages easier cross-functional collaboration and sets all Moovers up for success. We’ve also been intentional in the design. It will have stations that accommodate various styles of working: standing, sitting, ‘relaxed,’ private, collaborative, etcetera. We’ll also have unique areas for relaxation and fun that all organically build a sense of camaraderie, where our teammates can gather and talk about things outside of work initiatives.”

Greater Phoenix continues to grow in importance to the U.S. semiconductor industry.

California-headquartered Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) last year announced it would invest $20 billion to build two new semiconductor factories at the chip company’s Chandler campus. And, the investment by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in its already-under-construction semiconductor fabrication facility in north Phoenix ultimately could reach roughly $35 billion.

The region now is home to more than 75 semiconductor and related device manufacturing operations that employ nearly 20,000 people, according to the Greater Phoenix Economic Council’s 2021 Semiconductor Industry Report. The council’s current prospect pipeline includes 40 semiconductor manufacturers and related supply chain firms that could bring an additional number of jobs surpassing 10,000 and $45 billion in capital investment to the region. Semiconductor and related device manufacturing jobs in Phoenix grew 10.94% from 2020 to 2021.

Additionally, Moov is contributing to Metro Phoenix’s and Tempe’s boom in the general tech-job market. City of Tempe data shows that Metro Phoenix ranks third nationally in tech talent markets for growth, with Tempe No. 1 within the metro area. Bestplaces.net projects Tempe job growth during the next decade to be 49.9% — significantly higher than the national average of 33.5%. SmartAsset last year listed Tempe No. 7 in its rankings of America’s top boomtowns.

About Moov Technologies Inc.
Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, Moov is a technology-driven marketplace and asset management platform that matches buyers and sellers of pre-owned semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Built by a team with more than 50 years of experience in the manufacturing equipment brokerage industry, Moov’s platform ensures accurate listings and faster transactions. CEO Steven Zhou and Managing Director Maxam Yeung co-founded the company in 2017. Moov employs more than 50 people, and also boasts a presence in San Francisco; Shanghai, China; and Taipei, Taiwan. To learn more, please visit Moov.co.

Media contact
Treble
Michael Kellner
[email protected]

• Read more about Moov Announces New Tempe, Arizona HQ, Plans to Triple Headcount in 2022

The Electronic System Design Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community, today announced Xpeedic is now an alliance member.

Xpeedic of Shanghai, China, and Bellevue, Wash., is noted for addressing challenges across the full spectrum of chip, package and system designs with an EDA simulation platform supporting advanced nodes and packaging to enable next-generation high-frequency, high-speed integrated systems. Xpeedic’s products are powered by its proprietary electromagnetic and circuit solver technologies.

“The ESD Alliance is a great platform to promote the EDA industry because it plays an invaluable role in bringing new technologies and new products into the market,” states Dr. Feng Ling, Xpeedic’s CEO. “Being an ESD Alliance member, we hope to increase the visibility of our technologies and products throughout the semiconductor design ecosystem.”

“As an emerging company in a critical design space, Xpeedic will benefit from its SEMI ESD Alliance membership,” adds Bob Smith, its executive director. “Our networking, educational opportunities and technical initiatives are tailored for companies of all sizes and needs.”

As a member of the ESD Alliance, Xpeedic is also a member of SEMI, the global industry association representing the worldwide electronic product design and manufacturing supply chain.

About Xpeedic
Xpeedic is a leading provider of EDA solutions to accelerate designs and simulations for next-generation high-frequency, high-speed chip, package and systems, including RF front-end components and modules, high-speed interconnects, connectors, IC packages and PCBs. Its customers across the worldwide semiconductor, computer, consumer electronics, and telecommunications markets rely on Xpeedic to streamline design processes, improve end-product performance, and accelerate time to market. Xpeedic also delivers the best-in-class RF filters for mobile and IoT market with its diversified filter technologies, in-house customized design tools, and stable foundry/package partnerships. Founded in 2010, Xpeedic has offices in the U.S. and China.

About the SEMI Electronic System Design Alliance
The Electronic System Design (ESD) Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community representing members in the electronic system and semiconductor design ecosystem, is a community that addresses technical, marketing, economic and legislative issues affecting the entire industry. It acts as the central voice to communicate and promote the value of the semiconductor design ecosystem as a vital component of the global electronics industry.

Follow SEMI ESD Alliance
www.esd-alliance.org
ESD Alliance Bridging the Frontier blog
Twitter: @ESDAlliance
LinkedIn
Facebook

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Association Contact
Nanette Collins
Public Relations for the ESD Alliance
Email: [email protected]

• Read more about SEMI ESD Alliance Adds Xpeedic to its Member Roster

SCANLAB GmbH together with its sister companies Blackbird Robotersysteme GmbH and Holo/Or Ltd. is developing promising new system concepts for laser applications such as laser welding of bipolar plates and additive manufacturing (metal 3D printing). By integrating tailored beam shapers, the novel scan setup showed the potential to nearly double the productivity of welding bipolar plates for hydrogen fuel cells.

Fuel cell technology was considered a niche market for a long time. Due to the transition phase in energy generation and the search for alternative drives, the market demand might grow notably. For efficient mass production an increase of throughput in welding of metal bipolar plates, used to build the stacks in a fuel cell, is needed. High welding speeds require fast scan systems and high power lasers, both available. However, it’s the welding process itself which determines the maximum reachable speed. Weld seam failures such as humping effects and undercut occur when a certain speed limit is exceeded.

Blackbird Robotersysteme set up a test rig integrating the 2D scan head intelliSCAN from SCANLAB and HOLO/OR’s latest development the Flexishaper, a full range adjustable beam shaper. The necessary beam shape was determined based on welding process simulations. The layout of the utilized beam shaper is the result of a combined optical design, integrating both diffractive optical elements (DOE) and scan system. The processing tests demonstrated to shift the speed limit of failure free welding speed from 45 m/min up to 70 m/min.

Adopting processing experience with DOEs
Thin sheet welding of bipolar plates has similar requirements to laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes. Both require scan field sizes up to 500 x 500 mm² with a typical processing speed around 1m/s and below. Also in metal 3D printing the processing speed is not limited by the speed of the scanner or the available laser power, but it is mostly the process itself which limits the throughput. Thus, the encouraging laser welding results are the first step on the way to further optimize LPBF processes as well.

“Our joint company holding creates the trust that is necessary for such a close cooperation to explore innovative solutions. Only in a setup like this you can openly analyze the upcoming market requirements and transfer the outcome in an optical design” recounts Georg Hofner, CEO SCANLAB.

“Our sister companies provide a construction kit for us, which we can translate into tangible benefits for our markets and customers based on our specific experience and application knowledge” adds Karl Christian Messer, CEO Blackbird Robotersysteme.

“This is exactly the kind of cooperation that creates high value products by combining our unique beam shaping expertise with our sister companies market deep understanding” concludes Israel Grossinger, Owner and President of HOLO/OR.

The next steps will be to test the laser welding concept in a larger scale setup and to pursue different applications in parallel. As the fiberSYS meets requirements of both LPBF and laser welding processes, the integration of DOEs into this scan system, particularly suited for multi head laser machines, was included in the development road map.

• Read more about Scan Head with Beam Shaper Increases Throughput in Fuel Cell Production

At the end of 2021, there were 153 semiconductor fabs processing 300mm wafers for the fabrication of ICs, including CMOS image sensors, and non-IC products such as power discretes.

The 300mm wafer fab count increased by 14 in 2021, the most in one year since the same number opened in 2005. There are 10 fabs scheduled to open in 2022, followed by another 13 in 2023 and 10 in 2024. This puts the industry on pace to have more than 200 300mm fab lines in operation by 2026. These are projections made in Knometa’s new Global Wafer Capacity 2022 report.

An increasing number of 300mm fabs are being built to fabricate non-IC devices, and power transistors in particular. The manufacturing cost benefits of processing chips on the large wafers come into play for device types characterized by large die sizes and high volumes. Examples of integrated circuits with these characteristics include DRAMs, flash memory, image sensors, complex logic and microcomponent ICs, PMICs, baseband processors, audio CODECs, and display drivers. While large-size power transistors are still small compared to the die sizes of these ICs, they ship in high volumes and are big enough to keep a 300mm fab loaded at a cost-effective production level. According to IC Insights, unit demand for power transistors in 2021 reached 43.5 billion for power MOSFETs and 2.2 billion for IGBTs.

300mm Wafer Fabs Opening in 2022

• CR Micro (Runxin Microelectronics) fab in Chongqing, China, for power semiconductors
• Silan Microelectronics fab in Xiamen, Fujian, China for power discretes and sensors
• SK Hynix M15 Phase 2 fab in Cheongju, Korea, for 3D NAND flash
• SMIC fab in Shenzhen for foundry services
• ST/Tower joint venture fab in Agrate, Italy, for mixed-signal, power, and RF ICs and foundry services
• TI RFAB2 in Richardson, Texas, USA, for analog ICs
• TSMC Fab 18 Phase 4 in Tainan, Taiwan, for foundry services
• TSMC Fab 16 Phase 2 in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, for foundry services
• TSMC Fab 18 Phase 5 in Tainan, Taiwan, for foundry services
  Winbond fab in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for DRAMs

Of the 10 300mm wafer fabs scheduled to begin operations in 2022, two will be focused on the production of non-IC products. One is a CR Micro fab in Chongqing, China, and the other a fab in Xiamen, China, owned by Silan Microelectronics.

One-third of the new 300mm fabs opening this year are being built by TSMC. Responding to high demand for its foundry services, the company increased its capital spending 74% in 2021 to $30 billion. Much of that spending went toward equipping the Phase 4 and Phase 5 fabs at its Fab 18 campus in Tainan. TSMC is also finishing up a second fab at it Fab 16 site in Nanjing, China, to meet demand for mature technologies, especially 28nm CMOS.

Texas Instruments and STMicroelectronics (and its new fab partner Tower Semiconductor) are completing the construction of 300mm fabs targeted at analog and mixed-signal IC production. TI reported a huge increase in capital spending for 2021 with 279% more spent during the year than in 2020. Most of the money was used to buy new equipment for the company’s second fab in Richardson, Texas, and third 300mm fab overall. The RFAB2 facility will more than double wafer capacity at the Richardson site.

Only two of the new 300mm fabs scheduled to open in 2022 are for memory products. SK Hynix is expected to begin operations on a Phase 2 line for 3D NAND at its M15 fab site in Cheongju, Korea, while Winbond plans to start up a new DRAM fab in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

View more information about Global Wafer Capacity 2022 at https://knometa.com/gwc

• Read more about Count of semiconductor fabs using 300mm wafers projected to exceed 200 by 2026

BENEQ, PRESS RELEASE, March 10, 2022, 14.00 EEST

Beneq, the home of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), has introduced BeneqCare, a new modular solution to offer support and maintenance services to organizations that own and operate Beneq ALD equipment.

Beneq leads the market with ALD products for R&D, semiconductor device fabrication, 3D and batch production, ultra-fast spatial ALD (C2R), and roll-to-roll ALD. Today, the company has launched BeneqCare to help customers in the EU, Asia and the USA maximize the value of their ALD tools throughout their equipment’s life cycles.

“We have been investing heavily in widening our service capabilities worldwide. Now, we offer service coverage in all regions. We have also established spare part hubs in every region at Beneq offices,” says Hans Fabritius, Vice President, Life Cycle Services at Beneq.

“BeneqCare simplifies ALD equipment ownership by helping our customers maximize uptime and gain access to the right support at every stage of their tool’s life cycle. We are ready to assist our customers in meeting their productivity requirements –from training personnel in using the equipment to meeting any unscheduled maintenance or spare parts needs,” asserts Fabritius.

BeneqCare provides Beneq customers who operate in the industrial and research sectors with a wide range of service modules to suit their operations, from extended warranty and training services to remote or onsite support.

“Our customers have high expectations for the performance of their Beneq ALD tools. BeneqCare brings them versatile support and service plans that grow with their businesses,” says Fabritius.

Companies and research facilities that have commissioned Beneq ALD equipment can avail of a variety of BeneqCare service modules to suit their unique requirements. Among the BeneqCare modules are technical support services, including remote support via Augmented Reality (AR); spare part services; extended warranties; preventive as well as unscheduled maintenance services; and training.

Learn more about BeneqCare: www.beneq.com/beneqcare/

Further information
Lie Luo, Head of Marketing, [email protected]

About Beneq
Beneq is the home of atomic layer deposition. In 1984, we established the world’s first industrial production using ALD. Today, we lead the market with products for R&D (TFS 200, TFS 500, R2), semiconductor device fabrication (Transform®), 3D and batch production (P400A, P800, P1500), ultra-fast spatial ALD (C2R), and roll-to-roll ALD (Genesis).

Beneq’s unique Development Service simplifies customer adoption and proof-of-concept for new ALD processes, while our Coating Service cuts down time to market by outsourcing state of the art ALD production. Our team of engineers and experts is dedicated to making ALD tools accessible for researchers.

• Read more about Beneq fulfills customer demand for tailored ALD equipment services and support with BeneqCare (TM)