Coronavirus

SEMI spoke with Dr. Franz Laermer, Research Fellow (Senior Chief Expert) at Robert Bosch GmbH Stuttgart, Corporate Sector Research and Advance Engineering, about the latest trends in medical diagnostics and personalized treatments. An open platform for the automation of complex molecular diagnostics workflows recently developed by Robert Bosch has proven its ability to take molecular diagnostics to the point of need.To make this happen, miniaturization, microsystems and microfluidics technologies, as well as microelectronics, are crucial. This is critical for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 infections within a rather short development time.Laermer shared his views ahead of his presentation at the SEMI MedTech Forum, 19 February, as part of the SEMI Technology Unites Global Summit, 15-19 February 2021, online event. Join us to meet experts from Robert Bosch and other key industry influencers. Registration is open. SEMI: What is driving innovation in diagnostics and what role does the semiconductor industry play?Laermer: One of the major drivers in diagnostics is the molecular breakdown and detailed analysis of nucleic acids on the level of the individual nucleotide. This reveals the root causes of diseases like cancer, genetic aberrations, infections and therapy resistances. Today’s solutions are mostly PCR-based (that rely on the polymerase chain reaction) or depend on sequencing. The keys to bring these technologies closer to the point of need are automation, miniaturization, low-cost, ease of use, flexibility, reliability, and fast time from sample-to-result. Semiconductor and microsystems technologies are enablers to meet these requirements, thanks to their ever-increasing performance, with Moore’s law pushing the semiconductor side of the story.SEMI: Can you tell us more about the the Bosch VIVALYTIC system? Laermer: VIVALYTIC is a universal and highly flexible diagnostic platform for the integration and automation of a wide variety of molecular diagnostics assays. It consists of the universal laboratory analyzer tool, which operates the application-specific cartridges. All reagents and specific bio contents are contained in the application-specific cartridges in a long-term stable manner at room temperature. The user only has to introduce the patient sample into the cartridge, push the cartridge into the analyzer and start the automatic workflow, which yields a diagnostic result within typically less than one hour. The VIVALYTIC products are manufactured by Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH (BHCS) in cooperation with strategic diagnostic partners and bio content owners.SEMI: How is the pandemic impacting automated diagnostics in the medical industry? What is new now?Laermer: The pandemic has clearly shown the importance of fast automated diagnostics at the point of need. Breaking infection chains as early as possible requires fast reliable PCR testing anywhere and anytime. We managed to reduce the time needed for SARS-CoV-2 rapid testing to less than 30 minutes for positive probes, an achievement that is embraced by our customers. Until a sufficiently high level of immunization is reached by vaccination, rapid testing is the only way to limit the number of infections, hospitalizations, and lethal outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.SEMI: Besides infectious disease diagnostics, what solutions will enable a paradigm shift in medical treatments?Laermer: Today more and more targeted drugs and therapies are developed in oncology to address certain mutations that are considered drivers of the cancer. This moves away from the one drug fits all approach to precision oncology. As a prerequisite of this personalized therapy, the mutation status of a tumor must be clarified – and monitored precisely and repetitively during therapy. The latter requires molecular diagnostics at the point of need, i.e. at the onco-ambulance. One keyword in this context is liquid biopsy. Another example of personalized therapy is the detection of bacteria type and antibiotics resistances in bacterial infections, and the selection of optimized antibiotics therapy.SEMI: What solutions can Robert Bosch bring to address the needs just mentioned? Laermer: Robert Bosch GmbH is a leader in microsystems, microsensors and semiconductor technologies. Our new 12-inch semiconductor plant in Dresden will strengthen our position in these fields. This encompasses artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things as well. As a technology provider, we generate superior solutions for automation and management of complex workflows, and thus deliver win-win-solutions together with our diagnostic partners.SEMI: How can technology unite us? Laermer: Technology, especially semiconductor and microsystems technology, is a game changer in the medical area. Whenever different disciplines meet each other and cooperate, as are the medical, diagnostics and semiconductor areas, innovation is accelerated strongly. New things happen at the interfaces between different areas of competencies.Franz Laermer, Research Fellow (Senior Chief Expert), Robert Bosch GmbH Stuttgart, Corporate Sector Research Advance Engineering. Dr. Franz Laermer joined the Corporate Research and Technology Center of Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany, in 1990, where he started the development of new key technologies and sensor functions for the upcoming field of MEMS at Bosch. Today he is a Bosch Research Fellow/Senior Chief Expert for Microsystems, Microfluidics and Molecular Diagnostics. Laermer's work laid the foundation for the VIVALYTIC Diagnostics Platform of the newly founded Bosch Healthcare Solutions (BHCS) Business Division and the SARS-CoV-2 rapid tests from Bosch. Dr. Franz Laermer is the co-inventor of the Bosch Deep Reactive Ion Etching Process (BOSCH-DRIE) for microstructuring silicon. He holds more than 200 patents and was awarded with European Inventor of the Year 2007 – Category Industry prize by the European Commission and the European Patent Office (together with co-inventor Andrea Urban) for the invention, development and sustainable success of the BOSCH-DRIE process. He received the 2014 IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA. In 2019 he was awarded with the 2019 Technology Prize from the Eduard-Rhein-Foundation in Germany.Serena Brischetto is senior manager of Marketing and Communications at SEMI Europe.

Back in March 2020, at the onset of the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., SEMI quickly formed an Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) COVID-19 working group made up of EHS professionals who suddenly saw a critical need to share their experiences, validate untested policies, and collaborate on establishing best practices in response to an extraordinary public health crisis. The group, which today numbers 20 member companies, meets regularly to discuss an array of topics that have grown beyond their pressing need to react to a crisis earlier to a longer, more measured view of risk management as coronavirus cases continue to climb worldwide. While themes vary from one meeting to another, the recurring agenda remains the same to address the following topics: Phase approach – How to bring staff back on site Social distancing – How to manage people traffic flow on site Contact tracing – Track exposure to ensure workplace safety Space allocation – Changes to offices, cubicles and conference rooms HVAC systems – Optimizing workplace air flow and improving filtration systems Clean rooms – PPE and distancing protocols Training – Communications approaches to expanding awareness in order to reduce risk of spreading the virus Travel policies – Domestic and international travel guidelines Vaccines – Policies for vaccinating and monitoring personnel Site inspections – Preparing for an eventual increase in inspections from OSHA representatives In April, the SEMI EHS team issued a survey to assess the pandemic preparedness of member companies. Designed by the COVID-19 working group, the survey found that, despite having a pandemic plan in place, many member companies faced a shortage of PPE and sanitization equipment, their most significant challenge at the time. Members also pointed to operational challenges posed by the pandemic and raised questions about how to establish sound policies appropriate for their operations and geographic locations. Today, the SEMI EHS COVID-19 working group is well-established collaborative forum on public guidelines that members see as unclear as they continue to chart their own pandemic policies. With the first tranche of vaccines recently starting to ship in the U.S., the group has turned its attention to vaccine distribution and how companies will encourage employees to be vaccinated. For more information about the SEMI EHS COVID-19 working group or to join the group, please contact the SEMI EHS team at [email protected]. Olivier Corvez is senior manager of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at SEMI.

Sales of critical subsystems for use in semiconductor manufacturing equipment will exceed $12.2 billion in 2020, a 6% increase over the previous record of $11.5 billion reached in 2018. What makes this such a remarkable feat is they achieved this despite unprecedented disruptions to the supply chain.The key to critical subsystems suppliers’ success was a swift and efficient response to the initial local shutdowns due to COVID-19 in February and March. Within four to six weeks, most vendors had secured their supply of raw materials and put the required measures in place to ensure the safety of their workforce and reduce the risk of being shut down themselves. Most were reporting a return to high volume manufacturing by May. There were no significant holdups reported, which means everyone stepped up their response to enable the semiconductor equipment industry to deliver double-digit growth. It also helped that before the pandemic, most suppliers expected 2020 to 2023 to be healthy growth years and already had plans to add capacity this year. Those plans are being accelerated, and delivery is no longer an issue for most vendors in the near term. This is just as well as OEMs are advising their suppliers to cope with a 20% surge in orders in any given quarter in 2021.While the overall growth rate for critical subsystems in 2020 is on track to beat 19%, some suppliers had to deal with extraordinary growth. Suppliers of vacuum valves, chillers, and optical fiber thermometry are likely to grow above 35%, while suppliers of process power subsystems are looking at increasing around 30%. The extra demand can be explained partly by the very low inventories of these products held by customers at the beginning of the year, which needed replenishing. However, the main reason for the above-average growth is that these segments have been outgrowing the overall critical subsystems industry for several years due to semiconductor manufacturing becoming more vacuum intense.Critical Subsystems for Semiconductor Applications in Billions of DollarsNext year is shaping up to be another record for critical subsystems with growth rates in the high single digits predicted. The next cyclical downturn is forecast to be 2024, but these are unprecedented times, and the risk of a downturn in 2022 cannot be excluded. Whatever the future holds, the critical subsystems supply chain has proved they can raise their game when the chips are down… or up.For more information about critical subsystems and VLSI Research, please visit our website.John West is managing director at VLSI Research Europe.

If you think the world is flooded with a mind-boggling volume of digital content, then you might be just a amazed to learn about the sheer wealth of information and business opportunities that will be uncovered at this year’s SEMICON Japan as the event goes full digital.To start, more than 160 companies will exhibit their semiconductor manufacturing gear and services on the virtual show floor of Japan’s premier event for the semiconductor manufacturing and design supply chain. Add to that over 80 presentations and panels that feature global industry executives, visionaries and experts offering insights into the latest microelectronics developments, trends and technologies, and it’s easy to see how SEMICON Japan 2020 Virtual is designed to help attendees grow their businesses and the industry drive the next wave of innovations that promise to address some of the world’s greatest challenges across healthcare, the environment, transportation and other industries.Best of all, it will all be available at your convenience from your office or home 24 hours a day, making it safe and easy for you and others from all over the world to attend. Following is what’s in store at SEMICON Japan 2020 Virtual to help lead you into the future.Leading Japanese Securities Analysts to Weigh in What’s Ahead for the Chip Equipment Sector in 2021 For the first time, SEMICON Japan will feature Bulls Bears as Japan’s’ five top securities analysts focus on the 2021 outlook for the global semiconductor equipment sector. The December 17th event will include discussions on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the semiconductor industry, the continuing geopolitical tensions that are forcing the industry to reconfigure its supply chains, the fast-growing China market and cutting-edge applications that are powering industry growth. The perspectives from Japan’s investment community are sure to be compelling as the region supplies one-third of the global semiconductor industry’s chip manufacturing equipment.Moderated by Akira Minamikawa of OMDIA, the panel will include these experts:Three Visionaries to Explore the Digital TransformationPowered by semiconductors, the fourth industrial revolution is driving digitalization globally, remaking societies to bring more efficiencies and conveniences to our work and home lives and help more people prosper. But the flip side of those tremendous benefits is the risk that wealth will be concentrated in the hands of people in positions of power, companies and nations. Democratizing economic development remains a serious challenge worldwide.Addressing this pressing issue, the Opening Panel on December 11 will feature prominent visionaries from political, academic and industrial communities including the following:Sony’s Leading-Edge Electric Car and Nissan’s Driver Assistance System to Highlight Automotive InnovationsCars are becoming more like smartphones on wheels, rapidly filling with more and more semiconductor chips every year with electrification and electronic driver-assisted systems to key drivers of this growth. At the SMART Mobility 1 session on December 14, two pioneering companies – Sony and Nissan Motor – will focus on both areas of semiconductor innovation.Sony’s Vision-S concept car, exhibited at CES 2020, astonished many in the electronics ecosystem and the automotive industry. What is Sony’s vision behind the vehicle? Izumi Kawanishi, Senior Vice President, AI Robotics Business at Sony will share the latest on the initiative.Nissan, maker of the pioneering LEAF electric vehicle, is the first Japanese carmaker to equip a car – its new Skyline – with the ProPILOT 2.0 driver assistance system for hands-off highway driving. Nissan Executive Vice President Asako Hoshino will provide an update on the company’s driver assistance system strategy and plans.Quantum Computing Meets Chip Manufacturing for the First Time at SEMICON Japan In contrast with current computer systems that use bits (binary 0 or 1 state) for computing, quantum computers leverage quantum superposition (0 and 1 states exist at once) to quickly solve highly complex problems that might take traditional supercomputers hundreds or even thousands of years to tease out. American physicist Richard Feynman promoted quantum computer as early as 1982, but it wasn’t until nearly two decades later and long after his death that quantum bit circuits emerged for use in superconductive materials.With quantum circuits and devices requiring state-of-art semiconductor processing technology, The Era of Quantum session on December 15 at SEMICON Japan 2020 Virtual will discuss necessary advances in chip manufacturing technology to enable the next generation quantum computing. The session will be the first time SEMICON Japan connects the semiconductor manufacturing and quantum computing communities.The program will feature the following experts:Strategies for Sustainable Semiconductor Industry GrowthSemiconductors are giving rise to a hyper-connected world that is fueling demand for staggering volumes of chips, pressuring the electronics industry to uncover new ways to increase manufacturing efficiency while reducing power consumption in a bid to help combat climate change. The Grand Finale Panel composed of executives from Japan’s semiconductor supply chain and a supervising ministry will gather for the Grand Finale Panel on December 18 to discuss ways the industry can achieve sustainable growth through innovation with a focus on energy savings and an new process technologies such as extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), which promises to enable electronics devices that are more power powerful, cheaper and more energy-efficient.Panelists include the following:Register TodayThe SEMICON Japan 2020 Virtual All-In Pass provides online access to all 80 presentations and panels, which will be available on-demand for replay until January 15, 2021. What’s more, all eight keynote programs will feature English subtitles. For complete information of the exposition, programs and registration, visit the SEMICON Japan website.I look forward to seeing you virtually at the event!Jim Hamajima is president of SEMI Japan.

D-SIMLAB Technologies, a Singapore-based provider of simulation-based business analytics and optimisation software solutions, recently joined SEMI. I spoke with Peter Lendermann, the company’s co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer, about the company’s role in the smart manufacturing movement, how customers are benefiting from D-SIMLAB solutions, and what the future holds for smart manufacturing. Ng: What is D-SIMLAB’s mission?Lendermann: Our mission is to develop, market, and deliver high-performance simulation-based decision support solutions that enable corporations to enhance their performance in a sustainable manner leading to significant cost savings. In particular, we focus on semiconductor manufacturing material flow planning and optimisation but also do business in aviation where we help customers optimise their spare parts support operations. What these two domains have in common are three important attributes: They are capital intensive, their underlying operations are complex, and operations are also heavily affected by random, i.e. unpredictable events, which makes both planning and execution of manufacturing operations very challenging. D-SIMLAB is a spin-off from the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) under the Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR). Our head office is in Silicon Island Singapore. We also have representations in Germany and the U.S. Most of our staff are industrial and computer engineers with up to 20 years of operations experience in their respective industry domain, as well as vast data analytics and software development capability.Ng: What solutions does D-SIMLAB offer to optimise semiconductor manufacturing?Lendermann: In the three-pillar smart manufacturing framework of Connect, Sense and Predict advocated by SEMI, our focus is on Predict though we emphasise the equal importance of the subsequent Act: Our solutions can Predict, for example, WIP waves or usage-based preventive maintenance due dates. But much more value-add can be realised once some decisions with regard to how to Act can be derived from such a prediction. The ability to pro-actively adjust action plans in a timely manner is essential to overcoming challenges arising from changing customer due dates, mix profile changes, untimely production line issues, and production capacity to be shared with R D lots effectively, so that ultimately our customers can enhance capacity, reduce cycle times and improve the due-date performance of their factories.To that end, our D-SIMCON solution suite spans the full spectrum of decision-support tools required to forecast, manage and optimise material flow – from operational scheduling and dispatching, WIP forecasting and dynamic and static capacity planning all the way to specific applications for fab load mix optimisation or for the enhancement of the product/layer dedication and resist allocation in the lithography area. Our solutions are implemented in numerous 6-, 8- and 12-inch wafer fabs operated by both IDMs and foundries worldwide with capacity ranging from 40,000 to 200,000 wafers per month.Ng: What are the key enablers of D-SIMLAB’s success?Lendermann: Our success lies in deploying production-ready solutions for our customers, allowing them to extract immediate value. Our solutions enable the portrayal of many domain-specific characteristics such as queue time constraints or specific equipment behaviour, which is absolutely essential to generating operationally feasible plans or schedules in order to be able to Act in the best possible manner according to what has been Predicted. Moreover, we have modules for automatic generation, calibration and maintenance of the underlying capacity model, including resolution of data inconsistencies as well as verification and validation of the model, to allow near real-time responses to continuously changing operations. And the associated optimisation approaches focus on creating maximum possible value with as few iterations as possible and within minimum time through smart heuristics and parallel computing infrastructure – a paradigm that is as powerful as it is cost-effective.Ng: What are a few of your more notable customer successes?Lendermann: As a result of the first implementation of our novel, multi-objective based Scheduler cum Dispatcher, a tool capacity gain of 8%, a transportation capacity gain of 10%, and an operator workload reduction of 25% were concurrently realised at one of the critical equipment groups in our customer’s fab. At another set of equipment groups in the same fab, a 7% increase of lots within the critical queue time limiting area was achieved.Another use case we successfully realised is fine-tuning of Preventive Maintenance plans: Based on a seven-day lot arrival forecast at each equipment generated with our WIP Forecaster, a recommendation is made when PM would be best possible without causing too much disruption in the WIP flow. The effect of this synchronisation of the PM plan with material flow enabled a dramatic reduction of the average queue lengths at critical equipment groups and the associated cycle times without incurring any capacity loss. Reduction of average queue length as a result of synchronising preventive maintenance with material flow. Ng: What challenges has D-SIMLAB been facing in the COVID-19 world?Lendermann: Obviously, software delivery projects have become more challenging for the time being since our engineers cannot be on-site frequently. But it also turned out that more and more services can be delivered remotely, which has the nice side effect of making the services more cost-effective for customers. Overall, we are confident that our solid customer base will enable us to sail steadily through these challenging times.Ng: Where does D-SIMLAB see the technological development heading?Lendermann: In the future, enriching decision support and manufacturing execution solutions with machine learning and other AI techniques will be critical in reducing dependency on human experience. This path is essential to making manufacturing operations fully Industry 4.0-compliant. D-SIMLAB will certainly be at the forefront of this development. Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

The global economy has started down a gradual path to recovery from COVID-19 in recent months as the world continues to combat the virus. Yet one sector – semiconductors – has shown impressive growth powered by a transformation hastened by the pandemic across industries ranging from education and work-from-home to healthcare.Semiconductor sales increased 12% in September to mark a second consecutive month of double-digit growth, and year-to-date semiconductor receipts as of September jumped 5.5% compared to the same period in 2019, according to SIA/WSTS.While this upward trajectory is encouraging, it pales compared to 2020 semiconductor equipment billings growth, with results from SEMI showing worldwide global chip equipment billings in September soaring to a new high of $7.6 billion this year. During the first nine months of 2020, aggregate equipment billings logged a 23.6% rise compared to the same stretch in 2019, surpassing $51 billion. Better still, the total semiconductor equipment market in 2020 is on track to beat the previous high of $64.5 billion set in 2018.Investments in China, Taiwan and Korea are fueling the chipmaking equipment spending surge. With big domestic and international fab projects in the works, China this year is projected to become the world’s largest capital equipment market for the first time, surpassing Taiwan, which will follow at a close second. Korea will rank third in equipment investments. Taiwan and Korea growth will come on the strength of equipment spending for manufacturing leading-edge semiconductors.Equipment billings in North America and Europe declined year-over-year as the automotive and industrial sectors suffered the heaviest blows from COVID-19. Investment momentum in both regions is expected to pick up in 2021 after automotive production recovers to pre-pandemic levels while factory automation will boost industrial demand.For more information about monthly equipment billing trends by region and equipment segment, please see the SEMI Equipment Market Data Subscription.Clark Tseng is director of Industry Research and Statistics at SEMI.

Global business conditions continued to improve through October although the rate of improvement slowed a bit as pandemic concerns increased (Chart 1).Electronic Equipment Shipments RecoveringThird-quarter world electronic equipment shipment growth showed a big improvement over the second quarter but was still down an estimated 1.4% compared to the same quarter in 2019 (Chart 2).Based on regional electronic equipment shipment data, October 2020 sales were up 3.5% versus October 2019 and up 6.1% sequentially versus September 2020 (Chart 3). As the traditional autumn busy season winds down, the key impediment to a strong recovery is the rising COVID-19 infection rates, especially in the United States and Europe. The world awaits the deployment of a much-needed vaccine.Semiconductor Growth May be EbbingSemiconductor chip shipments continue to increase but their global rate of growth has leveled off to mid-single digits (Chart 4). Wafer foundry sales growth also appears to be peaking (Chart 5), pointing to slower chip growth in coming months.SEMI Equipment ShinesSemiconductor capital equipment shipments continue to outshine both electronic equipment and semiconductors. Third-quarter 2020 SEMI global sales were up a whopping 31% compared to the same quarter in 2019 and up 16% versus the second quarter of 2020 (Chart 6). SEMI equipment shipments are definitely outpacing semiconductors on a 3/12 growth basis (Chart 7).SEMI Outpaces Electronic Supply ChainGlobal electronic supply chain growth is improving but the semiconductor sector is clearly the winner this autumn (Chart 8).Looking Forward, Pandemic Spread is Biggest WorryBusiness conditions definitely look brighter. Even stronger growth is likely if we can get COVID-19 under control.Walt Custer of Custer Consulting Group is an analyst focused on the global electronics [email protected].

COVID-19 has had an impact on the entire healthcare market. During the peak of the first wave, companies from the industrial and automotive sectors worked on repurposing their sensors and production lines to provide pressure sensors for respirators and temperature sensors for thermometers. At the same time, companies making sensors for wearables and other mobile devices used for remote monitoring of patients experienced saw increased demand, caused in part by the surge in telemedicine worldwide. In addition, strong demand for COVID-19 tests pushed diagnostic players to repurpose existing systems to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus or associated antibodies. Over the past six months in particular, numerous microfluidic technologies have enabled either rapid point-of-care tests or high-throughput solutions for central labs. The demand for these tests is incredibly high (millions of tests per month are needed), which has contributed to boosting the revenue of many companies in the respiratory-testing area.These respiratory-testing companies have placed many testing machines at existing and new customer sites, and have sold an impressive number of test kits resulting in an initial revenue spike in Q1 2020, and even higher spikes in Q2 and Q3. This growth seems on track to last into early 2021 and beyond as the pandemic continues, the flu season arrives, and health organizations test increasingly higher numbers of people than they were several months ago. The winners in respiratory testing include Abbott, bioMérieux, Cepheid, GenMark and Luminex, among many others. In this context, Yole expects the point-of-care segment of the microfluidic product market to enjoy an impressive jump from US$4.5 billion in 2019 to US$6.3 billion in 2020, growing at 15.1% CAGR between 2019 and 2025 to reach $10.4 billion in 2025. This represents 40% of the total microfluidic product market in 2019.In its research on microfluidics, Yole tracks a wide range of COVID-19 tests from different companies. The tests are used to meet different needs. Evolution of COVID-19 TestingNo doubt this increased production of tests will be especially useful for the upcoming flu season. But what will happen next year, if (we hope) reliable COVID-19 vaccines are validated and marketed, and the new coronavirus eventually disappears? Will diagnostic companies’ sales fall to pre-pandemic levels, and all these investments in production lines be wasted? Don’t worry. This is not a one-shot deal: Once the pandemic is over, most testing machines will remain in place, and customers will use them to run other tests the companies offer – usually for other kind of infectious diseases – driving sales of single-use disposables in coming years. The pandemic has shown us that more efficient diagnostic tools are required. Rapid, inexpensive, widely accessible testing for infectious diseases is crucial if we are to face such challenging situations. The real struggle for diagnostic companies, especially in the field of microfluidics where recent platforms have a small assay menu, is placing instruments (i.e., the test machines that run the disposable cartridges and read the results) at customers’ locations, from hospital settings and urgent care to field testing sites, and this has now been achieved. This will drive consumables sales in the future, even beyond the pandemic, and take the microfluidic-based point-of-care testing market to the next level. Rapid point-of-care testing is driving growth in microfluidics and will continue to do so for years to come. In the meantime, new significant opportunities are opening for point-of-care diagnostic test-makers, and rapid, miniaturized microfluidic technologies may be the winners here. Rapid passenger screening in airports, and rapid employee or visitor screening at the workplace will become essential for preventing the virus’ spread. In total, this could represent billions of rapid tests needed per year. COVID-19 has slowed down business growth in many areas but has really helped microfluidic-based point-of-care diagnostics take it to the next level, and this is only the beginning.For more information on Yole’s microfluidics activities, please view Yole’s reports, Point of Need 2020 – Including PCR-Based Testing or Status of Microfluidics Industry 2020 or visit i-Micronews.comYole Développement is a member of SEMI and the MEMS Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), a SEMI technology community that connects the MEMS and sensors supply network in established and emerging markets enabling members to grow and prosper. Visit us today. Sébastien Clerc is a technology and market analyst in Microfluidics, Sensing Actuating at Yole Développement (Yole). As part of the Photonics Sensing team, Clerc has authored a collection of market and technology reports dedicated to microfluidics and other micro-devices for major market segments: medical (including diagnostics, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, drug delivery, medical devices) and industrial (including environment, agro-food). At the same time, he is involved in custom projects such as strategic marketing, technology scouting, and technology evaluation to help academic and industrial players in their innovation processes. Thanks to his technology and market expertise, Clerc has spoken in more than 20 industry conferences worldwide over the last four years. Clerc holds a master’s degree in Biomedical Technologies and a master’s degree in Innovation and Technology Management, both from Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP - Grenoble, France).

SEMI is pleased to welcome Singapore-based UTAC Holdings Ltd., formed nearly 50 years ago, as a new member. UTAC is a leading independent provider of assembly and test services for a broad range of semiconductor chips, offering a full range of semiconductor assembly and test services across analog, mixed-signal and logic, and memory. Its customers are primarily fabless companies, integrated device manufacturers and wafer foundries. The company has production facilities in Singapore, Thailand, China, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as sales offices in five regions: the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, the rest of Asia and Europe.I recently spoke with Dr. Nathapong Suthiwongsunthorn, Vice President and General Manager of UTAC Thailand, about UTAC’s smart manufacturing advances, the company’s role in the semiconductor industry’s transformation, and the industry outlook for Thailand over the next year.Ng: How does UTAC Thailand complement your other facilities?Dr. Nathapong: As one of the world’s largest producers of quad-flat-no-leads (QFN), UTAC Thailand has significant capability in assembly and test of advanced leadframe products including power products such as Cu Clip packages as well as MEMS products. We also serve top global IDMs and have the largest share of assembly and test for the automotive market among all UTAC operations. UTAC’s other facilities have expertise in wafer-level packages and system-in-a-package and serves the communication and consumer market not only for IDMs but also for the fabless and foundry companies. The Thailand factory nicely complements the other UTAC facilities both from the standpoint of operational and marketing diversity. Ng: UTAC Holdings Ltd. announced in August this year that it has completed its sale to Wise Road Capital, a global private equity firm. Will this in any way change the operation and business strategy of UTAC Thailand?Dr. Nathapong: I don’t believe it will change the way we operate. However, the acquisition is very positive for us from a financial perspective. With the benefit of significantly reduced debt and interest expenses, we will be able to expand our business to grow with and hopefully beyond the semiconductor market. Ng: To what extent has UTAC adopted smart manufacturing?Dr. Nathapong: UTAC Thailand is leading the way in terms of automation, smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 with our in-house automation team and unique expertise. For example, we have built our own inspection equipment that is much faster and cheaper than what is commercially available. We also working on many programs such as mobile robot, AGV, auto inspection and office automation to help drive greater production efficiency. We are replicating our manufacturing advances and fanning them out to other UTAC facilities.UTAC Thailand Ng: What are some of the challenges you face in pushing for the industrial transformation in Thailand?Dr. Nathapong: I think the key challenge is to find skilled engineers who can perform hardware- and software-related tasks critical to the industrial transformation. But frankly, we have done a good job in managing this challenge by hiring very smart people, providing them with the required in-house training, and using outside training for new recruits as necessary. We have developed partnerships with capable vendors in this regard as well.Ng: What are the key differentiating elements (e.g. talent, tax, technology, trade, EHS) in Thailand that have been instrumental in supporting the E E ecosystem?Dr. Nathapong: There are two key differentiating elements for us. Firstly, UTAC has been around for over 47 years and is very well-established in Thailand with a positive reputation as an employer. This makes hiring talented people relatively easy. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the nature of the Thai people and also the benefits the company provides make it relatively painless to retain key employees. I also believe that we have a significant number of engineers available in Thailand. Finally, labour costs in Thailand are still very reasonable and stable. So we are able to acquire talent at a very competitive rate compared to other countries. Ng: What is the industry outlook for E E industry in Thailand over the next year?Dr. Nathapong: Surprisingly, the current sad predicament of COVID-19 has shown no negative impact for the global semiconductor industry – people seem to be buying more electronics with the lockdown. Our outlook for the Thailand’s E E industry is similarly very positive. Most semiconductor companies including UTAC see significant growth this year and I hope it will continue.Ng: With the recent semiconductor geopolitical and trade tensions, are more customers moving their business to Thailand?Dr. Nathapong: I believe so. We do see some of our key customers move manufacturing out of China and into Thailand. The relocations help them offset or avoid any potential fallout from current geopolitical tensions.Ng: In what areas do you think SEMI Southeast Asia can play a role to help our members companies in Thailand like UTAC?Dr. Nathapong: The semiconductor industry has been in Thailand for a long time. In fact, UTAC Thailand is 47 years old this year! However, I feel that Thailand never really worked with a strong establishment organization like SEMI that can connect various companies together to help drive innovation. I think SEMI Southeast Asia can truly help Thailand to move up to the next level of providing semiconductor solutions globally. We welcome SEMI Southeast Asia’s help in this regard.About Dr. Nathapong SuthiwongsunthornDr. Nathapong Suthiwongsunthorn joined UTAC in 2009 and is currently General Manager of UTAC Thailand, UTAC’s largest operation site. Before taking over the management of Thailand operations, he was Vice President of Research and Development, running UTAC’s global R D group. Dr. Nathapong has more than 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. He holds more than 40 international patents and publications in wafer-level and advanced packaging.Prior to joining UTAC, Dr. Nathapong held several key leadership positions in research and development at Schott, STATS ChipPAC and Infineon. Dr. Nathapong has a Ph.D. in Electronics Engineering from Oxford Brookes University, England.Bee Bee Ng is president of SEMI Southeast Asia.

Europe is facing an acute shortage of skilled microelectronics workers that undermines the growth potential of not only the electronics industry but the European economy as a whole. Nearly 1.1 million job advertisements for electro-engineering workers were placed in the EU between mid-2018 and the end of 2019 (CEDEFOP, 2020). The shortfall looms large as a skilled and diverse workforce that can continuously innovate is the oxygen of microelectronics. In light of the critical importance of microelectronics to Europe’s ability to fulfill its growth potential, SEMI Europe participated in the high-level roundtable hosted by Commissioner Nicolas Schmit and Commissioner Thierry Breton on October 5. The discussion’s key takeaway: The skills challenge facing the microelectronics industry is too complex for one organization to tackle, and reskilling and upskilling its workforce should be a common priority for Europe. Only with a diverse, substantial and skilled microelectronics workforce can Europe achieve its R D, design and manufacturing ambitions while ensuring its sovereignty in the digital age. The roundtable highlighted the EU Pact for Skills as a key means to narrow the industry’s skills gap.An ever-growing part of our lives, microelectronics, with their ability to run billions of computations per second and store vast quantities of data, are the brains of modern technology. The digital sovereignty of nations around the world today relies on advanced microprocessors to collect, transfer, analyze and store immense amounts of data used in key end-user sectors such as mobility, telecommunications, energy, security and healthcare. Information and communication technologies (ICT) enabled by microelectronics are helping much of the world’s population to work and study from home and remain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the Smarter2030 Report, further deployment of ICT, including electronic components in critical sectors such as transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, construction and energy, could eliminate the equivalent of 12.1 billion tons of CO2 per year globally. These are some of the reasons why nations worldwide are making large-scale investments to advance a homegrown microelectronics R D, design and manufacturing base. It is no surprise, then, that semiconductors are now at the center of the so-called global techno-trade wars.Clearly, Europe urgently needs to mobilize and pool resources to develop effective lifelong learning programs for all workers and continue investing in microelectronics innovation. We need to instill the passion for creating technology among current and future workforce, in particular women and people with challenged backgrounds, and build a highly diverse talent pool. Working together, we can better demonstrate how computing technologies, including quantum, high-performance and edge AI, provide solutions to grand societal challenges and attract talented people to the fascinating world of electronic components and systems.Against this backdrop, the microelectronics industry finds the Pact for Skills very timely and crucial to advancing the talent pool underpinning Europe’s deep digital ecosystem. The Pact will play an instrumental role in improving the scope and the quality of training partnerships at regional, national and European levels, sharing best practices and helping the microelectronics industry and workforce adapt to the effects of COVID-19.The microelectronics industry is committed to building on the momentum created by the METIS Erasmus+ collaborative project and to mobilizing our ecosystem and education partners for a successful Pact for Skills in Microelectronics starting this year.The High-Level Roundtable: Skills for Microelectronics was hosted by Commissioner Thierry Breton and Commissioner Nicolas Schmit. Participants included Paul Boudre, CEO, SOITEC; Lars Reger, CEO Germany and CTO, NXP; Frits van Hout, Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer, ASML; Françoise Chombar, CEO, Melexis; Emmanuel Sabonnadiere, CEO, CEA-Leti; Luc Van den hove, President and CEO, imec; Sabine Nietzsche, Board member, Silicon Saxony and Vice President, GlobalFoundries; Laith Altimime, President, SEMI Europe (coordinator of METIS); Yolande Berbers, President, European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI); James Calleja, President, European Forum for Technical Vocational Education and Training (EFVET); Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).Emir Demircan is director of Advocacy and Public Policy at SEMI Europe. To learn more about SEMI Europe advocacy, contact Emir at [email protected].