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1.SEMI: three quarterly global Semiconductor equipment shipments updated quarterly record;
Set of micro-network news, SEMI released the third quarter of 2017 global semiconductor equipment shipments amounted to $14.3 billion.
Semi Taiwan District, president of Cao Shi Lun, said global equipment shipments amounted to $14.3 billion in the third quarter of 2017, surpassing the quarterly highs of the previous quarter, and again refreshing the quarterly shipments record. Global semiconductor shipments grew 2% in the third quarter of this year, up 30% from a year earlier.
Growth rates have been mixed in the latest quarter, with the strongest growth in Europe. In terms of annual shipments, South Korea, Taiwan and China remain at the top three major semiconductor equipment markets in the world. The above data are compiled by SEMI and the Japan Semiconductor Equipment Industry Association (Semiconductor Equipment Association, SEAJ) to collect statistical results from the monthly data of more than 95 semiconductor equipment companies worldwide.
Global Semiconductor Equipment Market report (EMDS)
The Semiconductor Equipment Market report (Equipment Market data Subscription, EMDS), published by Semi, includes a wealth of data on the global semiconductor equipment market, containing three reports: monthly orders for semiconductor equipment Shipments report (Book-to-bill Report), monthly publication of the global semiconductor Equipment Market Statistics report (Worldwide Semiconductor equipment Market Statistics, Wwsems), Provides a total of 24 market-specific orders and shipments of semiconductor equipment in 7 major regions, as well as a forecast report on semiconductor equipment capital expenditure (SEMI semiconductor equipment Consensus Forecast) to provide a vision of the semiconductor equipment market.
2. Samsung to increase the focus of the DRAM, NAND next year to continue to flourish?
Next year NAND Flash is a rise is a fall, more empty fierce debate. Morgan Stanley, who sang the report of the NAND Flash, opened the first shot. Now, IHS Markit is also following up, predicting that NAND will supply a glut next year. But the U.S. Department of Foreign Lipaizhongyi, shouting all the wrong look, next year, NAND supply will continue to tighten.
Korean media businesskorea 5th (see article), IHS Markit reported that next year, global NAND flash supply will increase 39.6% to 244.1 billion GB. Samsung Electronics will take the lead in increasing production, and the supply is expected to increase 39% to 87.9 billion GB. At the same time, global NAND demand increased by 36.7% to 242.4 billion GB next year, supply exceeds demand 1.7 billion GB, oversupply ratio is about 0.7%.
Despite the NAND turn, DRAM prices are still booming, industry insiders say, Samsung may reduce production NAND, increase DRAM. The U.S. Department of Foreign Investment echoed this view, speculated that the second floor of the Samsung Ping Ze factory line, may be from production NAND to production DRAM. If so, the foreign investment estimates that next year's NAND supply will be short of 0.7%, the demand for the third year, the Four Seasons more serious, will be short of 2%, 3.2%, tight situation for the fourth quarter since last year.
Some observers say another factor that could affect output is the technical issue of process switching, which may make production less than expected. Technological difficulties have been increasing, and over the past six and seven years, the size of the industry has remained largely unchanged, but the growth in output has halved. With the Samsung and SK Sea Rexroth into 3D NAND, the result may be mixed, compression growth.
XQ Global winner System quotes show, Taipei time 5th 9:36 A.M., Samsung Electronics Lower 0.74%, reported 2,548,000 Korean won. SK Sea Guinness fell 1.01%, reported 78,300 Korean won.
Prior to this, another Korean media also said that Samsung, the second floor of the factory is mainly used to produce DRAM, but warned that this may allow DRAM oversupply.
Korean media etnews 4th reported that Samsung flat Ze factory semiconductor plant, a total of two floors. The first floor with restaurants and offices, and so on, the remaining space is less, only 100,000 sets of chips per month. Second floor space more, can produce 200,000 sets of chips per month. The second floor is divided into two wings, East Wing is scheduled to produce 70,000 sets of 3D NAND Flash and 30,000 sets of DRAM, West Wing is scheduled to produce 100,000 groups of DRAM, Samsung should soon be under the single purchase DRAM equipment.
If Samsung accelerates its investment and decides to use more of the second floor for DRAM production, the report says, DRAM may supply a glut and prices will fall. Industry insiders say, the memory price depends on Samsung investment speed; Not only that, Samsung's XI ' an plant may also invest in production (NAND flash), expected to start at the end of 2018 or 2019. Solid News
3.wd:5g and AI applications drive 3D NAND fast development;
The number of data, the speed, the kind and the value, continues to grow and evolve over large numbers (big data), fast data, and personal data, and many consumers around the world will experience this wave of data convergence through smartphones. In the face of such demand, Western Digital also launched the Inand Embedded Flash memory (EFDS) product line, enabling smartphone users to enjoy today's data-driven applications and experiences.
WD Embedded and integrated solutions action and operations product line Market Management Director Baojihong
The new Inand 8521 and Inand 7550 embedded flash memory, using Western Digital 64 layer 3D NAND technology and UFS and E.MMC interface technology, to provide data efficiency and storage capacity. For smartphones and lightweight computing devices, these two products can accelerate the application of data-centric applications, including augmented Reality (AR), high resolution video capture, rich social media experience, and the recently rising AI (AI) and IoT (IoT) "Marginal" (edge) experience.
WD Embedded and integrated solutions action and operations product line marketing director Baojihong points out that, in addition to the 360-degree film and multiple-lens cameras, action applications are beginning to use artificial intelligence technology to provide a better experience, driving the essence of smartphones ' data-centric to a whole new realm. WD's Inand solution provides the most suitable data environment for today's intensive operational applications and experiences, and supports its vigorous development. Combined with Western Digital's X3 3D NAND technology and a comprehensive upgrade of SMARTSLC technology with application-aware (Application-aware), it provides a more intelligent Inand device for users.
Inand 8521 shows 5G network performance for flagship action device design
The Inand 8521 embedded Flash is designed for users with a strong demand for data applications, using the UFS 2.1 interface and the Western Digital's newest fifth generation SMARTSLC technology, compared to the inand 7232 embedded Flash drive launched by the previous generation for flagship smartphones. The maximum sequential write speed is twice times, and the random write speed is up to 10 times times. Inand 8521 embedded Flash data transfer speeds enable mobile users to take advantage of the latest Wi-Fi speeds and can use network enhancement technologies when providing a 5G network for a telecommunications service provider.
Inand 7550 is designed for mainstream smartphones
The Inand 7550 embedded flash allows mobile device manufacturers to produce cost-effective smartphones and operational devices that provide ample storage space to meet consumers ' growing data needs while providing a fast application experience. It adopts E. MMC 5.1 specification, continuous write performance highest $number MB/s, random read-write performance is 20K ioPS and 15K IOPS3, let Inand 7550 to enhance boot and application opening time. Ctimes
4. Pan Jiancheng: Next year 3D NAND into the 96-tier group is ready;
This year, the global NAND flash industry successfully converted to the 64/72-tier 3D NAND specification, with the process conversion completed, the global shortage problem also gradually eased, group chairman Pan Jiancheng pointed out that at the end of 2018 will enter the 96-tier 3D NAND technology generation, drive a single chip capacity to upgrade to 256gb/ 512GB, SSD control chip technology is also fully upgraded to a new level, the group of key technology has been ready, showing a ready-made posture! This year's NAND flash industry by technology conversion is not smooth, data center for storage capacity of the rapid rise in demand, leading to the imbalance in the supply and demand, chip prices have been high, but such a situation stay too long, resulting in the end product demand is suppressed, not a healthy industrial phenomenon. Pan Jiancheng pointed out that the NAND Flash industry's supply and demand situation in the past two quarters has gradually become more balanced, is expected to drive 2018 years of solid State hard disk (SSD) Mainstream specifications capacity to further improve, because the chip price is not high, SSDs mainstream specifications have been stuck in 128GB, The future is expected to climb further. The industry also believes that the Lok see NAND flash supply and demand after the ease, so that the high price of SSDs to restore the reasonable water level, can lead to buy gas warming, on the one hand, the market, on the other hand for higher storage capacity of the product paving, the entire NAND flash industry gradually into a positive cycle, Pan Jian to point out a 2018-year 3D NAND industry another trend, that is, the end of 2018 will enter the 96-tier 3D NAND technology generation, with the upgrading of technology level, but also drive a single chip capacity to pull up to 256GB/512GB, at the same time, SSD control chip technology must be fully prepared! Pan Jian into further analysis, the technical blueprint of the integrated SSD control chip is the evolution of the NAND flash technology process, all the 2018 related new products are now ready, including the core processing optimizer, error-correcting capability technology upgrade, multi-channel high-speed architecture, And to reduce the current low power design, of course, is essential to the higher capacity of storage technology planning. High-volume NAND flash storage technology, for the electronic competitive notebook computer players is a necessary requirement. In this market area, the mainland is the focus of contest, the group in the mainland market and Shadow Technology (GALAXY Microsystems) formed a strategic alliance, the film into the electric competition business time has been up to 9 years, but also feel that the power of the competition to increase the demand for SSDs high efficiency, and talk about the effectiveness of the issue, SSD control chips play a key role! The PS3112/PS5012 series of high-end SSD control chip product line, also selected in the electric race events ' 2017 Nineth session of the ride competition Carnival official appearance. 2017 's ' Ninth Ride competition Carnival ' is a grand hold in Wuhan Optics Valley, attracting more than thousands of players, live games is to attract the vast number of users on the mainland. In the meeting, Pan Jian became chairman of the NAND Flash industry's technical development blueprint analysis, the group Association has PS3112 and PS5012 series of products in the next quarter official debut, will be the world's fastest, largest capacity of the consumption of SSD control chip, Featuring SATA-compliant ps3112-s12, as well as PCI g3x4 specifications Ps5012-e12, these two new products are expected to start sales in the 1th quarter of 2018, with 3D NAND chips with a maximum capacity of up to 8TB, It is entirely tailored for the high capacity memory of the competing players. Digitimes
5. Who will dominate the future of MEMS? Paper or plastic?
MEMS is one of the fastest growing technologies in the semiconductor field in recent years, so how to predict the future of MEMS accurately? a.m. Fitzgerald and Associates LLC founder Alissa Fitzgerald shares an optimistic view of the future development of MEMS and predicts advanced technologies that will change the rules of the game ...
In the International Semiconductor Industry Association (SEMI), the micro-electro-mechanical System (MEMS) technology has grown fastest in the semiconductor field in recent years, so how to predict the future of MEMS accurately? After understanding the history of MEMS components and consulting 500 of the most innovative academic papers on MEMS, the MEMS Design and Development Corporation a.m. Fitzgerald and Associates LLC founder Alissa Fitzgerald at this year's MEMS and Sensor Summit (MEMS and Sensors Executive Congress) Share the optimism and forecasts for the future development of MEMS in the speech.
Fitzgerald believes that ' the next $1 billion product is lurking in the university research literature. The 2017-year academic paper reveals the latest advances in passive and nearly 0 power consumption (near-zero) sensors, as well as paper-and plastic-based alternatives to expensive silicon-based schemes as consumer applications and special products for one-off use.
a.m. Fitzgerald for the future development of MEMS, they are committed to applying innovative academic and entrepreneurial ideas to small MEMS fab and benefiting from it, just as the rogue Valley of Silicon (SOI) wafers on commercially silicon and insulating layers using Soitec Microdevices (RVM) company.
Fitzgerald spoke about the historical origins of MEMS technology, which dates back to the development of the 1980 acid etching three-dimensional (3D) force sensor, which led Kurt Petersen to invent a pressure sensor based on the bulk silicon micromachining technology. The pressure sensor finally realized the inkjet nozzle, and prompted the appearance of digital optical processing (DLP) MEMS, and soon there was the first manufacturer to use accelerometers from the ADI trigger airbag, which is more rapid than the traditional tube-ball mechanical trip network technology.
' Since then, Bosch's deep reactive ion etching (DRI) process has opened up a new era in which the world's first MEMS gyroscope has been realized. The thin Film Body acoustic resonators (FBAR), as well as the wide use of MEMS piezoelectric and AlN (AlN) films, have also spawned the various MEMS components we have today. '
Another important invention, Fitzgerald says, is ' precisely aligned eutectic bonding (eutectic bonding), which enables InvenSense to connect its ASIC wafer to a MEMS chip for automatic sealing, thus eliminating the need for additional capping steps. '
According to Fitzgerald, early, Adi and Bosch and other major enterprises to meet more than 50% of the market demand, the remaining 400 small companies to carve out the rest of the market. But with the popularity of smartphones, the huge consumer market has made these 400 small companies the main force in the market.
So where does all this consumer market ideas come from? Fitzgerald believes that, to a large extent, traceable to academia, they ' foster creativity in university Laboratories ' as a solution to finding problems. Fitzgerald and other institutions have put the ideas of academics into design and developed into marketable products that provide momentum for today's global trillion-dollar consumer market.
Looking ahead, and then deep, find out what University Labs are doing in the process. "After consulting the top 500 papers in 2017, we screened it commercially, and some technologies are expected to change the global rules of the game," Fitzgerald said in a speech. '
Future mems--paper or plastic?
According to Fitzgerald, the first batch of techniques that will rewrite the rules of the game will come from a new use of the Fbar harmonic surface wave (SAW) sensor.
At present, Fbar and saw technology are mainly used in RF (RF) filters. Fitzgerald said: ' According to the literature, they can also be used to produce passive sensors without batteries; This battery-free sensor can still wake up the processor when it reaches a specific parameter. ' In addition, the sensor can also provide highly accurate extreme temperature detection, can also play a role in the pressure limit, and can even detect specific gases.
She said: ' These passive sensors are ideal for harsh environments where you can't or can't replace batteries; They also offer high performance with 0 standby power consumption. '
After further study of the 2017-year-old MEMS literature, she also found nearly 0 power consumption components, sometimes referred to as ' event-driven ' sensors. They are similar to passive components, but use very small μa-level currents that consume less than 1pW in standby mode. When they perceive that a particular event occurs, the application processor is awakened and triggered by itself.
Fitzgerald, for example, said: ' The Northeastern University of the United States (northeastern University) has proven that nearly 0 of the power-consumption infrared (IR) sensors can be used for wavelength-sensitive functions, as well as to wake up the IoT (IoT) device or the processor in the security Monitor. Even if they are applied to large arrays, they can still use small energy capture technology as a standby power supply. '
Nowadays, many new MEMS components use piezoelectric materials not only for energy acquisition but also for wide range (Wide-range) miniature loudspeakers, magnetometer and even transformers, which do not require efficient but expensive DRI processes.
Fitzgerald said: ' The consumer market is ripe for low-cost devices and IoT, because it can be used for one time through mass production. '
At the same time, MEMS researchers are working on ways to replace expensive silicon crystals. Fitzgerald said that in 2004, 90% of the world's MEMS components were made of massive silicon or silicon substrate surface; However, half of the next generation components described in the literature are plastic or even paper substrates.
"Paper-based technology is increasingly replacing a $ billions of expensive silicon wafer plant, especially for disposable applications that typically require less than 1 cents of sensors," she said. ' A component based on plastic or paper substrates is not as fast or accurate as a silicon-based component, but its performance is sufficient to meet a short or often changing consumer product, and disposable application requirements.
For example, paper sensors can be used to detect specific types of bacteria. These components can reduce the need for various antibiotics, especially since many antibiotics may cause the evolution of superbugs. Similarly, paper food packaging can be embedded in paper-based components, informing consumers that food is actually deteriorating to replace today's imprecise ' expiry ' stamps.
Fitzgerald said: ' It is expected that after 2020, people will see a series of piezoelectric event-driven new sensors; And by the year 2030, we'll see a big growth in paper and plastic sensors. '
She says the cmos+ sensor design for the built-in readings still requires silicon. But, ' as research on silicon technology slows down and favors cheaper paper components, there is a risk of a stagnant silicon-crystalline technology. '
(Reference text: Paper or Plastic?) Both is in MEMS "Future, by R. Colin Johnson" Eettaiwan
6.iPhone x Accelerated 3D Sensing applications, Soitec launches new generation of dedicated SOI substrates
According to Yole's recently released 3D imaging and Sensing-2017 report, 3D imaging and sensor parts were commercially developed in 2016, with a market size of over $1.3 billion. The recent success of the iphone x has shown an accelerating trend, with a large number of 3D imaging and sensing products expected to be available in mobile and computing areas in 2018. In the next five years, the combined annual growth rate of the 3D imaging and sensor markets is expected to reach 37.7%, with a market size of $9 billion in 2022.
Yole's wholly owned subsidiary, System Plus Consulting, recently revealed that the 3D sensing truedepth module in the iphone x, where the near-infrared (NIR) image sensor uses the Soi wafer of Soitec, and the SOI Wafer is improving the Italian semiconductor (STMicroelectronics) The development of near-infrared image sensor has played a key role in the sensitivity. Using the near-infrared image sensor of the Italian semiconductor, which symbolizes the beginning of soi's large-scale production of image sensors, Apple will bring huge market opportunities for Soitec and other soi wafer manufacturers.
Soitec recently launched a groundbreaking new generation of Soi (Silicon-on-insulator, insulator silicon) substrate, the product is its Imager-soi product line of the latest generation of products, designed for advanced 3D image sensors, such as front-end near-infrared image sensing applications and design.
Soitec has now been able to massively deliver this mature soi wafer to meet the growing 3D sensing and imaging needs of customers in AR/VR (Augmented reality/virtual reality), face recognition security systems, advanced human-computer interaction and other emerging applications. The new soi substrate of the Soitec company can easily extend the high-resolution operating range of the silicon CMOS image sensor to the near infrared band. This optimized soi substrate greatly improves the signal-to-noise ratio of the image sensor in near-infrared band.
' Our newest Imager-soi substrate represents a major new achievement in the Soi field, a sensible choice to effectively improve the sensing performance of near-infrared bands and will accelerate the growth of new applications in the growing 3D imaging and sensing market, ' "Using our advanced proprietary technology and extensive manufacturing experience in the transfer of ultra-thin materials, we can implement innovative sensor designs on soi," said Christophe Maleville, executive vice president of Soitec's Digital electronics division. '
Soitec has mastered the smart cut technology to produce the world's best soi wafer technical strength, the international other soi wafer suppliers such as SunEdison (MEMC) and Japan letter Seh, but also benefited from Soitec smart cut technology licensing.
The Smart cut technology is jointly developed by Soitec and Cea-leti (the French Atomic Energy Commission electronics and Information Technology Laboratory, one of the world's most important microelectronics research laboratories). Soitec enabled the technology to successfully realize commercial mass production. Now, the technology is tightly protected by more than 3,000 patents owned by Soitec. Today, most of the industry's leading SOI wafers for chip fabrication are made by the wafer suppliers using smart cut technology.