EL SEGUNDO, USA: International Rectifier (IR) introduced the IRS2526DS ‘Mini8’ compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) ballast control IC that offers full programmability, and a high degree of accuracy and control for all lamp types. Available in an 8-pin SO-8 package, the new feature-rich IC reduces component count, simplifies circuit design and increases efficiency in a compact footprint.
The IRS2526DS features a 600 V half-bridge control circuit working at 50 percent duty-cycle and variable frequency for driving the resonant mode lamp output circuit. The high accuracy oscillator is controlled by a single analog-to-frequency input pin used to set the different operating frequencies of the ballast. Complete fault protection circuitry is also included for protection against such conditions as mains interrupt or brown-out, lamp non-strike, lamp filament failure and end-of-life. The new device also incorporates an internal frequency dither to reduce conducted EMI, ignition control to reduce inductor size, and end-of-life detection.
“The IRS2526DS IC differs greatly from alternative approaches because it packs additional features and functionality not found in other solutions in an 8 pin package. It is very easy to use and enables customers to significantly speed up their design time to develop a highly efficient electronic ballast lighting solution,” said Tom Ribarich, IR’s director, Lighting Systems and Applications, Energy Saving Products Business Unit.
The IRS2526DS is the third generation ballast IC from IR and utilizes the proven technology also featured in the previously released IRS2580DS ‘Combo8’ that combines a full featured fluorescent ballast with power factor correction (PFC) controller in a compact 8-pin package. The new IRS2526DS is targeted at applications that do not require PFC or utilize an external PFC controller.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Semtech accelerates time to market of mixed signal FPGA and ASIC RF designs with model-based design
NATICK, USA: MathWorks announced Semtech Corp. used MATLAB and Simulink products to reduce development time of optimized digital receivers in wireless RF devices. Semtech, a leading supplier of high-quality analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, adopted Model-Based Design tools to create FPGA prototypes 50 percent faster than before, reduce verification time from weeks to days and shorten development time by 33 percent.
A Simulink model based on system specifications helped engineers rapidly evaluate design ideas and improved collaboration among engineering teams. Simulink and Simulink HDL Coder enabled engineers to create prototypes in a few weeks and eliminate hand-coding. Using EDA Simulator Link, Semtech engineers reused the Simulink system model to test multiple critical points in the design, verify the VHDL in less than a day, and reduce overall verification time from weeks to days.
“We were tasked with the challenges of accelerating the development time for a digital receiver and finding a way to improve our development workflow. MathWorks tools enabled us to explore more alternatives and new features, and ultimately deliver a more optimized, better performing design,” said Frantz Prianon, IC design engineer at Semtech.
“With Simulink and Simulink HDL Coder, once we have simulated the model we can generate VHDL directly, prototype on an FPGA, and fully verify the VHDL implementation. It saves a lot of time, and the generated code contains some optimizations we hadn’t thought of.”
“Semtech represents the leading edge of semiconductor companies that are transitioning to new methodologies for highly integrated mixed-signal devices. With Simulink and Model-Based Design, Semtech was able to evaluate multiple design ideas at the prototyping stage and eliminate bottlenecks in their development workflows,” said Ken Karnofsky, senior strategist for signal processing applications, MathWorks. “Further, automatic HDL code generation with Simulink HDL Coder allowed Semtech to eliminate coding errors and quickly create a working FPGA prototype.”
Signal Processing Toolbox, DSP System Toolbox, Fixed-Point Toolbox and Simulink Fixed-Point all helped further accelerate the development of the digital receiver. Model-Based Design has enabled Semtech to transition to a fully digital platform, advance digital and mixed-signal designs, and reduce power consumption while supporting design-flow integration with other products such as Mentor Graphics Questa Advanced Simulator. Semtech is currently working on an ASIC implementation of the receiver.
A Simulink model based on system specifications helped engineers rapidly evaluate design ideas and improved collaboration among engineering teams. Simulink and Simulink HDL Coder enabled engineers to create prototypes in a few weeks and eliminate hand-coding. Using EDA Simulator Link, Semtech engineers reused the Simulink system model to test multiple critical points in the design, verify the VHDL in less than a day, and reduce overall verification time from weeks to days.
“We were tasked with the challenges of accelerating the development time for a digital receiver and finding a way to improve our development workflow. MathWorks tools enabled us to explore more alternatives and new features, and ultimately deliver a more optimized, better performing design,” said Frantz Prianon, IC design engineer at Semtech.
“With Simulink and Simulink HDL Coder, once we have simulated the model we can generate VHDL directly, prototype on an FPGA, and fully verify the VHDL implementation. It saves a lot of time, and the generated code contains some optimizations we hadn’t thought of.”
“Semtech represents the leading edge of semiconductor companies that are transitioning to new methodologies for highly integrated mixed-signal devices. With Simulink and Model-Based Design, Semtech was able to evaluate multiple design ideas at the prototyping stage and eliminate bottlenecks in their development workflows,” said Ken Karnofsky, senior strategist for signal processing applications, MathWorks. “Further, automatic HDL code generation with Simulink HDL Coder allowed Semtech to eliminate coding errors and quickly create a working FPGA prototype.”
Signal Processing Toolbox, DSP System Toolbox, Fixed-Point Toolbox and Simulink Fixed-Point all helped further accelerate the development of the digital receiver. Model-Based Design has enabled Semtech to transition to a fully digital platform, advance digital and mixed-signal designs, and reduce power consumption while supporting design-flow integration with other products such as Mentor Graphics Questa Advanced Simulator. Semtech is currently working on an ASIC implementation of the receiver.
International symposia on EUV lithography and lithographic extensions
MIAMI, USA: As reported at the 2011 International Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL) and Lithography Extensions (LE) Symposia, Oct. 17-21 in Miami, FL, SEMATECH engineers and the industry at large continue to evolve the infrastructure that will enable lithography for cost-effective manufacturing. This year’s EUVL symposium was co-organized by SEMATECH in cooperation with EIDEC and IMEC; the Lithography Extensions Symposium was held in cooperation with IMEC.
The week-long duo of lithography events attracted a record-breaking attendance of over 550 top experts and researchers discussing progress on extending current technologies while building the infrastructure for future solutions. A combined set of 86 technical papers and 79 posters reported steady, measured progress in many key areas. Presenters additionally highlighted various technology, infrastructure, and business challenges that the industry needs to address to successfully insert EUVL into manufacturing at the 22 nm half-pitch node.
Progress reported at the EUVL symposium included EUV scanners being shipped over the past year and pilot lines being ramped-up to enable first product use on critical layers as early as 2013. With chip manufacturers integrating EUVL technology into their fabs, the industry is now focused on resolving the remaining challenges to EUVL high volume manufacturing. This was evident from the paper and poster topics, the majority of which were related to manufacturing introduction and addressing remaining engineering challenges:
The EUVL symposium plenary address “Transform Designs to Chips with Sub-20nm Technologies” by Joshua Li of NVIDIA highlighted the design-driven challenges for lithography technologies to meet fabless company device performance and cost targets for sub-20 nm manufacturing.
The EUVL symposium keynote address “EUV Readiness and ASML NXE3100 Performance” by Han-Ku Cho of Samsung assessed the pilot line readiness of EUV lithography and outlined the time-table and performance requirements needed to introduce the technology into high volume manufacturing (HVM) for DRAM products in 2013.
Blank and mask makers continue to reduce mask defects, and IC makers including GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Intel, Toshiba, and TSMC are demonstrating progress in developing defect avoidance and mitigation strategies that will allow them to use masks with a few residual defects. Current mask defect levels are soon expected to support DRAM for pilot line operation, while lower mask defect levels are required to meet logic/foundry requirements.
Over the past year, the industry has put programs in place that will close the infrastructure gaps for EUV blank/mask inspection and defect review by 2014/15; most notably is the development of an AIMS tool led by SEMATECH through the EUV Mask Infrastructure partnership.
Several chemically amplified resist (CAR) materials achieving sub-20 nm resolutions were demonstrated by researchers from the member companies in SEMATECH’s Resist Program. A 15 nm half-pitch resolving CAR was exposed on SEMATECH’s microexposure tool (MET) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory by JSR, and a nanoparticle resist material developed in a SEMATECH research program with Cornell University has demonstrated mid-20 nm half-pitch resolution at excellent photosensitivity on SEMATECH’s MET in Albany, NY.
SEMATECH researchers and research partners highlighted the key role the consortium has played in achieving significant advances in the fundamental understanding and reduction of mask blank defects in mask manufacturing and use as well as in achieving breakthroughs in EUV resist materials development.
Emily Gallagher of IBM won the best paper award for her presentation on EUV mask readiness, “EUV Masks: Ready or Not?” The best poster award winner was Hyung-Cheol Lee et al., from Hanyang University for their work on “Realistic Thermal Effect of Extreme Ultraviolet Pellicle.”
Lastly, the EUVL Symposium Steering Committee identified three remaining focus areas that the industry must work on to enable EUVL manufacturing insertion:
1. Long-term reliable source operation with 200 W at intermediate focus
2. Mask yield and defect inspection/review infrastructure
3. Simultaneous achievement of resist resolution, sensitivity, and LER
The Lithography Extensions Symposium included innovative patterning techniques that have the potential to cost-effectively extend resolution capabilities.
Key highlights include the following:
Directed self-assembly (DSA) is making significant progress towards potential commercial application in semiconductor manufacturing. A variety of techniques including chemo-epitaxy, graphoepitaxy, and spin-on spacer, have been demonstrated as potential DSA-based patterning approaches. Many resist and chemical suppliers, including AZ, JSR, and DOW, have active development activities both internally and with research partners.
IBM reported on the application of DSA to improve the patterning capability of existing lithography systems through contact hole rectification. Initial defectivity assessments indicate that the current measured defectivity is similar to what was initially seen during the development of immersion lithography.
Best paper award winner Cliff Henderson of Georgia Tech highlighted significant progress toward developing of a mesoscale model to accurately predict material interactions, which is needed to identify materials for DSA applications. Such predictive models will help design more effective DSA systems without time-consuming experimentation.
Matt Malloy of SEMATECH’s Nanoimprint program summarized achievements over the past 3 years, including demonstrating an overlay capability of 15 nm and imprint process defectivity of <0.1 def/cm2. This highlights the potential for achieving defect levels commensurate with manufacturing requirements.
The 2011 International EUVL and Lithography Extensions Symposia are central elements of the SEMATECH Knowledge Series – a set of public, single-focused industry meetings designed to increase global knowledge in key areas of semiconductor R&D – and represent a great success in the history of SEMATECH-sponsored conferences as these technologies have evolved from tabletop experiments to fully adopted high volume manufacturing over the past half dozen years.
The week-long duo of lithography events attracted a record-breaking attendance of over 550 top experts and researchers discussing progress on extending current technologies while building the infrastructure for future solutions. A combined set of 86 technical papers and 79 posters reported steady, measured progress in many key areas. Presenters additionally highlighted various technology, infrastructure, and business challenges that the industry needs to address to successfully insert EUVL into manufacturing at the 22 nm half-pitch node.
Progress reported at the EUVL symposium included EUV scanners being shipped over the past year and pilot lines being ramped-up to enable first product use on critical layers as early as 2013. With chip manufacturers integrating EUVL technology into their fabs, the industry is now focused on resolving the remaining challenges to EUVL high volume manufacturing. This was evident from the paper and poster topics, the majority of which were related to manufacturing introduction and addressing remaining engineering challenges:
The EUVL symposium plenary address “Transform Designs to Chips with Sub-20nm Technologies” by Joshua Li of NVIDIA highlighted the design-driven challenges for lithography technologies to meet fabless company device performance and cost targets for sub-20 nm manufacturing.
The EUVL symposium keynote address “EUV Readiness and ASML NXE3100 Performance” by Han-Ku Cho of Samsung assessed the pilot line readiness of EUV lithography and outlined the time-table and performance requirements needed to introduce the technology into high volume manufacturing (HVM) for DRAM products in 2013.
Blank and mask makers continue to reduce mask defects, and IC makers including GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM, Intel, Toshiba, and TSMC are demonstrating progress in developing defect avoidance and mitigation strategies that will allow them to use masks with a few residual defects. Current mask defect levels are soon expected to support DRAM for pilot line operation, while lower mask defect levels are required to meet logic/foundry requirements.
Over the past year, the industry has put programs in place that will close the infrastructure gaps for EUV blank/mask inspection and defect review by 2014/15; most notably is the development of an AIMS tool led by SEMATECH through the EUV Mask Infrastructure partnership.
Several chemically amplified resist (CAR) materials achieving sub-20 nm resolutions were demonstrated by researchers from the member companies in SEMATECH’s Resist Program. A 15 nm half-pitch resolving CAR was exposed on SEMATECH’s microexposure tool (MET) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory by JSR, and a nanoparticle resist material developed in a SEMATECH research program with Cornell University has demonstrated mid-20 nm half-pitch resolution at excellent photosensitivity on SEMATECH’s MET in Albany, NY.
SEMATECH researchers and research partners highlighted the key role the consortium has played in achieving significant advances in the fundamental understanding and reduction of mask blank defects in mask manufacturing and use as well as in achieving breakthroughs in EUV resist materials development.
Emily Gallagher of IBM won the best paper award for her presentation on EUV mask readiness, “EUV Masks: Ready or Not?” The best poster award winner was Hyung-Cheol Lee et al., from Hanyang University for their work on “Realistic Thermal Effect of Extreme Ultraviolet Pellicle.”
Lastly, the EUVL Symposium Steering Committee identified three remaining focus areas that the industry must work on to enable EUVL manufacturing insertion:
1. Long-term reliable source operation with 200 W at intermediate focus
2. Mask yield and defect inspection/review infrastructure
3. Simultaneous achievement of resist resolution, sensitivity, and LER
The Lithography Extensions Symposium included innovative patterning techniques that have the potential to cost-effectively extend resolution capabilities.
Key highlights include the following:
Directed self-assembly (DSA) is making significant progress towards potential commercial application in semiconductor manufacturing. A variety of techniques including chemo-epitaxy, graphoepitaxy, and spin-on spacer, have been demonstrated as potential DSA-based patterning approaches. Many resist and chemical suppliers, including AZ, JSR, and DOW, have active development activities both internally and with research partners.
IBM reported on the application of DSA to improve the patterning capability of existing lithography systems through contact hole rectification. Initial defectivity assessments indicate that the current measured defectivity is similar to what was initially seen during the development of immersion lithography.
Best paper award winner Cliff Henderson of Georgia Tech highlighted significant progress toward developing of a mesoscale model to accurately predict material interactions, which is needed to identify materials for DSA applications. Such predictive models will help design more effective DSA systems without time-consuming experimentation.
Matt Malloy of SEMATECH’s Nanoimprint program summarized achievements over the past 3 years, including demonstrating an overlay capability of 15 nm and imprint process defectivity of <0.1 def/cm2. This highlights the potential for achieving defect levels commensurate with manufacturing requirements.
The 2011 International EUVL and Lithography Extensions Symposia are central elements of the SEMATECH Knowledge Series – a set of public, single-focused industry meetings designed to increase global knowledge in key areas of semiconductor R&D – and represent a great success in the history of SEMATECH-sponsored conferences as these technologies have evolved from tabletop experiments to fully adopted high volume manufacturing over the past half dozen years.
TI commits $1 million to power of STEM education initiative
SANTA CLARA, USA: Furthering its commitment to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, Texas Instruments (TI) announced its $1 million "Power of STEM Education" initiative, benefitting four communities it recently joined when it acquired National Semiconductor in late September.
The "Power of STEM Education" initiative aims to increase teaching effectiveness and build student interest in math and science. Grant recipients include educational institutions and nonprofits in California and Maine in the United States; Greenock, Scotland and Melaka, Malaysia -- communities where National operated and TI now has a major presence.
"TI, like National, has long supported STEM education as it is critical to the communities in which we live and work," said Trisha Cunningham, TI's chief citizenship officer. "Strong communities build strong companies, and strong companies build strong communities. Together, with our community partners, we want to build a better future for both our company and for our community so we can deliver more together."
Initial grant recipients were selected based on their impact on STEM education in the local communities. The first $225,000 will be distributed in 2011. The remaining $775,000 will be distributed over the next three years.
"The Power of STEM Education initiative builds on the foundation of National Semiconductor's previous education initiative," said Joan Scott, community relations director for Texas Instruments in Silicon Valley. "Earlier this year, National awarded $1.2 million over three years to support STEM education in the company's major communities. The additional $1 million dollars through the Texas Instruments' Power of STEM Education initiative enables us to have a much greater impact on education in our local communities."
Both of these education efforts are funded through the Texas Instruments Community Fund, formerly the National Semiconductor Foundation, a donor-advised fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
The "Power of STEM Education" initiative aims to increase teaching effectiveness and build student interest in math and science. Grant recipients include educational institutions and nonprofits in California and Maine in the United States; Greenock, Scotland and Melaka, Malaysia -- communities where National operated and TI now has a major presence.
"TI, like National, has long supported STEM education as it is critical to the communities in which we live and work," said Trisha Cunningham, TI's chief citizenship officer. "Strong communities build strong companies, and strong companies build strong communities. Together, with our community partners, we want to build a better future for both our company and for our community so we can deliver more together."
Initial grant recipients were selected based on their impact on STEM education in the local communities. The first $225,000 will be distributed in 2011. The remaining $775,000 will be distributed over the next three years.
"The Power of STEM Education initiative builds on the foundation of National Semiconductor's previous education initiative," said Joan Scott, community relations director for Texas Instruments in Silicon Valley. "Earlier this year, National awarded $1.2 million over three years to support STEM education in the company's major communities. The additional $1 million dollars through the Texas Instruments' Power of STEM Education initiative enables us to have a much greater impact on education in our local communities."
Both of these education efforts are funded through the Texas Instruments Community Fund, formerly the National Semiconductor Foundation, a donor-advised fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
Microsemi strengthens radiation-hardened aerospace products portfolio
ALISO VIEJO, USA: Microsemi Corp., a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, announced that it strengthened its portfolio of radiation-hardened products with the industry's first family of 120 volt, 50 watt high-reliability single, dual and triple output rad-hard DC-DC converters. The robust SA50-120 series is a standard product targeted at satellites with greater than 5 kilowatts of operating power. The new DC-DC converters are available in production quantities now.
"The aerospace industry is trending towards higher-power satellites that employ a higher voltage main-power bus, allowing manufacturers to significantly reduce the size and weight of main bus wiring," said Robert Warren, VP and GM of Microsemi's Power Management Group. "This transition spurs the need for radiation-hardened devices with a higher main-power bus voltage interface capability. Once again, Microsemi has stepped up to deliver a high-performance solution that addresses evolving industry needs."
Offered in industry-standard packages, Microsemi's new DC-DC converters are ideal for driving high-reliability satellite power conversion applications both directly or by point-of-load (POL) converters to further "step down" power to devices such as customizable system-on-chip solutions and field programmable gate arrays.
Microsemi has been providing solutions for demanding space applications for 40 years. The company currently has more than 150 fully qualified space products in its portfolio including converters, customizable system-on-chip (cSoC) solutions, MOSFETS, rectifiers, switching diodes, transistors and zener diode. These solutions include a comprehensive range of standard and customized space solutions.
"The aerospace industry is trending towards higher-power satellites that employ a higher voltage main-power bus, allowing manufacturers to significantly reduce the size and weight of main bus wiring," said Robert Warren, VP and GM of Microsemi's Power Management Group. "This transition spurs the need for radiation-hardened devices with a higher main-power bus voltage interface capability. Once again, Microsemi has stepped up to deliver a high-performance solution that addresses evolving industry needs."
Offered in industry-standard packages, Microsemi's new DC-DC converters are ideal for driving high-reliability satellite power conversion applications both directly or by point-of-load (POL) converters to further "step down" power to devices such as customizable system-on-chip solutions and field programmable gate arrays.
Microsemi has been providing solutions for demanding space applications for 40 years. The company currently has more than 150 fully qualified space products in its portfolio including converters, customizable system-on-chip (cSoC) solutions, MOSFETS, rectifiers, switching diodes, transistors and zener diode. These solutions include a comprehensive range of standard and customized space solutions.
Mindspeed intros Comcerto 1000S processor for service offload platform (SOP) boxes
NEWPORT BEACH, USA: Mindspeed Technologies Inc., a leading supplier of semiconductor solutions for network infrastructure applications, announced that its communications convergence processing (CCP) business unit is extending its Comcerto 1000 family of SoC processors to enable a new category of customer premises equipment (CPE) hardware that will make it easier and more cost-effective for service providers to deliver value-added connected home applications without requiring the installation of enhanced set-top boxes (STBs) or multi-function broadband home routers (BHRs).
In order to support emerging service-provider-managed, connected home business models, Mindspeed is helping to define a new class of SOP Box CPE hardware that will enable subscribers to receive value-added, gateway-enabled cloud applications with no changes to their existing CPE infrastructure. Mindspeed’s single-core M83160 and dual-core M83240 processors are the first in a family of Comcerto 1000S application-specific SoC processors optimized for the cost, speed, bandwidth and compact footprint that are required for powering this new type of CPE hardware.
“Carriers and service providers need a simple, low-cost delivery platform for connected home applications that can be used with any existing router and access technology, whether DSL, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) or cable,” said Raouf Y. Halim, Mindspeed's CEO. “We are working with equipment manufacturers, carriers and other value-added service providers to apply the performance and ultra-low power consumption of our proven Comcerto 1000 fiber-to-the-home gateway processors to this new CPE platform, which will meet the unique requirements for provisioning emerging value-added services.”
Comcerto 1000S processors deliver a variety of features that are important for SOP Boxes, including dual-core redundancy to ensure mission-critical service reliability, and both IPSec and secure sockets layer (SSL) hardware encryption to support secure transfer of user and usage information. SOP Boxes are expected to be roughly the same size as an external hard drive, and will feature an Ethernet connection to the router and a number of USB ports to accommodate various application client devices.
The Comcerto 1000S processors will be supported by Mindspeed’s OpenMind ecosystem, which includes a complete OSGi and Java application-development framework to speed SOP Box development for a wide range of connected home applications.
In order to support emerging service-provider-managed, connected home business models, Mindspeed is helping to define a new class of SOP Box CPE hardware that will enable subscribers to receive value-added, gateway-enabled cloud applications with no changes to their existing CPE infrastructure. Mindspeed’s single-core M83160 and dual-core M83240 processors are the first in a family of Comcerto 1000S application-specific SoC processors optimized for the cost, speed, bandwidth and compact footprint that are required for powering this new type of CPE hardware.
“Carriers and service providers need a simple, low-cost delivery platform for connected home applications that can be used with any existing router and access technology, whether DSL, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) or cable,” said Raouf Y. Halim, Mindspeed's CEO. “We are working with equipment manufacturers, carriers and other value-added service providers to apply the performance and ultra-low power consumption of our proven Comcerto 1000 fiber-to-the-home gateway processors to this new CPE platform, which will meet the unique requirements for provisioning emerging value-added services.”
Comcerto 1000S processors deliver a variety of features that are important for SOP Boxes, including dual-core redundancy to ensure mission-critical service reliability, and both IPSec and secure sockets layer (SSL) hardware encryption to support secure transfer of user and usage information. SOP Boxes are expected to be roughly the same size as an external hard drive, and will feature an Ethernet connection to the router and a number of USB ports to accommodate various application client devices.
The Comcerto 1000S processors will be supported by Mindspeed’s OpenMind ecosystem, which includes a complete OSGi and Java application-development framework to speed SOP Box development for a wide range of connected home applications.
Total DRAM revenue decreases by 19.4 percent in 3Q, Samsung alone sees climbing market share of nearly 45 percent
TAIWAN: According to DRAMeXchange, a research department of Trendforce, total revenue for the worldwide DRAM industry was approximately $6.566 billion in 3Q11. Affected by a weak macroeconomy and an increasingly severe oversupply situation, average contract price for DDR3 2Gb fell by 35 percent in 3Q, and the total revenue decreased significantly, by 19.4 percent QoQ. With the exception of Samsung, all DRAM makers were in the red for 3Q, and the DRAM industry is officially headed into another bleak period.
From the supply perspective, in 3Q a portion of DRAM manufacturers made production cuts as chip price fell below cash cost; thus, production volume increased by only 5 percent QoQ, compared to the historical average of over 10 percent QoQ growth for 3Q. However, first-tier DRAM makers continued to adopt 30nm/40nm node processes. For instance, 30nm products from the two major Korean makers already accounts for 21 percent of total industry output, and Elpida, with support from subsidiary company Rexchip, is expected to increase their 30nm output in 1H12.
However, Taiwanese manufacturers are still producing mainly on 40nm/50nm technology, representing at least a generation and a half of lag behind Korean DRAM makers. Taking the currently bleak market status into consideration, it is highly unlikely that DRAM manufacturers turn profitable again in the near future.
As for demand, the weak macroeconomy has lowered consumer confidence in European and US. markets. The historical 3Q average of 10 percent demand bit growth was not met this year, with only 7.6 percent QoQ growth in 3Q11. Furthermore, PC growth was mainly attributed to China and other emerging markets, and total PC content per unit has not increased significantly in 3Q.
The overall notebook (excluding netbooks) content per unit was only 3.5GB, a slight increase of 1.1 percent QoQ. Luckily, benefitting from PC OEMs’ September inventory restocking in preparation for the holiday season, DRAM inventory levels have decreased significantly; even spot price stabilized temporarily in 1HSep.
As a result, 4GB contract price decreased by 2.33 percent in October, and other prices stayed flat. The DRAM price trend in 4Q will depend on the impact of the Thailand flood-induced HDD shortage on PC shipments.
Global DRAM manufacturers’ branded DRAM revenue ranking
As for global DRAM manufacturers’ branded DRAM revenue ranking, the Korean makers took first and second place as usual. Samsung’s 3Q DRAM revenue fell by 12.8 percent QoQ, but as this decrease was less than that of other makers, their market share was up 3.4 percent, for a total of 44.5 percent of the market.
DRAM ASP decreased by approximately 15 percent QoQ. Benefitting from having over 30 percent of their output from 35nm processes as well as capacity allocation to sever and mobile DRAM, Samsung turned in impressive figures for the quarter, with bit growth at 7 percent and operating profit over 20 percent in 3Q.
As for Hynix, their DRAM revenue decreased 23.9 percent QoQ, and market share decreased slightly to 21.6 percent. The severe DRAM price decline resulted in a 3Q deficit for Hynix, who had shown profits for the past nine quarters. Hynix’s DRAM operating profits were -25 percent. Looking toward 4Q, as yield rate is stable for the 38nm process, the company is aggressively increasing wafer start volume; 38nm products are expect to account for 40 percent of total output by the end of 4Q. As cost continues to be reduced, Hynix’s profits are likely to improve.
Since Japanese maker Elpida has a high proportion of spot market products, the spot price affected the company significantly. As DDR3 2Gb spot price fell by 37 percent in 3Q, Elpida has cut Powerchip’s purchasing volume significantly since August. Thus, their PC DRAM output comes solely from subsidiary company Rexchip, overall branded chip output fell by 4 percent QoQ. Elpida’s total revenue for 3Q was a mere $825 million, representing a 29.7 percent QoQ decrease, and market share was approximately 12.6 percent.
At their IR conference, Micron revealed that their bit growth for 3Q was 22 percent, but as DRAM price fell by more than 28 percent in the same quarter, their revenue decreased by 11.9 percent QoQ and market share was 11.8 percent. Thus, the company went from profitable to showing losses.
As for technology migration, the proportion of 42nm output hit 50 percent at the end of 3Q, and is likely to reach 70 percent by the end of 2011. However, as 42nm process chips’ cost structure is unprofitable, if Micron hopes to increase revenue they must put their efforts towards migration to the 30nm node. Lagging more than a generation behind the Korean makers will be detrimental to their profitability in the long run.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
As for Taiwanese DRAM makers, as Nanya is more than a generation behind the major manufacturers and their output is mainly PC DRAM, the company was severely affected by the DRAM price decrease in 3Q. Nanya’s revenue was $243 million, representing a 36.9 percent QoQ decrease, and market share fell from 4.7 percent in 2Q to 3.7 percent. If DRAM price continues to fall, Nanya’s profits are likely to decrease further.
Currently, the makers are engaging in small-scale test production on the 37nm node, and are expected to enter mass production in 1H12. With regard to Winbond, benefitting from their withdrawal from the commodity DRAM market to focus only on highly profitable specialty DRAM, the DRAM price decrease had less of an impact on the manufacturer. However, as the market was weak nonetheless, Winbond’s revenue decreased by 12.2 percent QoQ, and market share was at 2.2 percent, mainly attributable to the significant decrease of mobile DRAM proportion, from 25 percent in 2Q to 16 percent in 3Q.
As for ProMOS, they were still unable to purchase raw materials due to insufficient funds, and wafer start volume remained at approximately 10K per month. The maker’s revenue continues to decrease, and market share has officially fallen below 1 percent.
Branded DRAM market share by region
Looking at branded DRAM market share by region, Korean makers took 67.9 percent of the market due mainly to Samsung’s strong growth. US manufacturers’ market share increased slightly to 12.1 percent, while both Japanese and Taiwanese makers’ decreased revenue caused market share to fall to 12.9 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively.
As a portion of Taiwanese DRAM makers have cut DRAM capacity, the drop in Taiwanese makers’ market share is more noticeable. In summary, Korean manufacturers continue to dominate the market with their continued expansion.(Figure-2)
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
From the supply perspective, in 3Q a portion of DRAM manufacturers made production cuts as chip price fell below cash cost; thus, production volume increased by only 5 percent QoQ, compared to the historical average of over 10 percent QoQ growth for 3Q. However, first-tier DRAM makers continued to adopt 30nm/40nm node processes. For instance, 30nm products from the two major Korean makers already accounts for 21 percent of total industry output, and Elpida, with support from subsidiary company Rexchip, is expected to increase their 30nm output in 1H12.
However, Taiwanese manufacturers are still producing mainly on 40nm/50nm technology, representing at least a generation and a half of lag behind Korean DRAM makers. Taking the currently bleak market status into consideration, it is highly unlikely that DRAM manufacturers turn profitable again in the near future.
As for demand, the weak macroeconomy has lowered consumer confidence in European and US. markets. The historical 3Q average of 10 percent demand bit growth was not met this year, with only 7.6 percent QoQ growth in 3Q11. Furthermore, PC growth was mainly attributed to China and other emerging markets, and total PC content per unit has not increased significantly in 3Q.
The overall notebook (excluding netbooks) content per unit was only 3.5GB, a slight increase of 1.1 percent QoQ. Luckily, benefitting from PC OEMs’ September inventory restocking in preparation for the holiday season, DRAM inventory levels have decreased significantly; even spot price stabilized temporarily in 1HSep.
As a result, 4GB contract price decreased by 2.33 percent in October, and other prices stayed flat. The DRAM price trend in 4Q will depend on the impact of the Thailand flood-induced HDD shortage on PC shipments.
Global DRAM manufacturers’ branded DRAM revenue ranking
As for global DRAM manufacturers’ branded DRAM revenue ranking, the Korean makers took first and second place as usual. Samsung’s 3Q DRAM revenue fell by 12.8 percent QoQ, but as this decrease was less than that of other makers, their market share was up 3.4 percent, for a total of 44.5 percent of the market.
DRAM ASP decreased by approximately 15 percent QoQ. Benefitting from having over 30 percent of their output from 35nm processes as well as capacity allocation to sever and mobile DRAM, Samsung turned in impressive figures for the quarter, with bit growth at 7 percent and operating profit over 20 percent in 3Q.
As for Hynix, their DRAM revenue decreased 23.9 percent QoQ, and market share decreased slightly to 21.6 percent. The severe DRAM price decline resulted in a 3Q deficit for Hynix, who had shown profits for the past nine quarters. Hynix’s DRAM operating profits were -25 percent. Looking toward 4Q, as yield rate is stable for the 38nm process, the company is aggressively increasing wafer start volume; 38nm products are expect to account for 40 percent of total output by the end of 4Q. As cost continues to be reduced, Hynix’s profits are likely to improve.
Since Japanese maker Elpida has a high proportion of spot market products, the spot price affected the company significantly. As DDR3 2Gb spot price fell by 37 percent in 3Q, Elpida has cut Powerchip’s purchasing volume significantly since August. Thus, their PC DRAM output comes solely from subsidiary company Rexchip, overall branded chip output fell by 4 percent QoQ. Elpida’s total revenue for 3Q was a mere $825 million, representing a 29.7 percent QoQ decrease, and market share was approximately 12.6 percent.
At their IR conference, Micron revealed that their bit growth for 3Q was 22 percent, but as DRAM price fell by more than 28 percent in the same quarter, their revenue decreased by 11.9 percent QoQ and market share was 11.8 percent. Thus, the company went from profitable to showing losses.
As for technology migration, the proportion of 42nm output hit 50 percent at the end of 3Q, and is likely to reach 70 percent by the end of 2011. However, as 42nm process chips’ cost structure is unprofitable, if Micron hopes to increase revenue they must put their efforts towards migration to the 30nm node. Lagging more than a generation behind the Korean makers will be detrimental to their profitability in the long run.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.As for Taiwanese DRAM makers, as Nanya is more than a generation behind the major manufacturers and their output is mainly PC DRAM, the company was severely affected by the DRAM price decrease in 3Q. Nanya’s revenue was $243 million, representing a 36.9 percent QoQ decrease, and market share fell from 4.7 percent in 2Q to 3.7 percent. If DRAM price continues to fall, Nanya’s profits are likely to decrease further.
Currently, the makers are engaging in small-scale test production on the 37nm node, and are expected to enter mass production in 1H12. With regard to Winbond, benefitting from their withdrawal from the commodity DRAM market to focus only on highly profitable specialty DRAM, the DRAM price decrease had less of an impact on the manufacturer. However, as the market was weak nonetheless, Winbond’s revenue decreased by 12.2 percent QoQ, and market share was at 2.2 percent, mainly attributable to the significant decrease of mobile DRAM proportion, from 25 percent in 2Q to 16 percent in 3Q.
As for ProMOS, they were still unable to purchase raw materials due to insufficient funds, and wafer start volume remained at approximately 10K per month. The maker’s revenue continues to decrease, and market share has officially fallen below 1 percent.
Branded DRAM market share by region
Looking at branded DRAM market share by region, Korean makers took 67.9 percent of the market due mainly to Samsung’s strong growth. US manufacturers’ market share increased slightly to 12.1 percent, while both Japanese and Taiwanese makers’ decreased revenue caused market share to fall to 12.9 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively.
As a portion of Taiwanese DRAM makers have cut DRAM capacity, the drop in Taiwanese makers’ market share is more noticeable. In summary, Korean manufacturers continue to dominate the market with their continued expansion.(Figure-2)
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
Inventory restocking demand inadequate, 2HOct. average NAND flash contract price decreases further
TAIPEI, TAIWAN: According to DRAMeXchange, a research department of Trendforce, mainstream NAND flash contract price for 2HOct. fell by 4-8 percent due to lower than expected demand for year-end retail sales.
Demand for high-density products remained weak as well due to sluggish smartphone and tablet PC sales; UFD and memory card sales were weak as well. Not only did the lackluster sales affect suppliers’ inventory restocking, but contract price declined as well.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
Looking ahead, the HDD shortages created by the flooding disaster in Thailand should temporarily increase interest in SSD products. However, as the price gap between SSD and HDD remains high, and the process of redesigning models to equip SSD will require approximately 2-3 months, SSD adoption will mostly occur in the high-end corporate market; specifically, models that were designed to support both HDD and SSD.
Therefore, the Thailand flooding incident will have a relatively limited effect on SSD demand in 4Q11. If the HDD inventory shortage continues into 1Q12, although the proportion of SSD-equipped models may increase, DRAMeXchange believes that ultimately, the extent of the effect on the NAND flash market will depend on the level of consumer acceptance. Therefore, due to limited impact of HDD replacement by SSD, low restocking demand from makers, and increased supply due to continual technology migration to 2ynm-class processes, NAND flash contract price is expected to decrease further in November and December.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
Demand for high-density products remained weak as well due to sluggish smartphone and tablet PC sales; UFD and memory card sales were weak as well. Not only did the lackluster sales affect suppliers’ inventory restocking, but contract price declined as well.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.Looking ahead, the HDD shortages created by the flooding disaster in Thailand should temporarily increase interest in SSD products. However, as the price gap between SSD and HDD remains high, and the process of redesigning models to equip SSD will require approximately 2-3 months, SSD adoption will mostly occur in the high-end corporate market; specifically, models that were designed to support both HDD and SSD.
Therefore, the Thailand flooding incident will have a relatively limited effect on SSD demand in 4Q11. If the HDD inventory shortage continues into 1Q12, although the proportion of SSD-equipped models may increase, DRAMeXchange believes that ultimately, the extent of the effect on the NAND flash market will depend on the level of consumer acceptance. Therefore, due to limited impact of HDD replacement by SSD, low restocking demand from makers, and increased supply due to continual technology migration to 2ynm-class processes, NAND flash contract price is expected to decrease further in November and December.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
X-FAB extends 0.18 micrometer technology platform to address energy efficiency apps
ERFURT, GERMANY: X-FAB Silicon Foundries announced the new technology platform XP018, its latest foundry process with the industry’s lowest mask count for the modular combination of digital, analog and high-voltage features with embedded Flash.
This unique foundry offering for energy-efficient applications is the first to allow system-on-chip (SoC) integration requiring up to 60V operating voltage and 5V power supply to be combined with embedded non-volatile memory (NVM). It enables a new generation of reliable and efficient power management, digital control and other power control SoC applications.
The new XP018 process platform comes with operating voltages ranging from 5V to 60V, and an industry-competitive RDSon to enable small chip sizes and lower costs. Its unique combination of high voltage and embedded non-volatile memory requires fewer than 30 masks – the lowest mask count in the foundry industry for these features. The process is also well suited for automotive applications.
X-FAB’s CEO, Rudi De Winter, said: “The industry is very engaged in developing energy-efficient chips and systems. We developed the XP018 technology to address what our customers need – a cost-effective way to design smart systems-on-chip that combine the 60V capability with Flash-based embedded microcontrollers for the next generation of power management applications.”
The process topology comes with a wide range of NVM options including poly fuse, OTP, EEPROM and Flash, all of which will be available in 2012 for fully qualified PDK support.
The XP018 technology is available now for tape-ins, including pre-released IP for the memory options. Full qualification will follow in 2012.
This unique foundry offering for energy-efficient applications is the first to allow system-on-chip (SoC) integration requiring up to 60V operating voltage and 5V power supply to be combined with embedded non-volatile memory (NVM). It enables a new generation of reliable and efficient power management, digital control and other power control SoC applications.
The new XP018 process platform comes with operating voltages ranging from 5V to 60V, and an industry-competitive RDSon to enable small chip sizes and lower costs. Its unique combination of high voltage and embedded non-volatile memory requires fewer than 30 masks – the lowest mask count in the foundry industry for these features. The process is also well suited for automotive applications.
X-FAB’s CEO, Rudi De Winter, said: “The industry is very engaged in developing energy-efficient chips and systems. We developed the XP018 technology to address what our customers need – a cost-effective way to design smart systems-on-chip that combine the 60V capability with Flash-based embedded microcontrollers for the next generation of power management applications.”
The process topology comes with a wide range of NVM options including poly fuse, OTP, EEPROM and Flash, all of which will be available in 2012 for fully qualified PDK support.
The XP018 technology is available now for tape-ins, including pre-released IP for the memory options. Full qualification will follow in 2012.
3Q11 sales ranking of branded NAND flash manufacturers
TAIPEI, TAIWAN: According to DRAMeXchange, a research department of Trendforce, suffering from the European debt storm and American financial disputations, 3Q restocking demand recovery was postponed until early September. However, demand from the memory card & UFD channel market remained weak in July and August, except for stable OEM orders from certain smartphone and tablet PC customers.
Additionally, many downstream customers still tried to lower excess inventory in July and August. NAND Flash price has stabilized since September, as the restocking demand for 4Q11 new product launches from some system product makers warmed up in early September. Therefore, overall 3Q11 average selling price (ASP) decreased 14 percent QoQ for branded NAND Flash supply manufacturers.
Memory card and UFD retail market demand was weaker than the stable OEM orders from some tablet PC and smartphone clients in 3Q11. Branded NAND Flash suppliers’ overall 3Q11 bit shipment growth increased by approximately 28% QoQ. As a result, overall 3Q11 sales for NAND Flash branded suppliers increased approximately 9.6 percent QoQ to $5.347 billion.
Looking at the quarterly sales ranking for branded NAND Flash manufacturers, Samsung came in first again with $2,003 million, 37.5 percent market share; Toshiba took second place with $1,692 million, 31.6 percent of the market; Hynix came in third with $633 million, 11.8 percent of the market. Micron was fourth at $603 million, 11.3 percent of the market; and Intel placed fifth with $415 million, 7.8 percent of the market.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.
3Q11 operation analysis of branded NAND flash makers
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd: Although affected by weak memory card and UFD retail market demand in 3Q11, Samsung benefitted from OEM orders for embedded products from certain major smartphone and tablet PC clients. Thus, bit shipment growth for 3Q11 was about 20% QoQ, while ASP declined approximately 15 percent QoQ. As a result, 3Q11 sales slightly increased to $2,003 million and market share decreased to 37.5 percent.
Samsung anticipates that OEM orders from some smartphone and tablet PC clients will remain steady in 4Q11. Therefore, they estimate that their bit shipment growth will increase over 10 percent QoQ in 4Q11. Samsung will continue to increase production volume for 27nm and 21nm process technology products in order to strengthen cost competitiveness, as well as develop new eMMC products and SSDs to raise the proportion of sales from system product clients.
Toshiba Corp.: With OEM orders from major smartphone and tablet PC clients as well as memory card strategic partners, their bit shipment grew significantly in 3Q11, in spite of the price decline and Japanese yen appreciation. 3Q11 sales thus increased approximately 24.7 percent QoQ to $1,692 million, 31.6 percent of market share. Toshiba will continue to increase output of 24nm & 19nm process technology products to strengthen cost competitiveness. Toshiba will also develop embedded products and SSDs to continue increasing sales from system product clients, so as to meet demand growth from emerging smart mobile devices.
Hynix Semiconductor Co. Ltd: Suffering from uncertain factors such as the global economy and the European debt storm, Hynix increased sales from system product clients in 3Q11 to ease the impact of weaker NAND Flash end-product demand in 3Q11. As a result, bit shipment growth increased 16 percent QoQ in 3Q11, but ASP fell 14 percent QoQ, and 3Q11 sales stayed approximately flat at $633 million, 11.8 percent of the market share.
In light of steady OEM orders from certain major smartphone and tablet PC clients, Hynix estimates that bit shipment growth will increase by over 15 percent QoQ in 4Q11. For 4Q11, Hynix will continue to increase output of products from 26nm process technology in order to strengthen their cost competitiveness, and develop embedded products and SSDs to increase sales from ultrabook & mobile device clients.
Micron Technology Inc.: Last quarter, Micron increased the sales proportion of SSD products. This, along with the effect of the down season and stable OEM orders from certain system product customers, caused ASP to decline 26 percent QoQ. However, quarterly bit shipment growth significantly increased by 47 percent QoQ, resulting in a quarterly sales increase of 9.2 percent QoQ.
Micron’s sales amounted to $603 million, 11.3 percent of market share. In light of Micron’s process technology migration from the 25nm node to the new 20nm node in 4Q11, bit shipment growth increased approximately over 5 percent QoQ. Moreover, the company projects that ASP for the current quarter will stay flat. Micron also plans to increase sales of embedded products and SSDs for smartphone, tablet PC and ultrabook.
Intel: Due to an increase in the sales proportion of SSD, Intel’s ASP increased slightly and quarterly bit shipment growth stayed flat in 3Q11. Thus, in 3Q11 sales were up by approximately 10.7 percent QoQ, totaling $415 million, 7.8 percent of market share. In 4Q11 Intel will also begin producing 20nm process technology products, as well as continue to increase sales from SSD clients.
Additionally, many downstream customers still tried to lower excess inventory in July and August. NAND Flash price has stabilized since September, as the restocking demand for 4Q11 new product launches from some system product makers warmed up in early September. Therefore, overall 3Q11 average selling price (ASP) decreased 14 percent QoQ for branded NAND Flash supply manufacturers.
Memory card and UFD retail market demand was weaker than the stable OEM orders from some tablet PC and smartphone clients in 3Q11. Branded NAND Flash suppliers’ overall 3Q11 bit shipment growth increased by approximately 28% QoQ. As a result, overall 3Q11 sales for NAND Flash branded suppliers increased approximately 9.6 percent QoQ to $5.347 billion.
Looking at the quarterly sales ranking for branded NAND Flash manufacturers, Samsung came in first again with $2,003 million, 37.5 percent market share; Toshiba took second place with $1,692 million, 31.6 percent of the market; Hynix came in third with $633 million, 11.8 percent of the market. Micron was fourth at $603 million, 11.3 percent of the market; and Intel placed fifth with $415 million, 7.8 percent of the market.
Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.3Q11 operation analysis of branded NAND flash makers
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd: Although affected by weak memory card and UFD retail market demand in 3Q11, Samsung benefitted from OEM orders for embedded products from certain major smartphone and tablet PC clients. Thus, bit shipment growth for 3Q11 was about 20% QoQ, while ASP declined approximately 15 percent QoQ. As a result, 3Q11 sales slightly increased to $2,003 million and market share decreased to 37.5 percent.
Samsung anticipates that OEM orders from some smartphone and tablet PC clients will remain steady in 4Q11. Therefore, they estimate that their bit shipment growth will increase over 10 percent QoQ in 4Q11. Samsung will continue to increase production volume for 27nm and 21nm process technology products in order to strengthen cost competitiveness, as well as develop new eMMC products and SSDs to raise the proportion of sales from system product clients.
Toshiba Corp.: With OEM orders from major smartphone and tablet PC clients as well as memory card strategic partners, their bit shipment grew significantly in 3Q11, in spite of the price decline and Japanese yen appreciation. 3Q11 sales thus increased approximately 24.7 percent QoQ to $1,692 million, 31.6 percent of market share. Toshiba will continue to increase output of 24nm & 19nm process technology products to strengthen cost competitiveness. Toshiba will also develop embedded products and SSDs to continue increasing sales from system product clients, so as to meet demand growth from emerging smart mobile devices.
Hynix Semiconductor Co. Ltd: Suffering from uncertain factors such as the global economy and the European debt storm, Hynix increased sales from system product clients in 3Q11 to ease the impact of weaker NAND Flash end-product demand in 3Q11. As a result, bit shipment growth increased 16 percent QoQ in 3Q11, but ASP fell 14 percent QoQ, and 3Q11 sales stayed approximately flat at $633 million, 11.8 percent of the market share.
In light of steady OEM orders from certain major smartphone and tablet PC clients, Hynix estimates that bit shipment growth will increase by over 15 percent QoQ in 4Q11. For 4Q11, Hynix will continue to increase output of products from 26nm process technology in order to strengthen their cost competitiveness, and develop embedded products and SSDs to increase sales from ultrabook & mobile device clients.
Micron Technology Inc.: Last quarter, Micron increased the sales proportion of SSD products. This, along with the effect of the down season and stable OEM orders from certain system product customers, caused ASP to decline 26 percent QoQ. However, quarterly bit shipment growth significantly increased by 47 percent QoQ, resulting in a quarterly sales increase of 9.2 percent QoQ.
Micron’s sales amounted to $603 million, 11.3 percent of market share. In light of Micron’s process technology migration from the 25nm node to the new 20nm node in 4Q11, bit shipment growth increased approximately over 5 percent QoQ. Moreover, the company projects that ASP for the current quarter will stay flat. Micron also plans to increase sales of embedded products and SSDs for smartphone, tablet PC and ultrabook.
Intel: Due to an increase in the sales proportion of SSD, Intel’s ASP increased slightly and quarterly bit shipment growth stayed flat in 3Q11. Thus, in 3Q11 sales were up by approximately 10.7 percent QoQ, totaling $415 million, 7.8 percent of market share. In 4Q11 Intel will also begin producing 20nm process technology products, as well as continue to increase sales from SSD clients.
ARM acquires Prolific Inc.
CAMBRIDGE, UK: ARM announced that it has acquired Prolific Inc., which develops leading-edge IC design optimization software tools that significantly reduce development time and improve the performance of cell-based designs. Prolific is a privately-owned company based in Newark, California.
The increasing complexity of 20nm and below process technologies is driving the need for automated layout optimization solutions. This acquisition augments ARM's strategy to provide innovative physical IP products that will enable the ARM partnership to continue to lead in the implementation of highly integrated, low-power system-on-chip solutions.
“We have been successfully collaborating with Prolific for a number of years,” said Simon Segars, EVP and GM, Physical IP Division, ARM. "The technology and expertise that will come with this acquisition will expand our capabilities to accelerate ecosystem adoption of advanced process nodes at 20nm and below.”
"Prolific has a long history of improving the efficiency of complex physical design process flows," said Paul de Dood, president and founder of Prolific. "The ARM partnership will benefit from faster time to market for advanced node solutions through the addition of Prolific’s leading-edge optimization tools, which enable optimum power, performance and area with accelerated development timelines.”
The Prolific team will become part of the ARM Physical IP team based in San Jose, CA.
The increasing complexity of 20nm and below process technologies is driving the need for automated layout optimization solutions. This acquisition augments ARM's strategy to provide innovative physical IP products that will enable the ARM partnership to continue to lead in the implementation of highly integrated, low-power system-on-chip solutions.
“We have been successfully collaborating with Prolific for a number of years,” said Simon Segars, EVP and GM, Physical IP Division, ARM. "The technology and expertise that will come with this acquisition will expand our capabilities to accelerate ecosystem adoption of advanced process nodes at 20nm and below.”
"Prolific has a long history of improving the efficiency of complex physical design process flows," said Paul de Dood, president and founder of Prolific. "The ARM partnership will benefit from faster time to market for advanced node solutions through the addition of Prolific’s leading-edge optimization tools, which enable optimum power, performance and area with accelerated development timelines.”
The Prolific team will become part of the ARM Physical IP team based in San Jose, CA.
Brisk 2010 GaAs epitaxial substrate revenue growth
BOSTON, USA: As mobile handsets and network infrastructure become more sophisticated, gallium arsenide (GaAs) device usage in these applications is increasing. This demand is also driving growth in the consumption of GaAs epitaxial wafers that form the basis for these devices.
The recently released Strategy Analytics GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies Service (GaAs) Forecast and Outlook, “Markets for SI GaAs Epitaxial Substrates: 2010-2015,” forecasts that demand from commercial and military applications resulted in semi-insulating (SI) GaAs epitaxial substrate demand of slightly more than 29600 ksi (kilo square inches) in 2010. The forecast estimates that growth in GaAs devices will increase the substrate demand to more than 40200 ksi and revenues of $543 million in 2015.
This Strategy Analytics report forecasts that 6-inch GaAs epitaxial substrates will be the most prevalent, accounting for slightly more than 80 percent of total device demand over the forecast period. With cost sensitive, high volume markets dominating the demand for GaAs devices, the report forecasts a compounded average annual growth rate (CAAGR) of 9 percent for 6-inch GaAs epitaxial substrate demand.
“Strong growth in the overall GaAs device market in 2010 propelled the GaAs epitaxial substrate market to solid gains in 2010,” noted Eric Higham, director of the Strategy Analytics GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies Service. “The GaAs substrate market is tied closely to wireless communications and Strategy Analytics anticipates continued growth in these areas.”
Asif Anwar, director in the Strategy Analytics Strategic Technologies Practice added, “We continue to see similar growth rates for MOCVD and MBE epitaxial substrate material and the ability to supply both types of material is solidifying IQE’s position as the largest supplier.”
This Strategy Analytics forecast segments the SI GaAs epitaxial substrate market by diameter, geography, structure, application, device type and supplier. The report also addresses trends and recent developments in these segments.
The recently released Strategy Analytics GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies Service (GaAs) Forecast and Outlook, “Markets for SI GaAs Epitaxial Substrates: 2010-2015,” forecasts that demand from commercial and military applications resulted in semi-insulating (SI) GaAs epitaxial substrate demand of slightly more than 29600 ksi (kilo square inches) in 2010. The forecast estimates that growth in GaAs devices will increase the substrate demand to more than 40200 ksi and revenues of $543 million in 2015.
This Strategy Analytics report forecasts that 6-inch GaAs epitaxial substrates will be the most prevalent, accounting for slightly more than 80 percent of total device demand over the forecast period. With cost sensitive, high volume markets dominating the demand for GaAs devices, the report forecasts a compounded average annual growth rate (CAAGR) of 9 percent for 6-inch GaAs epitaxial substrate demand.
“Strong growth in the overall GaAs device market in 2010 propelled the GaAs epitaxial substrate market to solid gains in 2010,” noted Eric Higham, director of the Strategy Analytics GaAs and Compound Semiconductor Technologies Service. “The GaAs substrate market is tied closely to wireless communications and Strategy Analytics anticipates continued growth in these areas.”
Asif Anwar, director in the Strategy Analytics Strategic Technologies Practice added, “We continue to see similar growth rates for MOCVD and MBE epitaxial substrate material and the ability to supply both types of material is solidifying IQE’s position as the largest supplier.”
This Strategy Analytics forecast segments the SI GaAs epitaxial substrate market by diameter, geography, structure, application, device type and supplier. The report also addresses trends and recent developments in these segments.
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