Broadcom heads to CES with industry's first integrated MoCA 2.0 SoC portfolio

IRVINE, USA: Broadcom Corp. has announced one of its showcase innovations at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) - the industry's first MoCA 2.0-Integrated Portfolio including six new set-top box (STB) and Hybrid IP Gateway system on a chip (SoC) platforms.

By integrating MoCA 2.0 directly in the STB SoC Broadcom's new comprehensive portfolio of HD STB and Hybrid IP Gateway solutions realize the benefits of MoCA 2.0 including double the video bandwidth, increased security and lower power.

Broadcom's BCM7425 Dual HD Transcoding Gateway STB SoC features dual HD decoding and dual transcoding support for streaming simultaneous video broadcast content wirelessly to multiple devices, paving the way for advanced services like video conferencing and faster channel change with Broadcom's FastRTV technology.

EnSilica announces new design centre in India focusing on verification

WOKINGHAM, UK: EnSilica, a leading independent provider of IC design services and system solutions, has opened a new design centre in India (Bangalore), to complement its existing design facilities in the UK.

The new design centre will be a centre of excellence for the advanced verification of complex semiconductor products and IP. Verification services will be provided for both European and local customers based on a range of methodologies but with a particular focus on UVM (the Unified Verification Methodology) and SystemVerilog.

The new design centre will also provide a scalable resource for projects requiring larger teams to accelerate timescales or deal with complex tasks as well as broaden EnSilica’s design capabilities with the addition of new Verilog AMS (analog/mixed-signal) modelling, physical implementation and embedded software services.

The new design centre will also further extend EnSilica’s existing turnkey ASIC and FPGA design capabilities with additional resources for developing EnSilica’s own portfolio of IP including its eSi-RISC highly configurable 16/32 bit embedded processors, eSi-Comms range of communications IP and eSi-Crypto encryption IP.

The Bangalore design centre will be headed by Ranganath Kempanahally as director of Engineering. Ranganath has 15 years of wide ranging experience in ASIC design and verification roles in India, the USA and the UK. His broad spectrum of experience includes architecting advanced verification environments using eRM, OVM and UVM methodologies. He has a Masters in Electronics from the University of Mangalore, India and an MBA in “Finance and Entrepreneurship” from Cranfield School of Management in the UK.

EnSilica is actively seeking to recruit 30 skilled verification specialists for the new design centre in 2012. Applicants will be required to demonstrate experience in creating effective and pragmatic verification strategies, architecting the test environment and driving the verification process to a successful, on-time and on-budget conclusion.

“The opening of our new design centre in Bangalore, India, initially as a verification centre of excellence, is a strategic step in the ongoing development of our semiconductor services business,” said Ian Lankshear, CEO of EnSilica.

“The new centre will provide a highly competitive, additional platform for our customers as well as a firm foundation for the development of a range of new and improved capabilities.”

Cosmic Circuits announces silicon-proven PLL portfolio

BANGALORE, INDIA & CAMPBELL, USA: Cosmic Circuits announced the silicon availability of PLLs in multiple process technologies.

Cosmic Circuits offers a broad portfolio of differentiated Analog IP cores in nanometer technology nodes covering Data-Converters, Analog-Front-End platforms for Wireless and Audio, Power-Management, Clocking and MIPI Interfaces.

The system-clocking PLLs are implemented in 55 and 40nm process technology, and will offer SoC designers a wide range of analog and digital PLLs to choose from – these include PLLs that support input frequencies ranging from 32 kHz- 2000 MHz without requiring any external components, PLLs that occupies extremely low core area, and spread-spectrum PLLs for EMI suppression.

Sundararajan Krishnan, director of IP, said: “We are very committed to a PLL roadmap that extends into the advanced process nodes and invest a lot of time in characterizing the IPs across PVT conditions to achieve silicon proven status. We are glad that our 55 and 40nm developments have reached fruition and expect to have similar announcements on the 28nm node in the coming months. Our PLLs are being used by leading customers across the world and our detailed silicon characterization reports are available to customers on request.”

Leading memory manufacturer endorses Proteus LRC for lithography verification

MOUNTAIN VIEW, USA: Synopsys Inc. announced the endorsement of Proteus lithography rule check (LRC) at Nanya Technology Corp., a member of the Formosa Plastics Group and a global leader in advanced memory semiconductors focusing on research and development, design, manufacturing and sales of DRAM products.

Industry-leading accuracy is achieved through the combined use of production-proven Proteus compact models and the integrated Sentaurus Lithography rigorous simulation engine. Proteus LRC provides production tapeout departments at integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers with full-chip lithography verification that identifies yield-limiting hotspots prior to manufacturing, thus minimizing the risk of costly re-spins and improving time to market.

"The competitive DRAM market requires efficient processing to meet aggressive product delivery schedules," said Chiang-Lin Shih, deputy director of the Advanced Technology Development Division at Nanya Technology. "The dependable accuracy and consolidated hotspot reporting provided by Proteus LRC enable us to efficiently identify and resolve issues while improving our time to market."

Proteus LRC delivers a highly accurate and comprehensive lithography verification solution through an extensive set of standardized checks as well as specialized checks designed to address the latest double patterning technology (DPT) processing challenges. For easy deployment and dependable accuracy, all check functions use the same industry-proven compact models utilized by Proteus optical proximity correction (OPC).

In situations where borderline hotspots require the added insight of resist profile and topography effects, Proteus LRC utilizes the embedded Sentaurus Lithography simulator providing full check capabilities with first principle physics-based models. The balance of compact and rigorous models combined with comprehensive check functionality offers unmatched accuracy without compromising turnaround time (TAT).

Proteus LRC is built on the Proteus engine and is integrated into Synopsys' Proteus Pipeline Technology, enabling a single flow solution from design tapeout to mask fracture. The Pipeline Technology delivers the best TAT by utilizing concurrent processing at all stages of the mask synthesis and fracture flow to improve efficiency of I/O handling and CPU utilization. The Proteus engine provides an industry-proven platform that is highly scalable to hundreds, even thousands of standard x86 CPUs, enabling fast TAT while maintaining the lowest cost of ownership.

"Semiconductor companies like Nanya require a predictable and accurate verification solution they can trust to identify potential issues early in their flow," said Howard Ko, senior VP and GM of the Silicon Engineering Group at Synopsys. "Proteus LRC delivers industry-leading accuracy while maintaining a low cost of ownership and highly competitive turnaround time."

Maxim’s optical sensor combines ambient light and proximity sensors to deliver optical fusion

SUNNYVALE, USA: Maxim Integrated Products Inc. introduced the MAX44000, a digital ambient-light and infrared proximity sensor that detects light like a human eye. Designed using the company’s proprietary BiCMOS technology, this IC integrates three optical sensors, two ADCs, and digital functionality into a tiny 2mm x 2mm x 0.6mm package. This integration saves valuable board space while delivering optical fusion and unparalleled light-sensing performance.

The MAX44000 also consumes very low power: only 5µA when the ambient sensor is enabled, and only 7µA when both the proximity sensor and ambient light sensor are activated. This low-power usage significantly extends an application’s battery life. The MAX44000 is ideal for touch-screen applications, including smartphones, portable devices, industrial sensors, and presence detection.

When a smartphone is brought up to a user’s face, the touch screen must be shut off to prevent inadvertent touches that may disrupt the call. Thus, a proximity sensor is crucial, so the phone can “sense” an object is within a certain distance during a call or any other preset event. Once a sensed signal is received, it is run through a DC ambient, infrared (IR) rejection front-end circuit and sent to an ADC. This process allows the MAX44000 to operate in the presence of large amounts of DC IR radiation.

By using a single-pulse technique for pulsing the external IR LED, the sensor is immune to fixed-frequency external IR radiation. This immunity leads to more reliable sensor operation.

Traditional light sensors are strongly influenced by ultraviolet (UV) and IR light, which are not perceptible by the human eye. Sensing this light leads to inaccurate ambient-light readings. Maxim’s BiCMOS technology enables the integration of the two photodiodes and an optical filter to reject UV and IR light. This allows the MAX44000 to replicate the optical response of the human eye in a variety of environments.

GreenPeak rolls out GP570 chip for smart and low cost ZigBee RF4CE motion sense remote controls

2012 International CES, UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS: GreenPeak Technologies, a leading fabless semiconductor company, launched the GP570 chip that will allow development of low cost motion-enabled remote controls, addressing the growing demand for smarter and intuitive navigation of interactive entertainment services offered by operators.

Operators and consumer electronics manufacturers adopt motion sensing for their remote controls to enhance the consumer’s user experience with intuitive browsing and navigation extending into new interactive entertainment services. GreenPeak’s GP570, highly integrated single SoC solution, enables building cost-effective motion-enabled remote controls, which will allow mass market adoption of the new generation remote controls to become a reality.

The highly integrated GP570 is GreenPeak’s single chip RF4CE remote control SoC solution with integrated support of motion sense algorithms based on combined accelerometer and gyroscope input for advanced gesture recognition and smooth and accurate movement control.

GreenPeak offers the GP570 with reference designs that allow a seamless integration with minimal efforts and a short time to market. The GP570 is part of the proven GreenPeak remote control RF4CE product line.

Cees Links, founder and CEO of GreenPeak Technologies explains: “Motion-enabled remote controls fit perfectly with the next generation television content and services. Our silicon is the most robust and cost effective choice for operators that offer the next generation TV and Set-top Box services that drive competitive advantage and subscriber retention. Motion control will transform zapping into a fun, smooth and intuitive pointing experience.”

“Next generation remote controls will help MSO’s and cable providers excite existing subscribers and attract new ones,” says Rob Enderle, principle analyst with Enderle Group. “Adding motion sensing to RF4CE remote control features like interactivity, whole house coverage, and outstanding battery life, will help bring the cable industry into the age defined by products like the Xbox Kinect and Wii.”

Tangotec announces ITU-T G.hn chipset

2012 International CES, HAIFA, ISRAEL: Tangotec Ltd will have a fully compliant ITU-T G.hn chipset family available in 2012. Tangotec’s ITU-T G.hn chipset provides up to 1 Gbit/s over a mix of wires, including powerline, coax and telephone. Tangotec will be demonstrating G.hn over all three media at CES 2012.

G.hn is the ITU-T definition of the next generation home network standard for distribution of Internet Protocol (IP) content across existing AC power lines, coax cables and phone lines. G.hn enables consumers to access, store and share a wide variety of content around the home without having to install new wiring. This includes broadband data, 3D/HD Internet Protocol television (IPTV) programs, video-on-demand (VoD), multi-room 3D/HD DVR recordings, Voice over IP (VoIP), streaming of 3D video, HD video, music, photos and beyond.

Tangotec’s G.hn compliant MAC/PHY & AFE chipset is ideal solution in complete unification of the home wireline network for distributing bandwidth intensive and real-time applications.

“Without a doubt, Tangotec’s ITU-T G.hn edge-technology chipset address the home networking challenge with superior cost-performance” said Ran Dror, Tangotec’s CEO.

Tangotec’s G.hn solution is faster and more reliable than every wired or wireless solution running in consumer households to date, without requiring complicated security & setups. With its high level of performance, Tangotec enables service providers to easily and affordably deliver any IP service they are looking to implement in the coming decade.

Tangotec’s G.hn chipset highlights:
* Global standards-based technology – ITU-T G.hn standard G.9960/1/3/4.
* Supports legacy powerline device on ITU-T G.9972
* PHY rate up to 1 Gbit/s.
* Plug & Play solution – auto configuration; self-install over all three media, including powerline, coax and phoneline.
* Embedded next generation MIMO technology over powerline, thus extending coverage, improving the network’s immunity to noise and delivering a higher throughput.
* Supports both G.hn Domain Master and G.hn endpoint applications.
* Supports bridging, smart repeating, IP-multicast.
* Embedded, TR-069 and TR-111 remote management.
* 128-bit AES security plus ITU-TX.1035 hardware encryption.
* Supports Linux O/S and third party software.
* Supports Plastic Optical Fiber (PoF) applications.
* Co-exists with VDSL2/bonded VDSL2/VDSL/ADSL2+/ADSL2/ADSL, ISDN, POTS, DOCSIS 3.0/2.0/1.0, terrestrial and satellite TV.

Elpida’s loan due in April, financial difficulties cause merger speculation

TAIWAN: Heading into the end of 2011, Elpida’s financial difficulties were revealed. Rumors abounded, not only of Elpida seeking a bailout from the Japanese government, but also of Toshiba stepping up to take over. If this rumor is true, Elpida will be the first maker to fall in the harsh DRAM winter.

Currently, Elpida’s cash is down to JPY$110 billion, approximately $1.429 billion, but the company’s total debt amounts to around $6.26 billion, 60 percent of Elpida’s total assets. JPY$37.4 billion (approximately $486 million) of Elpida’s total debt comes from the Japanese government’s recapitalization program and must be repaid by the end of April 2012. In the face of this pressing deadline, Elpida has no choice but to look elsewhere for funds, which has fueled industry speculation of a merger or acquisition.

Integration necessary for DRAM industry to become oligopolistic and return to profitability
Amidst numerous conjectures about Elpida’s possible integration, the Japanese government plays an important role. In addition to possibly extending repayment of Elpida’s loan, the government is actively involved in integration prospects. Besides potential government intervention, there is also a chance that Elpida’s longtime strategic partners Kingston and Powertech Technology (PTI) will offer assistance.

Since 2H11, there has been frequent news of Kingston purchasing Elpida chips at discounted prices, hoping to help Elpida make it through the DRAM price downturn by decreasing the company’s losses somewhat. Market rumors also hinted that Nanya was willing to cooperate with Elpida. This rumor was immediately and firmly denied by both parties, and upon analysis it appears that there is little truth to the supposition. From Nanya’s perspective, their current debt ratio is a high 96.8 percent.

Although the company has received continuous financial support from industry giant Formosa Plastics, at this point in time it is highly unlikely Nanya would leave partner Micron to cooperate with Elpida. Furthermore, in terms of cost considerations neither Elpida nor Nanya is in a position to endure the technology integration period that would be necessary after merging. Lastly, as Nanya and Elpida have filed patent infringement lawsuits against each other, there is little possibility of a strategic alliance between the two.

As Elpida’s options are limited when it comes to integration partners, the Japanese government is eager to help negotiate a partnership between Toshiba and Elpida, in hopes of developing an operational strategy that will further reduce the proportion of commodity DRAM wafer starts. Further, the government also hopes for integration of DRAM and NAND product lines, in order to target the smartphone and tablet PC markets as major Korean makers have done.

There is also the possibility of US-Japan co-operation, with the goal of going up against Korean makers. Such an alliance would not only enable makers to solidify DRAM and NAND product lines and break into the mobile DRAM market, but Elpida and Micron’s combined wafer start capacity would be 328K starts per month, surpassing that of number two Korean maker Hynix (Fig. 1). From an economic perspective, teaming up would help keep costs down.Source: TrendForce, Taiwan.

According to TrendForce, currently the market has entered the traditional down season. Although, DRAM total wafer start volume has already decreased by over 20 percent since the beginning of 2011, a portion of DRAM capacity must be cut indefinitely if the DRAM industry is to achieve balanced supply and demand. This is the only method for the industry to achieve sustained growth and become an oligopolistic market.

Currently, other than Korean maker, Samsung, who possesses nearly 50 percent market share, DRAM makers are all in the red. Taiwanese manufacturers are suffering the most, with enormous net loss figures. Nanya’s debt ratio is nearing 100 percent, while Powerchip’s is around 80 percent, with clear need of an extension on imminently due loans.

In terms of Micron, debt ratio is lower than 30 percent as the company’s NAND flash remains profitable. Thus, it is unlikely they will be part of a merger. Micron’s subsidiary company Inotera is relatively stable in comparison to other Taiwanese makers, with the ability to solicit capital on their own – Micron subsidiary, Dutch Numonyx is part of private fundraising plans set by Inotera in December 2011.

Taking the above factors into account, the most likely company that would be part of a merger is Elpida, and the DRAM industry is sure to see major changes in 2012.Source: TrendForce, Taiwan.

DRAM market to gradually head toward oligopolistic status, price slashing history unlikely to recur
According to TrendForce, the current DRAM industry is still a competitive market. As profitability is achieved in the DRAM industry by using capacity and technology migration to keep single chip cost down, as soon as market demand growth slows, oversupply is difficult to reverse. From the market perspective, impacted by the rise of mobile products, the time for high PC yearly shipment volume has long gone.

The only way to increase profitability is to cut more DRAM capacity, and increase the proportion of mobile DRAM shipments. Before the market becomes an oligopoly, speculation of mergers and acquisitions will be endless, and the longer the industry remains in the red, fewer makers will be able to participate in such actions as they slowly lose grounds for negotiation.

However, with successful integration and an oligopolistic market, DRAM profitability will still be possible, and the surviving manufacturers will be able to live on as the industry fulfills its long-term goal of healthy operation.

Global semiconductor sales experience near term challenges, long term growth

WASHINGTON, USA: The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing US leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, announced worldwide sales of semiconductors were $25.1 billion for the month of November 2011, a decrease of 2.4 percent from the prior month when sales were $25.7 billion.

On a year to date basis, worldwide semiconductor sales are 0.8 percent higher compared to the same period last year. All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average.

"Supply chain disruptions resulting from the floods in Thailand have impacted semiconductor sales in the near term, however OEM's are expected to recover production losses over the course of the next few months," said Brian Toohey, president, SIA. "November sales were additionally affected by the continuing European financial crisis which is having a broad impact on other economies and global demand."Source: Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), USA.

Despite the near term supply chain and global economic challenges, the industry is still poised to close 2011 with growth and looks towards 2012 for further improvement.

Merger activity heats up in semiconductor equipment and materials industry

NEW YORK, USA: The semiconductor equipment and materials industry was a hotbed of mergers and acquisitions last year. With competition picking up, and margins getting squeezed, several industry heavyweights have looked towards mergers to create cost synergies. The Bedford Report examines the outlook for companies in the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials industry and provides equity research on Novellus Systems Inc. and KLA-Tencor Corp.

Last month the semiconductor equipment maker Lam Research Corp. agreed to buy rival Novellus Systems Inc. for $3.3 billion in stock. Lam said that the acquisition will help it cultivate more advanced chip making technology and increase its revenue faster than either company could on its own. The company also expects it to speed up its earnings growth.

When the deal is completed -- which is expected in the second quarter of 2012 -- Lam shareholders will own 59 percent of the new business, with Novellus investors holding the rest, according to last month's statement. The acquisition will result in annual cost savings of about $100 million by the fourth quarter of 2013, Lam explained.

According to reports from Bloomberg, Lam's purchase is the largest in the industry since Applied Materials announced plans last May to buy Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates Inc. for $4.9 billion in cash. Applied paid a 55 percent markup over Varian's closing price in that deal -- close to double the premium in the Novellus acquisition.

KLA-Tencor designs, manufactures, and markets process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related nanoelectronics industries. In December the company introduced new additions to its SensArray portfolio of advanced wireless temperature monitoring wafers. The portfolio implements time-based, in-situ temperature monitoring to capture the effect of the process environment on production wafers.

2HDec. NAND flash contract price falls 3-8 percent compared to 1HDec., Chinese New Year inventory restocking conservative

TAIWAN: According to TrendForce, as the market status remains unclear, some suppliers and buyers are not seeing eye-to-eye on price negotiations. Therefore, with few concluded transactions, 2HDec. mainstream NAND Flash MLC contract price fell by 3-8 percent compared to 1HDec.Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.

From the supply perspective, main suppliers’ technology migration progress has continuously advanced since the end of 4Q. TrendForce expects that after Chinese New Year, the proportion of new process technology shipments will gradually increase, and 2xnm-node SSD and eMMC will begin to ship for new ultrabook, smartphone, and tablet PC models after the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

From the demand perspective, as the past year saw weak demand for the back-to-school and year-end holiday seasons, makers’ inventory restocking demand was also lower than usual. In terms of the UFD market, as USB3.0 has not yet gained ground, market performance remains mediocre. As consumer electronics shipments have been weak and the Thailand flood disaster has impacted the digital camera supply chain, the retail memory card market has suffered.

Furthermore, with an unstable global economy and shipments for system products such as tablet PCs and ultrabooks not performing as expected, restocking momentum has not been as strong as in previous years.Source: DRAMeXchange, Taiwan.

Looking toward the January NAND Flash market, with no clear, positive signs in terms of demand outlook, as well as fewer work days and an early Chinese New Year, TrendForce expects that NAND Flash contract price will continue on a slight downtrend in the short term. 1Q12 price will depend on Chinese New Year retail sales and inventory replenishment.

As for the mobile phone industry, according to TrendForce research, smartphone shipment volume reached 427 million units in 2011, a significant 50 percent increase compared to 2010. In 2012, benefitting from the rise of entry to mid-level smartphones as well as increased demand from emerging markets, shipments may grow to 592 million units.

Additionally, the proportion of internal memory and OEM memory card capacity will gradually increase as cost decreases. As the mobile phone industry’s NAND Flash consumption volume is forecasted at 50 percent for 1Q12, TrendForce believes the smartphone industry will retain strong growth momentum, which will positively affect NAND Flash industry growth.

PTI purchased NEXX Systems Stratus plating tool for semiconductor packaging production

BILLERICA, USA & HSIN-CHU, TAIWAN: A leading advanced packaging equipment provider, NEXX Systems (NEXX) sold a 300mm Stratus electrochemical deposition (ECD) system to Powertech Technology (PTI), a major IC packaging and testing company headquartered in Taiwan.

The Stratus will be used for copper pillar bumps and re-distribution layers in advanced packaging applications that enable portable intelligent devices, such as smart phones and tablet PCs. The Stratus platform is also being evaluated as part of PTI's aggressive TSV commercialization program. Recently, PTI has partnered with major semiconductor companies around the world to develop and bring to market faster, more efficient devices.

One of the world's top providers of IC backend services, PTI is renowned for the assembly of memory devices. PTI's senior GM, Scott Jewler noted: "PTI delivers cutting-edge process technologies in a high volume manufacturing environment to major integrated device manufacturers and fabless companies. NEXX Systems' Stratus will enable PTI to provide premiere technology solutions, such as copper pillar bumps passing the benefits of a flexible system with exceptional costs of ownership onto our customers as cost savings."

NEXX's CEO, Tom Walsh, said: "We are delighted to support PTI in their delivery of exceptionally reliable advanced packaging solutions to the marketplace. I believe PTI is leading the industry in making thinner, lighter and more efficient electronic devices by implementing advanced packaging solutions in high volume production. NEXX is proud to be part of the exceptional quality standards at PTI's world class manufacturing facilities."