issue n°139 - I-Micronews

Free registration on www.i-micronews.com
ISSUE
N°139
7/02/13
THE DISRUPTIVE SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES MAGAZINE
LED 9
ITL unveils key new
UV LED curing product
launch for wide
OPTOELECTRONICS 11
Zephyr Photonics
opens semiconductor
fab and foundry unit
ADVANCED PACKAGINGS 13
SK Hynix readying
for 3D stacked memory
commercialization
PLATINUM PARTNERS:
Everywhereyoulook
MEDTECH
EDITORIAL
Labsmith and Fluigent join forces
Two leading microfluidic instrument manufactures are partnering to provide seamless access to an expansive
range of tools for electrokinetic and electrophoretic experiments.
Fluigent, headquartered in Paris, France,
is a microfluidic flow control and fluid
handling expert. LabSmith Inc., based in
Livermore, California, offers a wide range of
tools for innovative laboratory electronic and
microfluidic solutions. LabSmith and Fluigent
join forces in the promotion of a microfluidic
voltage control platform composed of
LabSmith’s HVS448 Eight Channel High
Voltage Sequencer and Fluigent’s MFCSTM
(Microfluidic Flow Control System) and
Electrowell device. Promotion of this tool
combination highlights a simplified automated
platform for the control of fluids and voltage
in a microfluidic set-up. «Combining the
HVS448, MFCSTM and Electrowell systems
will provide customers with a combined
microfluidic solution for precise fluid and
voltage control,” explains Fluigent CEO
François Leblanc. Fluigent and LabSmith plan
to leverage their technical expertise and
market experience to offer products that can
be easily integrated into any microfluidics
experiments for R&D laboratories and
industrial applications.
labsmith.com
www.fluigent.com
ZOOM
The LabSmith HVS448 Eight Channel High Voltage Sequencer with Sequence software (left) combined with the Fluigent
MFCS (Microfluidic Flow Control System and Electrowell) (right) for sample introduction (Courtesy of LabSmith and Fluigent)
MEMS
Korea: Ground
Zero for the
LED market’s
recovery
On January 29, 2013, the LED & Power
Electronics Industry Seminar was held at
the Novotel Ambassador Hotel in Gangnam,
Seoul, Korea. The event, powered by Yole
Développement, was organized into two parts:
a free seminar and a coffee break/lunch/
cocktail hour during which attendees could
discuss their opinions and challenges.
Most of the seminar’s 90+ attendees partook
in both parts, with the improving LED market
being the main talking point. Korea has become
synonymous with the LED market’s recovery,
having shown a 70% recovery rate since late
2012; thus, it’s no surprise that our seminar
was held in Seoul. Several Korean LED players
were in attendance, including Samsung, LG and
Seoul Semiconductor, along with materials
companies such as KCC, Iljin, OCI, and
Sapphire Technology. It was exciting to see
Korea’s entire LED chain gathered in one place!
At the LED Korea tradeshow, which ran from
Jan. 30 – Feb. 1, more than 30% of the people
who attended Yole’s seminar visited our booth
to follow up. Needless to say, we’re quite
pleased with how many LED players are now
paying attention to Yole Développement’s
2013 market forecast.
Thanks very much to everyone who attended
our inaugural seminar. We wish your business
much success in 2013!
Hailey Yang
Yole Développement, Korea Office
NRL designs
multi-junction solar
cell based on InP
substrate
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
scientists in the Electronics
Technology and Science
Division, in collaboration with
the Imperial College London
and MicroLink Devices have
proposed a novel triple-junction
solar cell with the potential to
break the 50 percent conversion
efficiency barrier, which is the
current goal in multi-junction
photovoltaic development.
This cell design has the potential to
break the 50 percent power
conversion efficiency mark under
concentrated illumination.
In multi-junction (MJ) solar cells, each
junction is ‘tuned’ to different wavelength
bands in the solar spectrum to increase
efficiency. High bandgap semiconductor
material is used to absorb the short
wavelength radiation with longer
wavelength parts transmitted to subsequent
semiconductors.
>p.12
Small footprint, very low power consumption
Bosch Sensortec introduces next-gen electronic compass BMC150
geomagnetic sensor and accelerometer in a single package.
With the new BMC150, Bosch Sensortec
announces the second generation of
its revolutionary electronic compass
module. The new implementation again raises
the bar in terms of package size, accuracy and
versatility.
The BMC150 is a 6-axis electronic compass
module based on Bosch’s proven FlipCore
technology which provides high accuracy and
at the same time low power operation for
longer battery life for smartphones, tablet
computers and similar mobile devices. With a
size of just 2.2 x 2.2 mm2 and a power
consumption as low as 190 μA it sets new
standards for compactness and battery
lifetime.
«Our focus for the BMC150 design was
reducing the footprint and thus to help our
customers to save valuable PCB real estate,»
comments Bosch Sensortec CEO Stefan
Finkbeiner. «An equally important goal was
increasing the measurement range. As the
result, the BMC is the ideal eCompass module
for innovative applications in battery-driven
mobile devices such as smartphones, tablet
computers and watches.»
BMC150 combines a 3-axis geomagnetic
sensor and a state-of-the-art 3-axis
accelerometer in a single package. Its high
integration translates into another benefit for
users: It reduces the number of components
that otherwise have to be handled and
qualified separately. Both sensors form a
logical and functional unit, since the g-vector
generated by the accelerometer is required
to calculate the tilt compensation for the
azimuth data produced by the geomagnetic
sensor. The accelerometer and the
geomagnetic sensor in BMC150, however, can
also be used as two fully functional
independent devices.
Besides high integration, the sensor offers
very high accuracy. Its exceptionally wide
measurement range of +/- 1300 μT per axis
makes it more tolerant to stray magnetic
fields associated to loudspeakers or other
magnetic components in smartphones. On
the other hand, its extremely low noise of just
0.3 μT enables very accurate measurement.
Many applications for handheld devices such
as user interface or navigation depend on an
orientation vector. With eCompass library
V3.0, Bosch Sensortec also offers a sensor
data fusion software that performs the
calculations for tilt compensation and thus
generates precise heading information for
compass applications.
>p.5
ZOOM
Acquisition of Kopin
Wireless for $75
million, placing to
raise £16.5 million
and trading update
IQE has agreed to acquire the
compound semiconductor epiwafer
manufacturing business of Kopin
Corporation (Kopin) for total
consideration of $75 million in cash.
Kopin Wireless is a global manufacturer
of heterojunction bipolar transistor
(“HBT”) materials which are used in
power amplifiers (“PA”), a key wireless
component in mobile devices. These are
produced using Metal Organic Chemical
Vapour Deposition (“MOCVD”) epitaxial wafer
technology.
Acquisition highlights
• $60 million payable in cash (“Initial
Consideration”) to Kopin on completion of
the Acquisition (“Completion”) and $15
million payable in cash to Kopin on the third
anniversary of Completion (“Deferred
Consideration”)
>p.8

2 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
CONTENT
INSIDE 3
EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS 4
MEMS 5
MEDTECH 7
COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTORS 8
LED 9
IMAGING 10
OPTOELECTRONICS 11
NANOTECHNOLOGY 11
PHOTOVOLTAICS 12
ADVANCED PACKAGING 13
POWER ELECTRONICS 14
Editorial Staff
Board Members: Jean-Christophe Eloy - Media Activity,
Editor in chief: Dr Eric Mounier - Editors: Alexandre
Avron, Frédéric Breussin, Lionel Cadix, Paul Danini, Wenbin
Ding, Dr. Éric Mounier, Pars Mukish, Laurent Robin,
Milan Rosina, Benjamin Roussel, Dr. Philippe Roussel
- Media & Communication Manager: Sandrine Leroy -
Media & Communication Coordinators: Clotilde Fabre,
Camille Favre - Layout: atelier JBBOX - Production: Kzen
LATEST NEWS
MEMS
STMicroelectronics ships three billionth MEMS chip and
reinforces its lead in motion sensors for phones, tablets
and other consumer devices
MedTech
Trinean launches the Xpose, a new micro-volume
spectrophotometer
Compound Semiconductors
Excess capacity to trigger massive consolidation and
attrition: Will cell phone display covers come to the
rescue? wonders Yole Développement
LED
Packaging cost reduction is driving new technology and
design adoption
THE DISRUPTIVE SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGIES WEBSITE
Go to www.i-micronews.com to read the latest news:
Imaging
USB3 standard ratified
Optoelectronics
Jenoptik targets €800M turnover by 2017
FROM CONCEPT
TO DEVICES
TECHNOLOGIES, FINANCE,
BUSINESS, MARKETS...
Photovoltaics
Solar wafer start-up 1366 Technologies opens new
production-scale factory
Advanced Packaging
STATS ChipPAC and UMC unveil World’s first 3D IC
developed under an open ecosystem model
Power Electronics
A $1B SJ MOSFET market by 2018, forecast at 10.3%
growth per year, announces Yole Développement
GOLD PARTNERS
International Conference and Exhibition
on Integration Issues of Miniaturized Systems
– MEMS, NEMS, ICs and Electronic Components
Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
13 – 14 March 2013
smartsystemsintegration.com
CONSULTING
About Yole Développement
Beginning in 1998 with Yole Développement, we have
grown to become a group of companies providing
market research, technology analysis,
strategy consulting, media in addition to finance
services. With a solid focus on emerging applications
using silicon and/or micro manufacturing, Yole
Développement group has expanded to include more
than 50 associates worldwide covering MEMS,
MedTech, Advanced Packaging, Compound
Semiconductors, Power Electronics, LED, Image
Sensors and Photovoltaics. The group supports
companies, investors and R&D organizations
worldwide to help them understand markets and
follow technology trends to develop their business.
Custom studies
• Market data, market research & marketing
analysis
• Technology analysis
• Reverse engineering & reverse costing
• Strategy consulting
• Corporate Finance Advisory (M&A & fund raising)
Technology & market reports
• Collection of reports
• Players & market databases
• Manufacturing cost simulation tools
• Component reverse engineering & costing
analysis
More information on www.yole.fr
Media
• Critical news, Bi-weekly: Micronews, the magazine
• In-depth analysis & Quarterly Technology
Magazines: MEMS Trends – 3D Packaging – iLED –
Power Dev’ – Image Sensors Industry
• Online disruptive technologies website: www.imicronews.com
• Exclusive and editorial webcasts
• Live event with Market Briefings
Contacts
For more information about:
• Services : Jean-Christophe Eloy (eloy@yole.fr)
• Reports: David Jourdan (jourdan@yole.fr)
• Media: Sandrine Leroy (leroy@yole.fr)
__
An intimate forum for decisionmakers
to define, collaborate on,
and grow the global MEMS market.
__
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
12 March 2013
Featured Keynote Speakers
RALF SCHNUPP
Vice President Segment Occupant
Safety & Inertial Sensors
Continental Automotive GmbH
RENZO DAL MOLIN
Advanced Research Director,
SORIN GROUP
Register before 15 February to save €100
www.memscongress.com
__
organizer and presenter
®
Co-organizer:
Part of the activities of:
In cooperation with:
BE PART OF IT!
Knowledge exchange
Trends and innovations
Networking
Main conference topics:
• 3D-Integration and system packaging
•Manufacturing technologies for smart
integrated systems
•Smart medtech systems and systems for
prognostics health management
Register now at
smartsystemsintegration.com/registration
Further information:
+49 711 61946-16 or
smart@mesago.com

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 3
INSIDE…
piezoMEMS competence centre established at SINTEF
The MEMS market is increasingly turning
its attention to creating semiconductorbased
devices that convert real-world
non-digital as well as non-electronic
information such as mechanical, thermal,
acoustic, chemical, optical and biomedical
phenomena to and from the digital domain.
One particularly promising technology is the
integration of piezoelectric thin films with
silicon MEMS.
Piezoelectricity is the ability of some
materials to generate an electric potential in
response to applied mechanical stress. The
piezoelectric effect is reversible in that
Ideas
and IP
Design
Device fabrication
materials exhibiting the direct piezoelectric
effect (the production of electricity when
stress is applied) also exhibit the converse
piezoelectric effect (the production of stress
and/or strain when an electric field is
applied). This is what makes the piezoMEMS
technology so versatile. Due to this two-way
operation of piezoelectric materials - going all
the way from DC operation to several tens of
MHz - piezoMEMS technology provides a huge
pool of design opportunities.
A market analysis for piezoMEMS based
devices was recently performed by Yole
Développement. PiezoMEMS have already
Model
Process
and fab
Market value
piezoMEMS Competence Center covers the whole piezoMEMS process, illustrated here as the working tools of hardware and
know-how needed for manufacturing piezoMEMS. (Courtesy of Sintef)
demonstrated their potential for use in mass
product applications like ink-jet print heads
by EPSON and Matsushita. As of 2012/2013
there are many others to come. Examples of
known future applications include RF
switches, filters, gyro sensor, tilted mirror
arrays, energy harvesters, particle detection
for biomedical applications and actuators for
fine positioning- i.e. for optical lenses (www.
polight.com).
The piezoMEMS process
piezoMEMS is fabricated using modified
versions of established MEMS processes as
well as specially developed add-on processes.
To develop this process deep knowledge
about piezo and ferroelectric materials were
needed and it is important to realize that the
rules and processes used when designing and
fabricating Si-MEMS often cannot be applied
to piezoMEMS. One important issue is the
incompatibility of non-CMOS materials in
most MEMS fabs.
The full fabrication chain, including the
development of high volume tools for thin film
deposition and in-line quality control, has
been in focus for several years, most recently
through the FP7 project piezoVolumecoordinated
by SINTEF.
The competence centre
The piezoMEMS Competence Centre at
SINTEF (www.piezomicrosystems.com) is a
perfect match for small and medium size
companies that want to get started with
piezoelectric MEMS based on PZT. Since
piezoMEMS technology is quite new, and
there are no open facilities for volume
production of piezoMEMS, it is natural that
the barrier for considering piezoMEMS
piezoMEMS wafer before dicing. Several design-types for
various technology demonstrators are shown for this joint
piezoVolume project wafer. (Courtesy of Sintef)
technology is quite high. The Competence
Centre has a large network of infrastructure
as well as experts able to guide people
through the challenges with this new
technology. We cover the whole process from
design to packaging and offer small-scale
production of devices. People within the
Competence Centre have worked with design,
modelling, process development and
prototyping of piezoMEMS since 2002 and
several successful projects have been
completed. The unique experience that has
been acquired reduces the risks and time-tomarked
for our customers. Technology
transfer from prototyping to high volume
production is ensured through collaboration
with independent MEMS fabs – in addition to
the in-house capabilities at SINTEF. The
continuing research in material science and
fabrication processes at SINTEF ensures
access to state-of-the-art technology. SINTEF
has taken a leading role in the competence
center, in a joint effort with our technology
partners to bring piezoMEMS to the market.
www.piezomicrosystems.com
www.sintef.no
REVERSE COSTING
Rohm DC/DC micro converter using TDK-EPC embedded die packaging
Embedded die packaging is an emerging
solution for increased integration in
mobile products. It’s supported by a
game-changing, low-cost, panel-based PCB
infrastructure that has the potential to
create an alternative supply chain for
today’s well-established packaging
standards.
Rohm and TDK-EPC have joined forces to
provide an alternative solution for
embedded die technology.
technology based on the emerging
“embedded die in laminate substrate”
concept. Most of the packaging assembly
operations are done at the panel-scale
level, and a fan-out area with a four layers
3D interconnection routing path is
provided.
This packaging technology extends the
package size beyond the IC surface area
and allows for mounting additional
components such as discretes and passives
on top of the laminated SiP module.
Supply chain and costing results
We believe that manufacture of the IC die
and copper RDL are handled by Rohm
Semiconductor in Japan. The SESUB
packaging is performed by TDK-EPC on a
large-scale panel in Japan, allowing for
assembly of thousands of packages
simultaneously.
Passives
Components Cost
10%
Although fully compatible with the
previously analyzed TI module, the process
and cost structure is very different.
A full reverse costing report, including
technological analysis of the device and
detailed manufacturing costs, is currently
available.
Passives Assembly
Cost EMS
Overheads
8%
Final test + Yield
losses cost
2 %
SESUB Packaging
Cost + TDK-EPC
Overheads
20%
IC Die Cost
60%
Rohm DC-DC micro converter
(Courtesy of System Plus Consulting)
This SiP module is a second-source supply
version of Texas Instruments’ MicroSiP
DC-DC Converter, with packaging from
AT&S (see our article in Micronews #125).
TDK-EPC’s embedded die process
TDK-EPC’s process, called SESUB
(Semiconductor Embedded in SUBstrate), is
an innovative SiP module packaging
Capacitor
Solder ball
Inductor
Embedded active component
Capacitor
Four
redistribution
layers
SiP cross-section and drawing
(Courtesy of System Plus Consulting)
Recent reverse costing reports
• ST LSM333D: 4x4mm 9-Axis IMU
• Luxtera Silicon Photonic Die
• TI DLP: nHD Pico Projector
• SETi UVTOP270: UV LED
• Mitsubishi CM450DY-24S: 1200V IGBT Power
Module
SiP module cost breakdown (Courtesy of System Plus Consulting)
System Plus Consulting develops costing
tools and performs on demand reverse
costing studies of semiconductors (from
integrated circuits to power devices, from
single chip packages to MEMS and multichip
modules) & of electronic boards and systems.
CONSULTING
www.systemplus.fr

4 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS
The equipment & materials business will grow by 4X in the next
five years …
« Mid-End » infrastructure is growing and is the leading driver and the fastest growing
semiconductor packaging technology with more than 18% CAGR in units over the next 6 years.
Equipment & materials suppliers of
front-end and back-end areas are
finding business opportunities in
the ‘Middle-End’ space, a new blur area
at the cross-roads between wafer
fabrication and back-end assembly
processes
Demand for ‘mid-end’ tools and related
materials is surging, thanks to the growth of
3DIC & Wafer-Level-packaging technologies
such as 3D TSV, FO WLP, 3D WLP, WLCSP,
2,5D interposers and Flip-chip wafer
bumping.
According to Yole Développement’s analyst,
the material market will grow from ~$ 590M
this year to over $ 2B by 2017 with a CAGR
of 24%, driven mainly by the expansion of
2,5D interposers and 3D TSV & WLP
platforms. Also, the equipment market
reached a value of ~$ 870M in 2011 with a
CAGR of 28% fueled by the 3D IC technology
with TSV interconnects, which represents
one of the main emerging areas in the
coming years; an area offering opportunities
for new equipment modification and new
materials development.
A slight decrease in 2012 is forecast, since
manufacturers invested in equipment tools
dedicated to the 3D TSV & WLP markets last
year and high-volume production in 3D TSV,
FO WLP, and 3D WLP has not started yet.
Market share for 3DIC/WLP: breakdown
by equipment & materials
The materials market is diversified and
segmented into several materials suppliers.
Specialist material suppliers are involved and
specialized in one specific sector.
However, the equipment market for 3D TSV
& WLP applications is quite fragmented and
diversified.
Yole Développement identifies three main
groups of equipment suppliers coming from
different business markets:
• Large equipment suppliers coming from
the semiconductor and front–end area
who have expanded their business into
the 3D TSV & WLP semiconductor
business through acquisition of other
companies.
• Equipment suppliers coming from niche
application wafer processing markets with
a broad product portfolio.
• “Specialist” equipment suppliers that
have developed knowledge and expertise
in very specific equipment lines.
The competitive landscape and market share
for all main equipment & materials suppliers
have been quantified and detailed by Yole
Développement.
Demand for ‘Mid-End’ tool and related
materials is surging due to the growth of
3DIC & Wafer-Level-Packaging technologies
driven mainly by the expansion of 2.5D
interposers and 3D TSV& WLP platforms. The
wafer-level-packaging market remains a
huge business opportunity and shows the
greatest potential for significant future
growth in the semiconductor industry.
www.yole.fr
Volume (in Munits of 300mm wafer eq.)
40,0
35,0
30,0
25,0
20,0
15,0
10,0
5,0
0,0
Global Wafer-Level-Packaging demand
(in Munits of 300mm wafer eq. )
(Source: Equipment & Materials for 3DIC & Wafer-Level-Packaging, October 2012, Yole Développement)
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
3DIC
3D WLP
3D SiP
WL CSP
FO WLP
2.5D
interposers
Flip-chip
As this wafer-level-packaging industry develops over time, a real
infrastructure has spontaneously emerged into what is now being called
the “Mid-end” of the semiconductor manufacturing environment.
Indeed, wafer-level-packages are true “Mid-end” technologies in the
sense that they can all be served in the ‘blur zone’ of overlap between
the IDMs or CMOS foundries’ back-end-of-line (BEOL) wafer fabs and the
back-end wafer bumping assembly facilities of the OSATs and wafer
bumping houses
Strippable thick resist for WLP applications
2011 Market share breakdown by supplier (in M$)
(Source: Equipment & Materials for 3DIC & Wafer-Level-Packaging, October 2012, Yole Développement)
TOK
(Tokyo Ohka Kogyo
Co. LTD)
$ 26,0 M
20%
Others*
$ 13,0 M
10%
AZ Electronic
Materials
$ 39,0 M
30%
TOT
~ $ 130 M
JSR Micro
$ 52,0 M
40%
*Dow Electronic Materials, Dupont,
Shin-Etsu Chemical, Shin-Etsu MicroSi
The equipment & materials business
Equipment & Materials for
3DIC & Wafer-Level-Packaging

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 5
MEMS
Small footprint, very low power consumption
From page 1
In cases where a highly dynamic
orientation vector is indispensable –
such as augmented reality or games –
designers typically employ a gyro sensor to
provide this information in a 9-axis sensor
system. Along with Bosch Sensortec’s
FusionLib V3.0 algorithm, the 3-axis standalone
gyro sensor BMG160 is the ideal
complement to the BMC150.
The inherent intelligence of the BMC150
helps to significantly reduce time to market
for application developers. With its powerful
and versatile interrupt system, the BMC150
greatly facilitates the design of a broad
range of different applications.
waking it up by tapping it with a finger.
Developers also benefit from the new FIFO
buffer which acts as a temporary storage for
measurement data until they are needed.
This feature offloads the application
processor further, effectively reducing the
system’s overall power consumption.
The accelerometer section of the sensor can
be adjusted to four different g ranges
between +/- 2g and +/- 16g, enabling
designers to select the g range that fits best
their application.
The integrated smart interrupt engine
enables the sensor module to automatically
identify motion patterns and situations. For
instance, it detects free fall conditions, flat
orientation on a table, tap sensing or even
no motion at all for a definable period of
time.
These status data enable the implementation
of many innovative features for mobile
devices such as activating sleep mode and
www.bosch.com
BMC 150 (Courtesy of Bosch Sensortec)
Kionix introduces low power, full-featured
2x2x0.9mm accelerometer with FIFO/FILO buffer
The KX022 offers low current consumption and a full range of high
performance embedded algorithms optimized for mobile applications.
Kionix announced the release of the
KX022, a 2x2x0.9mm tri-axis, robust
accelerometer with integrated FIFO/
FILO buffer that maintains low power while
offering a wide variety of embedded
algorithms for maximum functionality.
Embedded features include tap detection,
orientation detection, activity monitoring, and
motion wake-up algorithms, as well as an
internal voltage regulator and self-test
function. With an ultra-small package, highperformance
embedded functionality, and
current consumption as low as 2μA, the KX022
is ideally suited for smartphones, tablets, and
health and fitness applications.
The KX022 also features a user-configurable,
low-power, embedded motion wake-up
function, allowing the user to conserve battery
life by powering down other systems until
needed. Combined with Kionix’s XAC sensor,
which provides outstanding stability with a
market-leading combination of improved
shock, reflow, and thermal performance, as
well as a decreased need for production-line
calibration, the KX022 provides customers
with substantial reductions in power, noise,
and cost.
“Kionix continues to aggressively address
customer requirements for a small sensor
footprint and for greater product functionality,”
said Scott Miller, Vice President of Engineering,
Kionix. “As a result, we have successfully
enhanced our previous 2x2 offering by adding
in a full range of embedded algorithms and
functionality and an integrated FIFO/FILO
buffer, dropping current consumption, and
reducing noise, thereby making this part
perfect for mobile applications.”
• I2C and SPI digital output
• An internal voltage regulator that maintains
constant internal operating voltages over its
1.8 – 3.6V range of input supply
• Up to 14-bit resolution for greater precision
• Self-test function
• Embedded functionality, including tap
detection, orientation, activity, and motion
wake-up algorithms.
Available in a 12-pin, LGA, plastic package,
the KX022 will be sampling to qualified
customers during Q1 2013.
www.kionix.com
Omron – New MEMS pressure sensor for medical,
industrial and other applications (2SMPP-03 MEMS)
Omron Electronic Components Europe has added a new piezo-resistive
gauge pressure sensor featuring an extended pressure range as well as
low power consumption and small size.
The 2SMPP-03 MEMS based pressure
sensor is seen as ideal for medical
applications such as negative pressure
wound therapy (NPWT) as well as leak
detection, movement control, level indicators,
home appliances and industrial control
instruments. It offers precise measurement
between -50kPa to +50kPa, complementing the
2SMPP-02 with a 0 to 37kPa range.
To read full article, please visit electropages
website.
www.electropages.com
2SMPP-03 MEMS (Courtesy of Omron)
KX022 features include:
• Low current consumption in all modes: 2 μA
in standby, 10 μA at normal resolution
(25Hz ODR), and 130 μA for high resolution
• User-selectable resolution and acceleration
ranges at +/-2g, +/-4g or +/-8g, as well as
user-selectable Output Data Rate (ODR)
• Embedded FIFO/FILO buffer
• Two interrupt registers
• Digital high-pass filter outputs
• Low noise for better resolution

6 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
MEMS
SiTime expands portfolio with +125C MEMS
oscillators for industrial and high reliability
applications
Best robustness and reliability are ideal for harsh environments; best
stability and power consumption improve system performance.
ZOOM
Bosch designs Application-Specific Integrated
Circuits for MEMS sensors in Dresden
Focus on automotive and consumer applications.
SiTime introduced the SiT8920 MEMS
oscillator for industrial and high reliability
applications. Due to its unique silicon
MEMS and analog architecture, the SiT8920
outperforms quartz oscillators in every major
performance category. While operating over
the widest temperature range, -55°C to
+125°C, the SiT8920 consumes half the power
of quartz oscillators, is twice as stable, 20 times
more reliable and 30 times more robust to
shock and vibration. These key benefits
dramatically improve system performance and
reduce failures in harsh environments.
«SiT8920“SiTime’s MEMS and analog expertise
allows us to deliver unique, leadership products
with performance that is far beyond what is
available in the market,” said Piyush Sevalia,
executive vice president of marketing at
SiTime. “The SiT8920 is a win-win for
customers developing industrial and highreliability
applications. They benefit from
dramatically better robustness and reliability,
while simultaneously improving system
performance. SiTime’s MEMS oscillators
incorporate unique features that are simply not
available from quartz products. For example,
the SiT8920 incorporates SiTime’s unique
SoftEdge rise/fall time control that reduces
system EMI without additional components,
expensive shielding or PCB re-design. By
offering such compelling benefits, SiTime is
transforming the timing industry with its silicon
MEMS solutions.”
SiTime is also introducing two additional
devices that are well suited for replacing
quartz oscillators and crystal resonators.
• SiT1618 – a fixed-frequency oscillator that
operates over -40°C to +125°C
• SiT8918 – a programmable oscillator that
operates over the same temperature range and
supports any frequency between 1 and 110
MHz as well as 1.8V and 2.5 to 3.3V operation
These new high-temp oscillators offer many
unique features and benefits listed below.
• Best robustness: 30 times better than
quartz oscillators
- 0.1 ppb/g vibration sensitivity, the best in
the industry
- 50,000 g shock and 70 g vibration resistance
• Best reliability: 500 million hours MTBF (2 FIT),
20 times better than quartz oscillators
• Best frequency stability: ±25 PPM over the
operating temperature for better system
timing
• Low power consumption: < 4 mA typical
• Five industry-standard package options
including a tiny 2.0 x 1.6 mm, all of which
are drop-in replacements for quartz
oscillators
• The SiT8920, SiT8918 and the SiT1618
MEMS oscillators are sampling now with
mass production scheduled for April 2013.
www.sitime.com
Bosch has started its ASICs (Application-
Specific Integrated Circuits) design
activities for MEMS sensors in
Dresden, Germany. These sensors are
silicon-based and sense for instance motions,
pressure or magnetic fields. MEMS sensors
are to be used in a variety of automotive
applications such as motor controls, vehicle
dynamics controls and rollover detection –
more and more in consumer electronics
applications such as smart phones, games
consoles or tablets as well.
The related ASIC reads out the sensor and
transmits the metered value in analog or
digital mode. The correspondent design of
the circuit allows reliable and secure figures
of merit to be required for applications such
as in smart phones or cars.
Bosch sees a huge growth potential in the
market for MEMS sensors and related ASICs
(Application Specific ICs). The new Dresden
design center expands the company’s
existing network of IC design locations in
Reutlingen, Munich, Shanghai and
Bangalore. With its local presence in
Dresden as one of Europe’s most dynamic
microelectronics industrial centers, Bosch
also gets access to the great academic and
engineering potential in the Dresden area.
«Besides our profound expertise in MEMS
technology, excellent IC developers are
essential factors for the expansion of our
innovative product portfolio,» says Udo-
Martin Gomez , CTO of Bosch Sensortec
GmbH. «At the same time, this move
reflects Bosch’s commitment to Germany as
semiconductor development and
manufacturing location,» says Erich
Biermann, Senior Vice President Engineering
at Bosch Semiconductors.
www.bosch.com
IDT announces industry’s first high-performance quad frequency MEMS oscillators with multiple
synchronous outputs
IDT’s enhanced 4E MEMS oscillators offer configurable outputs in an industry-standard package footprint, saving board area in communication,
networking, and storage applications.
Integrated Device Technology (IDT ® )
announced the industry’s first highperformance
quad frequency MEMS
oscillators with multiple synchronous outputs.
IDT’s latest oscillators offer configurable outputs
in an industry-standard compatible package
footprint, saving board area and bill-of-materials
(BOM) cost in communication, networking,
storage, industrial, and FPGA applications.
The IDT 4E series ±50 ppm enhanced MEMS
oscillators integrate an LVDS or LVPECL
output with a synchronous CMOS output into
a single package, eliminating the need for an
external crystal or secondary oscillator.
Available in frequencies up to 600 MHz, the
new oscillators save board area, simplify the
application circuit, and reduce BOM cost in
any high-performance application requiring
an LVDS or LVPECL frequency source.
Additionally, the oscillators feature two
control pins to select between four factoryprogrammable
output frequencies, allowing
for the replacement of four components with
a single device. This enables the customer to
reduce their BOM count, consolidate their
inventory, and realize cost benefits.
“Our new CrystalFree MEMS oscillators
eliminate the need for additional quartz
crystals and bring tremendous value to our
customers,” said Christian Kermarrec, vice
president and general manager of the timing
and synchronization division at IDT. “Our new
4E series provides our customers with what
they’ve been asking for – simplicity and cost
savings. Not only have we met these demands,
we’ve also maintained backward compatibility
with their existing socket footprints to ease
the transition to these new devices.”
The IDT 4E series oscillators are designed
with the physical dimensions and pinout of an
industry-standard six-pin CMOS, LVDS or
LVPECL oscillator, but with four additional pins
(10 pins total) strategically placed to maintain
backward compatibility with existing six-pin
sockets. This allows designers to use the
oscillators in existing sockets while offering
additional functionality for new designs.
Prepare yourself for 2013
funding opportunities!
System designers can choose from three
different output combinations: LVDS and
CMOS outputs, LVPECL and CMOS outputs, or
three synchronous CMOS outputs – offering
the flexibility to use the innovative devices in
a myriad of applications.
Would you like to benefit from interesting programmes
and offers to finance your advanced technology projects?
By participating in this webcast tutorial, you’ll gain valuable insights into:
Join the online tutorial on
14 th February - 1:00 PM CET*
The IDT 4E MEMS oscillators are currently
sampling to qualified customers and are
available in a standard 7.0 x 5.0 mm VFQFPN
package.
www.idt.com
Tutorial Webcast
Speakers:
Moderator:
To register or get more
information:
Organised by:
Hosted by:

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 7
MEDTECH
Akonni pre-clinical results on rapid, low-cost array moves company closer to
commercialization for its infectious disease test portfolio
Data demonstrate that the TruDiagnosis ® platform is ready for expanded, multi-site clinical trials.
Akonni Biosystems announces results
from three pre-clinical studies that
contribute to the body of clinical
evidence that verifies the efficacy of Akonni’s
TruDiagnosis molecular diagnostics (MDx)
platform. Akonni TruArray ® Tests are designed
to fulfill market needs for mid-multiplex
molecular diagnostics (tens to hundreds of
molecular markers) deployed in near point-ofcare
settings, at a similar cost to conventional
culture tests and with the accuracy and speed
of gold-standard low-multiplex approaches.
These studies, including those for methicillinresistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA),
multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (MDR-TB), and influenza
subtyping, were funded and developed over
the past six years by carefully leveraging more
than $45M in private and public funding from
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers
for Disease Control (CDC), National Science
Foundation (NSF), and the Department of
Defense (DOD).
Well positioned to take advantage of a
$3.0B plus market
The aggregate market opportunity for
infectious disease diagnostics exceeds $3B in
the United States alone, according to an
October, 2012 report by Cowen & Company,
LLC. Akonni’s TruDiagnosis platform is
positioned to exploit this and broader global
health markets with its unique TruArray Tests,
which are designed to significantly reduce the
complexity and cost of traditional midmultiplex
microarray consumables,
equipment, and workflows for laboratory
technicians. Mid-level multiplexed molecular
assays that can be deployed in the field or in
lower-resource settings are particularly useful
for infectious disease diagnostics, detecting
drug resistance markers, and improving the
health of at-risk populations.
Streamlined chemistry simplifies workflow
compared to other microarray platforms
Relative to the microarray products provided
by Affymetrix (AFFX), Agilent (A), Combimatrix
(CBMX), and by Luminex (LMNX), Akonni’s
TruArray tests significantly simplify microarray
workflows by combining conventional target
amplification, fragmentation and labeling
processes into a single tube or microfluidic
chamber. Preliminary studies also indicate that
all amplification, labeling, hybridization, and
wash steps can be combined into a single, selfcontained
amplification microarray
consumable, resulting in an entirely closedamplicon
microarray-based test.
Each drop is an
individual biosensor
Each drop is 100
microns in diameter
Each drop can
indentify a unique
disease marker
TruArray technology (Courtesy of Akonni)
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus program
In collaboration with researchers from Johns
Hopkins University, Akonni conducted a
retrospective study on 87 clinical isolates and
246 nasal swab samples acquired from a nonrandom,
high-risk patient population. Of the
87 isolates, the TruArray test accurately
classified 86 (98.8%) and correctly identified
14 mecA dropout specimens that were falsely
positive in the BD GeneOhm MRSA or BD
GeneOhm StaphSR tests. The overall
prevalence of MRSA in the clinical sample set
was 16.7%. The TruArray test resulted in
80.5% sensitivity and 96.6% specificity,
comparable to or better than Cepheid Xpert
MRSA or BD GeneOhm tests when applied to
similar, high-prevalence patient populations
containing a significant number of mecA
dropouts. This study was published in 2012 in
the Journal of Microbiological Methods.
MDR-TB program
In collaboration with researchers from Johns
Hopkins University, Akonni conducted a study
with 185 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates
representing a world-wide distribution of
rifampin, isoniazid, streptomycin and
ethambutol resistance genotypes. The
simplified TruArray Test containing 96 unique
probes for 39 drug-resistant mutations in 5
genes enabled a single technician to run up to
24 samples in under 6 hrs using an industry
standard thermal cycler and a field-portable,
low cost microarray imager. Of 196 mutations
in the culture set that were also represented
on the microarray, the TruArray test correctly
detected 193 (98.4% success rate). This study
is scheduled to be submitted for publication in
the first quarter of 2013.
Influenza subtyping program
In collaboration with the United States Centers
for Disease Control (CDC), New York
Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, and
Little Company of Mary Hospital (Chicago),
Akonni developed a simplified TruArray Test for
influenza detection, sub-typing, and
neuramidase resistance detection from
nasopharyngeal swabs (in viral transport
medium). Limits of detection in clinical
nasopharyngeal swab samples were
approximately 100 RNA gene copies per test,
regardless of influenza subtype. The most
sensitive probes were those targeting seasonal
and pandemic influenza A H275Y variants.
Using a CDC surveillance and reporting
guideline, definitive identification was provided
for 164 of 178 samples (92%) and 328 of 342
hybridizations (95.9%). No false positives were
detected.
www.akonni.com
Quick detection of
periodontitis pathogens
based on lab-on-chip
technology
A new diagnostic platform enables
the pathogens to be detected quickly,
enabling dentists to act swiftly to
initiate the right treatment.
Bleeding gums during tooth brushing or
when biting into an apple could be an
indication of periodontitis, an
inflammatory disease of the tissues that
surround and support the teeth. Bacterial
plaque attacks the bone, meaning teeth can
loosen over time and in the worst case even
fall out, as they are left without a solid
foundation to hold them in place. Furthermore,
periodontitis also acts as a focal point from
which disease can spread throughout the
entire body: If the bacteria, which can be very
aggressive, enter the bloodstream, they can
cause further damage elsewhere. Physicians
suspect there is a connection between
periodontitis pathogens and the sort of
cardiovascular damage that can cause heart
attacks or strokes. In order to stop the source
of inflammation, dentists remove dental
calculus and deposits from the surface of
teeth, but this is often not enough; particularly
aggressive bacteria can only be eliminated
with antibiotics. A new mobile diagnostic
platform is designed to speed up identification
of the eleven most relevant periodontitis
pathogens considerably. Scientists at the
Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and
Immunology IZI in Leipzig have collaborated
with two companies, BECIT GmbH and ERT-
Optik, to develop a lab-on-a-chip module
called ParoChip. In future this will allow
dentists and medical labs to prepare samples
quickly and then analyze the bacteria.
All the steps in the process – the duplication
of DNA sequences and their detection – take
place directly on the platform, which consists
of a disk-shaped microfluidic card that is
around six centimeters in diameter.
To read the complete article, please visit
Fraunhofer website.
www.fraunhofer.de
5-6 March 2013 Barcelona, Spain
AGENDA TOPICS
Diagnostics and Medical Applications
Droplet-Based Microfluidics
Market Orientated Device
Nanotech on a Chip
Optofluidics
Point of Care Devices and Diagnostics
Single Cell Analysis
REGISTER NOW
Industry Delegate €1199
Academic Delegate €699
Pre Doctoral Full Time Student €299
2for1 Passes
Register now and get a second delegate pass
for free!
Register now at
SelectBio.com/LOACEC2013
CALL FOR POSTERS
Deadline: 19 February 2013
You can present your research on a poster while attending
the meeting. Submit an abstract for consideration now!
For large groups or to discuss specific requirements,
please contact us:
Email: registrations@selectbio.com
Phone: +44 (0) 1787 315115
web: www.selectbio.com
Event Co-located with : Advances in Biodetection & Biosensors, Single Cell Analysis and
Advances in Microarray Technology
BioMEMS
and microsensors
are reshaping
healthcare
applications
BioMEMS
E enquiries@selectbio.com P +44 (0)1787 315110
Woodview, Bull Lane, SUDBURY, CO10 0FD, UK
SelectBio.com
Discover the NEW
report on
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8 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
COMPOUND SEMICONDUCTORS
Rubicon Technology patent allowed for ultra-flat,
high-throughput wafer lapping
Rubicon Technology that the United States Patent and Trademark Office
(USPTO) has allowed Rubicon’s patent application entitled, “Ultra-flat,
high-throughput wafer lapping process.”
The patent covers Rubicon’s process
developed to perform grinding and
polishing to achieve consistent, ultraflat
and defect-free surface quality for the
high-volume production of large diameter
sapphire wafers.
Rubicon’s customers in the LED and SoS/RFIC
markets have very demanding requirements
for the quality of sapphire wafers used in
their applications. The patent addresses the
quality and flatness challenges inherent in the
production of sapphire wafers at larger
diameters. The patented ultra-flat, highthroughput
lapping process enables Rubicon
to achieve high levels of flatness and quality
while maintaining the highest levels of
throughput in the production of large
diameter sapphire wafers. As wafers are
Swedish Graphensic
is granted business
support for graphene on
silicon carbide
The Swedish energy agency
supports Graphensic for business
development. The funding will
give the company increased
opportunities for international
development of graphene on silicon
carbide.
Graphene is a material that has a
promising future. Swedish research
has shown to be leading in
manufacturing graphene on silicon carbide.
The applications range from demanding
electronics to various approaches of
biosensors.
lapped and polished, the platens facing the
wafers become worn and deformed, leading
to the deterioration of wafer quality. In the
patented process, the platens are
continuously self-conditioned and selfoptimized
to maintain high performance.
“Rubicon continues to build its patent
portfolio and increase its technological
leadership throughout the sapphire wafer
manufacturing process,” said Raja M. Parvez,
President and CEO of Rubicon Technology.
“This patent underscores our dedication to
improving the large-diameter sapphire
manufacturing process and improving the
leading technology platform for the highthroughput
production of high-quality large
diameter sapphire wafers for our customers.”
rubicon-es2.com
ZOOM
Acquisition of Kopin Wireless for $75 million,
placing to raise £16.5 million and trading update
From page 1
• Significantly extends IQE’s market share
and leadership in wireless industry supply
and delivers a market leading position in
MOCVD HBT
• Builds substantially on IQE’s risk
mitigation strategy in wireless - adding
Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (“Skyworks”),
which has a long standing supply
agreement with Kopin Wireless, as a
major customer
• Taiwan manufacturing facility adds to
IQE’s global manufacturing footprint and
will provide the Group with a strong
position to access the growing Asian
semiconductor market
• Attractive terms - earnings enhancing
from 2013 financial year onwards
• Significant cost synergies of at least £7
million per annum expected from 2014
Acquisition financing
• New banking facility with HSBC for $40
million
• $20 million will be funded from the £16.5
million proceeds of the Placing (defined
below)
• Organic cash flow to pay the deferred
consideration of $15 million payable in
January 2016
Placing
• IQE intends to raise approximately £16.5
million through a placing by the Joint
Bookrunners, Espirito Santo Investment
Bank and Canaccord Genuity Limited, of
56,900,961 new ordinary shares (“placing
shares”) at a price of 29 pence per
placing share (the “placing price”) (the
“placing”)
• The placing price represents a discount
of approximately 0.85 per cent. to the
closing mid-market price of IQE’s
ordinary shares of 29.25 pence on 9
January 2013, being the last practicable
date before this announcement
• The placing shares represent
approximately 8.82 per cent of the
Group’s enlarged share capital following
Admission (defined below)
• The books for the Placing will open with
immediate effect and are expected to
close no later than 4.30 p.m.
Trading update for 2012
For the year ended 31 December 2012, IQE
expects revenue to be in the range of £87
million to £88 million, with earnings before
interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation
in the range of £16 million to £17 million
and net debt as at 31 December 2012 of
approximately £15.5 million.
Drew Nelson, CEO of IQE, said:
“This acquisition is our third key transaction
in the past 12 months. It significantly
enhances our scale and provides us with a
highly complementary product line in the
wireless space». “The transaction marks
another major step forward in our risk
mitigation strategy, whilst significantly
boosting our wireless market share. At the
same time, it delivers excellent
opportunities for additional business
growth, particularly in Taiwan and from
there into the Asian semiconductor
market».
“This transaction will be a key driver of
significant earnings and cash generation
and also brings substantial financial and
scale benefits. This will enable the Group
to make significant cost savings from FY14
onwards and further underpins our leading
position in the supply of wafers to the
global compound semiconductor industry.”
www.iqep.com
The company was founded in November 2011
by the researchers who have taken the first
steps of the commercialization and as
entrepreneurs. The business development
curve has an international evolution as
judged from the customers during the first
year. And this can be speeding up. Some of
the potential applications are energy related.
Therefore the Swedish Energy Agency
supports the company with about € 60000 for
business development that will bring the
company to a balanced evolution.
Last year Graphensic was selected as one of
the 33 hottest technology start-up companies
in Sweden. The company is a member of
LEAD Incubator that support start-up
companies from university research. The new
financing will provide the company the
possibility to raise the vision with an
experienced entrepreneur.
The financing is intended for a chairman of
the board, and that person will also be
working with sales and marketing, says
Mikael Syväjärvi, cofounder and project
manager against the Energy Agency.
The company will during 2013 be in contact
with investors. The need of production may
increase fast, and new equipment will then be
needed.
Could excess capacity
trigger massive
consolidation?
Sapphire Substrates 2013
Discover the NEW report on
i-Micronews.com/reports
www.graphensic.com

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 9
LED
UGA researchers invent new material for warmwhite
LEDs
LEDs are known for their energy efficiency and durability, but the bluish,
cold light of current white LEDs has precluded their widespread use for
indoor lighting.
Now, University of Georgia scientists
have fabricated what is thought to be
the world’s first LED that emits warm
white light using a single light emitting
material, or phosphor, with a single emitting
center for illumination. The material is
described in detail in the current edition of
the Nature Publishing Group journal «Light:
Science and Applications.»
Two main variables are used to assess the
quality of artificial light, Pan explained.
Correlated color temperature measures the
coolness or warmth of a light, and
temperatures of less than 4,000 kelvins are
ideal for indoor lighting. Correlated color
temperatures above 5,000 kelvins, on the
other hand, give off the bluish color that
white LEDs are known for. The other
important measure, color rendition, is the
ability of a light source to replicate natural
light. A value of more than 80 is ideal for
indoor lighting, with lower values resulting in
colors that don’t seem true to life.
The material that Pan and his colleagues
fabricated meets both thresholds, with a
correlated color temperature of less than 4,000
kelvins and a color rendering index of 85.
Warm white light can commonly be achieved
with a blue LED chip coated with light
emitting materials, or phosphors, of different
emitting colors to create what are called
phosphor-based white LEDs, Pan said.
Combining the source materials in an exact
ratio can be difficult and costly, however, and
the resulting color often varies because each
ZOOM
of the source materials responds differently
to temperature variations. To create the new
phosphor, Pan and his team combine minute
quantities of europium oxide with aluminum
oxide, barium oxide and graphite powders.
They then heat the powdered materials at
1,450 degrees Celsius (2,642 degrees
Fahrenheit) in a tube furnace. The vacuum of
the furnace pulls the vaporized materials onto
a substrate, where they are deposited as a
yellow luminescent compound. When the
yellow luminescent compound is encapsulated
in a bulb and illuminated by a blue LED chip,
the result is a warm white light.
Although his team’s results are promising,
Pan emphasized that there are still hurdles to
be overcome before the material is used to
light homes, businesses and schools. The
efficiency of the new material is much lower
than that of bluish white LEDs. Scaling the
production to an industrial scale will be
challenging as well, since even slight
variations in temperature and pressure in the
phosphor synthesis process result in
materials with different luminescent colors.
The new yellow phosphor also has a new
lattice structure that has not been reported
before. The researchers currently are
working to discern how the ions in the
compound are arranged in hopes that a
better understanding of the compound at an
atomic level will allow them to improve its
efficiency.
news.uga.edu
CREE launches Driver Compatibility Program
Cree Driver Compatibility Program (DCP) identifies third-party drivers
and determines the compatibility with Cree LED products.
The DCP helps establish a larger solidstate
lighting ecosystem, matching
Cree LED products with compatible
third-party drivers and Cree customers with
driver manufacturers, enabling everyone to
win in the LED revolution.The first of its kind
program for LED modules extends the value
of Cree’s LED module warranty to customers
who use any third-party driver tested to
meet the Cree driver compatibility criteria.
No other LED component manufacturer
provides this level of design flexibility.
For driver manufacturers, the DCP provides
early access to Cree’s LED product roadmap,
determines driver compatibility, identifies
market needs and increases product and
company visibility to Cree’s customers,
expanding their market and enabling them
to better serve lighting manufacturers.
Register to submit a driver.
For lighting manufacturers, the program
provides access to a wide range of thirdparty
drivers, greater design flexibility and
enables a shorter design cycle to get
products to market faster. By leveraging
the variety of technology and performance
features of third-party drivers, the DCP
enables lighting manufacturers to quickly
address the unique requirements of
different market regions and lighting
applications, further differentiating their
products and bringing new luminaires to
market faster.
www.cree.com
InfiniLED MicroLEDs achieve ultra-high light intensity
InfiniLED’s latest MicroLEDs (μLEDs) have produced record optical beam
intensity.
This new device is capable of producing
up to 1mW of light from a single 20μm
pixel at 405nm. This is equivalent to a
light output density of more than 300 W/cm 2
– the highest recorded for a commercially
available LED type device.
The MicroLED combines the benefits of a
laser and a LED to produce ultra-high light
output. The MicroLED provides the
wavelength flexibility, drive characteristics
and simplicity of a LED as well as the power
and collimated beam of a laser. The ability
to produce such light intensity and control
directly from the chip enables the light to
be efficiently used in a range of applications.
InfiniLED has achieved this record
performance using the patented MicroLED
structure. A parabolic reflector is etched
into the semiconductor material during the
fabrication process. This places an optical
component directly at the site of light
generation and at the most effective
position for control of the light produced.
Not only has the light been shown to be
extracted in ultra-high intensity but also at
high efficiencies. By directing all the
generated light through a single surface of
the semiconductor it can be efficiently
collected and used in the wider system.
Lextar Electronics to merge Wellypower Optronics
Lextar Electronics and Wellypower Optronics announced that they have
entered into an amalgamation agreement. The merger agreement was
approved by the Boards of Directors of both Lextar and Wellypower.
The consolidation date of the merger is
targeted for February 1st, 2013, at which
time Wellypower will be absorbed into
Lextar. The merged entity will operate as
Lexstar. The swap ratio for Wellypower and
Lextar is planned to be 2:1, based on the
stock’s market value, net worth, industry status
and prospects, production capacity and profits,
and subject to be approved by the shareholders
meeting of both companies.
Lextar is a vertically integrated LED company
and merging with Wellypower will provide many
advantages in the sales and supply chain
segments. Wellypower has ample experience in
LED packaging as well as in lighting product
production and sales. After the merger, the LED
industry will be provided with a high degree of
integrated operations. The merger will reduce
repeated investment and enhance the
economies of scale of production and
procurement, while at the same time expand
sales channels abroad. Additionally, Wellypower
is one of the largest T5 tube providers for China
Electric MFG. Corporation, which has its own
lighting brand TOA. This means that Lextar can
have a more developed relationship with China
Electric and will be able to enhance mutual
competitiveness in the LED lighting market.
Wellypower’s Chairman Allen Huang said
The MicroLED is currently being used in a
range of applications included life sciences,
consumer electronics and OEM equipment.
The MicroLED (μLED) can be fabricated as
a single pixel, large clusters of pixels or as
addressable arrays where each pixel is
individually switchable. The single pixels
can be used to produce high intensity,
collimated light over a small area or to
produce useable light at ultra-low currents.
The single pixels produce light with a few
nanoamps of current. To produce larger
amounts of light, clusters of tightly packed
MicroLEDs are available. This results in high
light density and collimated emission over
a wider area. MicroLEDs (μLEDs) are also
available as addressable arrays of pixels.
The collimation from each pixel results in
high packing densities and minimal
crosstalk between the devices.
Additionally, the high current densities
achievable and low capacitance allows the
MicroLEDs to be switched at very high
speeds. Experimental work is on-going with
the Tyndall National Institute and the
results will be announced shortly.
www.infiniled.com
“Wellypower has already accumulated years of
ample experience in the Taiwan lighting
industry. In order to accommodate international
energy-conservation trends, Wellypower
believes it will obtain technological and
management resources after the merger, which
will be beneficial in quickening the company’s
transformation into an LED one. The merger
will also increase the company’s
competitiveness and will beneficial for
stockholders.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of Lextar Dr. David Su
said, “Lextar is one of the top three LED
companies in Taiwan and is the only one
throughout the island to have a vertically
integrated business model. Lextar believes the
integration with Wellypower will be effective
and resourceful, and will help the companies
maintain a competitive edge in the LED market.
Lextar has resource management, production
and supply chain experience with company
merging back in 2010 where it merged with the
largest LED backlighting maker at the time,
Lighthouse. Lextar’s merger with Wellypower
this time around will provide the two sides
more talent and resources, and will increase
Lextar’s advantages in the ever-quickening and
evolving LED lighting market.”
www.lextar.com
Integration Technology unveils key new UV LED curing product launch for wide format graphics sector
UK UV technology developer Integration Technology (ITL) has introduced an LED variant to its heritage SubZero UV lamp range providing class leading
high power output for an air-cooled system.
A
dedicated curing system for wide format
inkjet printers, the new Subzero LED
offers ground-breaking performance for
air-cooled LED technology combined with the
architectural pedigree, features and benefits
of the UK-based company’s 2005 launched
SubZero UV lamp range.
Key features align the brand’s reduced
footprint, low weight and field serviceability,
with a curing ability previously only
achievable using water cooled LED systems.
Two years in development, the SubZero LED
offers six model sizes from 60mm up to
210mm all achieving exceptionally high dose
output at an intensity of 7W/cm 2 . Field testing
has confirmed that the new air cooled
SubZero LED cures easily well as equivalent
8W/cm water cooled systems in addition to
outperforming other air-cooled LED offerings.
The range is purpose-designed for inkjet
printers drawing on ITL’s unrivalled
experience in this sector being exceptionally
lightweight and ensuring exhaust air and
stray light is directed away from inkjet heads
and other key platform components.
Available in different system specifications,
the SubZero LED comes as a turnkey system
– including LED head (one or two), power
supply and hi-flex cabling – or the lamp heads
alone can be supplied, leaving the integrator
to complete the necessary cabling, power
supply and other components. Further user
benefit is to be found in serviceability: 30mm
modules are replaceable in the field, greatly
extending system service life compared to
alternative products, with routine
maintenance parts restricted to air filters,
which are also simple to clean or replace.
www.uvintegration.com

10 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
IMAGING
Opgal introduces EyeCGas Camera System for remote gas detection
Opgal answers the needs of the petro and drilling industry’s gas leak detection requirements with its EyeCGas Camera System. EyeCGas, an innovative,
unique gas detection camera, has already achieved worldwide success for remotely detecting gas in the industrial environmental market.
The oil & gas industry continues to face
increasing safety and environmental
constraints, driving stricter regulations.
The recent discovery of significant gas reserves
off the coasts of Israel is just one example of
this growing issue. But the case of the city of
Haifa shows that Opgal’s camera addresses
other environmental hazards beyond those of
gas exploration and production.
Benzene, a component of gasoline, is known
as a potential contributor to the development
of human cancer. Dr. Ofer Dressler , the
Director General of the Haifa Bay Urban
Association for Environmental Protection,
states that «Petrol stations in the Haifa Bay
contribute about 15% of the benzene
emissions in the area as well as other toxins.
It’s critical that we continuously monitor these
stations.» The Haifa Bay Urban Association for
Environmental Protection has given top
priority to detecting the harmful gas. Opgal’s
EyeCGas provides a solution to this potential
problem as it is used to monitor more than
100 petro stations located within the city of
Haifa and will soon also monitor petrochemical
plants in the Haifa Bay area.
EyeCGas, equipped with a 75mm lens, is the
only camera of its kind in the world that has
been certified for use in sensitive and
hazardous locations according to American
and European standards (ATEX, CSA, UL). The
camera’s impressive performance has earned
worldwide accolades and has been sold to
dozens of companies around the world through
its inter national network of specialized
partners and marketing channels.
Opgal’s EyeCGas camera technology is based
on a unique infrared sensor and algorithms
that enable detection of multiple types of
hydrocarbon vapors, viewing them as a clear
video image on an LCD screen and recording
those video images together with an
associated audio narration. Assessments
conducted by third party laboratories have
proven the camera’s sensitivity way beyond
EyeCGas Camera System (Courtesy of Opgal)
the minimum EPA requirement of 60 grams
per hour. EyeCGas detects methane levels as
low as 0.35 grams per hour.
www.opgal.com
Cost-effective process to improve performance of
CMOS sensors
Image sensors are at the core of every digital camera. Before a snapshot
appears on the display, the sensors first convert the light from the lens
to electrical signals. The image processor then uses these to create the
final photo.
Ultra-thin: Organic sensors can be
applied to CMOS chips over large and
small surfaces, as well as to glass or
flexible Ultra-thin: Organic sensors can be
applied to CMOS chips over large and small
surfaces, as well as to glass or flexible plastic
films.
Many compact and cellphone cameras contain
silicon-based image sensors produced using
CMOS (complementary metal oxide
semiconductor) technology. Prof. Paolo Lugli
and Dr. Daniela Baierl from TUM have
developed a cost-effective process to improve
the performance of these CMOS sensors.
Their approach revolves around an ultra-thin
film made of organic compounds, in other
words plastics.
The challenge lay in applying the plastic
solution to the surface of the image sensors.
The researchers tested spin- and spraycoating
methods to apply the plastic in its
liquid, solution form as precisely and costeffectively
as possible. They were looking for
a smooth plastic film that is no more than a
few hundred nanometers thick. Spray-coating
was found to be the best method, using either
a simple spray gun or a spray robot.
Organic sensors have already proven their
worth in tests: They are up to three times
more sensitive to light than conventional
CMOS sensors, whose electronic components
conceal some of the pixels, and therefore the
photoactive silicon surface.
Organic sensors can be manufactured without
the expensive post-processing step typically
required for CMOS sensors. Every part of
every single pixel, including the electronics,
is sprayed with the liquid polymer solution,
giving a surface that is 100 percent lightsensitive.
The low noise and high frame rate
properties of the organic sensors also make
them a good fit for cameras.
Another advantage of the plastic sensors is
that different chemical compounds can be
used to capture different parts of the light
spectrum.
www.tum.de
Collection of customs duty on image sensors
suspended
FRAMOS eliminates cost factor for European industry.
FRAMOS has achieved a Europe-wide
suspension of customs duty on CMOS
image sensors with the support of two
members of the German Bundestag (lower
house of parliament) and the industrial
association VDMA. Allocating imported goods
into the correct customs tariff class is a
complicated task, especially when a range of
applicable tariff groups exist. A typical
example in this regard is the correct
allocation of imaging sensors, especially CCD
and CMOS sensors.
As all of the main functional assemblies are
housed on a chip, it is reasonable to allocate
CCD and CMOS to tariff group 8542 for
“Integrated circuits” and thus to account for
them as exempt from duty. However, the
usual interpretation applied by customs
officials is that this tariff group is not
applicable to these components, since almost
all sensors commonly used nowadays also
contain purely optical elements (micro lenses,
colour filters) without an electrical input or
output signal.
Under this interpretation, such an imaging
sensor is not an integrated circuit. Instead,
the sensors are to be allocated to tariff group
“8529 – Parts for television cameras” and are
therefore subject to a hefty rate of duty. A
customs duty suspension has already been in
place for special CCD sensors within the
applicable customs tariff number 85.29 9092
since 2010. As the technical description
broadly applies both to CCD and to CMOS
within the scope of this customs duty
suspension, the FRAMOS Group, one of the
biggest European importers of image sensors,
filed an application to have the customs duty
suspension extended to cover CMOS sensors.
This application was approved with effect
from 1 January 2013.
The prevalence of CMOS sensors has
increased in virtually every relevant branch
of industry in recent years. The automotive
industry, in particular, is increasingly reliant
on imaging techniques and extensively on
CMOS technology. The trend is also sharply
upwards in the areas of quality assurance,
process automation and medical technology.
www.framos.com
Two day conference plus expert
pre-conference workshops and
innovation platforms
IMAGE SENSORS 2013
FOCUS ON DIGITAL IMAGING
19-21 March, Park Plaza Victoria, London
image-sensors.com
This year’s Image Sensors agenda has now been released.
The programme includes 14 brand new speakers, including:
ZOOM
Embedded vision boosts
driver-assistance designs
By Tom Wilson, CogniVue Corp.
Forward facing Advanced Driver
Assistance Systems (FF ADAS) are
becoming increasingly important,
especially as the European New Car
Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP)
ratings are tied to AEB (Autonomous
Emergency Braking) and other important
car safety features. Euro NCAP recently
announced a new rating scheme for the
years 2013 to 2017, which is also driving
ADAS trends for players across the
automotive market, from tier 1s and
manufacturers, to semiconductor
suppliers.
ADAS applications such as AEB and Lane
Departure Warning (LDW) will be taken
much more strongly into account by 2014,
and will be key for achieving a top Euro
NCAP 5-star rating, which significantly
impacts car manufacturers’ sales rates.
image-sensors.com
Book now to save 15%, quote ‘AD15M’
Dr Howard E Rhodes, Chief Technical
Officer, OMNIVISION, USA
Jim De Filippis, CGO, Consultancy in Media
& Broadcast, (formerly FOX TV), USA
Alan Roberts, Colour Science
Consultant (formerly BBC R&D), UK
Prof Franco Zappa, POLITECNICO DI
MILANO, Italy
To the complete article, please visit
eetimes website.
www.eetimes.com

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 11
OPTOELECTRONICS
ASML expects slow start to 2013
Lithography firm expecting to post EUV tool sales of around €700 million
this year.
ASML closed out its fiscal 2012 with
annual sales of €4.7 billion – in line with
expectations but down from the recordbreaking
2011 figure of €5.7 billion.
“2012 fourth-quarter and full year sales and
profit came in as expected, making the year
our second best ever,” reported Eric Meurice,
CEO at the market-leading lithography firm,
in its full-year results. “We plan net sales for
2013 at a similar level to that of 2012, with a
slow Q1 start, recovering in Q2 and a
relatively large second half.”
That prediction is based on an expected
transition to more lithography-intensive 14-20
nm foundry and logic nodes as 2013 unfolds,
ZOOM
driven by the requirements of next-generation
portable devices. “All semiconductor
architecture leaders have designs pending and
need initial capacity,” said Meurice.
But market demand for deep-UV lithography
systems remains subdued among memory
chip manufacturers, although ASML’s CFO
Peter Wennink told an investor conference
call that there could be an upturn in the NAND
sector towards the end of the year.
To the complete article, please visit optics.org
website
optics.org
Zephyr Photonics opens semiconductor fab and
foundry unit
Company to provide DMEA-accredited, ITAR-compliant services for
semiconductor developers.
Zephyr Photonics, a developer of harsh
environment, optical interconnect solutions
for intelligence, defense, aerospace and
diverse industrial applications, based in
Zephyr Cove, NV, USA, has launched a
Semiconductor Fabrication and Foundry
Services business unit.
Tom Steding, the company’s CEO,
commented, “Our fab and foundry unit was
formed to match the growing demands of
fabless semiconductor companies and
semiconductor companies with our growth,
fabrication, testing and production
capabilities. Zephyr Photonics currently
provides time-critical device development,
testing and production services for a number
of key industry customers.»
Among Zephyr Photonics’ resources is its
10,000 square foot cleanroom in its Zephyr
Cove facility, which includes a wide variety of
growth, processing, testing, and production
equipment. The facility is accredited by the
US Government’s DMEA, the Defense
Microelectronics Activity. Furthermore the
new Zephyr facility is ITAR-compliant and
ISO 9001:2008 certified.
Tim McAllister, Zephyr Photonics’ VP of
Business Development, added “We are
excited about this opportunity to play a key
fabrication role in the semiconductor
industry, enabling our customers’ innovation,
and improving their time to market by
leveraging our experience, in-depth
knowledge, process libraries, IP and
facilities».
”Our new business unit will grow to be a very
important part of our overall corporate
mission, to be a high-performance,
specialized and trusted foundry partner.»
Zephyr Photonics’ SFFS is fully operational,
and is now ready to begin customer
engagements.
www.zephyrphotonics.com
Free-space optics market
to reach $58M by 2018
Non-military free-space
communications links to enjoy
strongest growth in Asia as
European demand stagnates.
A
new forecast by market researchers at
ElectroniCast Consultants suggests that
the market for devices used in
commercial free-space optical (FSO)
communications systems will near-double by
2018. However, such is the niche appeal of the
technology that, outside of military use, the
total market will still be worth less than $60
million by the end of the forecast period.
According to ElectroniCast’s white paper, in
2012 the global market for devices used in
commercial FSO links grew by 13% on the
previous year, reaching just shy of $30 million.
The research firm divides the market into three
key geographical regions: the Americas,
Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and
Asia-Pacific (APAC). Over the next five years
the market is expected to expand at a modest
rate overall, although growth will be more
rapid in the Asia-Pacific region (19%) than
elsewhere. In contrast the EMEA region –
currently the largest of the three with a market
estimated at $11.4 million last year – will grow
at a measly 4.6% and be the smallest of the
three by 2018. Meanwhile, deployments in the
Americas are forecast to grow at a compound
rate of around 12% to reach $21.2 million by
2018. “The increase in the consumption of FSO
links in the Americas region will be attributed
to not only continued upgrades and network
facilitation in the US and Canada, but also from
the accelerating economic growth of major
cities in Latin America,” stated Electronicast.
Its researchers believe that while the APAC
region already has advanced communication
technology in Japan and elsewhere, there is
scope for FSO deployment in some countries,
such as Australia, China and India. “The APAC
region has rapidly expanding market
opportunities and therefore the forecast shows
this region with the fastest annual growth,”
Electronicast says.
To the complete article, please visit optics.org
website.
optics.org
New
technologies
& application
opportunities
promise a bright
future for the
CMOS image
sensors
industry
Status
of the
CMOS
Image
Sensors
Industry
Discover the
NEW report on
i-Micronews.
com/reports
NANOTECHNOLOGY
European Commission selects Graphene as one of Europe’s Future Emerging Technology flagships
The European Commission has chosen Graphene as one of Europe’s first 10-year, 1,000 million euro FET flagships.
The Graphene Flagship will coordinate
126 academic and industrial research
groups in 17 European countries with
an initial 30-month-budget of 54 million
euro.
The mission of Graphene is to take
graphene and related layered materials
from academic laboratories to society,
revolutionize multiple industries and create
economic growth and new jobs in Europe.
Graphene has been subject to a scientific
explosion since the groundbreaking
experiments on the novel material less than
ten years ago, recognized by the Nobel
Prize in Physics in 2010 to Professor Andre
Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov, at
The University of Manchester. Graphene’s
unique combination of superior properties
makes it a credible starting point for new
disruptive technologies in a wide range of
fields.
With this announcement Europe is launching
a new form of joint, coordinated research
initiative of unprecedented scale. The
Graphene Flagship brings together an
academic-industrial consortium aiming at a
breakthrough for technological innovation.
The research effort will cover the entire
value chain from materials production to
components and system integration, and
targets a number of specific goals that
exploit the unique properties of graphene.
Key applications are for instance fast
electronic and optical devices, flexible
electronics, functional lightweight
components and advanced batteries.
Examples of new products enabled by
graphene technologies include fast, flexible
and strong consumer electronics such as
electronic paper and bendable personal
communication devices, and lighter and
more energy efficient airplanes. On the
longer term, graphene is expected to give
rise to new computational paradigms and
revolutionary medical applications such as
artificial retinas.
From the start in 2013 the Graphene
Flagship will coordinate 126 academic and
industrial research groups in 17 European
countries with an initial 30-month-budget of
54 million euro. The consortium will be
extended with another 20-30 groups
through an open call, issued soon after the
start of the initiative, which will further
strengthen the engineering aspects of the
flagship. The flagship will be coordinated by
Chalmers University of Technology based in
Gothenburg, Sweden. Director is Professor
Jari Kinaret who will lead the research
activities together with the leaders of the 15
work packages. The management team is
supported by a Strategic Advisory Council
that includes the European Nobel Laureates
Andre Geim (chairman), Albert Fert, Klaus
von Klitzing and Kostya Novoselov,
industrial representatives from Nokia and
Airbus, and two representatives of the
global graphene research community.
During the 30 month ramp-up phase, the
Graphene Flagship will focus on the area of
communications, concentrating on ICT and
on the physical transport sector, and
supporting applications in the fields of
energy technology and sensors. After the
ramp-up phase, the flagship will grow to full
size and include many new groups and
activities. The details of flagship
implementation after the ramp-up phase
are still open and form a part of the
discussions on the Horizon 2020 research
program of the European Union.
www.chalmers.se

12 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
PHOTOVOLTAICS
Phoenix Solar completes flagship project in Saudi
Arabia
Ground-mounted solar power plant with a peak power of 3.5 megawatts.
The installation is equipped by 12,684 crystalline silicon PV modules
supplied by Suntech and is owned by Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi
Aramco.
Phoenix Solar, an international
photovoltaic system integrator listed
in Prime Standard of the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange, has successfully taken its
flagship project in Saudi Arabia into
operation. The ground-mounted
photovoltaic plant with a peak power of 3.5
megawatts is located in Riyadh on the
premises of KAPSARC (King Abdullah
Petroleum Studies and Research Center),
home to the world’s largest oil research
facility. The solar power plant is part of the
US Green Building Council’s LEED
Certification (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) which KAPSARC
aims to achieve. This certification is proof
of compliance with the demanding
requirements and standards placed on
sustainable and green building.
Over the last 20 months, Phoenix Solar has
installed more than 12,000 Suntech Power
crystalline modules on an area of 55,000
square meters. The German company SMA
supplied the central inverters. The
expected energy yield amounts to around
5,800 megawatt hours and is fed directly
into KAPSARC’s medium voltage grid.
This project in the Saudi Arabian desert
presented many challenges, as there is
little research available so far on the
performance of solar power plants in desert
regions. Phoenix has developed a special
solution to accommodate the high
temperatures and sand storms: the
photovoltaic array boxes, which normally
stand in the field array, were placed in a
well insulated, air-conditioned inverter
building. This approach considerably
improves the conditions under which the
power plant can be maintained as well as
prolonging its life cycle. The engineers and
technicians of Phoenix Solar have
incorporated the demanding requirements
based on the Saudi Aramco Standards into
the planning, electrical work, air
conditioning technology and lighting. Saudi
Aramco as the Project Management
Consultant was responsible for the whole
project on behalf of KAPSARC.
www.phoenixsolar-group.com
Intevac receives first production order for ENERGi
Ion Implant system for solar industry
The compact ion implant ENERGi system meets the cost, efficiency and
productivity requirements of solar cell manufacturing and is the most costeffective
doping solution.
Intevac. announced that it has received an
order for an Ion Implant ENERGi system,
scheduled to ship in the first quarter of
2013. ENERGi incorporates enabling
technologies that align with solar industry cost
reduction roadmap and is extendible to
accommodate future advanced cell
architectures and efficiency requirements.
www.intevac.com
ENERGi implant tool (Courtesy of Intevac)
EMCORE delivers 1 Millionth solar cell to Space
Systems/Loral
EMCORE has been supplying Space Systems/Loral with high-efficiency,
multi-junction solar cells for more than 10 years.
Solar wafer start-up 1366 Technologies opens
new production-scale factory
The new production facility is based on the Direct Wafer technology and
has the annual production capacity of 25 MW.
The company’s new facility includes PV
cell processing equipment for testing
and validation of its wafer technology.
On January 30th, 2013 start-up 1366
Technologies (Bedford, Massachusetts, US)
opened a new production facility based on its
Direct Wafer technology in the US state of
Massachusetts, with the ability to reach up to
25 MW of annual production capacity.
The Direct Wafer process forms ultra-thin
multicrystalline silicon wafers directly from
molten silicon, removing several steps in
conventional production processes. The
factory also contains 1366’s research and
development operations.
The new factory includes processes to turn
the company’s wafers into solar photovoltaic
(PV) cells, allowing internal testing and
validation.
1366 notes that in customer trials, its cells
have achieved 17% efficiencies, comparable
with PV cells produced from conventional
multicrystalline wafers. The company also
states that the quality of its wafers varies less
than those produced with conventional
processes.
Advantage in reduced silicon waste
However, the greatest advantage may be in
reduction of waste. 1366 notes that
conventional polysilicon-to-wafer processes
are not only energy- and capital-intensive,
but lose a significant portion of polysilicon
through the sawing process.
The company’s wafers are typically produced
at thicknesses of roughly 200 microns,
however 1366 notes that its process allows it
to produce wafers in a range of thicknesses.
1366 process includes proprietary wet
process 1366 has also developed a
proprietary wet process for the surface
treatment of its wafers, a step which is
necessary as its wafers initially have a higher
reflectivity compared to conventional wafers.
The process creates a surface texture of
micro-scale pits, which increases light
absorption.
Plans to build additional 1 GW facility 1366
states that over the next 12-18 months its
wafer production will increase as its team
fine-tunes the process to where it can be
transferred and replicated in future facilities.
In addition to the facility in Bedford,
Massachusetts, the company plans to build a
1 GW manufacturing facility, for which the US
Department of Energy awarded the company
a USD 150 million loan guarantee in
September 2011. 1366 states that it expects
to begin its search for a location in 2013.
www.1366tech.com
ZOOM
In theory, an infinite-junction cell could
obtain a maximum power conversion
percentage of nearly 87 percent. The
challenge is to develop a semiconductor
material system that can attain a wide range
of bandgaps and be grown with high
crystalline quality.
By exploring novel semiconductor materials
and applying band structure engineering, via
strain-balanced quantum wells, the NRL
research team has produced a design for a
MJ solar cell that can achieve direct band
gaps from 0.7 to 1.8 electron volts (eV) with
materials that are all lattice-matched to an
indium phosphide (InP) substrate.
The primary innovation enabling this new
path to high efficiency is the identification of
InAlAsSb quaternary alloys as a high band
gap material layer that can be grown latticematched
to InP. Drawing from their
experience with Sb-based compounds for
detector and laser applications, NRL scientists
modeled the band structure of InAlAsSb and
EMCORE, a provider of compound
semiconductor-based components and
subsystems for the fiber optic and
solar power markets, announced that it
recently delivered its 1 millionth highefficiency,
multi-junction solar cell to Space
Systems/Loral (SS/L), which will ultimately
represent more than a megawatt of power
delivered into space. EMCORE and Space
Systems/Loral will mark the occasion with a
special event at EMCORE’s Albuquerque
facilities during the week of February 25,
and with a commemorative award
symbolizing the 1 millionth solar cell.
EMCORE has been supplying Space Systems/
Loral with high-efficiency, multi-junction solar
cells for more than 10 years and in May 2009
announced a long term supply agreement
with Space Systems/Loral to continue
manufacturing and delivering solar cells for
their spacecraft programs through 2014.
NRL designs multi-junction solar cell based on InP substrate
From page 1
metal
n-type InAlAsSb emitter
p-type InAlAsSb base
p-type InAlAsSb tunnel diode
n-type InAlAsSb tunnel diode
n-type InGaAlAs/InGaAsP emitter
p-type InGaAlAs/InGaAsP base
p-type InGaAlAs/InGaAsP tunnel diode
n-type InGaAlAs/InGaAsP tunnel diode
n-type InGaAs emitter
InGaAs QWs
p-type InGaAs base
metal
Schematic diagram of a multi-junction (MJ) solar cell
formed from materials lattice-matched to InP and achieving
the bandgaps for maximum efficiency (Courtesy of NRL)
showed that this material could potentially
achieve a direct band-gap as high as 1.8eV.
With this result, and using a model that
includes both radiative and non-radiative
recombination, the NRL scientists created a
solar cell design that is a potential route to
over 50 percent power conversion efficiency
under concentrated solar illumination.
EMCORE’s business relationship with Space
Systems/Loral has been integral to the
development of the Company’s photovoltaics
division and the growth of its space satellite
solar power business. Since its formation in
1998, EMCORE Photovoltaics has grown to be
the world’s leading manufacturer of highefficiency,
multi-junction solar cells for space
power applications. EMCORE’s industryleading
multi-junction solar cells have a
Beginning-Of-Life (BOL) conversion efficiency
nearing 30% and the option for a patented,
onboard monolithic bypass diode to provide
the highest available power to interplanetary
spacecraft and earth orbiting satellites.
EMCORE’s proven manufacturing capability,
technology leadership, and high-reliability
solar cells and panels make us the supplier of
choice for demanding spacecraft power
systems.
www.emcore.com
Recently awarded a U.S. Department of
Energy (DoE), Advanced Research Projects
Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) project, NRL
scientists, working with MicroLink and
Rochester Institute of Technology,
Rochester, N.Y., will execute a three year
materials and device development program
to realize this new solar cell technology.
Through a highly competitive, peer-reviewed
proposal process, ARPA-E seeks out
transformational, breakthrough technologies
that show fundamental technical promise
but are too early for private-sector
investment. These projects have the
potential to produce game-changing
breakthroughs in energy technology, form
the foundation for entirely new industries,
and to have large commercial impacts.
www.nrl.navy.mil

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 13
ADVANCED PACKAGING
Spreadtrum adopts STATS ChipPAC’s eWLB for
China’s smartphone market
eWLB packaging technology platform delivers transformative performance
and form factors at competitive cost for Spreadtrum’s mobile chipsets.
STATS ChipPAC announced
implementation of breakthrough
performance and packaging innovation
in multiple advanced chipsets for the rapidly
developing smartphone market in China.
Spreadtrum Communications, a leading
fabless semiconductor provider in China, has
adopted STATS ChipPAC’s packaging
innovations for a number of its mobile
chipsets. The combination of Spreadtrum’s
advanced silicon design capabilities with
STATS ChipPAC’s next generation embedded
Wafer Level Ball Grid Array (eWLB) packaging
technology offers increased performance and
compact form factor at a competitive cost for
the fast-growing China smartphone market.
Spreadtrum offers mobile chipsets for a
range of smartphones, feature phones
and other consumer electronics products
that support 2G, 3G and 4G wireless
communications standards. Spreadtrum’s TD-
SCDMA (time division synchronous code
division multiple access) chipsets have set a
new standard for increased performance and
size reduction in the highly competitive
smartphone market in China. TD-SCDMA is a
3G mobile telecommunications standard that
is currently utilized in China to enable data,
voice, video and media in mobile phones and
internet-enabled devices.
eWLB is a powerful fan-out wafer level
packaging (FOWLP) technology and
integration platform that provides significant
advantages including a more space-efficient
package design enabling a smaller footprint,
higher density input/output (IO) and a lower
package height than is possible with laminate
or flip chip semiconductor packages.
Spreadtrum and STATS ChipPAC are jointly
working to utilize innovative packaging
technology across a full spectrum of complex
product designs such as dual and quad core
mobile processors.
www.statschippac.com
ZOOM
SK Hynix readying for 3D stacked memory
commercialization: a closer look
At the recent RTI 3D ASIP Conference in Redwood City Minsuk Suh,
principle engineer at SK Hynix was available to discuss stacked
memory technologies. iMicronews thought review of Hynix stacked
memory technology was worth…
Suh indicated that SK Hynix like their
competitors Samsung and Micron/
Elpida are readying themselves for
stacked memory product introductions. Suh
noted that “ Cost is the 1st barrier for
successful TSV memory stack business” and
this is the issue that all memory suppliers
are working on.
Suh, currently a SK Hynix assignee to the
Sematech 3D Interconnect program, which
SK Hynix joined in 2011, explains their goal
at Sematech “…collaborating with industryleading
partners, we expect to play a critical
role in accelerating the commercialization of
wide I/O DRAM and to realizing 3D’s
potential as a manufacturable and
affordable path to sustaining semiconductor
productivity growth.”
SK Hynix has been working on stacked
memory with TSV for several years. In 2008
they announced their ability to stack NAND
flash, in 2010 their prototypes for LPDDR2
and in 2011 their 16 Gb, 8 chip stacked
DRAM and logic chip.
Suh indicates that there are different
motivations for stacked DRAM depending on
the application. Their 3DS products (solder
ball + organic substrate + stacked memory
chips) will be focused on Main Memory” and
HBM products on Networks and Graphics
applications.
To read the complete article, please visit
i-micronews.com website
www.yole.fr
PVA Tepla and imec demonstrate 3D TSV void
detection using acoustic microscopy
Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) for non-destructive void inspection
after wafer bonding improves wafer thinning performance and tool stability
and can also be applied to detect voids in TSVs during processing.
Imec and PVA Tepla present breakthrough
results in the detection of TSV voids in 3D
stacked IC technology. After having
applied Scanning Acoustic Microscopy to
temporary wafer (de)bonding inspection, they
successfully used new advanced GHz SAM
technology to detect TSV voids at wafer-level
after TSV Copper plating. Together, they will
continue to investigate the applicability of
high-frequency scanning acoustic microscopy
for non-destructive submicron void detection.
The initial focus of the collaboration was on
developing metrology aimed at detecting
voids after temporary wafer bonding, allowing
for proper rework of 3D wafers. Temporary
wafer (de)bonding and thin wafer handling
remains challenging for 3D stacked IC
technology. The development of interface
particles and voids during the temporary
bonding process has a detrimental impact on
the subsequent wafer thinning process steps,
affecting the wafer thinning performance as
well as long-term tool stability and
performance. PVA Tepla and imec have
developed an automated foup-to-foup, waferlevel
process based on 200MHz Scanning
Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) using Tepla’s
AutoWafer 300 tool.
After demonstrating non-destructive detection
of interface particles and voids, imec used PVA
Tepla’s high-resolution capability GHz
frequency SAM tool to successfully detect
voids in TSVs of 5μm diameter and 50μm
depth, immediately after plating. Future work
SK Hynix 4 Gb flash, 4 Gb DRAM and 16 Gb DRAM
will concentrate on further refining the
process and implementing GHz SAM capability
to increase the spatial detection resolution.
Moreover, imec and PVA Tepla will investigate
the applicability of GHz SAM to detect
submicron voids in TSV and to investigate
other aspects related to 3D-technology such
as bump connection quality.
www2.imec.be
www.pvatepla.com
Register today
Embedded
wafer-level-package
activity is expected
to pick-up above
$200M by 2015
FOWLP
& Embedded
Die Packages
2013 PROGRAM:
March 12
Power SiC:
more devices,
more business,
more applications…
April 9
IGBT business trends:
toward an IGBT
centric power
electronic industry?
To attend editorial webcast
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platform still in mutation...
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14 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
POWER ELECTRONICS
Fairchild semiconductor reports results for the fourth quarter and full year 2012
Fairchild reported fourth quarter sales of $333.4 million, down 7 percent from the prior quarter and 2 percent
lower than the fourth quarter of 2011.
Fairchild Semiconductor, a leading
global supplier of power semiconductors,announced
results for the
fourth quarter and full year ended December
30, 2012. Fairchild reported fourth quarter
sales of $333.4 million, down 7 percent from
the prior quarter and 2 percent lower than
the fourth quarter of 2011.
Fairchild reported a fourth quarter net loss
of $13.6 million or $0.11 per share compared
to net income of $24.7 million or $0.19 per
diluted share in the prior quarter and $21.3
million or $0.17 per diluted share in the
fourth quarter of 2011. Gross margin was
29.8 percent compared to 33.5 percent in
the prior quarter and 30.0 percent in the
year-ago quarter.
Full year revenues for 2012 were $1.4 billion,
down about 12% from 2011. Fairchild
reported net income of $25 million or $0.19
per diluted share in 2012, compared to net
income of $146 million or $1.12 per diluted
share in 2011. The company reported 2012
After acquiring the majority of Compact
Dynamics, the development specialist
for electric and hybrid cars, in May
2010, Semikron International GmbH now
have acquired the remaining 30 percent of
shares that were so far held by the three
Managing Directors, Maximilian Eck,
Bernhard Hoffmann and Dr. Andreas Gründl.
All three of them will leave Compact
Dynamics GmbH on February 28, 2013, as
scheduled, and will remain active consultants
to the company.
adjusted net income of $71 million or $0.55
per diluted share, compared to $170 million
or $1.30 per diluted share in 2011.
«We saw better than seasonal distribution
sell through and a significant improvement
in bookings during the fourth quarter,» said
Mark Thompson, Fairchild’s chairman and
CEO. «The solid sell through contributed to
our larger than expected channel inventory
reduction of $17 million during the fourth
quarter. Bookings were up substantially in
the fourth quarter and we have a solidly
positive book to bill so far in the first quarter.
We also reduced internal inventory another
2% and now have very lean channel and
internal inventories at levels not seen since
we emerged from the recession. We believe
we are well positioned to translate improving
demand into higher sales and margins as we
progress through 2013.»
Fourth quarter financials
«Gross margin decreased 370 basis points
sequentially due primarily to lower factory
At the same time, Semikron International
GmbH have apppointed, with immediate
effect, Oliver Blamberger the new General
Manager of Compact Dynamics. As of March
01, 2013, Mr. Blamberger will be the solely
responsible business manager for Compact
Dynamic, while closey cooperating with the
mother company.
«I am proud to be holding a key position
within such a highly innovative and exciting
field of technology», says Blamberger. «We
loadings as we further reduced inventories,»
said Mark Frey, Fairchild’s executive vice
president and CFO. «R&D and SG&A
expenses were $86.9 million which was better
than guidance due primarily to spending
controls. In the reconciliation of GAAP to non-
GAAP results there are three noteworthy
items totaling nearly $23 million for the fourth
quarter. The largest is the realized loss we
recorded after selling all our remaining
auction rate securities in the quarter.
There is also a restructuring expense related
to organization streamlining and a small VAT
expense due to an internal IP sale. Free
cash flow was a positive $49 million for the
fourth quarter which was driven by lower
capital spending, reduced internal inventory
and improved cash conversion cycle time.
Given this strong cash flow we paid down our
debt another $50 million in the fourth
quarter to $250 million, the lowest level in
our history.»
www.fairchildsemi.com
Semikron acquire all shares in electric and hybrid car drives developer
Compact Dynamics
Oliver Blamberger appointed new general manager / Three managing directors to leave company as scheduled.
are delighted to have found in Mr.
Blamberger an experienced business leader
to lead our innovative team into the future»,
said former business owners, Maximilian
Eck, Bernhard Hoffmann and Dr. Andreas
Gründl.
www.semikron.com
Power-One enters into
strategic alliance with
Panasonic
Companies will collaborate to
develop, produce and market
energy storage systems for
residential and non-residential
markets worldwide.
Power-One, a global manufacturer of
renewable energy and energy-efficient
power conversion and management
solutions, and Panasonic Corporation, a
worldwide leader in the development and
manufacture of electronic products and
solutions, announced today that they have
entered into a strategic alliance to develop,
produce and market energy storage systems
for the residential and non-residential
markets worldwide combining Power-One
inverters with Panasonic lithium-ion batteries
and systems.
As part of the agreement, the companies will
leverage their respective research and
development and sales and marketing
resources for joint product and market
development around the world. Initial efforts
will focus on developing the residential,
commercial and utility-scale, grid-connected,
energy storage systems business in Europe
and the U.S. as well as the non-residential
segment in Japan. Additionally, the companies
have committed to develop the large-scale
commercial and utility photovoltaic inverter
business in Japan.
Energy storage systems have been garnering
a lot of attention lately for their ability to
reduce investment in equipment through
power leveling and the reduction of peak
power consumption in large scale renewable
energy systems as well as for their use
as backup power supplies in the event of
natural disasters and other emergencies.
It is estimated that the size of the global
market for energy storage systems will
exceed $11 billion by 2020, mainly in Europe,
North America, and Japan, where renewable
energy technology is now being adopted.
www.power-one.com
How to gain market shares
and ST Microelectronics?
Super Junction MOSFET
business update
Discover the NEW report on
i-Micronews.com/reports
Eric Lidow,
co-founder of
International Rectifier,
died at 100
Lidow’s career was remarkable not
only because he worked every day
in it - more than 60 years at IR
alone - but that he entered into it
in the first place.
Eric Lidow, a photovoltaics whiz kid who
fled Nazi Germany with $14 in his
pocket and went on to become a
power-electronics pioneer and
multimillionaire philanthropist in the United
States, died Jan. 18 at the age of 100. Mr.
Lidow co-founded IR in 1947 and served as
Chairman of the company’s board of
directors until his retirement in May 2008.
Over the course of more than six decades,
Mr. Lidow transformed International Rectifier
from a start-up company that developed
selenium photoelectric cells and selenium
rectifiers into a world leader in power
management technology. Mr. Lidow served
as the Company’s Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer until 1995, after which
time he assumed the position of Executive
Chairman.
www.irf.com

7/02/13 | ISSUE N°139 | 15
TECHNOLOGY & MARKET
REPORTS
For information on our reports and specific
market analysis services, please contact
D. Jourdan (jourdan@yole.fr).
Discover some of our latest reports :
LED Packaging
Packaging cost reduction is driving
new technology and design
adoption, and fuelling a booming
equipment and material market.
LED Packaging material revenue (2010 - 2017)
(Report includes detailed breakdown : package substrates, die attach silver pastes, phosphor powders,
encapsulation and primary optics materials, ESD protection chips)
(Source: LED Packaging 2013 report, Yole Développement, January 2013)
3 000
YOLE IN THE PRESS
LED & PE seminar, powered by Yole Développement: more than 90 attendees
including Samsung, LG, Seoul Semiconductor …
For the first time, Yole Développement organized an LED & Power Electronics seminar just prior to SEMICON Korea, in Seoul. Dedicated to the
areas of LED and Power Electronics, the seminar consisted of Yole Développement presentations on the aforementioned market areas, along
with presentations from System Plus Consulting on their Reverse Costing and Cost Simulation tools. Featured speakers were Dr. Philippe Roussel,
Yole Développement Business Unit Manager; Pars Mukish, Yole Développement Technology & Market Analyst for LED & Compound Semiconductors;
and Michel Alain, CEO of System Plus Consulting.
Sources: Semiconductor Packaging News – LEDNewsKorea – Global LEDs/OLEDs – EDN network – CompoundSemiconductor.net – Electronic
Specifier …
Save the date in your agenda
Next seminar will take place in June 2013, prior LED Lighting Taiwan in Taiwan.
Detailed program will be available soon. Feel free to contact us for further information (leroy@yole.fr)
2 500
2 000
$ Million
1 500
1 000
500
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Depending on the device type,
packaging can represent 40% to 60%
of LED total cost. As such, packaging
represents the single-largest opportunity for
cost reduction, which is required in order for
the industry to access the “Holy Grail” that is
General Lighting. However, if you’re expecting
this cost reduction to come from
standardization, you can abandon all hope.
The creativity of LED engineers and
specificities of each application have led to an
infinite number of package type and formats.
Released in February 2013
Sapphire Substrates
2013
Excess capacity to trigger massive
consolidation and attrition. Will cell
phone windows come to the rescue?
The sapphire material shortage
experienced from 2010 to early 2011
created a window of opportunity for
new entrants. In the last two years, more
than 80 companies announced their intention
to enter the industry, bringing the potential
number of players to 130+ -- with more than
50 of these potential new entrants located in
China. Coupled with slow demand from LED
makers in 2012, this has created a very
challenging environment with cores and
wafers often selling at prices at or below
manufacturing cost. Revenues increased
15% in 2011 but are expected to drop 9% in
2012 due to lower Average Selling Prices,
despite volume increase and a favorable
product mix with the percentage of PSS
wafers increasing dramatically.
Released in December 2012
Status of the CMOS
Image Sensors Industry
New technologies & application
opportunities promise a bright future
to the CMOS image sensors industry
CMOS image sensor market is expected to
grow at an 11% CAGR in revenue in the 2012
- 2017 period, growing from $6.6B in 2012 to
$11B in 2017. Many different applications are
driving the integration of CMOS image
sensors. If mobile handsets accounted for ~
65% of total shipments in 2011, many new
applications are poised to drive the future
growth of this industry. Three fast emerging
applications of significant size should drive
the growth of the market to an expected
CAGR over 30%: Tablets, Automotive, and
Smart TV. More details are available in the
report on each application.
Released in October 2012
Successful
Semiconductor
Fabless 2013