The automotive industry is steering toward a future of self-driving cars, where vehicles can be controlled via smartphones, drive autonomously from the parking lot to pick up their owners, communicate with their surroundings over vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks, and avoid roads with traffic congestions or accidents. In line with the megatrend of digitization, the automotive industry is incorporating a massive quantity of electronic control units (ECUs) and software systems in today's automobiles.In particular, an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), in-vehicle infotainment system and digital dashboard all use a myriad of control units comprising microcontroller units (MCUs) and high-performance processing chips. Existing embedded flash memory can hardly keep up with the need of these automotive electronics systems. This gives rise to the growing use of external flash memory with increasing capacities.As automotive electronics systems grow in the level of integration and complexity, semiconductor chips with robust security implementations to suit artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and V2X applications are grabbing industry attention. The implementations of information security - including identity authentication, crypto keys, secure boot and a range of protection technologies for data storage - have traditionally been carried out by processors. However, a new trend is emerging: making use of native security functionalities on memory chips to guarantee data confidentiality and integrity while reducing potential risks. The combined use of Macronix's new ArmorFlash solution with NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Xavier and Pegasus platforms in high-performance Level 2+ to Level 5 autonomous driving systems set a good example of success scenarios.Dr. Donald Huang, deputy director of product marketing at Macronix International, commented during a recent interview that the industry is attaching great importance to security implementations on memory chips. The use of native functionalities including data encryption and decryption, identity authentication and anti-tamper protection on top of the "physical unclonable function" (PUF) code generated with the chips' unique and unpredictable characteristics can ensure data confidentiality and integrity. Such high-end secure memory solutions can then be incorporated in wide-ranging applications requiring robust information protection. Macronix's new ArmorFlash Series is Iconic as a secure memory solution.ArmorFlash enables higher-level information security and protectionAs global semiconductor manufacturers and tier-1 automakers exert efforts to meet market demand for higher-level information security and protection in network communication and data access solutions, Macronix leads the industry in launching its ArmorFlash total solution, pushing the frontier of flash memory data security. Macronix ArmorFlash comes with data encryption and decryption, identity authentication, anti-tamper protection, AES 256-bit encryption, TrueRandom Number Generation (TRNG) and monotonic Counter. On top of these features, ArmorFlash features the PUF code to guarantee data confidentiality and integrity. It ideally supports the use in automotive systems, industrial control applications and IoT devices throughout the product lifecycle from deployment, installation to long-term operation by enabling strong protection against data corruption and malware implant.ArmorFlash supports SPI standardsThe Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) is a synchronous serial communication interface commonly adopted in IoT devices and automotive electronics. Memory products supporting SPI can facilitate electronics system integration, accelerate development cycle and shorten time to market. Manufactured with advanced process technologies and supporting floating gate flash memory technology, Macronix's market-recognized SPI flash memory features an amazingly high 250MHz clock frequency, making the series the fastest SPI NOR flash on the market. Macronix takes it one step further by introducing the ArmorFlash total solution with SPI support to address information security requirements by automotive electronics and IoT devices, pioneering the advances in data protection for the global flash memory industry.AEC-Q100-Compliant ArmorFlash is available with 1.8V and 3V operating voltagesThe first ArmorFlash MX75U25690F is being produced and marketed in volume. The product has passed rigorous AEC-Q100 qualification tests. With the ability to operate in extreme temperatures ranging from -40 degree C and +105 degree C, the MX75U25690F ideally supports data storage and processing in the limited footprint inside automobiles. It also works well with mainstream controller and processor chips manufactured by leading automotive chipmakers. Macronix plans to add products supporting 1.8V and 3V operating voltages to its ArmorFlash product portfolio. Going forward, Macronix's non-volatile memory product families that include SLC NAND, NOR and eMMC will also incorporate ArmorFlash to enable complete data protection for automotive electronics.Comprehensive capacity selections to meet automotive applicationsAs automotive systems evolve with ever-increasing innovative features, they need increasingly larger memory capacity. Available in 8Mb to 8Gb capacities, Macronix's ArmorFlash products are designed to meet the two main market requirements: large capacity and robust security. The MX75 ArmorFlash Flash Memory solutions in BGA, SOP or KGD packages are being shipped to customers for authentication and crypto key protection purposes in wide-ranging IoT devices, automotive electronics, smart home products and industrial applications.Macronix attended 2019 Semicon Taiwan: Smart Transportation Forum, taking place September 18, 2019, and invited attendees to experience the enormous development potential of ArmorFlash in the automotive sector. Visit http://www.semicontaiwan.org/zh/node/14571 for more information.Macronix ArmorFlash memory optimal for secure authenticity & confidentiality

The global development in green energy has come under the international spotlight. Setting the goal of a capacity of 20GW for solar energy by the year 2025 shows the emphasis the Taiwanese government puts on green energy development in its non-nuclear power policy. Due to Taiwan's high population density and limited land space finding a suitable site for a 20GW capacity solar installation becomes a top priority.To this end, an increase in the number of land-diverse applications in reservoirs, ponds, salt flats, fish farms, and detention ponds as a solar power station is noticeable. The potentially harsh conditions such as high salt spray and high humidity and their effects on the feasibility of such solar power stations have also drawn attention and aroused discussions.PrimeVOLT, which has been actively working in the solar energy industry for many years and has established a prestigious reputation with the exceptional performance of their self-developed PV Inverters. The products' outstanding ability to withstand harsh operating conditions such as high salt spray and high humidity, has earned PrimeVOLT trust of investors and EPC in the solar energy industry. In addition to the largest market share in Penghu and the applications of their products for over five years, major projects with collaborating parties on reservoirs, ponds, and canals in Taiwan prove PrimeVOLT's leading position in the industry as a manufacturer of reliable solar inverter withstanding harsh environments. Accordig to Chuang Ching-Ming, general manager of PrimeVOLT, the future of green energy development in Taiwan is positive with market opportunity and potential. He also shares deeper insights about the product in the followings.Aluminum die-casting and uni-body design help to prolong lifetime and improve aestheticsChuang points out that PrimeVOLT's PV String Inverter is designed for medium to small output kW capacity and meets the requirements of withstanding high humidity and high salt spray for the applications near water. PrimeVOLT inverters have thus gained a solid reputation as products of choice for power plant construction in such environments.Utilizing aluminum die casting to create uni-body products is one of PrimeVOLT's core concepts. The absence of welding provides a tightly sealed design and waterproof function, allowing PrimeVOLT products to remain operational over long periods of time in adverse environmental conditions. Successful market strategies have helped PrimeVOLT break sales records year after year. The total combined wattage of installations for 2019 is expected to exceed 200MW. Growth rate over the past few years had always stayed above 50%, with certain years even achieving growth rates over 75%. In terms of domestic PV Inverter market share, PrimeVOLT has now climbed to the second place and is on its way to taking the crown.With the launch of 75kW flagship models, high capacity product production lines are rapidly expandingEven though String type inverters have advantages in better MPPT tracking performance, easiness of maintenance, and the ability to disperse risks of power losses when an inverter malfunctions. Photovoltaic power plants in Taiwan are inclined towards the use of Central PV Inverters for the quick installations and management convenience. In this respect, Chuang revealed PrimeVOLT's plans of developing high capacity and central PV inverters in alignment with market demands. For the time being, aside from continuously enhancing the competitive edge of PrimeVOLT's existing 3kW to 40kW string type models, PrimeVOLT plans to develop higher powered models this year.At the Energy Taiwan 2019, PrimeVOLT will showcase its new string-type models. In addition to models with restyled exterior appearances, more compact dimensions, lighter weight, higher efficiency, and better cost-effectiveness, 60kW and 75kW flagship models are also going to be debuted. In the future, products with even larger capacities will be brought onto the market to meet the needs of clients after taking market trends into consideration.Regarding long-term product planning, the R&D team, which has accumulated extensive technical know-how in the development of electronic energy products (uninterruptible power supplies/battery storage capacity applications), will dedicate their efforts to the development of renewable energy products (small scale wind/hydro power) in addition to PV Inverters that are even more competitive. The goal is to help clients realize improve efficiency and monetary gains with the use of innovative solutions that are designed and made in Taiwan. Aside from creating business opportunities through partnerships in the industry, we also hope to do our part in contributing to environmental cleanliness and Taiwan's future green energy developments.For more information about PrimeVOLT or its products, please visit us at booth J0909a, Energy Taiwan 2019, or visit PrimeVOLT's website: www.primevolt.com.twPrimeVOLT general manager Chuang Ching-MingPrimeVOLT new 75kW flagship model

Clientron Corp., a leading global provider of thin client, POS and embedded systems, introduces the brand new all-in-one thin client TC238 that features a 23.8" display with fanless and ultra-slim enclosure, and system designed with the concept of Intel Smart Display Module (Intel SDM) for optimized display computing. The TC238 AiO thin client runs on client-server architecture and can be implemented with major existing VDI protocols to deliver the best user computing experience for virtual desktop solutions.Easy deployment and maintenance to optimize user experienceThe TC238 AiO thin client designed with Intel Smart Display Module (SDM-Large) featuring open pluggable, flexible integration, easy deployment and maintenance design to reduce total cost of ownership.Energy-efficient and high performance for End user computingPowered by high performance and power efficient Intel Braswell x5-E8000 quad core processors, the TC238 AiO thin client supports DDR3L-1600 memory, storage options including mSATA SSD and on-board eMMC storages as manufacturing optional. The I/O connectors include two USB3.2 Gen 1 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, one DisplayPort, one DVI, audio ports as well as networking ability with a M.2 interface for WiFi and Bluetooth functionality.High-density viewing and space-saving benefitsFeaturing ultra-slim enclosure, the TC238 AiO thin client supports 23.8" full HD display and anti-glare panel for comfortable reading. Powered by one wire, it offers streamline and space-saving benefits for operations. In additions, it supports 4K display output to give users a rich, high-density viewing on external monitor.Enhanced system security & virtual desktop solutionsThe TC238 thin client supports Trusted Platform Module (TPM) by manufacturing optional for secure data protection. Moreover, it supports all mainstream virtual desktop protocols including Microsoft RDP/ RemoteFX/WVD, Citrix HDX, and VMware Horizon View to ensure high availability and seamless communication with other applications.The Clientron AiO thin client TC238 is available now. For more product details, please contact Clientron sales or visit our website www.clientron.com.Clientron AiO thin client TC238

Digi-Key Electronics, the global electronic components distributor, received the Electronics Components Distributor of the Year 2019 Award by Electronics Maker (EM) as part of their Best of Industry Awards."We are pleased to present the Digi-Key team with this top honor for their outstanding distribution work in the electronics components industry," said Arvind Kumar Vaid, chief editor for Electronics Maker. "High service distribution is key to moving this industry forward, and Digi-Key excels at this year after year."The award was presented to Digi-Key at the fifth annual EM Best of Industry Awards at The Stellar Gymkhana Club in Greater Noida, India.The EM Best of Industry Awards celebrates excellence in the market and honors leading performers that are driving the industry forward. The honorees are selected by an independent judging panel comprised of industry leaders and associations."It's an honor to be recognized by Electronics Maker in this space," said Jim Ricciardelli, executive vice president of digital business for Digi-Key Electronics. "Our customers in India and beyond are driving tremendous innovation with our products and we look forward to seeing their global innovation outputs over the next few years."Digi-Key offers a variety of EDA and Design Tools, including Scheme-it, an online schematic and block diagraming tool, and the DK IoT Studio, a fast way to create, deploy and manage complete embedded-to-cloud IoT solutions. They also offer many online conversion calculators and other free tools and resources to support engineers and makers.For more information about Digi-Key's broad product offering can be found by visiting www.digikey.com.Digi-Key awarded Electronics Components Distributor of the Year 2019 Award by Electronics Maker

Clientron Corp, a global leading provider of POS, thin client and embedded systems, will proudly showcase its latest POS innovation at GITEX Technology Week 2019, the biggest tech show in the Middle East, North Africa & South Asia, from 6 - 10 October 2019 in Dubai. Clientron booth is located at H1-E22, Hall 1, Dubai International Trade Centre.Demonstrating its leading POS innovation and rich product portfolio, Clientron will introduce its multi-functional POS and Self-service Kiosk solutions including the top-of-the-line 15"/15.6" touch POS terminal with powerful Intel 7th Core i processors, the fully-integrated POS with built-in high speed thermal printer, the 32"/ 22" self-service Kiosk with 500 nits high brightness touch display, as well as various POS peripherals for smart retail and hospitality applications.Clientron booth's highlights include:PT2600: Fanless & ultra-slim POS Terminal with powerful platformFeaturing 15.6" multi-touch display, the PT2600 POS Terminal is equipped with powerful and efficient 7th Gen. Intel Core i processors for optimized operation and energy saving. With stylish and state-of-art design, the PT2600 provides various peripherals options including VFD & 10" customer display, 2D barcode scanner, MSR, iButton, and WiFi for retail businesses where space is at premium.PST750: Multi-functional POS Terminal with Built-in Thermal PrinterRunning on high performance Intel Core i processors, the innovative PST750 all-in-one POS terminal features flexible mechanism design, supporting a number of well-known printer brands, such as: Seiko and Epson. The PST series feature printer foot stand with lightweight design, saving counter space, especially suitable for catering services and more smart retail applications.PSL540: Low-profile POS Terminal with Built-in Compact Thermal PrinterWith full functions and streamline design, the PSL540 POS integrated thermal printer and POS peripherals with a compact and low-profile enclosure for small stores and price checking machines.32" & 22" Self-Service KioskThe interactive Self-service Kiosk, featuring 32" or 22" high-brightness touch displays and ultra-slim enclosure, supports a variety of payment solutions to complete transactions, and peripherals including NFC & credit card reader, barcode scanner and receipt printer for self-ordering Kiosk applications. Design with flexible I/O expansion, it can provide customized services according to demands.Additional Clientron's lineup includes: Clientron will display the most affordable POS terminal- PT2000, featuring streamline design and offered in a fanless system with long life span for both entry and mainstream POS market segments; the top-of-the-line POS terminal Ares755 & PT2500 with powerful Intel 7th Core i processors for high-performance and flexible extension options. In addition, Clientron provides different types of foot stand line-up selections to meet customers' needs and enhance users' experience. Moreover, many of the extended portfolios of integrated POS peripherals will also be exhibited in this event.For more information about Clientron or its products, please visit us at booth H1-E22, hall 1, GITEX 2019, or visit Clientron's website: www.clientron.com.Clientron to introduce its latest POS and Self-service Kiosk at GITEX 2019

Amiccom Electronics Corporation (Amiccom) announced a new generation of ultra-low-receiving current sub-GHz RF transceiver, named A7169. Inherited the low-current RF architecture developed by Amiccom, the A7169 has the same excellent features, programmable RF output power with maximum output up to 20dBm; FSK sensitivity@2kbps is -118dBm with receiving current of 3.2 mA.For A7169, the maximum data rate is raised from 250kbps to 500kbps to fulfill the demand of various high speed applications. The A7169 supports unlicensed ISM band applications below 1GHz (150MHz ~ 950MHz). The MCU can control the A7169's RF state through the SPI interface and access the content of built-in 64 bytes TXFIFO and RXFIFO.In addition to long-distance transmission capability, the built-in RSSI of A7169 can help user to detect clean transmission channels. The Auto Calibration mechanism is used to overcome the variation of semiconductor process. The function of automatic frequency compensation (AFC) can solve RF frequency variation coming from crystal frequency drift. In addition, the A7169's new optimized demodulator circuit can manipulate the received data with data rate error up to -/+ 12% while still maintain good RX sensitivity. It can work stably in various environments and suitable for the application like wireless M-bus and Tire Pressure Detection System (TPMS).Package of A7169 is QFN 3x3 16pin. Compared with the previous IC families, it has smaller size and fewer pins. This saves board space and greatly reduces bill of material (BOM), which effectively lowers system development complexity and costs. The applications for the A7169 include long-distance two-way car alarm, industrial control, intelligent building energy management, home automation and so on. Overall, the A7169 is a high-performance, low-power RF chip with built-in features that can extend battery life and provide customers with fast/convenient/low-cost wireless solutions.

TPCA Show 2019 will take place October 23 to October 25, 2019 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 (TaiNEX 1). Themed on "5G Next," this year's exhibition will focus on the tight relationship between the PCB industry and 5G development. More than 400 PCB supply chain makers from home and abroad will display their products at over 1,400 booths on the show floor.The exhibits at TPCA Show 2019 are categorized into 13 PCB technical field, including AP, SAP, mSAP, SMT, INFO, Heavy Copper, Fine Line, Microvia, Smart Automation System/Standard, High-frequency and High-speed PCB Materials, HLC, Aspect Ratio and other PCB process solutions. TPCA Show 2019 not only serves as a platform for upstream and downstream PCB manufacturers to share experiences and exchange views but also aims to help PCB manufacturers enhance their abilities to integrate technologies and unshackle from traditions.IMPACT-IAAC 2019 Conference, organized by IEEE EPS-Taipei, iMAPS-Taiwan, ITRI and TPCA, will be held in conjunction with TPCA Show 2019. The symposium aims to become the world's most professional and iconic event for the electronics packaging and PCB sectors. Multiple sessions of enlightening forums are arranged at the symposium, in addition to product launches scheduled on each day of the three-day event to offer a glimpse at 5G product materials and technology trends. Chang-Ming Li, chairman of TPCA, will kick off the three-day event with a welcome session at the 2019 PCB Industry Summit. The PCB Smart Manufacturing Forum will approach Industry 3.5 implementations for the PCB industry from the perspectives of Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) manufacturers and equipment providers. As part of TPCA's efforts toward promoting industry safety standards in recent years, the PCB Safety Standard Verification Startup Session and Safety Seminar will shed light on verification mechanisms according to the standards. Experts in the industry are invited to join the efforts to build safe work environments. On October 25, National Chung Hsing University will host a forum engaging industry, academia and research specialists to propose solutions aimed at the latest metallization process technologies and trends. The event presents a rare opportunity for attendees to take part in a myriad of eye-opening forums. Otherwise, what is also new service at TPCA Show 2019 is that the show floor plans are available online, in addition to print versions, for visitors to conveniently search for the products or technologies they are looking for.Advanced registrations are available now at www.tpcashow.com.

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced that Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) has selected UMC as a global component for the 12th consecutive year. UMC earned DJSI's highest scores for the foundry industry in the "Environmental" category, with several items receiving full marks.UMC's overall scores have continued to increase in recent years, illustrating the company's continued excellence in sustainable operations. DJSI-World 2019 evaluated approximately 2,500 global enterprises, with only 6 semiconductor companies selected worldwide.SC Chien, co-president and chairman of the CSR Committee at UMC, said, "Being selected as a DJSI Global Component for the 12th consecutive year is a great honor. As a global leader in the semiconductor industry, UMC regards sustainable development as a key value in its business operations. We adhere to the vision of "people-oriented, environmental symbiosis and social co-prosperity," and we are committed to the three aspects of "environment, society and governance." Through the concept of perseverance, the company has set sustainable development goals for both 2020 and 2025 in order to make the greatest contribution to UMC, society and the world. We will continue to strengthen the company's advantages, respond to the UN's sustainable development goals, refine our operational strategies, and exert a positive influence to make the world a better place."UMC is a pioneer in promoting corporate sustainability and practicing social responsibility, with numerous recognitions both domestically and worldwide. In 2019, UMC earned "Top 5% in Corporate Governance Evaluation," "FTSE4Good Emerging Index" honors and became a "FTSE4Good TIP Taiwan ESG Index" component for the second consecutive year. UMC also promotes partnerships with its Eco Echo Award, now in its fourth year, which is a jointly sponsored program that supports supply chain partners.Dow Jones Sustainability Indices was launched jointly by Dow Jones Index, STOXX and Sustainable Asset Management (SAM) in 1999. DJSI is the first index that traces social responsibility performance of leading-edge enterprises, and is also one of the most creditable evaluation tools for reviewing sustainability worldwide. The Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and respective subsets track the performance of the top 10% of the 2500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index that lead the field in terms of sustainability.

Power consumption is a crucial consideration for all types of electronics. As critical power components used in a wide range of electronic products, power MOSFET and other types of power semiconductor devices already enjoy enormous demand and this market segment is experiencing another wave of growth driven by fast rising popularity of automotive electronics in recent years. One year into its efforts toward backend wafer process of power semiconductor devices that started in 2018, iST has come up with the most comprehensive portfolio of backend wafer process solutions in the Taiwan semiconductor sector.Fueled by expanding demands from handheld devices and automotive electronics, the power semiconductor application market is enjoying surging growth. In particular, automobiles, including gasoline, hybrid and electric cars, all have ever-increasing demand for automotive ICs.According to William Cheng, head of iST's surface process engineering business unit, the growth of the automotive electronics market is mainly driven by two factors - automakers' needs to enhance their competitiveness by leveraging advances in electronics technologies to improve performance and increasingly rigorous vehicle emission standards instituted by governments worldwide. To meet the stringent standards, automakers have to incorporate different electronics technologies. As a result, the use of all kinds of discrete electronic devices in automobiles is rapidly on the rise.According to a report released by semiconductor manufacturer Infineon, the costs of discrete power semiconductor devices used in a gasoline car amount to US$71 and in electric cars, the costs run up to US$455. In contrast to declining global automobile shipments in the past year, automotive IC shipments continue to show positive growth, indicating an irreversible trend for the automotive electronics sector going forward.With its critical role in the global semiconductor scene, Taiwan leads the world with a complete ecosystem in terms of both production and supply chain. It is second to none particularly with the professional links along the semiconductor supply chain working in perfect symphony. The same is true for power semiconductor devices. Taiwan has largely focused on front-end wafer fabrication of power MOSFET and other types of power semiconductor devices while China-based firms take over mid-stage and backend processes. However, with the recent growth in the automotive electronics market, power semiconductor devices are constantly in short supply. To meet market demand, iST began to engage in backend MOSFET process in 2018 in an effort to complement the Taiwan supply chain and ease the supply shortage.iST has developed the industry's most comprehensive backend wafer process solutions after a year's efforts in technology research and production line build-up. It offers a complete range of solutions including common processes such as wafer thinning and backside grinding/backside metallization (BGBM) and advanced processes such as wafer thinning up to 15um, front-side metallization (FSM) through chemical plating or sputtering deposition and even chip probing (CP) tests and Taiko ring removal, which most other wafer thinning firms do not provide.As Cheng pointed out, professional talent and automation systems are the two enablers of iST's services. Its team of engineers comprises specialists in frond-end fabrication, mid-stage FSM and BGBM processes and backend assembly with a full grasp of the entire process line technologies to enable all-around services to iST customers. Furthermore, iST also implements the Manufacturing Execution System (MES), which is designed to optimize the production process for the manufacturing industry. As opposed to most other wafer thinning firms that still keep paper-based equipment status logs, iST has fully digitized its production equipment data. It uses real-time monitoring (RTM) devices to keep track of machine conditions at all times. In the case that any data anomaly is detected, the manager in charge is notified and production is halted to prevent damage to subsequent wafers and therefore ensure yield. Also as part of iST' measures to improve factory floor management, operators are required to crosscheck the personnel, equipment and material by scanning barcodes to confirm everything is correct before starting the machine and inputting the material.RTM significantly lowers the chance of machine failure while the crosschecking of personnel, equipment and material prevents human error. With these mechanisms in place, iST is able to boost the yield of all its BGBM process lines. According to Cheng, the yield has maintained at 99.7% for months and iST's target is to further raise it to 99.8% within the year. With respect to capacity, iST plans to produce 35,000 wafers per month at present, meeting customers' current needs. The capacity can be expanded to keep up with customer demand in the future. This indicates that iST has full control on its production lines and therefore is capable of making on-schedule delivery and providing on-target quality.iST is also gearing up efforts toward expansion into different application markets. In May 2019, iST's Fab II located in Hsinchu Science Park obtained third-party certification for compliance with the International Standard for Automotive Quality Management Systems IATF 16949. With the Letter of Compliance (LOC) to IATF 16949, iST has crossed the entrance barrier to the automotive market and will be able to produce compliant products for automotive applications. Aside from IATF 16949, it is necessary to also get certified for German automotive standard VDA 6.3 if manufacturers want to make their way into the supply chain for leading automakers. Compliance with this standard indicates that the manufacturer's production lines can maintain stable production even under multiple interferences. VDA6.3 is different from IATF 16949 in that third-party certification is not available but instead automakers conduct their own audits. iST has been VDA6.3-certified by one customer and the number will increase to three or four in the second half of 2019.Apart from MOSFET, the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is another critical component of automotive electronics and therefore also a highlight of iST's efforts toward backend wafer process solutions for power semiconductor devices. However, as it may take longer for investment in IGBT to generate return, iST will build its IGBT process platform by engaging industry alliance for the purpose of maximizing resource utilization. Cheng noted that iST is currently focusing on field-stop layer processing for IGBT. Besides wafer thinning, the critical part to field-stop layer processing is how to ensure that the backside processing produces semiconductor devices with characteristics conforming to the design spec. iST's team of professionals with extensive experiences in front-end and backend processes, coupled with its ample lab resources to help with material analysis, will enable iST to stand out from the competition.Fueled by flourishing automotive and smart home markets, the demand for power semiconductor devices and their backend wafer thinning process is on a steep rise. All iST's fabrication facilities have been upgraded to Industry 3.5, said Cheng.With a full control of production line data, both capacity and yield are ramping up, enabling iST to deliver the most comprehensive backend wafer process services for power semiconductor devices to customers worldwide.iST is among the few firms in Taiwan and even Asia that are capable of providing complete FSM and BGBM backend wafer process services for power semiconductor devices, according to William Cheng from iST.

The continuous process scaling and moving toward heterogeneous integration have enabled the vigorous innovation in the semiconductor industry in the post-Moore's Law era, which in turn drives the rapid development of 5G/AI/IoT applications. Behind this, semiconductor equipment makers play an important role in helping semiconductor manufactures create larger capacity, faster in speed, lower power consumption, and higher reliability chips with more sophisticated process equipment.However, through the dawn of emerging technology in intelligence networks, semiconductor equipment makers are facing both new business opportunities and challenges. Roger Chang, executive vice president of Tokyo Electron Taiwan Limited, recently shared his view on TEL's future development direction in an interview, explaining how TEL will stay ahead in the new era by leveraging its existing advantages. In addition, for the important Taiwan market, TEL will focus on talent, technology and supply chain optimization to enhance local services, as well as establish closer relationships with supply chain partners.Serving the market with comprehensive, powerful portfoliosTEL is the third largest semiconductor equipment maker in the world and has performed with bright color in recent years. According to VLSI research, TEL's YoY growth rate in 2018 grew 25.8%, outperforming the overall market. Regarding this, Chang said that "TEL's product portfolio extend from the front-end coater/developers, etch systems, deposition systems, cleaning systems and to the back-end wafer prober, market share among these product lines are well recognized in the leadership market of either Top 1 or Top 2. With the overwhelming comprehensive capability and diverse products, TEL is able to enjoy better growth momentum when demand turns up."The rapid advances in AI and big data applications have led the industry to invest heavily in building memory and advanced logic device capacities. Being a leader in semiconductor production equipment market, TEL aims to drive the advanced wafer fabrication technologies. He stressed that, as the industry moves to 7/5 nm and even 3 nm node, semiconductor manufacturing has involved in the stacking of atomic layer deposition, requiring more subtle precision and control capabilities, therefore, equipment suppliers need to enhance their R&D capabilities to meet the challenges.Funding large sum for R&D investment to maintain competitive edgeIn order to meet the industry's demand for more advanced manufacturing technology, TEL has announced that it expects to spend 400 billion yen in R&D investment in the next three years. "R&D is very important for semiconductors with fast technological innovation," Chang said. "We believe that companies that cannot do enough research and development won't be able to survive in the market. Therefore, our R&D investment is high in order to drive continuous innovation in the industry."TEL's R&D direction will also echo three major trends in semiconductor manufacturing: process scaling, heterogeneous integration, and application-specific design.Chang explained that the continuous miniaturization of logic and memory devices and moving toward 3D structure will lead to the introduction of diverse new materials and structures. In addition, research and development of new devices such as PCRAM, MRAM, and FeRAM are also in progress. The industry requires atomic level controllability and high-aspect ratio 3D dimension etching and deposition technologies, as well as the within-wafer, wafer-to-wafer, lot-to-lot, and tool-to-tool process variation control and stability."Lithography, etching, deposition, and cleaning are very important steps for miniaturization and 3D structure creation, and there are no other semiconductor equipment makers that have these four. With the unique advantage, we are able to keep serving our customers with higher value under the mega trend."In addition to process scaling, the development of heterogeneous integration has gradually matured. Through multi-functional-die stacking, it has become another important option for the industry to enable higher level of integration. Similarly, TEL will also leverage its excellent technologies to meet the needs of the industry.Finally, the application-specific design co-optimization is in response to the rise of AI, which will bring new design and manufacturing requirements for chip and memory. As a result, new ecosystems and business models are needed to drive the more efficient AI applications. "This is a new trend and a closer collaborative R&D integration from manufacturing to design. The industry is currently exploring new ways of cooperation. TEL is getting actively involved, and its follow-up development will be anticipated in full.Enhance Taiwan deployment by strengthening supply chain optimizationTEL has been deeply involved in Taiwan market for more than 20 years. Chang said that as the market demand for new applications continues to expand in the future, TEL will strengthen its resources in Taiwan in terms of talent, technology and supply chain optimization, in a bid to meet the needs of customers and grow together. In addition to invest in the development of advanced process technology, TEL also values greatly on assisting customers to improve the productivity of their legacy 200mm or 300mm equipment."For many industries, well established process know-how may just be enough, such as in automotive and IoT applications. Therefore, for the larger amount of installed equipment at customers' sites in Taiwan, it's our responsibility, as well as potential business opportunities, to bring the advanced technology of 300mm tools and implementing into 200mm tools through functional upgrade and refurbishment to help customers improving their productivity and yield.""TEL recently has announced the cooperation with BRIDG in the United States to jointly develop in this area. This is an important part of the optimization of our supply chain ecosystem, aiming to help customers maximize the value of their legacy equipment and create higher added value. Therefore, understanding the needs of customers and providing in-time localized services will be crucial to our future business."Moreover, as the process equipment is getting more complicated and sophisticated, talents with cross-domain expertise will be highly demanded. As a result, TEL will strengthen its talent cultivation programs. "TEL has cooperated with numerous internationally renowned R&D institutions and a Technology Center had been established in Taiwan. We have conducted a two-year trainee engineer program for many years. It's hoped to provide more training for our employees," Chang said. "With stronger capability, we will be able to embrace future growth opportunities. We aim to work with customers and suppliers through bilateral innovation and advanced field solutions, creating higher value for the semiconductor industry in order to contribute to the development of a dream-inspiring society."Roger Chang, executive vice president of Tokyo Electron Taiwan Limited