Aveni, a developer and manufacturer of wet deposition technologies and chemistries for 2D interconnects and 3D through silicon via packaging, has announced it has obtained results that support the continued use of copper in the back end of line (BEOL) for advanced interconnects, at and beyond the 5nm technology node."In this 20th anniversary year of copper integration, our results validate the comments made by IBM Research Fellow Dan Edelstein in his keynote presentation at the recent IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium, discussing that copper integration is here to stay," noted Bruno Morel, Aveni CEO.As devices inevitably continue to shrink to meet and create market demand, designers are exploring alternative integration schemes, not only for the front end of line, but also the BEOL. This includes, most notably, replacing the copper in dual-damascene interconnects, to compensate for the increased resistance-capacitance (RC) delay that accompanies the thinner copper wires and adversely affects device speed. Proposed replacement options for copper are cobalt, the most likely candidate, or more exotic materials like ruthenium, graphene or carbon nanotubes.Advanced dual-damascene structures employ an atomic layer deposition tantalum nitride (TaN) copper diffusion barrier, a thin chemical vapor deposition (CVD) cobalt liner, and the electroplated copper fill layer, which makes up most of the wiring. Earlier generations (7nm and larger nodes) also use a physical vapor deposition (PVD) copper seed layer between the cobalt and copper fill, but advanced devices are phasing out this film due to marginal seed coverage and integration hurdles.Of particular interest is the thin TaN barrier, which prevents copper from diffusing into and poisoning the device. The integrity of the thin cobalt liner (on top of TaN) is critical to ensuring that the barrier functions properly. The reduced thickness of cobalt liners for the 5nm technology node is approaching 3nm, reducing process flexibility for conventional approaches to copper plating.In a recent study, Aveni compared its Sao alkaline-based copper electroplating chemistry performance with a conventional, commercially available acidic copper plating chemistry. The samples to be plated were 3nm CVD cobalt over TaN. The study results showed that the acidic copper chemistry attacked the cobalt liner, causing the plating chemistry to react with the underlying TaN film and form tantalum oxide (TaOx), according to the company. TaOx formation is another failure mode of devices, because it creates an effective open circuit that prevents current flow.With Aveni's Sao chemistry, the cobalt remained intact and TaOx was not formed, which enables the extension of copper interconnects to process nodes at 5nm and below, the company said.Frederic Raynal, chief technical officer at aveni, commented, "We were extremely excited about these results, because they substantiate our position that Sao alkaline-based chemistry for copper electroplating is superior to acidic chemistries, especially with the thinner cobalt liners used in advanced nodes."

Denso and BlackBerry have announced the companies have jointly developed what they call the world's first integrated HMI (human machine interface) platform. Intel also collaborated in the development of this product.The integrated HMI platform will enable a system which optimally cooperates and coordinates various HMI products such as display and sound inside the automobile cockpit at a low price, according to the companies. The joint solution will appear in successive car models scheduled for release after 2019.With the improvement of automobile safety and convenience in recent years, the amount of data the vehicle transmits to the driver is increasing. Today, vehicles are equipped with multiple HMI systems, which require several device-specific operating systems to work in unison. Because the operating systems are independently controlled by multiple microcontrollers, it has not been possible to cooperate and coordinate them to display content and sound uniformly.The integrated automotive HMI platform is believed to be the first of its kind and was developed by Denso and BlackBerry using BlackBerry's QNX hypervisor for virtualization and the Intel Atom processor A3900 series. The hypervisor technology enables the independence of several operating systems with different characteristics and controls the integration with one microcomputer.This architecture allows various HMI products to cooperate allowing necessary information to be displayed to the correct devices with appropriate timing. For example, it will be possible to communicate a heads-up or a warning through easy-to-understand expressions on the display with the right timing. Additionally, through cooperation between instrument cluster and navigation center displays, it is now possible to show animation with a sense of unity between the navigation screen in the meter screen. Furthermore, by updating the performance of one microcomputer both devices are updated which contributes to improved increase in R&D productivity and cost reduction.As part of the integrated HMI, Intel has provided a graphics sharing technology, which has been optimized for the Intel Atom processor A3900 series. The technology can prioritize and operate 3D workloads important for safety over less important workloads on the same processor.Denso and BlackBerry will have booths at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas held from January 9-12, 2018. The companies' integrated HMI platform will be displayed in Denso's booth located at 1917, North Hall.

United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE:UMC;TWSE: 2303) ("UMC"), a leading global semiconductor foundry, today announced the availability of the company's 40nm process platform that incorporates Silicon Storage Technology's (SST) embedded SuperFlash non-volatile memory. The newly available 40nm SST process features a less than 20% reduction in eFlash cell size and 20-30% macro area over UMC's mass production 55nm SST technology. Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has started studying technical feasibility of UMC's 40nm SST for their microcontroller (MCU) ICs."We expect that UMC's 40nm SST will improve the performance of our MCU products," said Toshiya Matsui, Vice President, Mixed Signal IC Division of Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation. "Working with UMC will also allow us to maintain a robust business continuity plan (BCP) through stable manufacturing supply and flexible capacity support based on our production requirements."More than 20 customers and products are in various stages of 55nm SST eFlash production at UMC, including those for SIM card, banking, automotive, IOT, MCU and other applications.Wenchi Ting, Associate VP of Specialty Technology division at UMC said, "Since qualifying SST's embedded flash technology on our popular 55nm process in 2015, we have received tremendous interest from customers looking to further utilize the low power, high reliability, superior data retention and high endurance characteristics of this process platform for their automotive, industrial, consumer and IoT applications. We are pleased to introduce this eNVM solution on our 40nm platform, and look forward to bringing the high speed and high reliability benefits of SST to Toshiba and our other foundry customers."UMC's robust SST process performs according to JEDEC standards, with 100k endurance and more than 10 years of data retention at 85 degrees C and an operating-temperature range of -40 degrees C to 125 degrees C. In addition to the 40nm SST process, UMC has over 20 customers in production using the foundry's 55nm SST for a broad range of product applications.About UMCUMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry that provides advanced IC production for applications spanning every major sector of the electronics industry. UMC's robust foundry solutions enable chip designers to leverage the company's sophisticated technology and manufacturing, which include high volume production 28nm gate-last High-K/Metal Gate technology, ultra-low power platform processes specifically engineered for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and the automotive industry's highest-rated AEC-Q100 Grade-0 manufacturing capabilities for production of ICs found in cars. UMC's 11 wafer fabs are strategically located throughout Asia and are able to produce over 500,000 wafers per month. The company employs nearly 19,000 people worldwide, with offices in Taiwan, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and the United States. UMC can be found on the web at http://www.umc.com.

Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., a leader in advanced memory and analog IC solutions, today announced a family of high performance LED drivers, IS31FL3741 & IS31FL3742 to support LED matrices consisting of 351 & 180 LEDs respectively. With the introduction of these two devices, ISSI expands its FxLED driver family to offer the widest selection of matrix LED driver solutions for gaming, consumer and white goods applications. ISSI's LED matrix architecture provides designers with flexibility in controlling individual LEDs or an array of LEDs resulting in simplified color & dimming adjustment and lighting zone selection for a large array of LEDs.The IS31FL374x family of matrix LED drivers integrates many advanced features such as a configurable matrix (row/column) architecture, global dimming, individual LED peak current control registers, individual LED PWM control registers, individual LED open/short fault detection; all accessible via a fast 1MHz I2C compatible bus interface. Each LED has its own corresponding control and fault status register to provide individual LED color and dimming effects, de-ghosting and fault reporting for enhanced overall system performance and reliability. LED matrix architectures typically experience a "ghosting effect" where an LED remains dimly ON due to a residual charge in the LED array matrix. The IS31FL374x family eliminates this residual charge and therefore the ghosting effect. In addition LEDs can fail to turn ON due to an LED open or short condition without the knowledge of the system. The IS31FL374x family detects the failed LED condition, stores this in the open or short registers and generates an interrupt to notify the failure LED within the array.Compared to the traditional LED dimming control, the IS31FL374x family features individual LED peak current adjust called "Dot Correction" to adjust the brightness of the LED in 256 steps. This feature allows the user to adjust the color of LED to get the pure white color and keep 1.6 million levels of PWM dimming. It also allows the user to set different maximum current levels for different zones to get a better brightness balance."The growth in video gaming peripherals requires ever more customizable RGB LEDs synchronized to the gaming environment," said Ven Shan, ISSI VP of Analog products. "ISSI's latest family of matrix FxLED drivers provides peripheral designers with a feature rich, fast and flexible control of a large number LEDs; simplifying the integration and synchronization of the LED lighting effects for the high end gaming platforms."The signals required to support 351, or 180 LEDs are driven in a row/column multiplexed architecture which reduces device package size while resulting in fewer traces and minimal PCB area. The added advantage of driving LEDs in this row/column configuration is that no LED will ever be reverse-biased at any time thereby improving LED longevity. For applications requiring a huge array of LEDs, up to 4 IS31FL374x devices can be connected with one I2C bus.Key features and benefits of the IS31FL3741, IS31FL3742:- High LED Count - Up to 351 LEDs (39×9) matrix- 1/9 Duty Cycle Scanning- Higher average LED brightness- Theatrical Dimming – Three selectable smooth dimming scenarios for each LED- De-Ghost Function – Guarantees LED is either fully ON or OFF- Global Current Set - 256 steps Global Current Setting- 8-bit Dot Correction - Individual 256 DC peak current control steps- 8-bit Grayscale Control - Individual 256 PWM control steps- Fault Detection - Individual LED open or short detection with system notification- High Speed Interface - 1MHz I2C-compatible interface provides fast access to LED registers- Industrial Temperature – Operating temperature range -40 degree C to +125 degree C for high reliabilityPrice and AvailabilityThe IS31FL3741 is available now in a QFN 60 (7x7) package and is priced at $1.76 each in 2500 pcs quantities. The IS31FL3742 is available now in a QFN-48 (6x6) package and is priced at $1.29 each in 2500 pcs quantities.ISSI Analog Product LineThe IS31FL3741, IS31FL3742 are members of ISSI's FxLED Family of LED drivers which add an attractive multi-color aspect to any application. The FxLED driver family blends the Red-Green-Blue (RGB) LEDs to produce a broad range of predefined colors and sequences into 3 to 351 LEDs. The ISSI analog product line includes five different members; FxLED Driver, Audio Amplifier, HBLED Driver, White (Backlight) LED Driver, and sensor IC devices.For more information on this and other RGB LED products, visit the ISSI Analog products website at www.issi.com/US/product-analog-fxled-driver.shtmlAbout Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc.ISSI is a fabless semiconductor company that designs and markets high performance integrated circuits for the following key markets: (i) automotive, (ii) communications, (iii) industrial/medical, and (iv) digital consumer. The Company's primary products are high speed and low power SRAM and low, medium, and high density DRAM. The Company also designs and markets Serial/Parallel NOR and SLC NAND Flash Products and high performance analog and mixed signal integrated circuits. ISSI is headquartered in Silicon Valley with worldwide offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, and Korea. Visit our web site at http://www.issi.com/ISSI launches next generation family of matrix FxLED driver ICs

X-FAB today announced the availability of two new Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) IP solutions - a low power embedded Flash (eFlash) IP block and a NVRAM compiler. Both are based on the company's proprietary 180 nm XH018 mixed-signal CMOS technology and are targeted at applications requiring high reliability and field re-programmability while operating at low power and in harsh environments.The 128-kbit eFlash, which is available as an 8 k x 16-bit IP block is based on Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon (SONOS) Flash technology. X-FAB has built up extensive experience and manufacturing excellence in integrating SONOS memories with conventional CMOS processes, ensuring high levels of data reliability. The IP block has been designed for low power mixed-signal applications and features a deep power down stand-by mode consuming a maximum of only 50 nA.The new X-FAB eFlash IP block is targeted at replacing standalone NVM memories and embedded One-Time-Programmable (OTP) memories in low power applications, enabling onsite program code updates. This means that it is highly suited to energy harvesting and remotely located Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, where power constraints and harsh environments need to be dealt with, but field re-programmability must be offered at a low cost.X-FAB has rigorously qualified the eFlash IP block to comply with the AEC-Q100 standard, so that it offers engineers an automotive-grade solution capable of operating across a temperature range of -40 degree C to 125 degree C. The SONOS technology enables reliable operation of the IP block when combined with high-voltage (HV) options ranging from 6 to 45 V. This is made possible by the NMOS, PMOS and DMOS transistors available with X-FAB's 180 nm XH018 process. High field reliability is enabled with a number of test modes explicitly designed to test individual memory bit cell currents and achieve 0 PPM in the field. Finally, special test modes have been designed into the IP to optimize production testing and minimize test time and cost.With this latest release, X-FAB's complements its existing NVM portfolio with this very low power option. Other available Flash blocks address automotive applications up to 175 degree C in read operation.Combining the fast read/write speeds of a conventional SRAM with the non-volatility of an EEPROM, the NVRAM compiler facilitates generating and integrating memories from 1-kbits to 16-kbits in a wide range of applications requiring fail-safe memories. The contents of the SRAM can be backed up to the EEPROM memory resource in the event of a power failure. This proves to be a highly desirable feature for safety-critical applications - such as smart meters, industrial control devices or data transfer systems. The NVRAMs can be re-programmed up to 100,000 times at 35 degree C and up to 10,000 times at 175 degree C. NVRAM blocks generated by the compiler can retain data for up to 20 years without battery power in high temperature environments (125 degree C). Innovations in the test logic integrated with the NVRAM reduce the test time by avoiding time-consuming measurements for low currents, thereby reducing production test costs.Thomas Ramsch, Director NVM Development at X-FAB, sums up the benefits as follows: "The combination of different NVM options with high-voltage features and low-leakage properties at a low mask count make the XH018 process a highly effective, reliable and cost-efficient solution for emerging energy harvesting and IoT devices. With the introduction of these readily available silicon-qualified NVM IP, we are enabling designers to focus on bringing their products to market faster and cheaper".AvailabilityBoth the eFlash IP block and the NVRAM compiler are immediately available via X-FAB's XH018 process for new designs. The two NVM options are based on the SONOS principle and only require two additional mask layers, making it a very cost-effective solution. X-FAB also offers wafer-level test for these IP blocks.For more information, please visit www.xfab.comXH018 very low power eFlash

Prices of memory chips, including dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and all types of flash memory, have rallied throughout 2017, buoying the business value of five of the top 10 semiconductor companies that design and manufacture chips. American and Korean players have long dominated the memory market and none of them is willing to start a price war. Accordingly, memory prices will likely continue to trend upward as the 2018 market outlook remains positive.The memory industry is characterized by boom and bust cycles resulting from the tug of war between market demand and production capacity. Aside from DRAM and 3D NAND, which require advanced fabrication facilities, industry players are no longer so readily building new semiconductor plants, but are instead offering combinations of different memory products to strike a delicate demand-supply balance.Amid the memory industry's explosive growth, Martin Lin, director, marketing center, Macronix, a Taiwan-based company specializing in the design and manufacture of non-volatile memory, recently gave a look into the flash memory market's recent turbulent changes and what its future holds.Widening gap between non-volatile memory supply and demandThe supply of non-volatile memory is experiencing significant changes. According to Lin, "Surging market demand is no doubt one of the factors that drives up memory costs. However, supply shortages play an even more influential role."Most flash memory manufacturers shy away from investing in new plants because construction of a 12-inch wafer fab costs at least NT$100 billion. Manufacturers will only consider investments in new plants for popular memory chips used in solid state drives (SSD) and smartphones, which can create a market value of more than US$50 billion per year and not for low-density memory, which accounts for a less than 5 percent share of the market value.Furthermore, the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007 completely changed the consumer electronics industry. Smartphones, with their widespread availability, have replaced once-popular electronics such as digital cameras, MP3 players, handheld game consoles and personal video players. Lin pointed out that excess supply of NOR flash reached a new high in 2013, causing memory prices to crash. Leading suppliers therefore chose to exit the low-density memory market and shifted focus to mainstream products such as 3D NAND flash.The world now has fewer than five remaining fab plants capable of producing low-density flash memory. What's worse is that manufacturers that used to be able to switch production between 2D NAND and DRAM no longer have this flexibility as they gradually upgrade equipment to 3D NAND production. As a result, the production capacity of flash memory can no longer return to previous levels. Supply has begun to lag behind demand and prices have been on the rise since 2016.Innovative applications revitalize opportunities for low-density flash memoryLin then talked about demand-side changes. After years of development, IoT applications began to flourish in late 2016 with a plethora of never-before-seen uses growing rapidly, and driven by smart city and smart home trends. These emerging applications using low-density flash memory (SLC NAND and NOR Flash) are throwing supply and demand further off balance. For example, shared bikes use low- to mid-density NOR flash for GPS positioning. Home appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners and even vacuum cleaners and coffee makers are starting to come with IoT communication modules. In addition, new-generation smartphone displays such as AMOLED panels and SiP solutions (MCU+KGD), which replace embedded flash memory in MCU, both call for an extra supply of flash memory.An interesting example of application is the new smart electronic cigarette, which needs memory in order to work closely with a smartphone to gather data and keep track of the user's smoking habits. Around 10 million smart electronic cigarettes have been shipped in 2017 and 25 million units are expected in 2018 according to customer forecasts. The much sought-after smart speakers also use a large amount of SLC flash in low-end and mid-range models. As such, Lin expects low-density flash memory will continue to be in short supply through 2018.Quality sets Macronix apart from competitionThe world is closely watching the rise of China's semiconductor supply chain. Although China is building semiconductor plants on a large scale, product quality cannot be established overnight. Lin notes that Macronix is committed to perfecting its product quality and focused on serving the needs of international brands known for providing premium quality products and cutting edge applications. Macronix has landed orders from iconic world-class customers across sectors encompassing automotive electronics, telecommunication equipment, enterprise-level network systems, factory automation and smart healthcare thanks to the outstanding Macronix brand image built through solid product quality. It is able to fully leverage its brand advantage and stand strong against China's rising supply chain as vendors engaging in price wars pose no threat to Macronix.Looking ahead to future developments in the coming years, the market will continue to face a supply shortage in low-density memory and will not be able to fill the gap in the near term. In response to this, Macronix will enhance its customer service and satisfy customer needs with its production capacity. It will also step up efforts in the automotive memory market with a goal of taking a 50 percent market share.However, first and foremost, Macronix will strive to perfect production quality. With over two decades of refinement in production quality and capacity, Macronix has built a management system for quality control flows that include quick problem identification, reliable error detection and instant troubleshooting using internally-developed systems and analysis approaches. Quality control statistics gathered from shipments to European, American and Japanese customers over the years show that Macronix's quality has improved from being measured in parts per million (PPM) to parts per billion (PPB) in 2017. This will further help Macronix establish leadership in the automotive memory market.Lin emphasized that a growing number of electronics are being used in automobiles, such as advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), telematics systems and Internet of Vehicles (IoV) devices. In addition to high-density NOR flash that is already widely used, adoption of SLC NAND flash is increasingly common as well. Macronix is the world's first supplier capable of providing fully AEC-Q100-compliant SLC NAND flash for automotive use and is shipping such products to major tier-1 automotive electronics suppliers around the world. Further growth is expected for 2018 and beyond with new cars coming on the market.Professional non-volatile memory provider offers a complete product lineup and one-stop serviceMacronix has enjoyed soaring growth in 2017 with total revenues to top US$1 billion and expects future revenues to further ramp up with contributions from automotive electronics, factory automation and emerging embedded applications continuingly setting new records. Currently holding the largest market share of NOR flash and ROM and the third largest market share of SLC NAND flash commonly used in embedded systems, Macronix will have its new eMMC line ready for volume shipments in 2018. Meeting the needs of mainstream applications such as embedded systems, Macronix eMMC is poised to become an important product line in 2019 and open up additional business opportunities for the company.In terms of capacity expansion plans, Macronix looks to upgrade the production of low- and mid-density NOR flash to advanced fab process so as to boost output per wafer, which can raise capacity by 20 to 30 percent. Research and development on the next generation 48nm node is also close to completion.Macronix currently produces SLC NAND flash using 3x nm technologies, which accounts for 15 to 20 percent of the SLC NAND flash market. Its share of the global SLC NAND flash market will likely exceed 30 percent within the next few years as it advances to 1x nm process. With capacity expansion projects falling into place, coupled with agile planning in market differentiation and product applications, Macronix can maintain a level of price stability and demonstrate optimal brand value. This will enable Macronix to help customers maximize business success as it takes advantage of industry reshuffle and rises to the top.Martin Lin, director of marketing center, Macronix.Macronix ramps up efforts to gain market share in embedded non-volatile memory.

Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. (ISSI), a leader in advanced memory and analog solutions, today announced that it has begun sampling production units of automotive grade 512Mb Serial (SPI) NOR Flash. ISSI's SPI NOR Flash product supports a wide operating temperature range of -40C to 125C, making it ideal for the next generation automotive, industrial and Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The 512Mb SPI NOR device exceeds the AEC-Q100 requirements and is PPAP ready. This extends our range of SPI NOR support from 256Kb all the way up to 512Mb density.The 512Mb SPI NOR is available in multiple package choices, namely the 16-pin SOIC 300mil, WSON 8x6 mm, and the 24-ball TFBGA 6x8mm 5x5 package, in addition to the KGD (Known Good Die) option. ISSI is also working on Multi-Chip Package (MCP) options of SPI NOR Flash and its' DRAM product line.Lyn Zastrow, VP of the Automotive Business Unit at ISSI explained, "With the proliferation of SPI NOR in almost every automotive application, this new density extends our range into some of the new high-end ADAS, Infotainment, and Digital Cockpit applications. Unlike many of our competitors, we can offer a SPI NOR solution from a very small density to a very large density. We continue to offer a complete portfolio of every technology.""ISSI's automotive grade SPI NOR Flash support applications with harsh environments that rely on long-term reliable system operation over a wide temperature range", said Anand Bagchi, Director Marketing at ISSI. "The addition of 512Mb SPI NOR Flash enhances our NOR Flash product line and provides our customers the ultra-reliable high-density SPI NOR option they are looking for."In addition to the SPI NOR, ISSI offers ISSI offers a multitude of DRAMs including SDR, DDR2, DDR3 and mobile SDR, LPDDR, LPDDR2; a complete line of both asynchronous and synchronous SRAMs with densities from 64Kb to 72Mb; and a broad portfolio of SPI NAND and parallel NAND Flash, including eMMC. ISSI also has a range of Known Good Die (KGD) memories in its portfolio.About Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. (ISSI)ISSI is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets high performance integrated circuits for the following key markets: (i) automotive, (ii) communications, (iii) industrial, and medical, and (iv) digital consumer. ISSI's primary products are SRAM, DRAM, Flash memory which includes NOR flash, NAND flash and managed NAND solutions (eMMC), and analog and mixed signal integrated circuits. ISSI provides high-quality semiconductor products and has been a committed long-term supplier of memory products. ISSI is headquartered in Silicon Valley with worldwide offices in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, China, Europe, Hong Kong, India, and Korea. Visit our web site at http://www.issi.com/

Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) and SJ Semiconductor Corp. (SJSemi), a leading middle-end-of-line (MEOL) semiconductor test-service company based in Jiangyin, China, have signed a volume purchase agreement that calls for the Chinese company to buy numerous T5830 memory testers from Advantest. SJSemi will use the systems in testing service for serial peripheral interface (SPI) NOR flash memory devices, which are in high demand due to booming growth in organic LEDs (OLEDs) and touch display driver ICs (TDDIs)."We are very pleased to enter this strategic agreement with Advantest, and we look forward to continuing the partnership between our companies as we expand our business scope into the growing Memory market and proceed for more complex 3DIC," said Cui Dong, CEO of SJSemi.SJSemi already has an installed base of Advantest's V93000 systems for testing high-speed digital and precision analog ICs. The latest order represents the first time that SJSemi has purchased memory testers from Advantest."China's growing population base and rising per capita income is driving the growth of the NOR flash memory industry," said Yoshiaki Yoshida, president and CEO of Advantest. "The development of a sophisticated business infrastructure and the expanding number of key players in this industry, including SJSemi, are contributing to the market's growth."Introduced in 2016, the versatile T5830 memory tester is optimized for high-volume, low-cost testing of flash memories widely used in mobile electronics. It can perform wafer sorting and final testing for a broad range of low-pin-count to high-pin-count devices, delivering a substantial return on investment (ROI) and reducing customers' financial risk.System features include Advantest's unique Tester-per-Site™ architecture, which enables each site to operate independently for very fast test times and a lower cost of test. It also includes a scalable, built-in high-current programmable power supply (PPS).The T5830 can handle data-transfer rates as high as 800 megabits per second (Mbps) while testing up to 2,304 devices in parallel when configured with four digital pins. In addition to testing NOR flash devices, the system also supports NAND flash devices, smart cards, single in-line memories (SIMs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and other embedded flash devices.Available in both production and engineering models, the T5830 can be used for qualification testing or high-volume production. The tester's full compatibility with other members of Advantest's T5800 product family gives it enhanced reliability and modular upgradeability.The T5830 memory tester will be among the leading-edge test solutions that Advantest will exhibit at this week's SEMICON Japan trade show, December 13-15 in Tokyo.

Marvell has introduced what it claimed to be the industry's most complete 802.11ax wireless product portfolio. Marvell said it is the first to offer a full MU-MIMO and OFDMA uplink and downlink based on the latest IEEE 802.11ax standards which will help the next generation of high-end users with real-time cloud-based requirements.Delivering consistent performance and reliability is becoming increasingly difficult for networks already straining to support a dramatic increase in connected devices, high definition streaming video, social media and cloud applications. The average household will have about 50 connected devices by 2022, according to the vendor. Major technology advancements are needed to better support today's diverse users that are driving higher end emerging use cases such as virtual and augmented reality, live streaming and smart cities.Marvell said it believes the latest 802.11ax standard will bring major enhancements to wireless networks while maintaining full backward compatibility. The standard dramatically improves network performance and reliability in dense deployments and crowded public venues like airports, stadiums and shopping malls. Marvell said its new wireless system-on-chips (SoCs) offers complete 802.11ax implementation with full MU-MIMO and OFDMA uplink and downlink, multi-gigabit peak speeds, precision location, cloud management, best-in-class beamforming and integrated Bluetooth 5 technology."Wi-Fi technology must scale dramatically to meet the rapidly growing bandwidth and quality demands of the modern home, enterprise and connected car. Marvell contributed extensively to the 802.11ax specification and is now introducing an 802.11ax family of products that include the industry's most complete feature set and highest performance. Our newly announced 802.11ax family delivers consistent performance, offers our customers unprecedented solution flexibility and state-of-the-art technologies for precision location and integrated Bluetooth 5," said Mark Montierth, vice president and general manager of the Wireless Connectivity Business Unit at Marvell, as cited in a company press release."As a leader and pioneer in building Wi-Fi products for consumers and small businesses, we are thrilled by Marvell's announcement today on their 802.11ax solutions," said Eu Chong Son, vice president of engineering at Linksys. "User behaviors are constantly evolving and we welcome such technological innovations so that we can be a step ahead in developing solutions and products that ultimately bring delightful experiences to our customers.""Consumers of the future will demand smarter, faster and higher bandwidth wireless systems which will pressure the market to scale bandwidth rapidly and seamlessly without compromising security, performance and latency. Regardless of industry - cloud, social media, machine learning, 5G or in-car networking - 802.11ax solutions such as Marvell's new portfolio will enable companies to optimize their network efficiency as they evolve with next-level digital transformation in mind," said Andrew Zignani, senior analyst at ABI Research.Marvell said it is committed to a complete portfolio of 802.11ax fully compliant products and have been sampling to lead customers from early 2017, gaining significant traction and momentum in the marketplace.Marvell's 802.11ax portfolio announced today consists of 88W9068, 88W9064 and 88W9064S.According to Marvell, 88W9068 is optimized for premium enterprise and retail access points, carrier gateways and fixed wireless services. Key features include: 8x8, 8-spatial stream device with 5-GHz support; uplink and downlink OFDMA; uplink and downlink MU-MIMO1024 QAM; off-channel spectrum scanning; dedicated in-service monitoring; and precision locationThe 88W9064 is optimized for mainstream enterprise and retail access points, carrier gateways and fixed wireless services. Key features include: 4x4, 4-spatial stream device with 5/2.4-GHz support; uplink and downlink OFDMA; uplink and downlink MU-MIMO1024 QAM; off-channel spectrum scanning; dedicated in-service monitoring; precision location; and integrated Bluetooth 5.The 88W9064S is optimized for the service provider and OTT set-top box markets. Key features include: 2x4, 2-spatial stream device with 5/2.4-GHz support; uplink and downlink OFDMA; uplink and downlink MU-MIMO1024 QAM; off-channel spectrum scanning; dedicated in-service monitoring; precision location; and integrated Bluetooth 5.

SuZhou Etron Technologies recently gave Digi-Key Electronics, a global electronic components distributor, the 2017 Excellent Supplier on Technical Service Award. This is an award centered around API setup and providing a total automated solution on the process of Search, Quote, and Buy.Etron is a high-quality Electronics Manufacturing Services provider serving customers worldwide. They focus on high-grade customers from application areas including Telecomm, Medical Devices, Automotive Electronics, Power Supply, and Battery Chargers. With the right market positioning and an excellent combination of outstanding management, high-class technical capabilities, and end-to-end supply chain requirements, Etron provides high quality EMS services including optimizing customer PCBA design, developing engineering, managing supply chain, flex producing, and testing."We are appreciative that Digi-Key's API solutions improve our connectivity with their database, which makes our fast prototype builds model more efficient," said Alex Chen, Supply Chain Vice President at Etron.Digi-Key has been a preferred source of components for Etron's NPI projects. Etron utilizes Digi-Key's database to complete the accurate MPN, price reference as BOM cost estimation, real-time stock information for fast prototype builds, and additions data sharing to complete part details in their material database. The two companies are working on enhanced data sharing for alternative source development, as well as automating the order processing through an API."We are pleased that Digi-Key has been a preferred source of components for Etron," said Tony Ng, General Manager, Greater China & ASEAN at Digi-Key. "Not only about API solutions, the two companies are also continuously adding parts into the Supply Chain program, especially for HMLV projects."Additional information about Digi-Key's API solutions and access to their broad product offering is available at www.digikey.com.SuZhou Etron awards Digi-Key with 2017 excellent supplier on technical service