Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) has received an order from TDK-Micronas GmbH, a leading supplier of sensing and control solutions for major automotive electronics customers worldwide, for a V93000 single scalable platform equipped with a DC Scale AVI64 module to be installed at the customer's facility in Freiburg, Germany. TDK-Micronas, an early adopter of the AVI64 module when Advantest introduced it last year, is purchasing the high-performance, universal test solution to cover all of its current and future digital and analog testing needs."In acquiring this flexible system, we are gaining a fully integrated solution for final testing of sensors and controllers for automotive and industrial applications," said Klaus Heberle, chief innovation officer at TDK-Micronas. "The broad application coverage provided by this test platform fits well with our diverse product portfolio."Leveraging just two instruments – the AVI64 module for analog testing and the Pin Scale 1600 card for digital – the V93000 platform purchased by TDK-Micronas can perform parallel testing across 512 sites on devices ranging from two-pin sensors to ASICs with more than 40 pins. This flexibility allows the V93000 to meet customers' needs in high-growth automotive, mobile and IoT markets."Extending the universal pin concept into the analog testing domain is still unique," said Hans-Juergen Wagner, senior vice president of the SoC Product Group at Advantest Corporation. "Our highly integrated AVI64 module allows us to do this with a single card while many of our competitors are still using a fleet of cards, which increases cost and limits flexibility for customers."The AVI64 universal analog pin module, already in use at multiple customer sites, gives the V93000 platform all of the functionality needed to test advanced SoC-based sensors. The module can operate over an extended voltage range of -40 V to 80 V with digital I/O and TMU capabilities, covering all automotive test needs. With 64 channels per card, it can handle up to 200 mA per pin and up to 4 A in pulsed mode. Each pin has its own arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) and digitizer for 12- to 16-bit ADC and DAC testing. The small-footprint system offers wide expandability, high flexibility, simplified loadboard design and multi-site testing efficiency while achieving the industry's lowest cost of test. About TDK-MicronasTDK-Micronas, a TDK group company, is the most preferred partner for sensing and control. TDK-Micronas serves all major automotive electronics customers worldwide, many of them in long-term partnerships for lasting success. While the holding company is headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland), operational headquarters are based in Freiburg (Germany). Currently, the Micronas Group employees around 900 persons. For more information about Micronas and its products, please visit www.micronas.com. About Advantest Corporation A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tools. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at www.advantest.com.
USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, has announced the USB Developer Days in Taipei, Taiwan, October 24-25. The DevDays will feature various technical tracks, including one on the pending USB 3.2 specification, which will double performance over existing certified USB Type-C cables.Attendees will also hear from USB experts on the mobile fast charging enhancements to USB Power Delivery 3.0; USB Type-C market adoption, authentication, and active cables; USB audio and display; as well as the significance of USB-IF Compliance and Certification.A new addition to the event schedule also includes a session from USB-IF Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Rahman Ismail, on USB and embedded systems in the automotive, PC and IoT industries. The session will explore how USB can be adapted to provide power-efficient and robust solutions in embedded systems."We look forward to the participation of our members and the industry at large at the upcoming DevDays," said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF President and COO. "This event offers leading industry developers a platform to learn about the latest USB advancements, helping to ensure compliance with the USB specifications for continued interoperability and market integration of USB-enabled products."Targeted attendees include product designers and hardware developers and software developers with a focus on I/O connectivity and performance, form factor design, user interface, power management, cables, connectors and other areas of expertise.USB-IF membership is not required to attend the USB DevDays. Space is limited and registration fees apply. To register, visit http://conta.cc/2fJIr98. To reserve a room, visit: http://bit.ly/2i3AyMu.About USB-IFThe non-profit USB Implementers Forum, Inc. was formed to provide a support organization and forum for the advancement and adoption of USB technology as defined in the USB specifications. USB-IF facilitates the development of high-quality, compatible USB devices through its logo and compliance program recognized around the globe and promotes the benefits of USB and the quality of products that have passed compliance testing. Further information, including postings of the most recent product and technology announcements, is available by visiting the USB-IF website at www.usb.org.
Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc., a leader in advanced memory and analog IC solutions, recently introduced the IS31FL3194, the latest addition to the innovative line of FxLED RGB drivers. The IS31FL3194 is a fully programmable 3 channel LED driver supporting a wide range of color rendering capabilities for consumer and industrial IoT applications.The IS31FL3194 can be programmed through a 400 kHz I2C bus to perform LED light timing sequences and color patterns with gamma correction. Each of the 3 LED channels can be independently adjusted to 8-bit current levels (40mA max), 8-bit PWM (RGB color mixing), gamma correction, and timing sequences. These wide range of programmable sequences will continue operating even when the system microcontroller is in standby mode thereby conserving system power."As a leading provider of innovative LED driver solutions for the consumer and automotive markets we recognize one of the challenges faced by our customers has been lowering the system power budget," said Ven Shan, VP of Analog Marketing at ISSI. "We developed the IS31FL3194 with programmable RGB pattern sequences so it can continue driving the LEDs even when the micro is placed in a low power sleep mode. Because the IS31FL3194 takes responsibility of driving the LEDs, this not only saves system power but also frees up the micro to focus on system critical functions."The IS31FL3194 is available in a tiny 1mmx1.6mm WCSP-8 package, making it one of the smallest and most highly programmable LED driver solutions in the market today. The flexible programmability enables one to configure the RGB LEDs to operate either as one RGB group or RG+W group or 3 single color LED in a pre-established pattern. In addition a low 150mV dropout voltage at 20mA, 0.8mA quiescent current and a 1uA shutdown current makes this an ideal solution for low-power battery applications.The IS31FL3194 LED Driver can generate pre-programmed colors with patterns that can be used as signals to gain attention or to provide notification or status in wearables, portable medical devices, smart home, smart retail and other emerging IoT applications.
Gorilla Technology, a global provider of video intelligence and IoT technology, releases the Intelligent Video Analytics Recorder (IVAR) solution using the combination of ground-breaking real-time analytics and deep learning for facial and license plate recognition technology. The IVAR solution has the ability to track and provide valuable insights on people and vehicles for certain points of entry within residential, commercial, and public buildings. The software can easily be integrated to existing surveillance cameras and systems, enabling intrusion detection and watch list for enhanced security and operational efficiencies."Advanced video analytics will transform the surveillance industry as we collect and extract information to provide decision-enabling data for security and commercial purposes," said Dr. Spincer Koh, CEO, Gorilla Technology.The newly released IVAR offers a range of video analytics features to deliver improved operational efficiency for security systems.Intrusion DetectionMonitor and identify intruders in a restricted area or a perimeter with zone detection. Alert security staff using push messaging with captured images to reduce response times and increase situational awareness.Watch ListAdvanced biometric facial recognition system that automatically detects and matches faces based on stored data or preset watch lists to identify VIPs for building customer loyalty or unwelcome guests for blacklists.Customized SystemSchedule monitoring tasks of individual cameras to automate recordings and captures based on specific scenarios or security levels during various times of the day, such as operating and closed hours.Multi-Channel ConfigurationsWhen combined with Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA), a single machine hosted on one edge gateway can be configured to run:- Both video recording and IVA on 4 channels- 16 video recording channels while 2 of the 16 channels run on IVA simultaneouslyCentralized TimelineEfficiently monitor and manage multiple feeds with integration of alert notification to view, search for event logs, and playback videos from a single adjustable timeline to identify issues quickly and reduce response times.Gorilla is committed to defining the next generation video analytics with its latest development. Facial and license plate recognition technology used to capture and detect comprehensive data will be pivotal in delivering smarter video surveillance solution and security control.The IVAR solution will be showcased at ASIS 2017, located at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Booth #4069 from September 26 -28.About GorillaGorilla Technology, a privately held company established in 2000, is a global leader in video intelligence and IoT technology. It develops a wide range of video-centric and content management applications including smart retail, smart school, smart enterprise, smart surveillance, and broadcast media. With VeMo technology, Gorilla applies its machine learning and deep learning algorithms, enabling automation of digital streams processing and comprehensive video analytics to create value-added services for expanding business opportunities.Gorilla Technology will release Intelligent Video Analytics Recorder Solution at ASIS 2017
Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. (ISSI), a leader in advanced memory and analog solutions, today announced at the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) that it has begun sampling production units of automotive grade Serial (SPI) and parallel SLC NAND Flash. ISSI's SLC NAND Flash product supports a wide operating temperature range of -40C to 105C, making it ideal for the next generation automotive, industrial and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.Both the SPI NAND and parallel NAND Flash devices are AEC-Q100 qualified meeting the stringent automotive qualification requirements. The SPI NAND is currently available in 1Gb density while the parallel SLC NAND is available in 1Gb, 2Gb and 4Gb densities. ISSI is working on additional densities of NAND Flash and Multi-Chip Package (MCP) options of serial/parallel NAND/NOR Flash and its' DRAM product line.Lyn Zastrow, VP of the Automotive Business Unit at ISSI explained, "The addition of high quality SPI NAND and parallel SLC NAND makes ISSI one of the broadest line Flash suppliers in the automotive industry. This complements our line of NOR Flash, and eMMC for the infotainment, display, and safety markets. ISSI is now a one-stop shop for the most complete line of Automotive Grade SRAM, DRAM, and Flash memories.""ISSI's automotive grade SLC NAND 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. "Our Serial SLC NAND is a perfect fit for applications that use NOR-like serial (SPI) interface and require reliable, secure, small foot-print, and cost-effective code and data storage solution, while our parallel SLC NAND is ideal for applications requiring high throughput and endurance."In addition to the SPI NAND and parallel NAND Flash, 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 NOR Flash from 256Kb to 512Mb. ISSI also has a range of Known Good Die (KGD) memories in its portfolio.
Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co. Ltd. ("FETC") announces it was honored the 2017 WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards - Private Sector Excellence Award at 2017 World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) held in Taipei.With 99.97 percent tolling accuracy and 94 percent usage rates, the Multi-Lane Free Flow "eTag ETC system" daily processes 14.5 million transactions in average. It's the largest system in the world using RFID technology for the whole nationwide freeway ETC tolling. The Overall System owns the features requiring an innovative network in realizing digitalization and validation in motor vehicle's identity (eTag as an e-ID), transactions, and locations. With the massively adoption in ETC service and its proven effectiveness and benefits to users, infrastructure and service provider (FETC), the government, and the society, the system has be known in the world arena as one of the most influential Internet of Things (IoT) application moving toward further applications in Smart City.Chairman of FETC, Douglas Hsu and Managing Director, Dr. YC Chang received the award together at the WITSA award ceremony on 12th evening. Chairman Hsu said, "The eTag ETC system proves that it not only alleviates congestions on nationwide highways but the system and the service provided have laid the foundation of Smart City and led to a wide range of applications in IoT, creating new business opportunities and stimulating new ideas, which echoes the theme of this year's WCIT- Living the Digital Dream."Chairman Hsu further addressed, "Because the system is so successful, many countries are sending enquiries in order to learn the experiences from us and asking us to help them plan ETC system in their countries."Dr. James H. Poisant, Secretary General of WITSA said, "Taiwan ETC is such a brilliant System and is also a very successful PPP (Public-Private Partnership) project. Being a private sector, FETC shows efficiency and competency in assisting the government to design, implement and operate the electronic tolling system and services which achieves high KPIs. The socio-economic benefits of the system and services are remarkable. It not only saves the traveling time but also reduces the carbon emission significantly. FETC deserves the award from every aspect."Since its establishment in 2004, FETC was officially commissioned by the Taiwan government to build and operate the ETC system and associated service operation for nationwide freeway network. In early 2006, FETC successfully launched Single Lane Free Flow (SLFF) ETC operation in 23 toll plazas. Later when RFID-based ETC Technology (eTag ETC) was made available to the general public in 2012, the rapid increase in utilization rate allowed Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau (TANFB) and FETC to migrate to distance-based and multi-lane free flow (MLFF) ETC in December 30th, 2013. Currently, there are 6.71 million of eTag users and the number is continuously growing. Proven successful in nationwide implementation and operation with high penetration, FETC acts as project delivery partners with public sectors, investment banks, and private concessionaires in Vietnam and Philippines. Now it is partnering collaboration in Malaysia in order to help the country plan and design MLFF and expect to turn existing highways into Smart Highway that may lead to the next wave of digital transformation.Founded in 1978, the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is a leading consortium of Information and Communications technology (ICT) industry association members from over 80 countries and economies around the world. It has organized Global ICT Excellence Awards to recognize entities that made the most significant contributions to ICT industry and services since 2000. To learn more, please visit: https://www.fetc.net.tw/en/Douglas Hsu (middle), Chairman of FETC, received WITSA Excellence Award at the Award Ceremony
Integrated Silicon Solution, Inc. (ISSI), a leader in semiconductor solutions for the automotive market, has been honored with the Bosch Global Supplier Award from Robert Bosch GmbH. ISSI received the award in the Innovation and Semiconductor Components category. In all, this year Bosch has given awards to 44 suppliers out of thousands of suppliers from eleven different countries.This marks the fifteenth time that Bosch, a supplier of technology and services, has honored outstanding performance in the manufacture and supply of products or services - notably in the areas of quality, costs, innovation, and logistics. Bosch presented the coveted awards before an audience of some 100 representatives of the supply industry. The theme of this year's award ceremony was "Partners in Success." Bosch's suppliers have long been more than mere deliverers of parts and components: they are also partners in development and innovation who help Bosch stay competitive."Our goal is to achieve supply chain excellence, which requires maintaining the highest quality standards. In the future, we must react even more quickly and flexibly to the demands of the market and of our customers. This will work only when all partners are intelligently connected with one another, working closely together with the aid of automated processes," said Dr. Stefan Asenkerschbaumer, deputy chairman of the Bosch board of management and in charge of purchasing and logistics."Bosch's success is based in no small part on competitiveness, innovative strength, and agility – qualities we can achieve only with fruitful international partnerships," said Dr. Karl Nowak, president of the Bosch corporate sector for purchasing and logistics."Being the leader in the automotive and industrial market segments, ISSI is delighted to win this prestigious award to be recognized for our leadership in quality, logistics, costs, support and innovation from the world's market leader in automotive and industrial products," said Lyn Zastrow, Vice President Automotive Business Unit at ISSI.
In the past few years Tatung Co. has been working with Microsoft to develop Tatung Cloud, which carries a strategic mission to support a variety of business goals, as well as to realize a more satisfying customer experience. Pillared by the Microsoft Azure platform, Tatung Cloud has implemented Tatung IoT services in various enterprise and commercial sectors. "Smart Living" is a recent milestone that fulfills Retails Beacon and Tatung Smart Appliances.Now the customers can enjoy a pleasant experience when shopping online or in Tatung 3C retail stores, and when using Tatung's home appliances such as smart TV, air conditioning, air purifier, and rice cookers. Tatung Cloud brings the status and controls of all the smart appliances to the users, proactively tracks and learns the user behaviors, and is able to provide recommendations of the best efficient configurations and service reminders.The collaborations of Tatung and Microsoft also take place in the fields of Smart and Green Energy Management and Connected Product Management. As the leading advocate for renewable energy and smart energy, Tatung has a wide portfolio of energy products and solutions. For example, Tatung provides end to end solar systems with solar substations for the connection to the grid. It allows decentralized power grid with micro grid management in the regions. The company now owns more than 500 solar system sites in Taiwan. All the solar systems are monitored and managed by Tatung Cloud, then connected to Microsoft Azure Cloud. We leverage the Data Analytics and Machine Learning services in the Azure platform to constantly refine the efficiency and accuracy of the power generation forecast, and other service performances.With the initial success, Tatung looks forward to the continuous collaboration with Microsoft Azure team and expects to create more "smart" value to both companies and to our customers. Together with Microsoft, we will also extend and scale out the successful work we have achieved in Taiwan, to the global market.
Photolithography process, including the steps of photoresist coating, exposure and development, plays a critical role in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. Accordingly, how to properly control and monitor environmental quality during photolithography process through technologies such as high-precision process environment control and aerosol micro-pollutant removal is instrumental to raising process yield and equipment availability.In light of this, CHD Tech, founded on the core technologies of state-of-the-art air quality control, crafted high-precision micro-control equipment for fabrication environment including thermal control units (TCU) and thermal AMC units (TAU) by refining the high-precision temperature and humidity control technologies as well as particle and airborne molecular contamination (AMC) removal technologies used in clean rooms. It also leverages its core technologies to provide customers with solutions to improve and service old systems for the purpose of ensuring equipment availability and process yield.The needs to maintain and improve existing equipment at 8-inch wafer fab plants in Greater China and the large investments into building new semiconductor foundries in China have spurred considerable demand for clean photolithography process environment. In response to such demand for refinement and improvement in clean fabrication environment technologies, CHD Tech will bring customers more efficient solutions with shorter time-to-market, commented Chih-Wen Cheng, general manager, CHD Tech.There are already quite a few vendors based in Japan and Korea specializing in micro-control technologies for semiconductor manufacturing process environment. Some of them have even become partners with well-known providers of exposure machines or development/coating equipment because of their strong capabilities in temperature and humidity control. Rather than competing head-on with these worthy opponents, CHD Tech decided to gear its development toward a niche market - total solution for mini-environment. In addition to temperature and humidity control, CHD Tech also broadens its product roadmap to include particle/AMC cleaning coupled with automated detection and online analytical systems for organic gases, thereby making itself a total solution provider of micro-control technologies for semiconductor process environment.It should be noted that for the purpose of satisfying a range of environmental control requirements imposed by the photolithography process and helping production equipment engineers effectively troubleshoot, CHD Tech began to offer services including system diagnostics, technology refinement and maintenance improvement in 2012, highlighting the early system diagnostics, quick error detection and response, preventive maintenance and service work can help customers avoid unexpected production shutdown and minimize loss.CHD Tech's experienced service teams help customers perfect their fabrication processWhen commenting on CHD Tech's advantages, Cheng said with operation bases and service teams stationed throughout Taiwan and China, CHD Tech is able to offer prompt technical support to help customers resolve issues within eight hours on average so that customers are assured of the reliability of their photolithography process environment. Furthermore, the CHD Tech service teams comprise professionals with extensive experiences in photolithography process or exposure machine, development and coating equipment. Not only can they help raise maintenance efficiency but they can also provide professional advice on how to improve customers' fabrication environment and enhance operation performance of various process equipment.To enable high-efficiency customer service, CHD Tech maintains a complete inventory of spare parts including leading brand fans, evaporators, expansion valves, gate valves, refrigerant and compressors. In the case that any module of customers' equipment encounters a problem, CHD Tech can quickly replace the failed module with a working spare unit without having to conduct time-consuming on-site repair. This unique service model allows a wide range of issues to be resolved in no time, thereby shortening production downtime and minimizing losses.By providing services on a regular basis, CHD Tech is able to stay aware of any additional needs customers may have, maintain long-term relationships to increase customer retention and build tight collaboration with production equipment engineers, which fosters tremendous values for the future. Therefore, CHD Tech will continue to devote efforts to such overhaul service even though it may take some time to have real contribution to revenues, emphasized Cheng.In summary, CHD Tech takes pride in being a total solution provider of micro-control and micro-measurement technologies for semiconductor fabrication process. It is able to achieve a temperature control precision of ±0.01 degree and a humidity control precision of ±0.5%, likely the only vendor in Greater China capable of doing so. More importantly, CHD Tech is actively targeting tool vendors based in Germany, Japan and the US starting with capturing opportunities in the business of process equipment modification. CHD Tech endeavors to demonstrate its value during the collaboration with these tool vendors and subsequently make its way to becoming a qualified supplier for them. The strategy combining both aggressive and steady approaches is generating results. CHD Tech has made itself a supplier of standard thermal control units to a leading German semiconductor coating and exposure machine manufacturer. It is also being advised and validated by a major American semiconductor process equipment maker to become an official supply partner.CHD Tech's maintenance service for photolithography equipment
Indium Corporation has launched Indium10.1HF Solder Paste, a new solder paste specifically formulated to achieve ultra-low voiding in bottom termination component (BTC) assemblies and improve reliability by minimizing voiding and maximizing ECM and head-in-pillow performance.Indium10.1HF is an air reflow, no-clean, halogen-free, Pb-free solder paste with a flux chemistry engineered to improve reliability with:- High ECM performance under low standoff components, RF shields without proper ventilation, and components in low-clearance cavities- Solder beading minimization- Very low bridging, slump, and solder balling- Excellent wetting to a variety of common fresh and aged metallizations and surface finishes- High print transfer efficiency with low variationIndium10.1HF is compatible with lead-free alloys such as SnAgCu, SnAg, and other alloy systems favored by the electronics industry. This solder paste is halogen-free per IEC 61249-2-21, test method EN 14582.For more information about Indium10.1HF Solder Paste, visit www.indium.com/indium10.1HF.For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com.Indium Corporation launches new halogen-free, ultra-low voiding Indium10.1HF solder paste
