标签: semi

在本周SEMICON日本年度博览会上，代表电子制造供应链的全球行业协会SEMI 发布年终总设备预测，报告称，2018年全球新半导体制造设备销售额预计将增长9.7％，达到621亿美元，超过去年创下566亿美元的历史新高。预计2019年设备市场将收缩4.0％，但仍会有20.7％的增长，达到719亿美元，创历史新高。 根据SEMI年末预测报告，预测晶圆加工设备将在2018年增长10.2％至502亿美元。另一个前端部分 - 包括晶圆厂设备，晶圆制造和掩模/掩模设备 - 预计今年将增长0.9％至25亿美元。预计2018年组装和封装设备部分将增长1.9％至40亿美元，而半导体测试设备预计今年将增长15.6％至54亿美元。 2018年，韩国将连续第二年成为最大的设备市场。中国大陆的排名继续上升，首次获得第二名，从而将中国台湾地区挤到了第三位。除中国台湾、北美和韩国外，所有地区都获得了增长。中国大陆的增长率将达到55.7％，其次是日本32.5％，世界其他地区（主要是东南亚）为23.7％，欧洲为14.2％。 对于2019年，SEMI预测韩国、中国大陆和中国台湾将继续占据前三大市场，三个地区都保持其相对排名。预计韩国的设备销售额将达到132亿美元，中国大陆将达到125亿美元，而中国台湾的设备销售额将达到118.1亿美元。日本、中国台湾和北美是明年预计经历增长的唯一地区。2020年的增长前景要乐观得多，所有区域市场预计将在2020年增加，韩国市场增长最多，其次是中国和世界其他地区。 以下数据以市场规模计算（单位：十亿美元）：

Active Semi recently announced its PAC5220WP wireless power SoC solution. This company specialises in creating the chips used for charging, controlling, and powering smart electronic devices. While I was chatting with the folks at Active Semi, they mentioned the various techniques we use to recharge our mobile devices. In the not-so-distant past, the two predominant techniques were to use wall chargers or car chargers. As we discussed in my previous column, another technique rapidly gaining traction is the use of a wireless charging station. But there is another technology known as power banks (or powerbanks). These are essentially external rechargeable batteries equipped with a regular USB-A port (the output used for charging your smartphone or whatever) and a micro or mini USB port (the input used for charging your power bank).   These scamps come in all shapes, sizes, and capacities. Some are the height and width of a credit card and about as thick as eight cards. These slip easily into one's pocket, but the amount of charge they can hold is somewhat limited. Others are larger and boast sufficient capacity to recharge even a monster smartphone five times or more. Power banks are one of those technologies that are not yet well known here in the USA, but they are very well known in other parts of the world. In fact, there is a huge difference in cultural awareness about this sort of technology and how it might be used. In some countries, like South Korea, they simply ship an extra battery with each phone. In other countries, these become more of a colourful fashion statement, and they may be augmented with extra ooh-shiny capabilities. In Japan, for example, you can get power banks that can also be used as hand warmers. In China, you can get power banks that also serve as small flashlights (torches in England). Many older users might not see much advantage in something like this. This is because their smartphone use model is to make only the occasional call and to recharge the phone once every couple of days. By comparison, younger users like my son would be on their smartphones 24/7 if they didn't have to go to sleep to recharge themselves. Having a power bank means they can keep on texting and doing whatever else they are doing while their friends' smartphones splutter out and fade away. When I asked my son if he had heard about power banks, he gave me that look that says, "You really don't have a clue what's going on, do you?" However, it turns out that he had never even heard of them until his grandmother gave him one for Christmas. I had been wondering about the purposes of the strangely shaped device he has charging from the wall each evening. It seems that he is one of the few kids at his high school who have one of these devices. This makes him the envy of all who know him. Birthday alert: This is a great time for you to demonstrate your technical knowhow to your younger siblings, children, and/or your nephews and nieces. It's also a chance to show that you are on the cutting edge of what's cool and trendy—simply give them the shiniest, most colourful power bank you can find as a gift, and then bask in the glow of a job well done. When the folks at Active-Semi heard that I did not own a power bank, they asked if I travelled much and if I carried anything like an iPad with me. When I admitted that I travel occasionally—to the forthcoming EE Live! Conference and Exhibition, to England to visit my dear old mom, or to India when I spoke at ESC a couple of years ago—and that I would never be without my trusty iPad, they insisted that my life would not be complete without a power bank of my very own . A couple of days later, a small package arrived on my desk. When I unpacked it, I discovered the little beauty shown below. I'm afraid my rather dingy photos don't do this justice. It actually has a brilliant white body with rather fetching mauve ends.   This device is approximately 2.5 inches wide, 4.5 inches long, and half an inch thick. The first thing I needed was a USB-A to USB-micro cable. Fortunately, like most people these days, I have stuff like this laying around all over the place. I plugged the USB-micro end into the input, and I plugged the USB-A end into the USB port on my iPad wall charger. The LEDs on the power bank started to flash in sequence, indicating that charging was in progress. It was almost fully charged when it arrived; it just needed a little topup.   As soon as the LEDs indicated that it was fully changed, I unplugged the device from the wall socket. Next, I used my regular USB-A to 30-pin Apple connector to connect the output from my Power Bank to my iPad 2.   My iPad started with a 24% charge (which I equate to ~2.4 hours of regular video watching/web browsing/emailing). I kept on checking its status, and it rose to about 85% before the charging icon disappeared, indicating that the power bank had given its all. This means that the power bank would provide me with an extra 85—24 = 61%, which equates to ~6 hours of additional iPad use. This is huge when you are on a long trip or trapped in an airport due to storms or whatever. The bottom line is that I have a great big smile on my face, and I now have a new BFF (best friend forever) in the form of my power bank, which will be travelling with me around the globe. Do you own a device like this? Have you even heard of them before? Did reading this column make you exclaim, "So that's what the girl is flashing around on that Target commercial on TV"?

Active Semi recently launched PAC5220WP wireless power SoC solution. This company specialises in creating the chips used for charging, controlling, and powering smart electronic devices. While I was chatting with the folks at Active Semi, they mentioned the various techniques we use to recharge our mobile devices. In the not-so-distant past, the two predominant techniques were to use wall chargers or car chargers. As we discussed in my previous column, another technique rapidly gaining traction is the use of a wireless charging station. But there is another technology known as power banks (or powerbanks). These are essentially external rechargeable batteries equipped with a regular USB-A port (the output used for charging your smartphone or whatever) and a micro or mini USB port (the input used for charging your power bank).   These scamps come in all shapes, sizes, and capacities. Some are the height and width of a credit card and about as thick as eight cards. These slip easily into one's pocket, but the amount of charge they can hold is somewhat limited. Others are larger and boast sufficient capacity to recharge even a monster smartphone five times or more. Power banks are one of those technologies that are not yet well known here in the USA, but they are very well known in other parts of the world. In fact, there is a huge difference in cultural awareness about this sort of technology and how it might be used. In some countries, like South Korea, they simply ship an extra battery with each phone. In other countries, these become more of a colourful fashion statement, and they may be augmented with extra ooh-shiny capabilities. In Japan, for example, you can get power banks that can also be used as hand warmers. In China, you can get power banks that also serve as small flashlights (torches in England). Many older users might not see much advantage in something like this. This is because their smartphone use model is to make only the occasional call and to recharge the phone once every couple of days. By comparison, younger users like my son would be on their smartphones 24/7 if they didn't have to go to sleep to recharge themselves. Having a power bank means they can keep on texting and doing whatever else they are doing while their friends' smartphones splutter out and fade away. When I asked my son if he had heard about power banks, he gave me that look that says, "You really don't have a clue what's going on, do you?" However, it turns out that he had never even heard of them until his grandmother gave him one for Christmas. I had been wondering about the purposes of the strangely shaped device he has charging from the wall each evening. It seems that he is one of the few kids at his high school who have one of these devices. This makes him the envy of all who know him. Birthday alert: This is a great time for you to demonstrate your technical knowhow to your younger siblings, children, and/or your nephews and nieces. It's also a chance to show that you are on the cutting edge of what's cool and trendy—simply give them the shiniest, most colourful power bank you can find as a gift, and then bask in the glow of a job well done. When the folks at Active-Semi heard that I did not own a power bank, they asked if I travelled much and if I carried anything like an iPad with me. When I admitted that I travel occasionally—to the forthcoming EE Live! Conference and Exhibition, to England to visit my dear old mom, or to India when I spoke at ESC a couple of years ago—and that I would never be without my trusty iPad, they insisted that my life would not be complete without a power bank of my very own . A couple of days later, a small package arrived on my desk. When I unpacked it, I discovered the little beauty shown below. I'm afraid my rather dingy photos don't do this justice. It actually has a brilliant white body with rather fetching mauve ends.   This device is approximately 2.5 inches wide, 4.5 inches long, and half an inch thick. The first thing I needed was a USB-A to USB-micro cable. Fortunately, like most people these days, I have stuff like this laying around all over the place. I plugged the USB-micro end into the input, and I plugged the USB-A end into the USB port on my iPad wall charger. The LEDs on the power bank started to flash in sequence, indicating that charging was in progress. It was almost fully charged when it arrived; it just needed a little topup.   As soon as the LEDs indicated that it was fully changed, I unplugged the device from the wall socket. Next, I used my regular USB-A to 30-pin Apple connector to connect the output from my Power Bank to my iPad 2.   My iPad started with a 24% charge (which I equate to ~2.4 hours of regular video watching/web browsing/emailing). I kept on checking its status, and it rose to about 85% before the charging icon disappeared, indicating that the power bank had given its all. This means that the power bank would provide me with an extra 85—24 = 61%, which equates to ~6 hours of additional iPad use. This is huge when you are on a long trip or trapped in an airport due to storms or whatever. The bottom line is that I have a great big smile on my face, and I now have a new BFF (best friend forever) in the form of my power bank, which will be travelling with me around the globe. Do you own a device like this? Have you even heard of them before? Did reading this column make you exclaim, "So that's what the girl is flashing around on that Target commercial on TV"?  

According to Karen Savala, president of the fab tool trade group SEMI Americas, the United States is experiencing a renaissance in manufacturing, and the semiconductor industry is going along for the ride. OK, Savala is not an impartial observer. Her job is to promote North American semiconductor capital equipment vendors, and the notion that chip building can make a comeback in the US is mighty appealing to SEMI member companies. For years, the conventional wisdom has been that chip making—like just about all other high-tech manufacturing endeavors—is slowly (or not so slowly) shifting to Asia, where less expensive labour and often more favourable tax policies make it more economical. But Savala, citing a recent Time magazine article , maintains that manufacturing in general is making a comeback in the US, and that chip making and other high-tech manufacturing operations are a big part of it. "High-tech manufacturing is thriving in the US, and some is even return to the US," she said Monday at a kickoff press conference for the annual Semicon West tradeshow in San Francisco. There has been much activity in recent years in upstate New York, where a number of semiconductor RD consortiums are getting down to work. Globalfoundries has built a massive fab there. But is that enough to be considered a renaissance? Savala said the increasing complexity of chip manufacturing favours close geographic proximity to fabless chip vendors, the semiconductor supply chain, and RD. Most of those are still found in the US. She also cited a "growing recognition of the importance of public-private partnerships in high-tech manufacturing," including the Global 450mm Consortium in New York. The building of chips on 450mm wafers will get its start in the US, and the first generation of 450mm megafabs will be located in the US. In addition, Savala mentioned US President Barack Obama's recent visit to an Applied Materials facility in Austin, Texas, as well as several examples from Obama's most recent State of the Union address that would appear to support high-tech manufacturing in the US. "At SEMI, we believe there is a renewed appreciation that semiconductor manufacturing is one of the most important industries in the US," she said. Savala cited Semiconductor Industry Association statistics that put total direct semiconductor employment in the US at nearly 245,000 and growth in the US chip manufacturing workforce at 3.7 per cent for 2011—three times the rate for the broader US economy. She also said that the chip industry is responsible for creating more that 1 million jobs in the supply chain and related US sectors, and that semiconductors are one of the leading US export categories—larger than corn, wheat, and soybeans combined. Again, consider the source. A comeback by the US chip building industry would be good for Savala and for SEMI. She makes some good points, but calling this a renaissance still seems like a reach. What do you think?   Dylan McGrath EE Times  

很多人都知道电子屋的出现已经有很多年代了，而且电子屋里有着极端丰富的电子设备，那些各式各样的电子设备都是在电子屋所属的FAB里实验做出来了。真是琳琅满目，眼花缭乱， 怎么才可以Free出来！ 竟然还会有半导体设备。