2021 a record year for semi materials sales

 Semiconductor materials revenues grew 15.9% to $64.3 billion in 2021, beating  the previous market high of $55.5 billion set in 2020, says SEMI.

Wafer fab materials and packaging materials revenues in 2021 totaled $40.4 billion and $23.9 billion, respectively, for y-o-y increases of 15.5% and 16.5%.

The silicon, wet chemicals, chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP), and photomask segments showed the strongest growth in the wafer fabrication materials market, while packaging materials market growth was largely driven by the organic substrates, leadframes, and bonding wire segments.

“The global semiconductor materials market saw exceptional growth in 2021 on the strength of robust secular demand for chips and the industry’s expansion of production capacity,” says SEMI CEO Ajit Manocha, “all regions registered double-digit or high single-digit growth last year to meet historic demand for electronics as digital transformation continues apace.”

For the 12th consecutive year, Taiwan, at $14.7 billion, was the world’s largest consumer of semiconductor materials on the strength of its foundry capacity and advanced packaging base.

China registered the strongest absolute y-o-y

Microchip has unveiled a 3.3kV silicon carbide mosfet and mating Schottky diodes.

Microchip has unveiled a 3.3kV silicon carbide mosfet and mating Schottky diodes.

MSC025SMA330 is the 25mΩ mosfet in a four-lead TO-247 package, and MSC090SDA330 is the 90A diode in a similar two-lead ‘T-Max’ package. Both are also available in die form.

Further data on the mosfet is sadly not public at the moment, but the diode data sheet is available and shows a 2.1V typical forward drop at Tj = 25°C, increasing to 4.3V with the junction at 175°C.

Reverse current is typically 15μA (but 200μA max) at 25°C 3.3kV increasing to 150μA typ at 175°C.

Junction capacitance is ~6nF with 1V reversed across the junction (1MHz), dropping to 361pF at 1.1kV and 256pF at 2.2kV.

“System designers of traction power units, auxiliary power units, solid-state transformers, industrial motor drives and energy infrastructure solutions require high-voltage switching technology,” according to the company. “Microchip has released industry’s lowest on-resistance 3.3 kV SiC mosfet and highest current-rated SiC schottky barrier diode.”

SPICE models are available, compatible with the company’s Mindi analogue simulator.

Japan's OMRON announces long term vision 'Shaping the Future 2030'

Named as "Shaping the Future 2030 (SF2030)", the vision is an extension of the organization's renowned corporate principles-based management philosophy that underscores OMRON's sincere desire to shape a sustainable society through the continuous creation of social as well as corporate value via integration of business growth and sustainability.

Keeping in sync with the dynamic nature of the socio-economic environment, over the last 89 years of its inception (since 1933), OMRON has been flourishing and sustaining its growth by living up to its vision of contributing towards the creation of a better society via solving social issues through industrial automation, healthcare and social systems solutions.

Envisioning that the upcoming decade is going to indicate the advent of 'autonomous society' [1] and unfold many more diverse & complex social issues, OMRON's long term vision, SF2030 enumerates the ways to maximize human capabilities through people-oriented automation technologies. This encompasses the creation of more harmonious & stronger relationships between humans and machines. The company believes that this harmony is the key to bring out the best in people helping them to solve issues and lead more fulfilling and better lives. This will in turn drive the company create newer corporate and social values enabling it to sustain & strengthen its purpose of existence.

"Though we have been able to bolster our profitability, our responsive to change, implementation of sustainability management and our corporate value through reinforced corporate governance and risk management, the socioeconomic system remains dynamic and continues to undergo major changes. We aim to create a strong autonomous growth model and further evolve our corporate management to ensure a sustainable business growth," says Yoshihito Yamada, President and CEO, OMRON Corporation.

Ericsson, Nokia Frozen out of Russian 5G Plans

Scandinavian mobile infrastructure suppliers Nokia and Ericsson stand to be amongst the most significant losers following the trade sanctions imposed on Russian companies after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine and the atrocities being committed there.

5G

And the biggest winners are expected to be Chinese groups, mainly Huawei.

The two European infrastructure makers have confirmed they have stopped supplying Russian operators such as Veon, MegaFon, and MTS.

Ericsson CEO Borje Ekholm said in a statement, “We are now urgently reviewing how our business might be affected by the events and the sanctions imposed. We are suspending all deliveries to Russia while we conduct our analysis.”

Nokia has responded in a similar way, confirming it would fully comply with the sanctions and that it had stopped all deliveries to Russian telcos.

Subsequently, the Finnish company’s CEO, Pekka Lundmark, expressed serious concerns regarding the on-going conflict and noted that ”Nokia stands for human rights, international cooperation and the rule of law.”

He added the company is donating €1 million to UNICEF to help the organization’s humanitarian work in Ukraine.

The operators’ only credible alternative to the situation is that their 5G roll-out aspiration can be fulfilled by Huawei, and a serious potential knock-on effect of that will be a huge economic hit as they cope with the huge expense of swap-outs of network gear that they will no longer be able to support.

MTS is known to have chosen the Scandinavian suppliers for the bulk of their mobile infrastructure equipment, and MegaFon was reported to have signed a large, multi-year contract for a significant nationwide microwave backhaul deal with Ericsson about three years ago.

It seems likely that both companies will have to significantly increase production in Russia, and that would mean partnering with local firms that have limited expertise in making 4G and 5G infrastructure gear.

Just how significant a loss in annual revenues the moves represent for Nokia and Ericsson is debatable, as neither company breaks down what it earns in individual countries in its financial results.

Last year, Ericsson suggested that the U.K. was its fourth largest market, generating 3% of annual revenues. Russia was not within the top 5, so is likely to represent about 2% of sales.

It seems rather ironic — but perhaps not that surprising in the current state of geopolitics — that a Chinese group, with, allegedly, strong ties to the Chinese government, could dominate the Russian communications infrastructure market for the next few years.

In the long run, Russian consumers will be the losers, since the roll-out of 5G has only just started and the impact of these sanctions will seriously delay the availability of the new technology.

It should also be noted that US sanctions on the really sophisticated semiconductors needed for 5G equipment means Huawei will not have access to these technologies. The other major Chinese telecoms equipment supplier, ZTE, will also struggle to take advantage of the situation, as it still relies significantly on semiconductors and other components from the U.S.

Biden administration indeed announced even more stringent sanctions on doing business with Russia than some European countries. Top of the list was confirmation that “Russia-wide restrictions on sensitive U.S. technologies produced in foreign countries using US-origin software, technology or equipment” would be closely monitored. “This includes Russia-wide restrictions on semiconductors, telecommunications, encryption security, lasers, sensor, navigation, avionics and maritime technologies,” stressed the White House edict.

Eventually, it will take the Chinese groups several years before they will be able to match the kind of state-of-the-art chips available to others, such as Ericsson and Nokia, from the likes of Samsung, Intel and TSMC.

New 32bit D/A Converter IC for Hi-Fi Audio Equipment

ROHM developed the D/A converter IC (DAC chip) BD34352EKV and the corresponding evaluation board BD34352EKV-EVK-001 – supporting the playback of high-resolution sound sources in high fidelity audio equipment.

Designed to maximally extract and convert high resolution digital audio data to analog audio signals, audio DAC chips are one of the most important components for determining the quality in audio equipment.

Leveraging 50 years of expertise in developing audio ICs allowed ROHM to establish ‘sound quality design technology’ – capable of extracting the full amount of information from sound sources and offer products that deliver superior sound quality, including sound processor and power management ICs.

Among these is the BD34301EKV, the flagship DAC chip of ROHM’s MUS-IC series, which has been highly evaluated for its sound quality since its release in February 2021. It continues to see worldwide adoption. However, to meet the growing demand from manufacturers for a DAC chip that can be used in a wider range of audio equipment, ROHM developed the BD34352EKV.

The new DAC chip BD34352EKV is specially tuned to powerfully express the energy of sound sources while maintaining the natural flat sound characteristics of ROHM’s DAC chips design concept. At the same time, an advanced digital filter is included - the same as for BD34301EKV. That leads to superior numerical performance (S/N ratio: 126dB, THD+N: -112dB) of the DAC chip, making it ideal for high-end audio equipment. In addition, the BD34352EKV features pin compatibility with the BD34301EKV. It has the same customizable filter as the BD34301EKV. This enables different sound quality tunings for each audio device – reducing development load while contributing to the creation of ideal sound sought by audio manufacturers.

Key Features

Developed as a DAC chip for high-end audio equipment, the BD34352EKV not only maintains the natural flat sound characteristics of ROHM’s DAC chips design concept. It is also specially tuned to express the energy of sound sources more powerfully than the BD34301EKV, which emphasizes quietness and spatial reverberation. To achieve the desired sound, the BD34352EKV provides the following features by leveraging sound quality design technology cultivated from identifying 28 parameters related to sound quality.

1. Achieves the demanded numerical and sound quality performance of DAC chips for high-end models

The BD34352EKV achieves excellent numerical performance (S/N ratio: 126dB, THD+N: -112dB) while also improving sound quality in ways that cannot be defined by simple numerical values. For example, in the D/A conversion circuit consisting of current segments, the output current has been adjusted by adopting circuit technology used in the BD34301EKV. At the same time, the digital filter (FIR filter), a key function of the digital signal processing circuit, is designed to faithfully process even the smallest signals by achieving a rejection band attenuation of -150dB or less (a performance indicator of digital filters). This makes it possible to extract the full range of information from sound sources. It provides sound quality characteristics that allow listeners to hear more powerful, natural flat sound.

2. Customizable digital filter allows designers to tailor the sound to audio equipment

The BD34352EKV enables customization of the digital filter (FIR filter) in the digital signal processing circuit which affects sound quality. Preset, custom, or external settings can be selected. Even the filter’s calculation coefficients and oversampling rate can be programmatically customized. As a result, it not only features pin compatibility but also has the same customizable filter as the BD34301EKV. That allows to achieve different sound quality tunings for each device. Overall, this reduces development load while contributing to the creation of ideal sound sought by audio manufacturers.

Academic and policy leaders debate future of wearable technologies

Lack of regulation

One of the main findings of the paper is that the divide between "wellness" devices that encourage a healthy lifestyle (for example the Apple Watch or Fitbit) and medical devices are beginning to blur. A good example of this is that recent series of the Apple Watch have received medical approval to monitor atrial fibrillation - a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.

However, there is currently a lack of regulation for wellness devices. One example of this is that no current legislation exists to stop companies from collecting data from each user, which can be used in targeted advertisements and product development. If future wearables can monitor more about us, then this lack of regulation could lead to more and more personal data being susceptible to misuse.

Panel discussion

In a joint event between IMSE and The Forum, representatives from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Information Commisioner's Office and researchers from Imperial discussed how clear guidance on wellness devices is needed now.

2022 predictions and trends in the electronics industry

2022 predictions show that OEMs, CM, EMS and engineering firms will increase their investment in market intelligence tools to track supply chain disruptions with shortages still affecting the supply chain.

As we move into 2022, many electronic components analysts expect the market to continue experiencing significant discrepancies between demand and supply.

As we move into 2022, many electronic components analysts expect the market to continue experiencing significant discrepancies between demand and supply.

Increased use of the online marketplace

The fierce competition and the lack of supplies directly from distributors have led buyers to turn to independent online marketplaces. OEMSecrets.com, an online marketplace has seen increased usage of its platform, especially the bill of materials tool which is used for searches of parts with low stock.

Automotive and datacentre components to be more expensive

Not only have automotive OEMs and EMS had trouble over the past year restocking their factories for continuous production, but analytical data from forecasting tools indicates that up to 20% price hikes for parts like MCU and power management ICs (PMICs) are expected in Q1 2022. The expected price increase on chips can be attributed to increased costs on raw materials as chipmakers struggle to obtain precious materials like silicon wafers, copper, and gold.

Working from home directives across the world calls for more data centres to be set up and therefore, demand for more MOSFETs, power management units and Wi-Fi components will increase to scale the production of equipment to facilitate smooth connectivity to the online workforce.

#power management ICs  #Wi-Fi components  #electronic components  #led buyers