“I’m struck by the continued opportunities for innovative technology companies in Europe,” says Semi Europe President Heinz Kundert. “While megafabs may be locating in Asia, smaller, more flexible fabs in Europe for MEMS/MST and semiconductors will continue to prosper.” A courageous statement in view of the global financial crisis that is beginning to hit the high-tech world as well. But Kundert’s attitude set a tone of self-assertion at the Semicon Europa 2008 Conference and Exhibition (7 to 9 October) at Stuttgart, Germany. Next year, the event will move on to Dresden, one of Europe’s premier places of semiconductor and PV research and manufacturing, struggling with keeping its fab base on location.
This year, to Stuttgart, came about 650 companies, although the PV industry’s drifting off to the more focused “Intersolar” taking place in Munich was already noticeable. Semicon’s conference part complemented the mobilization effort of Europe’s strengths in R&D by giving the Semi Award 2008 to Gilbert Declerck of IMEC, Leuven, Belgium.
Fitting Heinz Kundert’s welcoming statement, the conference agenda focused on MEMS, TSV, 3D stacking and their pros and cons compared to fan-out packaging, as well as wafer bonding (in the light of wildly fluctuating commodity prices). PV manufacturing, in particular, is getting much attention in terms of higher efficiencies and lower cost by subverting it to the standard setting regime of Semi – a good move with dwindling public support for luxuriously high feed-in tariffs and other subsidies.
“Standardization at both the manufacturing equipment and materials level”, says Bettina Weiss of Semi North America, “are absolutely critical to lowering trade barriers and reducing cost of ownership for cell and module manufacturers.” A global PV standards roadmap is in the works, supported by a new Semi White Paper, along the lines of the ITRI Roadmap for semiconductors.
How about the health of the semiconductor industry in view of the unfolding financial turmoil? The honest answer, SEMI President Stanley Myers replies, is: Nobody knows. “Prior to the latest financial crisis,” Myers says, “the general expectation was for a modest single-digit growth in 2008.” Lately, market researchers now have lowered their forecasts to about 1 to maximal 5 %. Myers: “There will be a downward revision before the year is out.” Most unnerving, Dr Franz Richter of Süss MicroTec adds, is that “the financial markets at this point simply don’t work.” With dire consequences for the raising of credit for fabs and equipment.
The equipment industry is, as we all know, a highly cyclical industry. And according to Myers, it is just going through another down cycle. In 2008, equipment sales might turn out to be around $ 34 bn. 2009 most likely will be flat, which is positive, or down 20 %, Myers foresees. “All figures should be taken as general guidelines only.”
A significant trend, despite the ongoing transfer to 300 mm wafer processing (450 mm now pushed out to 2017, instead of 2012), is that 200 mm fabs are decreasing in numbers, but the remaining ones increasing their output – squeezing all there is from written-down equipment and facilities to save every penny in cost. Even older 150 mm fabs, Myers says, are being “upgraded” to 200 mm…
No wonder then that SEMI wants to get a firmer grip on the used-equipment market – by acquiring the Surplus Equipment Consortium Network (SEC/N). “Both organizations have common members and interests”.
As far as new product announcements go, the harvest is meager – as with all fairs and events these days. Communication on product and innovation runs instantly as markets and competitive environments demand or even anticipate. So, fairs now are places for get-together and learning.
At Semicon Europa 2008, Viscom introduced their latest fully automated wirebond inspection system for small wirebonds, S6053BO-V, equipped with a high-res VHR camera module, delivering a resolution of 2 to 5 µm per pixel to 100 %-inspect wires smaller than 20 µm in diameter. Also new: the Viscom MX2000IR inspection system for MEMS, wafer bonds and flip-chips, geared to medium and larger lot sizes and various wafer materials besides Si.
RoodMicrotec outlined its recent merger of Rood Technology Deutschland and Microtec, and the resulting portfolio of services in opto-electronics, VCSELs, image sensors and fiberoptics, including an ESD/ESDFOS evaluation demonstration.
Multitest showed its latest generation of contacting sockets “nanoKelvin” and “ECON”, with plunge-to-board capabilities for small packages such as QFN, QFP and SO, with lead pitches down to 0.3 mm. ECON offers high-power and high-frequency operation. Their new pick-&-place handler, the MT 2168, bringing broad-range packing platform quality to the manufacturing floor, was also shown.
Sonosys Ultraschallsysteme showed off their “Megasonic” micro-clean system. At 2 MHz, it captures particles down to the nano range.
Another highlight of Semicon Europa 2008 was the renewed push for “increasing European microelectronic industry competitiveness” – by getting more financial and regulatory support from the EU and national governments. SEMI Europe has devised a White Paper urging European leaders to pay attention and broaden their support. It contains six recommendations: a shared European vision, increased funding, not just for R&D, but also for manufacturing along the lines of other world regions, support of supply chains, strengthening education and “welcoming talent” from outside, protecting and enforcing IP, and involving SEMI in environmental and health legislation. At a Brussels summit later this year, with top European political leaders invited, the SEMI White Paper should get the attention it deserves. Werner Schulz
EPP Europe 405
