Auto chip rankings; what is multi-patterning?; mask shapes; more 3D NAND.
Suppliers in the automotive semiconductor market experienced exceptional growth in 2014, according to IHS. Based on final analysis of the 2014 results, Renesas maintained its leadership position as the number one supplier in 2014, according to the rankings. “For 2015, IHS expects to see a shift among the leading suppliers in this category, given the recent merger of Freescale and NXP, two large players in the market,” said Luca de Ambroggi, an analyst at IHS. “We’re also keeping a close eye on the integration of Infineon and International Rectifier, following their similar announcement earlier this year.”
Multiple patterning was one of the hot topics at the recent SPIE Advanced Lithography Symposium. In a blog, Lam Research provides a primer on the subject.
In another blog, Colin Harris, founder and COO of PMC-Sierra, provides a fabless chipmaker’s perspective on the impact of complex mask shapes.
The Southeast Asia region will spend $19 billion on semiconductor equipment and materials for 2015 and 2016, according to SEMI.
Samsung Electronics has unveiled the 850 EVO M.2 and 850 EVO mSATA solid state drives (SSDs). The SSDs feature Samsung’s 3D V-NAND technology. Just one-tenth the weight of a traditional 2.5-inch SSD, the M.2 and mSATA SSDs are ideal for users looking to upgrade their desktop or ultrathin PCs with high-capacity storage.
Samsung has introduced a memory storage product, based on the Embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC) 5.0 technology. The new 128 gigabyte (GB), 3-bit NAND-based eMMC 5.0 storage is targeted at the smartphone and tablet mass markets.
Rigaku plans to acquire Agilent’s X-ray diffraction (XRD) business.
After two years of sluggishness, optoelectronics, sensors/actuators, and discretes (O-S-D) sales strengthen with an improving economy and a boost from new applications, according to IC Insights.
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