The alliance organization will participate in SEMICON China 2016.

The Secretariat of the Materials Alliance organized its member units to collectively participate in SEMICON China 2016, held from March 15 to 17, 2016 in Shanghai. In collaboration with SEMI, the Alliance set up a “Materials Alliance Special Zone” in Hall N5, the main exhibition area for integrated circuits. The participating companies include Anji Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., Shanghai Xinyang Semiconductor Materials Co., Ltd., Beijing Kehua Microelectronics Materials Co., Ltd., Shanghai Xin'ao Technology Co., Ltd., Hebei Puxing Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., Foshan Huat Gas Co., Ltd., Youyan New Materials Co., Ltd., and Nanjing Guosheng Electronics Co., Ltd.

The Materials Alliance Successfully Hosted the Symposium on the 13th Five-Year Development Strategy for the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry.

On February 27, the Materials Alliance successfully held a symposium in Beijing on the “13th Five-Year Plan” development strategy for the integrated circuit materials industry. Attending the symposium were Miao Zhimin, Deputy Director of the Raw Materials Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; relevant professional leaders from the Electronic Information Department; Shi Ying, Secretary-General of the Materials Alliance; and heads of specialized working groups involved in the Materials Alliance’s roadmap initiative. Over the past two years, the Materials Alliance has conducted relatively systematic research on the development roadmap for the integrated circuit materials industry and the 13th Five-Year Plan, and has submitted proposals on industrial development and key projects to the “02 Special Project” as well as to the China Semiconductor Industry Association. The purpose of this symposium is to further deepen the understanding between national ministries and commissions.

Entegris Launches New Post-CMP Cleaning Solution

Entegris has launched a new post-chemical mechanical polishing (post-CMP) cleaning solution tailored for semiconductor manufacturing processes. The new PlanarCleanAG product series, designed specifically for processes below 10 nm, now joins Entegris’s industry-leading portfolio of post-CMP cleaning solutions. The CMP process used in silicon wafer fabrication involves a mechanical polishing step during which a chemical-mechanical polishing slurry is employed to remove excess conductive or dielectric materials from the surface of integrated components, achieving a smooth finish that enables the stacking of subsequent integrated circuit layers. The post-CMP cleaning step can effectively remove...

Global semiconductor output reaches another record high, and demand for AOI equipment is expected to remain strong in 2016.

According to the latest statistical data from OFweek Industry Research Center, in 2015, the global semiconductor industry’s output value reached 337.3 billion U.S. dollars, representing a slight increase of 1.1% over the 333.6 billion U.S. dollars recorded in 2014. The output value of semiconductor equipment stood at 37.3 billion U.S. dollars, roughly unchanged from the level in 2014. Against the backdrop of booming global investment in the smart industry, the semiconductor industry is expected to continue experiencing modest growth in 2016, and demand for automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment—key equipment in the industry—is likely to remain strong. The semiconductor industry has consistently been one of the three major application sectors for automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment, and the development of the semiconductor industry...

Ministry of Science and Technology: High-tech fields of new materials that receive key national support

According to information released on the website of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the key high-tech fields receiving national support include: 1. Electronic Information; 2. Biology and New Pharmaceuticals; 3. Aerospace; 4. New Materials; 5. High-Tech Services; 6. New Energy and Energy Conservation; 7. Resources and Environment; 8. Advanced Manufacturing and Automation. These include technologies for the preparation and application of new semiconductor materials, specifically as follows: graphene preparation and application technologies; technologies for growing large-size silicon single crystals, polishing wafers, manufacturing SOI wafers, and preparing SiGe/Si epitaxial wafers; key supporting materials for large-scale MOCVD systems, epitaxial growth on silicon substrates, and new material preparation technologies for OLED lighting; large-size gallium arsenide substrates and polished surfaces.

How Mainland China’s Wafer Fabrication Industry Can Catch Up with the Global Giants

Throughout history, high investment has always been accompanied by high risk—especially in the capital-intensive semiconductor wafer fabrication industry. Today, building an advanced 12-inch production line alone requires an investment of 5 billion U.S. dollars. Moore’s Law, from the perspective of technological evolution, tells us that the number of transistors on each chip doubles every 12 months. In contrast, Rock’s Law reminds us that the costs faced by chip manufacturers double every four years. Technological advancements continually pave the way for the increasing number of transistors on chips, yet...

Notice from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Administration of Taxation on Revising and Issuing the “Administrative Measures for the Recognition of High-Tech Enterprises”

The 3rd Session of the 2nd Council of the Materials Alliance was held in Wuhan.

On January 27, 2016, the second session of the third council meeting of the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the “Materials Alliance”) was held in Wuhan. The council summarized the Materials Alliance’s work in 2015 and discussed and planned its activities for 2016. The meeting was chaired by Secretary-General Shi Ying. Chen Peide, Deputy General Manager, and Li Ping, Deputy General Manager, from Wuhan Xinxin were invited to attend the council meeting. More than 60 representatives from the alliance’s member units also attended the meeting. The council fully recognized the Materials Alliance’s achievements in 2015 in promoting supply-demand cooperation within the industry, facilitating collaboration among member units and industry integration, organizing industrial and academic exchange activities, and supporting the “02 Special Project.”

The Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Alliance and Wuhan Xinxin Supply-Demand Matchmaking Conference Was Held Solemnly.

On January 28, 2016, the Integrated Circuit Materials Industry Alliance and Wuhan Xinxin held a supply-and-demand matchmaking meeting in Wuhan. The meeting was hosted by the Materials Alliance and organized by Wuhan Xinxin Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Secretary-General Shi Ying of the Materials Alliance attended the meeting. Dr. Yang Shining, CEO of Wuhan Xinxin, along with heads of relevant departments from the company—including process engineers, quality control specialists, and user evaluation experts—as well as over 70 representatives from member units of the Alliance across China, who are responsible for technology, quality, and marketing sales, also participated in the event. In his opening remarks, Secretary-General Shi Ying pointed out that Wuhan Xinxin is dedicated to the development of advanced memory integrated circuits on a large scale.

SMIC, HuaLi Micro, and Silicon Industry Group Become the First Batch of Companies Invested in by the Shanghai Integrated Circuit Fund.

The Shanghai Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Fund, with a total size of 30 billion yuan, primarily supports the production of 12-inch chips. The list of companies selected for the fund’s initial investment has already been finalized. The first batch of companies to receive funding includes SMIC, HuaLi Microelectronics, and Silicon Industry Group. Additionally, according to a key investor in a priority segment of the fund, two-thirds of the fund’s total amount have now completed preliminary fundraising. The Shanghai Integrated Circuit Industry Fund has a total size of 50 billion yuan, of which 30 billion yuan is allocated to the manufacturing fund, 10 billion yuan is dedicated to the integrated circuit materials industry, and another 10 billion yuan will be used for mergers and acquisitions of outstanding integrated circuit design firms both domestically and abroad. Data shows that SMIC’s 28nm chips have reached a monthly production capacity of 10,000 wafers, but...

IC Insights: 2015 IC Manufacturer Wafer Production Capacity Ranking

Market research firm IC Insights has released its latest report on global wafer capacity forecasts (Global Wafer Capacity 2016–2020), which includes a ranking of the world’s 25 largest IC manufacturers based on installed capacity as of December 2015. Among the top ten manufacturers, four are headquartered in the United States, two each come from South Korea and Taiwan, and one each is from Japan and Europe. These manufacturers include four of the world’s largest memory suppliers, three pure-play wafer foundries, the world’s largest microprocessor supplier, and two major analog IC suppliers.

HuaHong Macro has been awarded the title of “Shanghai Intellectual Property Advantage Enterprise 2015.”

Recently, following deliberation at the plenary meeting of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Advantage Enterprise Development Promotion Committee—jointly established by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Municipal Intellectual Property Bureau, and the Municipal Copyright Bureau—Shanghai HuaHong Macro Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (“HuaHong Macro”) and 17 other enterprises were recognized as “Shanghai Intellectual Property Advantage Enterprises for 2015.” As a globally leading 200mm pure-wafer foundry, HuaHong Macro demonstrates outstanding R&D investment, has achieved remarkable results in scientific research patents, boasts a strong research team, and has reaped abundant rewards in intellectual property and technological innovation. It has previously been honored with the National Science and Technology Award.

Notice from the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance on Issuing the Provisional Regulations for the Supervision of Central Government-Funded Science and Technology Programs (Special Projects, Funds, etc.)

To the ministries and commissions of the State Council, their directly affiliated institutions, the science and technology departments (commissions or bureaus) and finance departments (bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and cities under separate planning; the Science and Technology Bureau and Finance Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; and all relevant units: In order to strengthen and standardize the oversight of central financial science and technology programs (including special projects and funds), in accordance with the “Several Opinions of the State Council on Improving and Strengthening the Management of Central Financial Scientific Research Projects and Funds” (Guofa [2014] No. 11), the “Notice of the State Council on Issuing the Plan for Deepening the Reform of the Management of Central Financial Science and Technology Programs (Including Special Projects and Funds)” (Guofa [2014] No. 64), and relevant laws and regulations, we...

Thanks to its 14nm process, GF outperformed TSMC and secured all of AMD’s “Polaris” orders.

The semiconductor industry is fully entering the FinFET era. In particular, TSMC’s 16nm FinFET and Samsung/GF’s 14nm FinFET are both in high demand, with companies competing fiercely for orders—from mobile SoCs to desktop GPUs. Recently, AMD announced its next-generation architecture, “Polaris,” explicitly stating that it will be manufactured using GF’s 14nm process. There have been rumors that Samsung might also take on some of the manufacturing work, but AMD has already denied these claims. The new graphics cards showcased at CES 2016 were also fabricated using the GF 14nm process, and in its official press release, AMD made no secret of this fact: “AMD 14nm FinFET G…”

The booming IoT is giving a boost to the used wafer equipment market.

KLA-Tencor, a manufacturer of wafer inspection equipment, stated that demand in the used equipment market has historically been relatively stable. However, 2014 saw particularly strong performance, driven mainly by demand for 8-inch and some 12-inch wafer equipment—equipment that is two generations behind current technology, with processes at or above 40 nanometers. The resurgence in the used equipment market has prompted several industry players to increasingly enter this segment. For example, EV Group sells bonding equipment originally used for older process nodes, and equipment giant Lam Research has recently begun offering repair services for 28-nanometer and older process equipment, as well as providing integrated solutions that combine new and refurbished equipment.

[Ranking] 2015 CAS Patent Operation Ranking

2015 was dubbed the "Year One" for patent operations in China. In that year, the Chinese government introduced a series of policies to support the development of the intellectual property industry and also enacted the "Law on the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements," providing a powerful catalyst for the large-scale operation of China’s vast pool of patented technologies. Looking at the patent operation performance of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in 2015, its ranking was as follows: Let’s take a closer look at the rankings for CAS patent operations in both the first half and second half of 2015 to see what stood out. The CAS patent operation rankings underwent a major reshuffle: while some institutes that ranked high in the first half saw their number of operated patents decline significantly in the second half—some even reaching zero—many institutes that had been outside the top ten in the first half made it into the rankings.

China plans to establish an electronic information industry fund with a scale of 200 billion yuan.

On the 8th, the China Electronic Information Industry Association and Ping An Bank signed a strategic cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, the two parties will jointly establish an electronic information industry fund with a total size of 200 billion yuan (RMB, same below). According to the agreement, the two sides will adopt a “fund + platform” collaboration model to jointly set up an electronic information industry fund worth 200 billion yuan, and build an innovation and entrepreneurship service platform that integrates government, industry associations, financial institutions, startup teams, makers, and users. Together, they will be committed to advancing the implementation of the strategies for building a manufacturing powerhouse and a cyber power. In 2015, China’s electronic information manufacturing revenue is expected to reach 15 trillion yuan, nearly doubling compared to 2010.

Four Key Highlights of the 2016 Semiconductor Market

The semiconductor market in 2015 was not optimistic, especially in the second half of the year, when voices expressing a pessimistic outlook flooded the entire industry. Will the semiconductor market see a turnaround in 2016? And what new trends will emerge? Market: A Slight Recovery Expected Although some signs of recovery have already appeared, mainstream market analysis firms remain cautious about the semiconductor industry’s prospects for 2016, forecasting an overall trend of slow recovery. According to data from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS), global semiconductor sales grew by only 0.2% in 2015, reaching US$336 billion. In the coming years, global semiconductor...