Samsung unveiled thw Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

After Pebble, Sony Smartwatch, this Samsung Smartwatch races ahead of Apple to launched on 25 Sept.

The best established company at present is the Californian firm Pebble, which has sold more than 85,000 of its eponymous $150 smartwatches. Those connect to Android phones and iPhones, and show messages, calendar details and run some apps. The Pebble is the result of a $10.2m crowd funding scheme from individual bankers in 2012.

Sony also showed off an updated version of its SmartWatch, which costs $235 and is described by the company as "a second screen for your smartphone". It can control the smartphone's camera, accept or reject calls, run presentations, and run similar apps to those on the Galaxy Gear.

Samsung unveiled its much-anticipated Gear, an Android-powered $299 device which works as an extension to a limited number of its phones – only two at present – able to show incoming calls and messages on its 1.63” screen. Users can also use it to make calls, just like Dick. It also has voice control, a basic camera and can run a Twitter app, plus another 70 compatible apps, the company President JK Shin said on 4 Sep.

Scheduled to ship on 25 September, Gear connects via the Bluetooth wireless system to the two other products unveiled by Samsung in Berlin: the Galaxy Note 3 "phablet" – which has a 5.7in screen – and the Galaxy Tab 10.1, a tablet with a screen comparable to Apple's iPad. It also needs charging each day if subject to "moderate" use.

Qualcomm, well known for making chips that power smartphones, introduced the Toq device – able to play music, handle phone calls, and run apps. Promised for October, it has a touch-enabled colour screen that will be readable in sunlight, but no price – though the tech blog CNet suggested it would cost about $300. Note thet Qualcomn share price will rise again.

How about Apple?

While Apple has given no direct indication that it is working on a product – beyond a comment by chief executive Tim Cook earlier this year that "the wrist is interesting" – tech companies have decided not to be left behind in case Apple defines a new sector, as happened with the iPad tablet in 2010 and multi-touch iPhone in 2007.

They are also confident that Apple is working on something, following its application for a trademark on "iWatch" in Japan, and the hiring of a former Nike executive last month.

Analysts have suggested that wearable technology, and smartwatches in particular, could be big news in 2014. Google is also believed to be looking at the smartwatch field.

"Finding the right price for smartwatches will be hard. The sweet spot will be similar to designer watches versus Rolex or Swatch," commented Carolina Milanesi, a smartphones analyst at research group Gartner.

Future

Samsung seems to be optimistic about its prospects. The Gear "bridges the gap between the mobile device and fashion worlds to create truly wearable technology," said JK Shin, the chief executive of Samsung Mobile.

But for now it only connects to two of the company's scores of smartphone models. And some early testers showed limited enthusiasm.

"The 1.9 megapixel camera is of poorer quality than a typical smartphone camera," noted You kyung Lee, of the Associated Press, who tested it before the formal launch. "In addition, moderate use of the device will require a daily battery top-up with yet another charger to keep track of."

She said that while some of the features, such as email notifications, were enjoyable, "after my brief hands-on experience, I decided the first generation of the Gear was cool but not compelling enough to convince me to ditch my iPhone."

Semiconductor Revenue

Research firm Gartner projects that wearable smart electronics will be a $10 billion industry by 2016

HK Snob

Office of the President, OMB and IP Protection in Philippines

Office of the President, Philippines OMB (Optical Media Board) Chairman and CEO Ronnie Ricketts takes all effort in protecting DVD, stop film camcording, raid fake software usage and to ensure Intelligence property is well being treated with respect in Philippines...Without proper protection of the IP, there will be an obstacle for foreign coming into Philippines for investment.
Now some of the companies are coming back to build their products in Philippines, such as Knowles has started their manufacturing in Cebu rather than expansion in China.
HK Snob

How is 2013 Semiconductor business?

There have been people saying that the Q1 13 is doom to be low in Semicon equipment demand and the norm will be going to Q2 and Q3 to be ramping up for much spot demand, and start to fall in Q4 2013.

China Economy Watch

China is now the most influential economic system that has overpasses USA in the recent 5 years, as US economy is now someone named as Paper Tiger as if they could not raise the limit of the debt to 14 Trillion, before March, the whole US market will going a dark period. That is what Obama main Do-list on his desk.

China was not doing not too good in his GPD in Q3 A4 20132.

Fore the past 3 decades, China has a amazing average GPD growth of average 10-30%, till the recent 8 year , it was slow down to 6-10% an average The tremendous grown no long be seen anymore.

However Steven green * has spotted that the commodity price, food price is increasing n Beijing and major city of China started in Sept 2012. More people have surplus money to dump into the real estate market again. And the new Xi China administration has been doing a lot of administration and propaganda to suppress corruption which is very important to build a Cleaner China.

And had been using economy executions to boost the state and private enterprises and investment,

China set to release new GDP!

That is a driver for the World Economy, need to watch out.

SIGMA; Samsung, Intel, Google, Microsoft and Apple.

Who has tied up with these Will gain business opportunity and making higher profit, away from this will deems to be in low economic growth.

The world has been conformed into a few less players before, more to become monopoly states as 10 years ago, as the Equipment market where there were 20 major equipment suppliers before now it has been either by means of M & A, or dissolved to less than 5 major players.

The state is not as healthy as before as more to be the winning side will get all 80% of pie and a bit less competitive side will get 20% or the order, so the WINNER takes it all

Apple

There is disappointment on Iphone5, which is just 1 cm longer and that is iPhone4., so the Fans of Steve Jobs, they do not feel great to use Apple anymore as there is no more gadget stuff anymore to talk with electronic freaks.

Apple OS ties up wit iTunes will block a lot of people coming to the world of iPhone, Android is now dominant for the SW and Samsung is being a winner in terms of popularity and market share.

Someone like me said Apple will falls after Steve Job, a bit too early to say so, but lest watch out for a couple more years.

The fall so a great company is there is no new technology… Apple has announced to have low cost version of iPhone, I can say cheap iPhone for the third world, with lower entry level. Plastic case and bigger display to conquer Samsung Galaxy SIII or Note II!?

Well, to the Semiconductor houses or Semiconductor equipment supplier that is a great news the this is a bigger volume for more IC Chip demand, OSAT, IDM and Fabless would be benefit by Apple for a couple of years more.

We believe the demand will rise shortly when Apple start the Low cost iPhone program.

Power QFN

More and more demand for QFN as there is a huge demand for this no matter that is for Smart phone, note Book, LED drivers…etc the demand will rise, package will turn to me more on FC for package shrinkage. Better technology for improving the heat dissipation, Clip will be the trend. 

Asian Investment Threat

Who will be the be the investment centre in coming 5-10 years

Japan
The Earthquake 11 March 2011  stops all future plan for most overseas firm to select Tokyo as the business HQ, one the other hand, cost is just too high.

Thailand
The King is 87 years old and uncertainty who will be the one taking care the Monarch, the Yingluk Government claimed to be lack of long term investment attraction to the foreign investor..
The 2011 Q4 Flood does have some black shadow to the new Investors.

Indonesia
The Beginning of the week had serious Flood, 140KM of Road and the Commercial Center of Jakarta was submerged in Water.
This is another question to the new investment

Vietnam
There is infrastructure and language barrier o new investment, some big foreign factory is a large factory with some of the oldest MC running, believe they can not make money too!

China Wages rise everyday! And there is difficulties to hire the right people now in China

Philippine may be one of the vest choices for foreign investment

Automotive is growing
There is demand for car replacement for better mileage, less emission, and time for changing new car. The Demand is high
There are hundred of sensors in a car and 3 hundred LED plus LED drivers, the demand for IC is high, but as Automotive is merely 5% of total semicon and will rise to 8% in the year 2013/4.

Forecast 2014
Windows 8 does not create much demand to PC makers, and Surface is not anything but just a firecracker in air!

We think that there is be spot demand for equipment in Q2 and then End Q3 depending on the Apple New Phone.

As a Summary, the IC demand of 2013 will be started in Q2 and ended by Mid Q3, there is no more Major Demand on Q4. Forecast that there will be 5-8 growth in terms of Revenue as comparing with 2012.

HK Snob

ASM Pacific Technology Delivers 100x300mm leadframe packging set-up

ASM Pacific Technology delivers 100 x 300mm leadframe packaging set up
July 26, 2012 -- Semiconductor packaging and assembly equipment supplier ASM Pacific
Technology Limited noted in its H1 2012 results a record level of orders for leadframes in Q2. It also delivered what it calls the largest leadframe packaging set up to date.
â€oe Overall, the market demand continues to be driven by portable electronic products such as smart phones and tablet computers, said Lee Wai Kwong, CEO, ASM.
Leadframes benefited from improved market demand, lower raw material prices, and operational improvements, ASM reported. The company also moved its leadframe packaging users to floating prices.
ASM delivered a leadframe packaging set up -- equipment and leadframes -- for 100 x 300mm leadframes to a packaging customer in Q2. This is currently the widest leadframe on the market and therefore cost-efficient, ASM said. The equipment had to overcome specific production and packaging challenges with this leadframe matrix size.
Also read: Contemporary semiconductor packaging experts open up on cost, covering Leroy A. Christie, ASM Pacific, presenting on large leadframe matrices at SEMICON West.
ASM Pacific Technology Limited provides semiconductor assembly and packaging equipment, as well as SMT equipment. Learn more at www.asmpacific.com.
Visit the Advanced Packaging Channel of Solid State Technology, and sign up for our Advanced Packaging News e-newsletter!
To access this Article, go to:http://www.electroiq.com/content/eiq-2/en/articles/ap/2012/07/asm-pacific-technology-delivers-
100-x-300mm-leadframe-packaging-set-up.html
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HK Snob

Epoxy Bond Line Thickness Control

Epoxy is widely been used as a media to attach the die onto the substrate, lead frame which act as means to dissipate the heat energy generated by the chip operations.

There is a need to control the bond line as there is significant performance contributed by the BLT (Bond Line Thickness)

Die attach meaterial

Epoxy, Silver epoxy, non-conductive adhesive, soft solder, DAF (die attach film),

CTE

Different material has different rate of expansion on different temperature.

Copper has a much faster expansion than silicon. And matching of the die and substrate is necessary but not possible to be perfect unless same material is being used. As LED is afraid of heat, 5 degrees lower the LED junction teamperature will able to prolong 5,000 hours of the LED life time, hence Semileds has made copper layer on bottom of the high power LEDs at wafer fab. Stage which can be used on copper substrates for perfect conduction of heat.

Whereas for IC DA process consideration, an optimum of the die material and substrate by means of different type of DA media and the thickness is needed.

Effect of the Bond line thickness

Too thick the epoxy will reduce the effect heat conduction from the chip to the substrate. Too thin of the epoxy layer will reduce the cushion effect, in other words, the die and substrates will expand in different rate that the epoxy layer could not absorb the deformation or warp page. Or, under high temperate there is a high chance for the chip to be fully detached and or partly detached from the substrates, thus create hot spots thus the heat dissipation rate is reduced, the operation temperature of the chip will increase and hence shorten life of the chip or even cause premature failure.

Optimum thickness of epoxy is needed for optimizing the bond strength, heat dissipation and to ensure long life time of the package.

More powerful chip is made than before, an integrated circuit of 1mmx1mm contained 1,000 transistors in the 70s' same size of chip nowadays contain 5 millions. However the design of the package material has not much different, nor improvement at all.

Automotive requirement

Automotive are the toughest test site for an integrated circuit. The temperature of Sahara is 80 degree C in day and -20 at night, the car and their IC package will experience thousand s of temperature cycles every year The requirement for a bond line control as one of the key requirement. Twenty years ago the bond line for general purpose IC package of small power is considered loose. Partly because the available die attach machine was not able to provide such kind of accuracy. Recently, tendency of controlling the BLT is tighter and tighter from CpK 1.33 then 1.67 and even 2.0.

Now there is almost a standard demand for a tight control on the epoxy thickness. Typically SOIC, PBGA or TSSOP, the equipment qualification list has a BLT control of min. 0.4 mil and not more than 0.8 mil with capability index of 2.0 or more. A standard deviation of more than 6 micron will fail to meet this requirement. 

Epoxy

Epoxy has an imminent effect on the stability of the BLT, as if Epoxy is expired, not properly thawed, or very short pot life, that will contribution to inconsistency of epoxy dispensed, which in turn will after the volume of the epoxy. Machine wise, a highly consistent epoxy dispensing amount with continuous compensation over the hours is needed.

Some epoxy is very viscous and the die can be used up after the die is left on the epoxy, on the other hand for low viscosity epoxy, it is hard to make a very high BLT as it tends to smear after die is placed on the substrate

Geometry of the Epoxy dispensing nozzle

The factors affecting the performance of a dispensing needle has been investigated.  It is found that the geometry of the needle (especially the length) has substantial impact on the characteristic of needles performance. In general, longer needles have a better capability to resist the dripping effect when handling a less viscous epoxy (say 3,500cps).  However, a longer needle needs higher driving-pressure in order to dispense the same amount of epoxy when compared to a short needle. Besides, a short needle usually can give a faster response when compared to a long needle. From the past analysis, it seems that the tailing effect is not related to the length of the needle, but actually it is related to the wetting-surface-area on the needle and contact angle of epoxy.

Challenge on Material Variation

Current die bonder does not able to tell the variation of substrates thickness and die thickness; to achieve the BLT of CpK 2.0 is more or less like we throw a dart on the red target with folded eyes.

Challenge on Set-up

The Pick level, ejector level, bond level has interactive effect on the BLT, die tilting and placement (Die Rotation), hence it is a sweating job to achieve certain BLT process window, plus measurement o the bonded units for confirmation, it is really tedious to pass any production requirement on BLT at CpK 2.0

What can we do?

To ensure the high repeatability of machine in maintaining high capability index on epoxy... there is a need to have some means to detect the substrate thickness and at same time die thickness.

Methodology

In order to have good control over the BLT, the substrates thickness and die thickness has to be known in advance before the attach.

Bond head accuracy

Linear Z travel is needed, soft landing bond Z is an added advantage.

However the bonding Z motion should be precise at micron level, or least there is a high repeatability z motion.  

UPH concern

Likely the machine UPH should have been affected in performing the accurate BLT.

All new Die attach equipment should have this precise.

HK Snob

World most Prominent Partner for your IC, Discrete and LED assembly

ASM has produced some of the semiconductor assembly equipment that has made an impact to the world semiconductor industry since 1975.

The Camera module in-line system, about 54% of world CMOS Sensor on your camera is in fact assembled by the ASM solution. Likely your hand phone cameras module was once assembled by ASM equipment. As the larger the number of Pixel on the CMOS sensor, the smaller the foreign particle down to size of 1.5 microns that the CMOS sensor can not tolerate this contamination. As ASM is the only company that has in-line -solution from Die bonding, curing wire bonder, inspection and lens holder attached line with full clean cell solution to prevent FM contamination. Top 3 World EMS company is in fact the users.

Numerous ASIC, SOIC, BGA and QFN was in fact made by ASM auto-line which has only 2 operators to take care one line each produces 8,000 to 10,000 assembled chip with dies at the input and fully functionable IC chips were made at the output… the whole process has undergone Die bonding, curing, wire bonding, inspection, molding, saw singulation, test auto inspection and taping…The turn around time from a new production wafer to finished assembly chip is possible to be made within 30 hours. Only Auto-line can do that.

Industry first auto molding system that can deliver 170Tons Clamping tonnage at the same time handle world largest 100MMx 300MM leadframe size… a few machine are being running in qualification mode in one of the World Largest Subcon houses , with this Hi Density Lead frame solution, the cost of the leadframe, encapsulation compounds could be saved, and that is becoming additive to your profit… the Only way to move into volume production devices like SOIC, TSSOP and in future QFN…

Dual head Flip Chip bonder, dual Dispenser 12 inch Die bonder, and precision die bonder for stack die on 12” wafers. Dual head copper wire bonders for the QFN application, that one US IDM is using the Copper wire bonder for assembling more than 6 million ICs a day.

Not less than 50% of world hi brightness LED is likely using ASM LED equipment for assembly production. Well, the low power LED below 0.2W is different area as there are more choice of equipment from Taiwan, China, and other makers at much lower cost besides ASM. Still ASM is the leader in the LED assembly as they have 25 years experience in designing, manufacturing the LED bonding, testing and assembling equipment.

If you are going Copper from Gold wire, if you are running SOIC, TSSOP with low profit margin, if you are building CIS Camera Module for no matter Apple and Samsung. If you are not using ASM equipment,, it may be good for you to contact ASM for more technical information. This may be a way for helping you to increase your profit margin. Today’s economy situation is dull, and yet this might be the best time for you to Invest…as you may get a better terms of delivery, price...support.

HK Snob

2012 2H Semiconductor Market Forecast

The Semiconductor market

The market is hard to predict as there are many factors which govern this violatile market of electronic products especially under current growing US EU economic turmoilds.

Recalling that there is huge demand on iPhone when it was first launched in USA on July 2007, since then it had created an enormous demand for the latest Model, with added feature on each new model each time it was launched, 3G, 3GS, 4G, 4GS... how about iPhone5?  There have been queries on what new feature that Iphone5 would have!?

Apple Will follow Nokia?

Many people saying that Iphone will be the 2nd Nokia if they still maintain their selling price at a premium, and no known new breakthrough of new feature. Well, yes, there are still a lot of Chinese people in demand of the new iPhone5, however China has no such huge GPD growth as the provious 5 and 10 years anymore. Will they slow down buying luxary Handphone as they do now on the luxuary goods Rolex, Chanel, Dior etc.!? Estimated China will have only GDP 7.6 in the year 2012. whihc is lowest in the past 10 years.

China today

Just in YiWu, a Chinese Industrial City, half the World’s Christmas decorations from Pastic Trees, Christmas lights and Led Santa caps are being produced, those good days are gone, the average shop floor wages jumped up 30% as just in 2011 to about RMB$2,800 a month. Though they have been replaced by automated machine, but there is a certain limit that the product could be automated. Profit is being eroded by up rising cost, like what HK was experience in 1983-1993, whereby HK moved to China for next site for manufacturing.

Back to China , with so many opportunities back home in their hinterland, those poor peasants from have little incentives to seek strenous factory jobs in YiWu. It is difficuties to get workers now; the China Society has changed!

China shoe markers now takes whole team of Ephiopian University graduates bring them to China train them up to gain some leverage between loss of profit, and no labour in the hot market.

What is it in the Market?

When you are asked to take out Apple for the maket, what else is leaving?

RIM is slow down, Nokia is saying to lay off another 10,000 staff last week. Sony has not much new stuff except the floating Touch feature.. Well that is Samsung, but viewing Samsung speed of launching his new product, they have a huge spending on R & D, and their high cost of manufacturing due to tooling cost is high as most of them are still made in Korea. Sooner later there will be 4 handphone makers, others smaller one would either been merged or sold.

Bullish ASE

News popped up as ASE said it could reach its goal of growing shipments by 15%, and that Ultrabooks, Windows 8 and new smartphones would drive growth in the second half. 24 June 2012.

IC makers, Assembly houes are still keep on buying leadframe is 2X, 3X up in their coming Quarter forecas, in vew of the past history, they can not keep growing for more than  4 months. Everyhing goes up must fall down. We believe that everyone is being pushed by Apple to be qualified and once if the business of Apple iphone 5 is not as good as expected, there will be domino effect of falling. That could cause semiconductor economy to slow down the pace.

Foxconn

Well, Foxconn as the major manufacturers of all Apple products is doing conservatively for their iphone5 line preparation, as least not as aggressive as they did for Iphone 4 and Iphone 4S... heard that they cut 3 lines out of ten lien purchase by president Kwok at last minutes. Is that a sign to tell us that Foxconn is also feeling skpetical about Apple because Tim Cook as not as strong as Steve Jobs as an Apple Icon!

LED

LED is still in the hibernating mode, as I expect that there will be some movement for more equipment buy by Oct, 2012. but that could not be so high as we experiencd in 2010. Probably some new line for new process, new special product line to have better cost factor to make next gen. LED, no major Expansion plan for production of mid high end LEDs.

Maintaining Automobile market

Automobile takes just 5-6% of the total Semiconductor market, that is not significant nor inluential at all thpough most of the Automobile is doing OK but under such economic atmposphere, people will tend to delay the new car purchase or replacement programme. Only Limited market Like China and some Asia Countries could maintain the sales.

US EU Situation getting worse?
The US, EU market is slow moving, Rommey and Obama presidential campange still running outright proclamation of who is right who is wrong on CNN every day... see who will be the last crusade for US economy, I would say Obama will continue to be the next president and the US economy will not be too bad in shape but will not have any good surprise in the coming 4 years!

No surprise for 2H

What else we can see new application? new product that could further bring the makert hot!? Seems Nothing?

So as our forecast the overall market or 2012 is not as good as expected as 2011. or be a bit pessimistic, to be about 90-95% of 2011 at best...

HK Snob

Philipines Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition PSECE 2012

After Thought of Visiting PSECE 2012

Philippines Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition PSECE 2012

Organized by Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, Inc. (SEIPI and support by Major Sponsor ST Microelectronics…

6-8 June 9, 2012 SMX convention centre Manila.

It provided a Presentation platform for technical papers of manufacturing engineers from On Semi and ST other major Semiconductor house in Philippines,  and a glance of the major players and companies supporting the Electronics industry,

Philippines have earned the 4^th most optimistic business leader in the World, after Brazil, Peru and the UAE according to a recent survey conducted by Grant Thornton International Business Report. A global professional business network, The Survey was bases on how business forecast leader foresaw the next 12 months.
Philippines like can have an annual growth of 6.5% which may be the 2^nd highest in Asia. Yet final number will be verified at and of the year.

It is worth a look for business investor to consider the best place for your next Expansion.

China- Rising Salary, hard to find stable work force, political instability, Strong hardware but leak of soft support, . . besides, you can’t put all your investment in one place..

Vietnam- Language and lack of hard soft infrastructure for semiconductor

Thailand- a land of smile, but the last flood does halt a lot of the new expansion plot, as  Rohm decided to close their factory and move to Philippines.

Malaysia – increasing demand for semicon people force them to look for promotion and new job, hard to find stable Middle engineering people. Besides, there is more or less some threat with their political stability and their way to suppress Development of Chinese Society,

Singapore- Industry has been transformed from Manufacturing to Service support and IT 10 years ago basically no more Semicon manufacturing as the other City Hong Kong.

Taiwan- President Ma was blamed not having strong and strategic stimulation to the semiconductor industry; they are now lack of competitive edge as China.

Korea- Focus on 10 big firms who may take up 20% of the Country’s income. Cost of manufacturing forces middle to big company seeks for other business opportunity besides moving overseas like Philippines.

Japan- after 1989, their economic no longer strong as they were in 80's, no Single Electronics Company made real money in 2011. They have to move to other lower cost manufacturing sites like China, Thailand and Philippines.

Myanmar- yet to have any plan to open their market for semicon… may be after Suu Kyi to be the president...

Who will be the next potential candidates for low cost manufacturing consideration?

1. Eastern Europe
2. Ethiopia
3. South Africa

 HK Snob

.

CMOS Image Sensors starts Breaking Sales Records Again

After hitting a rough patch in 2006, CMOS image sensors have finally regained growth momentum,

Driven by a new wave of camera-equipped portable products, such as touch-screen

smartphones and tablet computers, embedded digital imaging applications being designed into automobiles, medical equipment, security networks, and other vision-recognition systems.

And this once high-flying optoelectronics market segment is now expected to set record high sales each year through 2012 to 2016.

HK Snob

IC Market Forecast 2012

2012 brings yet another year to all of us, and once again the industry is bouncing back after a challenging 2011. We welcome a fresh optimistic outlook as perceived by semiconductor industry analysts at large, both domestically and abroad. The sovereign debt and economic worries of the European Union has brought a torrent of dreadful news, yet the industrial indicators within
technology and specifically the semiconductor segment reflect increasing stability and projected growth during year 2012. In Recent two months, seems that more Power Device is coming up, IGBT, Power Clips. Automobile will be stable over the year with some minor growth as comparing with 2011.
Moreover, IDM, Subcon tends to have a new demand for a better cost format on legacy or even QFN, obviously there is a new demand for equipment base on 100mmx300mm leadf rame format on Legacy SOIC, TSSOP and also QFN run in Q4 2012.
Wireless and mobile is everything, no matter, handphone, tablet, Ipad had demand on wire less devices, Iphone5 will follow Ipad3 in March Launch. Samsung has stuck a good balance In terns of performance, flexibility and versatility comparing to Ipad, Samsung will gain market share, and grow with Apple. Solid state Ram in replacing harddisk will create huge demand on equipment. I am speculating that Q2 2012 will have some ramp up for equipment demand. Worse case 2012 business will at par at 2011 or even 5%-7% better than 2011.
HK Snob