Semiconductor Technology Companies Team Up

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and GlobalFoundries have announced a collaboration to deliver global capacity for 14 nanometer FinFET process technology. The collaboration will leverage the companies’ semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, with volume production at Samsung’s fabs in Hwaseong, Korea and Austin, Texas, as well as GlobalFoundries’ fab in Saratoga, NY.

Developed by Samsung and licensed to GlobalFoundries, the 14nm FinFET process is based on a technology platform that has already gained traction in high-volume, system-on-chip designs. The platform utilizes three-dimensional, fully depleted FinFET transistors to overcome the limitations of planar transistor technology, enabling benefits over 20nm planar technology. The technology features a smaller contacted gate pitch for higher logic packing density and smaller SRAM bitcells to meet demand for memory content in advanced SoCs.

Through this multi-year exclusive technology license, process design kits are available now, allowing customers to start designing with models, design rule manuals, and technology files that have been developed based on silicon results from 14nm FinFET test chips. Mass production for the 14nm FinFET technology will begin at the end of 2014.

“This unprecedented collaboration will result in a global capacity footprint for 14nm FinFET technology that provides AMD with enhanced capabilities to bring our innovative IP into silicon on leading-edge technologies,” says Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of Global Business Units at AMD. “The work that GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Samsung are doing together will help AMD deliver our next generation of groundbreaking products with new levels of processing and graphics capabilities to devices ranging from low-power mobile devices, to next-generation dense servers to high-performance embedded solutions.”

“This strategic collaboration extends the value proposition of a single GDSII multi-sourcing to the FinFET nodes. With this true multi-source platform, Samsung and GLOBALFOUNDRIES have made it easy for fabless semiconductor companies to access FinFET technology and increase first-time silicon success,” says Dr. Stephen Woo, president of System LSI business, device solutions, Samsung Electronics Division. “Through this collaboration, we are advancing the foundry business and support model to satisfy what customers have been asking for.”

“Today’s announcement is further proof of the importance of collaboration to enable continued innovation in semiconductor manufacturing,” says GlobalFoundries CEO Sanjay Jha. “With this industry-first alignment of 14nm FinFET production capabilities, we can offer greater choice and flexibility to the world’s leading fabless semiconductor companies, while helping the fabless industry to maintain its leadership in the mobile device market.”

Air Products Supplies Bulk Specialty Gas and Chemical Delivery Systems

Air Products announced it has been awarded another major contract by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to supply complete bulk specialty gas and chemical delivery systems in support of its fab in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, western China.

The contract called for the design and construction of a bulk specialty gas supply (BSGS) yard by Air Products equipped with the company’s turnkey piping connecting the yard with the fab for distributing bulk specialty gases for the manufacturing process; and the supply of its state-of-the-art specialty gas delivery equipment and specialty liquid chemical delivery equipment in the fab.

The fab in the Xi’an High Tech Zone represents one of Samsung Electronics’ largest overseas investments and one of the most advanced fabs in China. The memory products produced by the fab will be widely used in portable devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, digital cameras, USB drive, and other consumer electronics products for which China is a major market.

Awarded a major contract in 2012 to supply bulk gases to this fab, Air Products has built several large air separation plants to support the needs of Samsung Electronics and also the merchant market in the region.

“Samsung is a long-standing and strategic customer for Air Products worldwide. We are honored to have been awarded another major contract on this project and to support its business growth and the most advanced fab in China,” said Wayne Mitchell, vice president and general manager of the Electronics Division at Air Products. “The contracts reinforce Air Products’ leading position both in the global electronics industry and in China by further expanding into the country’s emerging western region.”

Air Products has been accelerating its growth in western China. The company first entered Shaanxi Province in 2006 to serve the electronics industry and has won several major contracts for its Tonnage business. The company has established its new office in Xi’an High Tech Zone, which includes engineering and operational capabilities to support its fast business growth in China.

A leading integrated solutions supplier for the global electronics industry, Air Products has more than 40 years of experience in the safe and reliable delivery of gases and chemicals to a variety of markets including the semiconductor and advanced display. It offers its global customer base flexible, cost-effective and contamination-free materials delivery solutions as well as onsite turnkey installation services.

NXP Semiconductors Announces Investment

NXP Semiconductors N.V. has announced its investment in Senseg, which offers next-generation spatial haptic feedback technology. The investment is part of NXP’s drive to lead in new user interface technologies for mobile, consumer, and automotive applications. Existing investors in Senseg also participated in this Series B round.

Mark Hamersma, General Manager Emerging Businesses at NXP, says, “In our view, new user interface technologies will continue to be a key innovation area in smart phones, tablets, and automotive applications in the coming years. Senseg has developed a very exciting solution to add touch sensations – such as feeling textures and contours – to standard touch screen displays. Most user interfaces today focus on our visual and hearing senses, and not on touch, so that is why we see this as a great new opportunity for growth. We see many high-value opportunities for this technology, not just in mobile, but also in Automotive where drivers need to keep their eyes on the road.”

NXP Semiconductors N.V. deals with the automotive, identification, and mobile industries, and in application areas including wireless infrastructure, lighting, healthcare, industrial, consumer tech, and computing. NXP is based in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

Senseg adds tactile effects to touch interfaces with a solid state solution, turning touchscreens into “feelscreens.” The company is headquartered in Espoo, Finland.

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