Semiconductors

The low range and narrow beam of millimeter waves have made it ideal for having little or no interference between neighboring links, even in urban environments. This has made the interception of the Millimeter waves signal very difficult or nearly impossible. Thus in telecommunications, MM Waves technology is an alternative to fiber-optics, in terms of speed and performance, but at a low cost. Today, mobile base-station industry is rapidly incorporating MM Waves technology in small-cell equipment, due to advanced features offered by millimeter waves, and this trend has taken a steep upward curve, with the global LTE boom in 2012-2013. The global millimeter wave technology market revenue is expected to reach $116 million by end of 2013 is expected to grow to $1.1 billion in 2018 at a CAGR of 59.10%. Similarly, volumes are estimated to grow from roughly 11.8 thousand units to more than 360 thousand units in 2018. This growth is heralded by the growing telecommunication applications market for millimeter wave technology, especially in the fields of small cell and macro-cell mobile backhaul. The millimeter wave scanners & imaging systems market is also expected to grow rapidly in the coming five years with shift of scanning & security industry towards MM Wave technology from competing technologies such as X-ray backscatter technology.

Process Control is considered a key portion of the greater industrial market, and as a result is highly influenced by those factors that affect the manufacturing industry. This industry also includes building controls, such as HVAC, and commercial controls, such as inventory control products.  Manufacturing controls are slated to account for over $85 billion in revenue for the year and 54 percent of the process control electronics for the year, while commercial-grade controls will reach $72.8 billion and will make up the remaining 46 percent of revenue.  The semiconductor market for process control is projected to reach nearly $7.1 billion in worldwide 2013 revenue, a slight increase of 5 percent from 2012, with average annual growth projected at 7 percent over the next five years. Total unit shipments will also grow by 5 percent from 2012 to 2013 and will grow at a CAGR of 7 percent over the period. ASPs (Average Selling Prices) will remain relatively flat at $0.40 over the foreseeable future. 

Industry roadmaps predict the future in many ways, beginning with an in-depth analysis of the technologies used in their industry. They can also herald shifts in the way that an industry is meeting its challenges. The 2013 IPC International Technology Roadmap for Electronic Interconnections marks a shift that's occurring throughout the electronics industry: there's more cooperation and information sharing. As technologies get more complex, it's critical to have information on all aspects that impact a technology, from initial design to manufacturing processes and products. IPC is meeting this challenge by working closely with iNEMI, among others, helping in some research projects and gleaning data from areas that are at the core of iNEMI's roadmapping efforts. The IPC roadmap also utilizes information from the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, as well as from the Japan Printed Circuit Association (JPCA).

Seven O-S-D product categories and device groups reached record-high sales in 2012 compared to 14 new records being set in 2011, according to data shown in the 2013 edition of  O-S-D Report - A Market Analysis and Forecast for Optoelectronics, Sensors/Actuators, and Discretes. Figure 1 shows that in 2012, two sales records were achieved in optoelectronics, four in sensors/actuators (including total sensor sales), and one in discretes. Ten new sales records are expected to be set in the O-S-D markets in 2013. All the products are forecast to grow by moderate percentages in 2013, which will lift them again to new record-high levels. Total sales of MEMS-based products are expected in rise 9% in 2013 and reach a new annual record of $7.6 billion, surpassing the current peak of $7.1 billion set in 2011. CMOS image sensors were the fastest growing O-S-D product category in 2012 with sales rising 22% to a new record-high $7.1 billion, blowing past the previous peak of $5.8 billion set in 2011. Since the 2009 downturn year, CMOS image sensor sales have climbed 85% due to the strong growth of embedded cameras used in smartphones and portable computers (including tablets) and the expansion of digital imaging into more systems applications. CMOS designs are now grabbing large chunks of marketshare from CCD image sensors, which are forecast to see revenues decline by a CAGR of 2.4% between 2012 and 2017. Sales of CMOS imaging devices are projected to grow by a CAGR of about 12.0% in the forecast period and account for 85% of the total image sensor market versus 15% for CCDs in 2017. This compares to a 60/40 split in 2009.

The LEDs segment is expected to have the largest market share with an expected value of $7.5 billion in 2017 after increasing at a five-year CAGR of 39%. The larger context for photonic crystals is that they are being pitched as a collective alternative to present-day semiconductor fabrication. The state –of –the art in photonic crystal fabrication, however, is in no position to challenge complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication processes. It will require an enormous amount of technological advancement to make a compelling business case for photonic crystals to replace present-day electronics. Photonic crystals are integrated at various levels in device-manufacturing life cycles. The predominant mode of integration is that the component or module level serves as a substitute for enhancement for existing conventional materials. It is therefore suitable to consider components and modules as the primary classification criteria for determining the market dynamics of photonic crystals. It is indisputable that all of the components and modules have independent dynamics when it comes to their applications and regional implementations. A breakdown along these lines provides insight into these dynamics.

Photonic crystals are integrated at various levels in device-manufacturing life cycles. The predominant mode of integration is that the component or module level serves as a substitute for enhancement for existing conventional materials. It is therefore suitable to consider components and modules as the primary classification criteria for determining the market dynamics of photonic crystals.  It is indisputable that all of the components and modules have independent dynamics when it comes to their applications and regional implementations.  A breakdown along these lines provides insight into these dynamics. Solar and PV cells show extraordinary growth at a 61.1% CAGR and a forecast value of $4.1 billion in 2017. The LEDs segment is expected to have the largest market share with an expected value of $7.5 billion in 2017 after increasing at a five-year CAGR of 39%.

The applications of Gallium nitride (GaN) are expanding aggressively across various segments, especially in the Automobile segment. The evolution of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles is primarily driving the demand for GaN power semiconductors in the Automobile segment. In addition, the increase in infotainment applications in the Automobile segment is driving the demand for GaN opto-semiconductor devices in the global market. Furthermore, the increase in applications in the Defense segment is gaining traction in this market.

New automotive technologies that go beyond touchscreens, satellite radio, and voice-activated GPS commands are being tested and improved, and will soon begin to appear in many more new car models, resulting in solid growth for the automotive IC market through 2016, according to the 2013 edition of  IC Market Drivers—A Study of Emerging and Major End-Use Applications Fueling Demand for Integrated Circuits. Military-like night-vision systems that quickly identify pedestrians, animals or road hazards in low-light conditions; airbags stowed in shoulder harnesses of seatbelts; and the ability for drivers to customize the look of their dashboard instrument panels are examples of systems that are available in a select number of cars now, but will soon become available in many more vehicles. Along with backup cameras, electronic stability control, active-cruise control, and several other systems covered in the IC Market Drivers report, emerging electronic systems are forecast to help the automotive IC market grow 52% from $18.2 billion in 2012 to $27.7 billion in 2016.  This growth translates to an average annual increase of 11% for the automotive IC market.

Non-volatile bistable memory circuits being developed by Satoshi Sugahara and his team at Tokyo Tech pave the way for highly energy-efficient CMOS logic systems. The details are described in the February 2013 issue of Tokyo Institute of Technology Bulletin. Developments in low power, high performance CMOS logic technology are vital to the future of microprocessors and system-on-chip (SoC) devices for personal computers, servers, and mobile/smart phones. Much of the processing in these computing systems is carried out using a volatile hierarchical memory system in which bistable circuits such as static random access memory (SRAM) and flip-flop (FF) play an essential role for fast data-access. However, the power to these bistable circuits cannot be switched off without losing their data. This inability to turn off power is a fundamental problem for energy consumption in CMOS logic systems.

There is significant growth in the inverter market, which reached $45 billion in 2012 for motion and conversion. Energy related topics have become more and more important in 2012 – vehicle electrification, renewable energies, electricity transportation, – and as a direct result, the  power electronics market has increased.  This growth is driven by high volume and cost pressure applications such as EV/HEV,  and by high added-value markets like renewable energies and rail traction.