Press Releases
IRVINE, CA – Electronic Manufacturing Company Ark Electronics recently announced the opening of its new European office in Bordeaux, France, headed by Thierry Basse.
The operational base will support clients with end-to-end manufacturing & engineering solutions, including high-quality PCB Assembly, streamlined Electronics Manufacturing Services, and award-winning design and engineering. As VP of Sales and Business Development – Europe Region, Thierry will work with both the North American leadership group and manufacturing teams in China. Thierry has more than 30 years of experience in the world of electronics manufacturing and services, in particular in R&D, NPI, DFX, Account & Global Program Management, and Marketing & Sales for global companies.
"Our most recent expansion provides on-continent support for those European EMS customers who seek the best of both worlds—English-speaking, convenient, responsive customer service; coupled with low-cost, high quality, high-volume, China-based production," said Scott Wiley, President and CCO of Ark Electronics USA.
"I am very pleased to promote Ark Electronics to support current European challenges, including Energy Transition, Sustainable Mobility, Digital Transformation, and Digital Inclusion and Equity," said Thierry. "After visiting our factory in China, I was impressed by their high level of quality, information security, health & safety, and environmental standards"
Ark Electronics is a global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider serving leading consumer electronics, mobile communications, automotive, and industrial IoT companies. Ark Electronics combines technical expertise with agile manufacturing and supply chain processes, enabling its customers to create original products and solutions at scale. The company's China-based factory network, supported by North American leadership, provides customers the simplicity of dealing with a US team while enjoying high-quality, low-cost-country manufacturing.
For more information, please visit: ArkElectronics.com
GUADALARA, MEXICO – Pemtron Technology, an inspection equipment developer and supplier, is pleased to announce plans to exhibit at the SMTA Queretaro Expo and Tech Forum, scheduled to take place Thursday, July 13, 2023 at the EXPO HALL Hotel Misión Juriquilla. Jaime Arreola, Pemtron’s MX General Manager, will be available at the event to meet with customers and discuss the company's cutting-edge Athena 3D Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) System and TROI 8800 CI Series Conformal Coating Inspection System.
“We are excited to participate in the SMTA Queretaro Expo and have the opportunity to connect with our valued customers,” said Arreola. “Our Athena 3D AOI System and TROI 8800 CI Series Conformal Coating Inspection System offer advanced inspection capabilities to enhance quality control in electronics manufacturing. We look forward to discussing these solutions and how they can address specific industry needs.”
The Athena 3D AOI System is equipped with 12-way projection for 3D measurements, minimizing errors caused by shadow effects. It performs 100 percent of 2D and 3D inspection concurrently in all field of view (FOV) areas, resulting in reduced false calls and near-perfect defect detection. The system features a resolution of 10/15 or 18um, a 10MP camera (optional 12MP), and a three-stage conveyor. It is designed to deliver exceptional inspection accuracy and efficiency.
“Pemtron’s Athena 3D AOI System sets new standards in inspection performance,” added Arreola. “Its advanced features, such as the 12-way projection and concurrent 2D and 3D inspection, ensure precise defect detection and minimize false calls. This system is an invaluable tool for improving quality control in electronics manufacturing.”
Pemtron’s TROI 8800 CI Series Conformal Coating Inspection System, with optional inline Coating Thickness Measure, provides reliable inspection of conformal coating. With its user-friendly programming, the machine can effectively detect defects such as cracks, coating voids, and incorrect coating thickness (both too thin and too thick). This system enables manufacturers to achieve consistent and high-quality conformal coating application.
For more information about Pemtron, visit https://pemtron.com/
MILPITAS, CA – Global semiconductor materials market revenue grew 8.9% to $72.7 billion in 2022, surpassing the previous market high of $66.8 billion set in 2021, SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, reported today in its Materials Market Data Subscription (MMDS).
Wafer fabrication materials and packaging materials revenue in 2022 reached $44.7 billion and $28.0 billion, respectively, increasing 10.5% and 6.3%. The silicon, electronic gases, and photomask segments showed the strongest growth in the wafer fabrication materials market, while the organic substrates segment largely drove packaging materials market growth.
For the 13th consecutive year, Taiwan, at $20.1 billion, was the world's largest consumer of semiconductor materials on the strength of its foundry capacity and advanced packaging base. China continued to register strong year-over-year results, ranking second in 2022, while Korea finished as the third largest consumer of semiconductor materials. Most regions registered high single- or double-digit growth last year.
| 2021** | 2022 | Year-Over-Year | ||
| Taiwan | $17,715 | $20,129 | 13.6% | |
| China | $12,082 | $12,970 | 7.3% | |
| South Korea | $12,134 | $12,901 | 6.33% | |
| Rest of World | $7,896 | $8,627 | 9.3% | |
| Japan | $7,275 | $7,205 | -1.0% | |
| North America | $5,713 | $6,278 | 9.9% | |
| Europe | $3,961 | $4,580 | 15.6% | |
| Total | $66,776 | $72,691 | 8.9% | |
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Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), June 2023 Note: Summed subtotals may not equal the total due to rounding. |
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The Materials Market Data Subscription (MMDS) from SEMI provides annual revenue with 10 years of historical data and a two-year forecast. The annual subscription includes quarterly updates for the materials segment and reports revenue for seven market regions (North America, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China and Rest of World). The report also features detailed historical data for silicon shipments and revenues for photoresist, photoresist ancillaries, process gases and lead frames.
For more information about the report or to subscribe, please contact the SEMI Market Intelligence Team at mktstats@semi.org. More details are also available on the SEMI Market Data webpage.
Download a sample of the MMDS report.
MILPITAS, CA – Global 300mm fab equipment spending for front-end facilities next year is expected to begin a growth streak to a US$119 billion record high in 2026 following a decline in 2023, SEMI highlighted today in its quarterly 300mm Fab Outlook Report to 2026. Strong demand for high-performance computing, automotive applications and improved demand for memory will fuel double-digit spending in equipment investments over the three-year period.
After the projected 18% drop to US$74 billion this year, global 300mm fab equipment spending is forecast to rise 12% to $US82 billion in 2024, 24% to US$101.9 billion in 2025 and 17% to US$118.8 billion in 2026.
“The projected equipment spending growth wave underscores the strong secular demand for semiconductors,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI President and CEO. “The foundry and memory sectors will figure prominently in this expansion, pointing to demand for chips across a wide breadth of end markets and applications.”
Regional Growth
Korea is expected to lead global 300mm fab equipment spending in 2026 with US$30.2 billion in investments, nearly doubling from US$15.7 billion in 2023. Taiwan is forecast to invest US$23.8 billion in 2026, up from US$22.4 billion this year, and China is projected to log US$16.1 billion in spending in 2026, an increase from US$14.9 billion in 2023. Americas equipment spending is expected to nearly double from US$9.6 billion this year to US$18.8 billion in 2026.
Segment Growth
Foundry is projected to lead other segments in equipment spending at US$62.1 billion in 2026, an increase from US$44.6 billion in 2023, followed by memory at US$42.9 billion, a 170% increase from 2023. Analog spending is forecast to increase from US$5 billion this year to US$6.2 billion in 2026. The microprocessor/microcontroller, discrete (mainly power devices), and optoelectronics segments are expected to see spending declines in 2026, while investments in logic is forecast to rise.
The SEMI 300mm Fab Outlook Report To 2026 report lists 369 facilities and lines globally, including 53 high-probability facilities expected to start operation during the four years starting in 2023.
CAMBRIDGE, UK – What do electronic skin patches, thin-film flexible photovoltaics and automotive interior consoles have in common? All are produced using printed & flexible electronics, an alternative approach to conventional printed circuit boards that combines additive manufacturing with flexible substrates. Bringing benefits such as rapid prototyping, improved sustainability, scope for form factor differentiation and even stretchability, printed & flexible electronics is gaining traction across an extremely diverse range of applications.
IDTechEx's new report "Flexible & Printed Electronics 2023-2033: Forecasts, Technologies, Markets" provides a comprehensive overview of what can seem a bewilderingly broad topic. By summarizing IDTechEx's extensive printed/flexible electronics report portfolio and drawing on years of following this developing industry, the report outlines innovations, opportunities, and trends across 5 sectors of the printed and flexible electronics market: automotive, consumer goods, energy, healthcare/wellness, and infrastructure/buildings/industrial. This analysis includes granular forecasts of 50 distinct applications and 40 detailed company profiles.
Additionally, the report outlines developments across multiple underlying technologies: 6 distinct manufacturing modalities (including in-mold electronics and flexible hybrid electronics), 5 material types (including conductive inks and component attachment materials), and 4 component types (including flexible ICs). Multiple recent examples, acquired from interviews and industry conferences, show technology development directions and successful commercialization. Assessments of technological and commercial readiness, along with additional forecasts for manufacturing methods and conductive inks, are also included.
Application Opportunities
As with conventional PCBs, printed & flexible electronics has applications across most market verticals. For example, electronic skin patches utilizing conductive inks for electrodes and contacts are already available, as are printed pressure-sensitive insoles for gait monitoring. Conformality lends itself to automotive interiors, where printed/flexible electronics is utilized for lighting, heating and touch-sensitive interfaces. Organic photovoltaics is seeing a renaissance, with recent commercial examples including both building integration and indoor energy harvesting. Sensors based on printed electronics for asset tracking and preventative maintenance promise low production costs novel form factors to suit specific requirements.
Innovations
Printed & flexible electronics represents a fundamentally different approach to manufacturing, replacing subtractive removal of laminated copper with additive deposition of conductive ink. This reduces waste and facilitates digital manufacturing with the associated benefits of rapid prototyping and straightforward design adjustments. The report evaluates a range of manufacturing innovations and their prospects, ranging from fully additive 3D electronics to in-mold electronics and emerging digital printing methods with resolutions as small as 1 μm.
Material innovations underpin many emerging hardware technologies, and printed electronics is no exception. Conductive inks underpin the technology, with dozens of companies developing inks with a range of compositions and attributes. Viscous silver-flake-based ink for screen printing dominates, but alternatives such as nano-particle and particle-free inks are gaining traction for specific applications such as EMI shielding. An especially notable trend is the development of copper ink, which promises a substantial cost reduction over its silver counterparts. Other specialized materials include ultra-low temperature solder and field-aligned anisotropic conductive adhesives enable components such as LEDs to be securely attached to cheaper, thermally fragile substrates. Furthermore, many sensors require specialist materials, such as printable piezoelectric polymers for vibration sensing and functionalized carbon nanotubes for ion detection.
While the original vision for printed and flexible electronics was to print every aspect of the circuit, including the integrated circuit, this has largely been supplanted by flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), which combines printed and mounted functionality. As such, there is an opportunity for natively flexible integrated circuits, batteries, and displays.
Building on Expertise
IDTechEx has been researching developments in the printed and flexible electronics market for well over a decade. Since then, we have stayed close to technical and commercial developments, interviewing key players worldwide, annually attending conferences such as FLEX and LOPEC, delivering multiple consulting projects, and running classes/ workshops on the topic. "Flexible & Printed Electronics 2023-2033: Forecasts, Technologies, Markets" utilizes this experience and expertise to summarize IDTechEx's knowledge and insight across the entire field.
To find out more, including downloadable sample pages, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/PE
Upcoming Free-to-Attend Webinar
Printed and Flexible Electronics: State of the Industry
Dr Matthew Dyson, Principal Technology Analyst at IDTechEx and author of this report, will be presenting a webinar on the topic on Wednesday 12 July 2023 - Printed and Flexible Electronics: State of the Industry.
This webinar will discuss the following topics:
- An introduction to printed and flexible electronics, including motivating factors
- Assessment of product-market fit across the application space, including discussion of use cases seeing most commercial traction
- A selection of recent innovations spanning materials, components, and manufacturing methods
- A roadmap for how the industry will develop, spanning both technologies and applications
There will be a Q&A session at the end of this webinar, where Dr Dyson will answer a few questions that have been sent in. Please send your questions to a.garrington@IDTechEx.com by Friday 7th July. Please note that there will not be time to answer all of the questions sent in.
Click here to register your place on one of our three sessions. If you are unable to make the date, please register anyway to receive the links to the on-demand recording and slides as soon as they are available!
MANASSAS, VA – ZESTRON, the leading global provider of high-precision cleaning products, services, and training solutions in the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries, is pleased to announce an upcoming webinar on “Enhancing Performance of Copper Pillar Interconnects through Defluxing”. The webinar will take place on June 15, 2023, at 2:00 PM EST and will be presented by Ravi Parthasarathy, Senior Application Engineer at ZESTRON Americas.
During this webinar, Ravi Parthasarathy will provide an in-depth analysis of the effectiveness of pure DI-water and a novel low-concentration cleaning agent in removing flux residues from copper pillar interconnects with 150µm bump pitch and 30µm Cu pillar height. A comparative assessment will be reviewed which was performed utilizing several analytical/functional test methodologies based on the latest IPC and JEDEC standards.
This webinar is part of the ZESTRON Academy Advanced Packaging and Power Electronics: A Webinar Series on the Latest Innovations, Cleaning, and Corrosion Challenges. Participants will have the opportunity to gain insights from a leading expert in precision cleaning solutions and learn about the latest innovations, techniques, and strategies for enhancing the performance and reliability of advanced packaging and power electronics.
Register now to secure your spot and learn more about Enhancing Performance of Copper Pillar Interconnects through Defluxing.
