By Dave Mount
Survey results that will be posted in the March Update to the 20th anniversary 2017 edition of IC Insights’ McClean Report show that eleven (11) companies are forecast to have semiconductor capital expenditure budgets greater than $1.0 billion in 2017, and account for 78% of total worldwide semiconductor spending this year. Bill McClean, of IC Insights, will be delivering a talk at The ConFab, in May, which is certain to include additional insights to this, and other IC Industry forecast data, during his talk. This forecast of only eleven (11) potential customers for the semiconductor supply chain, controlling 78% of the spending, points out very profoundly why The ConFab has expanded the agenda/program to include several other “Small Wafer Technologies”, that very much features the MEMS and Sensors, and IoT markets, that are growing at a high CAGR, and include many new potential customers in the supply chain, that can be served by equipment and materials suppliers that are currently serving the IC industry.
During this year’s sessions we will learn from Dr. Kevin Shaw, CTO/FOUNDER, of Algorithmic Intuition, Inc.; who will be delivering a talk where we will see what MEMS is, how it relates to the semiconductor industry and why it is a critical component for emerging growth. Dr. Shaw will explore examples of new products that are leveraging MEMS and see how old products are being reimagined in a world where sensors are everything. Dr. Alissa Fitzgerald will speak on Next Generation MEMS Manufacturing; where in order to meet the demands of consumer electronics or automotive OEMs, sensors will need to be developed and produced in high volume 200mm wafer facilities. Alissa will share how a generational change in manufacturing is coming, in which high-volume foundries will need to break some of their traditional CMOS process rules or risk missing out on the next wave of growth in MEMS. The ConFab will also feature a Small Wafer Technologies panel session, moderated by Tom Bondur, of Lam Research, which will include panelists from a wide and diverse experience and background in device fabrication, in other solid-state technology manufacturing areas.
