Hitachi High-Technologies and Picosun Oy launch a collaboration in Plasma-enhanced ALD

Tokyo, Japan and Espoo, Finland - 30 January 2017 - Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (TSE:8036, Hitachi High-Tech) and Picosun Oy announce a revolutionary technological co-operation in plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). The aim of this co-operation is to bring thin film coating technologies to a completely new level. Hitachi High-Tech’s and Picosun’s joint breakthrough, the novel Microwave Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ALD technology will disrupt all advanced semiconductor industries. 

Promotion Video: MECRALD - novel, revolutionary plasma-enhanced ALD technology By Hitachi High-Technologies and Picosun. (youtube.com)

In the PE-ALD reactor, Hitachi High-Tech’s powerful ECR plasma generator is integrated with Picosun’s industry-proven, digitally controlled ALD system. Consequently, the quality of the deposited materials is substantially better, and the deposition process is much more precise than existing traditional ALD and plasma-enhanced ALD methods.

Some superior results for various nitride and oxide films have been confirmed with 300 mm semiconductor wafers so far and some other process applications are under evaluation.

About Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation

Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is engaged in activities in a broad range of fields, including Science & Medical Systems, Electronic Device Systems, Industrial Systems, and Advanced Industrial Products. The company's consolidated sales for FY 2015 were approx. 629 billion [USD5.8 billion]. For further information, visit http://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/.

About Picosun Oy

Picosun provides the most advanced ALD thin film coating technology to enable the industrial leap　into the future, with turn-key production solutions and unmatched expertise in the field. Today, PICOSUN™ ALD equipment are in daily manufacturing use in numerous major industries around the world. Picosun is based in Finland, with subsidiaries in North America, Singapore, Taiwan, China, and Japan, and a world-wide sales and support network. For more information visit www.picosun.com. 

Lam Research doubled install base of ALE in Logic 2016

Lam Research just presented their 4Q/2016 earnings. 2016 was the fifth consecutive year of growth and outperformance for Lam with a shipments CAGR of almost 20% over that period and shipments grew to a record $6.7 billion. As an example of the success 3D NAND shipments grew by over 80% in 2016, almost twice the rate of growth in NAND’s WFE. Please find all detailas in the Seeking Alpha Earings Call Transcript here. 

With respect to new existing atomic level control technology Lam has strengthened its momentum in foundry and logic with significant application share gains from the 2016 nodes to the 10 and 7 nanometer nodes. As an example, during the quarter they more than doubled their install base for  Atomic Layer Etch (ALE) system for logic self-aligned contact application with their dielectric etch product and mixed mode pulsing technology.

Seeking Alpha Earings Lam Research Call Slides here.

Encapsulix SAS selected as supplier of ALD-TFE deposition systems by leading Asian AMOLED manufacturer

January 16, 2017 : Encapsulix SAS today announced that it has been selected as the supplier of ALD-TFE deposition systems by a leading Asian AMOLED manufacturer. The first tool is presently under construction and scheduled for operation from the spring of 2017 onwards. The systems will be used to encapsulate flexible AMOLED displays with multifunctional nanolaminated coatings. The order was awarded to Encapsulix SAS after an extensive evaluation of available ALD equipment suppliers of barrier and encapsulation coatings.

The Infinity ALD equipment platform has the unique capability to deposit the most advanced nano-engineered coatings in a manufacturing environment. These coating have an overall thickness in the 20-50nm range, and typically comprise tens of sublayers of up to 10 different materials with thicknesses in the nanometer range. A wide range of available materials includes both inorganic (e.g. Al2O3, SiO2, ZrO2, TiO2, SiNx, HfO2,..) and organic (Alucone, Zircone, ..) nanolayers allowing to engineer the barrier, mechanical, optical en electrical properties at the atomic scale.

« This order confirms the technological superiority and leading Cost-Of-Ownership of our ALD-TFE equipment and process solutions for AMOLED manufacturing » stated Dr. Jacques Kools, founder and CEO of Encapsulix SAS. He also stated « We are now seeing rapid market adaptation of Nanolaminated ALD-TFE as the ideal solution for the emerging application of foldable OLED devices. »

About Encapsulix, Encapsulix was founded to address the geometric scaling of critical deposition requirements for industrial & microelectronic devices and foils. The company has its development and headquarters in Simiane- Collongue France, equipment development, sales and service in the USA. 

For more information:
Contact: www.encapsulix.com

For those of you attending ALD For Industry in Dresden 17-18 of January you will have an excellent opportunity to listen and be enlightened by Dr. Kools himself giving a talk entitled "Industrial deployment of nano-engineered ultrabarriers for encapsulation of organic electronic".

Samsung Electronics forecasts fourth-quarter profit at over three-year high

REUTERS : Samsung Electronics Co Ltd  said on Friday its fourth-quarter profit likely leapt 50 percent from a year earlier to its highest level in more than three years, beating expectations on strong chip sales and a smartphone rebound.

 The upbeat outlook comes despite a slight fall in revenue and the anticipated $2.1 billion profit hit from the withdrawal of the fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 premium smartphone in October.

The guidance points to a more rapid recovery for the mobile business than many analysts had anticipated after one of the biggest product safety failures in tech history, and reflects steady price increases for memory chips.

"Samsung posted solid earnings only with sales of older smartphone models like the S7 after the Note 7's discontinuation," said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS Asset Management.

"This makes me have hopes for the (Galaxy) S8. Should they fare well, I expect Samsung to report record earnings this year."

The world's biggest maker smartphones, TVs and memory chips will not disclose detailed earnings, including the performance of its individual businesses, until late January.

Analysts expect Samsung's chip division to earn a record of more than 4 trillion won in operating profit in October-December thanks to strong demand from smartphone makers, including major client Apple Inc, and high-end data storage products.

More: Samsung expects a rise in profit thanks to chips and OLED

The Korean conglomerate's mobile division also bounced back after Note 7's fiery death.

According to the Korean chaebol's earnings forecast for October to December last year, its operating income for the fourth quarter was 9.2 trillion won ($7.8 billion). That's 50 percent larger than the income posted for the same period in 2015 and the highest since the third quarter of 2013, thanks mostly to its its strong chip and OLED sales.

The company’s display division probably posted a profit of 1.1 trillion won. The proliferation of OLED screens should help in coming quarters: Apple is said to be planning to adopt the technology in at least one new iPhone later this year.[Bloomberg]

Gartner Forecasts Flat Worldwide Device Shipments Until 2018

Emerging Devices Can Enhance Conventional Device Sales

Worldwide combined shipments of PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones are projected to remain flat in 2017, according to Gartner, Inc. Worldwide shipments for these devices are projected to total 2.3 billion in 2017, the same as 2016 estimates.

 

Full report : LINK