Three Development Trends of IC Industry

International IC technology development has three main trends: First, technological developments continue to follow Moore’s Law (MM). Intel’s 22nm CMOS technology has reached 22nm process node, and plan to introduce 14nm process node in 2013; TSMC has pushed the most high-end CMOS to 28nm, further to 10nm by 2015. Second, functional integration, also named MtM, which means integrating RF, power control, passive components, sensors, actuators and other functional units on single chip / package / module. Third, develop new material and devices. it is expected new devices exceeding CMOS to be developed to continue improving CMOS process in 2009.

There are three characteristics for IC industry. First, the strong IDM companies stands on different sides. These enterprises include Intel, Samsung, TI, ADI, Infineon and MAXIM. At present, Intel and other giants lead in such cutting-edge general products as microprocessor, dynamic memory and flash memory. Others focus on small segments and produce high-performance or specialty products, such as ADI analog IC data converters; these products are globally monopolized. Other system manufactures takes chip plant as a subsidiary to roll out products for their system and machine.

Second, the trend moving to wafer. IC enterprises, on the basis of category, can be classified as IDM, fabless (design), manufacturing (including pure foundry), packaging, testing, equipment manufacturing, material production and other aspects of independent enterprises. The fab-lite pattern refers to the business mode of traditional IMD manufacturers keeping the core processes and outsourcing non-core process to foundry.

Third, the operation mode of virtual enterprise achieves development. Some IDM unites with foundry, forming the generalized IDM. What various virtual enterprises have in common is: independently organizing a temporary alliance, dynamic exchange among partners, combine collaborators’ main capacity, and high utilization of information and communication technology to meet the end-user demand. For instance, the Common Platform Technology Alliance among IBM, Samsung, and Chartered Semiconductor is a virtual enterprise operation mode, mainly featuring developing Tran-three-companies common platform process technology.