TESLA: Changing the Dynamics of the Semiconductor Industry

Overview:

The first thing that comes up in our mind when listening or reading the word Tesla is an electric vehicle, Nikola Tesla, or Elon Musk. Tesla is an automotive company which has changed the dynamics of the automotive sector by providing affordable electric vehicles. In the past years, Tesla has also changed the dynamics in the semiconductor industry. Now you may wonder how an electric vehicle company is associated with the semiconductor company. Well the answer is simple automotive chips. Automotive chips are silicon chips which are used by every automotive company. Silicon chip history has witnessed some significant innovation and development, whenever a company has approached an unique strategy or technique. Tesla is the best example of that.

The Best Chip in the World:

On April 22, 2019, Tesla held its autonomy day investor event in which a number of announcements were made. Some of the key announcements were the arrival of its Full Self-Driving Chip (FSC). It was designed by Tesla, but manufactured by Samsung. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, proclaimed that it is “the best chip in the world”.  The FSC is actually two chips specifically created to prioritize the AI processing and decision making required to make full autonomy safe and reliable. The chip costs 20 percent less than the NVIDIA version. Before designing its own chip, Tesla used NVIDIA chips. NVIDIA, in a statement mentioned that a full system based on their chip will outform Tesla's chip. Although, they even appreciated Tesla, for raising the bar high in the self-driving industry.

Developing New Nano Chips:

Last Month South Korean Media Reported that Tesla is Partnering with Samsung Electronics to develop a 5 nanometer semiconductor for fully autonomous vehicles. Samsung Electronics has thus far been supplying 14-nm chips produced using argon fluoride (ArF) photolithography to Tesla. Yet the two companies are expanding their cooperation to in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) products loaded with 5-nm semiconductors. The power of chips in IVI products is expected to become more important as a 6G development race has begun in the United States, China, and Europe.

Development of 5nm semiconductor chips could be revolutionary in the semiconductor industry. Currently only a handful of companies are developing 7nm chips, and in between all this development of 5nm chips can provide both the companies a competitive advantage. If Samsung and TSMC can pull this off, they will be able to change the dynamics of the semiconductor industry, and Samsung will outsmart TSMC, which unveiled the world’s first 7nm chip.

 

 

Indian Semiconductor Industry: An Overview

Introduction:

India is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. India has a population of more than 1.3 billion people, and it has one of the youngest populations in the world. There is no doubt that India will play a crucial role in changing the dynamics of business and global trade in upcoming decades. Many foraging companies have achieved massive success in India. Still there is one industry which is finding it a bit difficult to find its foot in India. It is the semiconductor industry. Indian semiconductor industry is nothing when compared to the semiconductor industry of other countries. India hardly manufactures its chips, semiconductor fabrication equipment or other components of the semiconductor industry.

Indian Semiconductor Industry:

The global semiconductor industry is currently a little over $400 billion, and is expected to reach $500 billion by 2025. In comparison to this, India has negligible contribution to the semiconductor industry. Semiconductor manufacturing is very low in India. Indian Industry has imported components worth $50 billion in 2019. This shows that India is hugely dependent on the imports of the semiconductors. It can be dangerous in the long run, as the market situation is volatile as of now, due to chip shortage and growing tension between US-China.

What are the Problems for Indian Semiconductor Industry?

Various Indian companies have tried to establish semiconductor manufacturing units, which is known as Fab. Most of the times such projects didn’t take off due to one or another reason. At times the reason was lack of investment, skepticism about demand, lack of infrastructure, lack of high skilled employees, absence of vision policy, etc. India has developed back end testing, but still lacks in front end components needed by semiconductor manufacturers to manufacturer chips. All of these have made India dependent on the import of semiconductor chips.

Semiconductor Vision Policy:

What indian semiconductor industry needs as of now is a vision policy for companies, both domestic and international, explaining how India plans to move forward. The need for a vision policy is also needed as the demand for semiconductors is increasing exponentially in India, as the demand for electronic devices is surging since the past decade. As the demand will grow, India’s dependence on imports will only harm the industry more. Thus, Indian government and companies should find a way to establish domestic industries for semiconductor manufacturing. Secondary industries to the semiconductor industry are also needed to establish for smooth conduct of business. Indian companies can collaborate with international giants like Intel, Samsung to conduct a joint initiative project. If nothing is done soon, the Indian Semiconductor Industry will be in big trouble.

 

 

 

Overall Impact of Corporate Structure on a Company

Overview:

The corporate structure of a company, also referred to as organisational structure, is an important component of any business entity which determines the flow of communication, authority, and responsibility in an organization. A company's corporate structure has a huge impact on its success, on employees performance, and on other factors. For example, if we look at Intel corporate history and structure, it has always been about innovative approaches where any level of employee is allowed to give his/her contribution in the company's innovation policy and strategy.

Impact of Corporate Structure on Employee Performance:

There is no doubt that corporate structure has a direct impact on the performance of employees. For example, in a tech company like Intel, where continuous innovation is needed to keep up with development in the market, the role of employees is crucial. Since the time of Gordon Moore itself, Intel has focused to keep a balance between corporate structure and employee performance, giving employees the freedom to innovate and express their opinions on strategy and policy of the company. A well defined corporate structure like formal hierarchical structure benefits the employee performance, by clearly defining the roles and responsibilities, as well laying out the boundaries of authority. The vice-versa can affect the employee performance drastically. According to a research, employees preferred for them to experience job satisfaction. 8% of the respondents opted for centralized decision making, 36% indicated that there is a need for decentralized decision making system, 52% responded that group decision making would help workers in achieving job satisfaction and remaining 4% responded that individual decision making would help workers in achieving job satisfaction.

Impact of Corporate Structure on Company’s Performance:

Different corporate structures have a varying degree of impact on a company’s business performance. Hierarchical corporate structure has its own pros and cons with regard to business performance. Quick, low-cost decision-making and flexibility increase because of hierarchical structure. While too much dependence on the top level for decision making is something which is a major concern in a hierarchical structure. On the other hand the matrix structure allows accountability and responsibility at different levels, but it is a complex structure in a big organization, like big tech companies such as Apple, Intel, etc.

Impact of Organizational Structure on Business Productivity:

Organizational structure is what groups people in a certain way. There are various factors of organizational structure which affects the business productivity. Some of these factors are functional structure, divisional structure, team structure, influence of managers, level of creativity, growth opportunities etc. All of these factors contribute in determining the productivity of a company.

SUMMARY:

There is no perfect corporate structure. Every organisation should adopt the corporate structure which suits their business, employees, and stakeholders. If the corporate structure is incorporated without keeping these factors in mind, it can have drastic consequences for an organization.

 

 

 

 

Leading Companies of Automatic Testing Equipments

What is Automatic Testing Equipments:

Automated Test Equipment is one of the most important tools in the semiconductor industry. The role of ATE’s is very significant as it helps in testing the products on different parameters. Automated Test Equipment (ATE) is used to find defects in Devices Under Tests (DUT) and helps to ensure the quality of devices. The adoption of ATE plays a very important role in saving manufacturing costs and helps to eliminate faulty devices from entering into the market. But this doesn’t mean that the role of Automated Test Equipments is limited to the semiconductor industry as it is also used widely in other industries, especially in electronics and tech industry.

There are many companies which have gained popularity in this particular market of the semiconductor industry. The HP tester 4072A, is one such advanced parametric tester. The HP 4072A is an all-in-one test solution that meets your advanced process needs by providing high-throughput parametric test, Flash memory cell evaluation, ring oscillator measurement, and wafer level reliability (WLR) test capabilities in a single measurement station.

Leading Companies in the ATE’s Market:

ATE is important in automatically diagnosing and testing faults in semiconductor wafers, integrated circuits, chips, printed circuit boards, and other electronic components. The ATE holds a significant position as it allows the manufacture to eliminate inferior products and enhance the overall performance of the product. The global semiconductor automated test equipment market is anticipated to witness growth due to increase in demand for System-on-Chip (SoC) products in consumer electronics applications such as smartphones tablets, and laptops, among others. The surge in the demand of the Automated Test Equipments is boosted by increase in the demand for the consumer electronics. These electronics include, smartphones, tablets, computers, tablets, and home entertaining systems among many others. The major players in the automated test equipment market include: Teradyne Inc. (U.S.), Advantest Corporation (Japan), and LTX-Credence (U.S.). The total value of the automated test equipment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.80% from 2014 to 2020, and reach $4.13 Billion by 2020.

SUMMARY:

There is no doubt that the role of Automated Test Equipments is crucial and in upcoming time, more advanced ATE solutions will be needed for efficient and unprecedented performance from products. As of now the key geographic markets for ATE are the US, Europe and Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

 

 

 

Driverless Cars: A Peek into the Future

Introduction:

There is no doubt that technology has transformed the world. Technology has not only Paved the path for a modern era but has also made the life of people so easier. From wireless technology to connectivity we are surrounded by technological advancements from all sides. One such technology is the Driverless Cars. Driverless Cars will change the course of the automobile industry in the future, there is no doubt about that. A number of factors will play a key role in determining the future trends of driverless cars. These factors will include technology level, mobility, semiconductor tools and technology, government restrictions and market patterns. In this article we will discuss about how driverless cars can change the future.

Ways in which Driverless Cars can change the future:

The recent leaps and bounds in the self driving industry has made it crystal clear that self driving cars are the future of the automobile industry. Cars and automobiles, in general, are a huge part of our daily lives and society in general. Surprisingly, as humans we are prone to getting angry as soon as we are behind the wheel. But driverless cars will be operated by the computers and AI, and machines don’t get angry or frustrated. Following are some of the ways in which Driverless Cars can change the course of future:

1.   Reduced Number of Deaths related to Road Accidents:

According to a study the number of deaths caused by road accidents will decrease drastically because of self driving cars. As driverless cars are equipped with smart gadgets and navigation systems it can easily avoid such situations. The deaths related to road accidents will reduce as much as 70% because of driverless cars.

2.   Driverless Cars will be Eco-Friendly:

Driverless cars will be beneficial to the environment. Most of the self driving cars are equipped with an electric power mechanism system which enables it to run for several kilometres after getting charged once. Many technological leaps are made in this field as most of the companies are fighting on this particular aspect only to attract the consumers. Experts believe that semiconductor tools will play a key role in increasing the efficiency of electric batteries used in driverless cars.

3.   Reduction in travelling time:

Driverless cars will reduce the commutation time as it will choose those paths only which have lesser traffic. Self driving cars can optimise time efficiently and thus reducing the overall travelling time.

Summary:

In some countries, driverless cars have already made their debut on testing and limited trial basis. Experts believe that in the upcoming 5-10 years, the driverless cars industry will be one of the fastest emerging industries in the world. This will also boost the growth of other industries dependent on self-driving industries, such as the semiconductor industry, electronic industry and tech industry.

 

Types of Silicon Wafer

What is Silicon Wafer?

A silicon wafer is a thinly sliced piece of material which is most commonly used in semiconductor. As semiconductor is widely used in almost every electronic and digital device/product/equipment, the demand for silicon wafer always remains high. Manufacturing wafer is the very first step in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Due to it’s wide use in semiconductors, silicon wafers are sometimes also called as semicon wafer, which is short for semiconductor wafers.

For different purposes and different products, different types of semicon wafers are manufactured. Each type of wafer has its own function, characteristics, and applications. In this article, we will go through the various types of silicon wafers and its application.

 

Types of Silicon Wafers:

Wafers are a key component in semiconductor manufacturing. If the wafers are of inferior quality or faulty in nature, then the semiconductor unit will be useless. Thus, utmost care is taken while manufacturing silicon wafers. Also, each wafer type has its own set of characteristics and thus it is necessary to use the correct wafer for the correct process. Following are some of the common types of silicon wafers:

 

Undoped Silicon Wafer: Undoped silicon wafer is pure silicon wafer, which is also known as an intrinsic silicon wafer. This type of wafer is in pure, crystalline form. It is one of the best kinds of silicon wafer to use, as there is no impurity in its material. In this kind of wafer dopant is not present throughout the wafer.

 

Doped Silicon Wafer: In this type of silicon wafer certain amount of dopant(impurities) is added during the manufacturing process. If the level of dopant in the silicon is low to moderate, then it is known as extrinsic silicon wafer. If the dopant level is high, then that kind of wafer is known as degenerate silicon wafer. The dopants added in the wafer is used to alter the electrical properties of the wafer. There are basically two types of doped silicon wafers:

·      P-type Wafer: In this type of doped wafer, boron is added for impurity. This type of wafer is mostly used in lithography machines.

·      N-type Wafer: In this type of doped wafer, phosphorous or arsenic is used for doping. N-type wafer is widely used for manufacturing of advance CMOS devices.

Polished Silicon Wafer: This type of silicon wafer is polished on both the sides to give it the appearance of mirror surface. This type of wafer is pure, flat, and it is superior in quality.

Summary:

Since past few decades the demand for silicon wafers has grown exponentially. This is because of the surge in demand for electronic devices and gadgets. Because of this, superior quality of silicon wafers are developed in the market which is making the competition among the manufacturers more intense.

Role of Industry Associations

 What is an Industry Association?

An industry association also known as trade association, trade or business group, business association or sector association, is a body founded by companies operating in a specific industry. An industry association participates in improving the industrial relations, advertising, education, lobbying, redressal of disputes. The main function of an industry association is to protect the rights of various companies in the industry, to upgrade their status and to promote and establish collaboration among various companies in the industry.

European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), Confederation of British Industry (CBI), SemiconductorIndustry Association (SIA), Bicycle Manufacturers National Association, Associated Chambers of Commerce, and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) etc are some of the famous industry associations in the world.

Significance of Industry Association:

The significance of industry association is quite critical. As not only they keep the industry environment favourable for business, but they are also the voice of the companies in the industry. Industry associations provides growth opportunities to its members, cooperation among various businesses, as well as addressing any conflict among various industries and resolving them by methods of arbitration, discussion, and mutual settlement.

Role of Industry Associations:

Different industry associations have different roles. Each industry association has its own set of objectives, goals, and mission. But the common objective of almost any industry association is to safeguard the interest of members of the industry and to provide them support whenever such need arises. The role of Confederation of British Industry (CBI) will be different from what role Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) plays. There are a number of factors which plays a key role in determining the degree of role of an industry association will play in the specific industry. Following are some of the standard roles of Industry Association:

Voice of the Industry: There is no doubt that industry association is the voice of the industry. On behalf of its members industry association presents themselves in front of government, external stakeholders, or judiciary system. Not only industry association fights for the rights of its members but it also promotes awareness in the industry from time to time.

Research & Development: Industry association promotes various companies to come together and collaborate in boosting the research and development process of the industry. Collaboration in the field of R&D is found in electronics industry. Semiconductor Industry Association promotes the joint efforts of various companies to boost R&D.

Networking: Industry Association makes it possible for the industries to network with the industry professionals from everywhere. This networking helps the industry in long term, by introducing efficient products and technologies, recruiting exceptional talents, and implementing proactive strategies.

Promoting open and Fair Trade: This is one such role which is applicable to all industry associations. The reason being is in today’s competitive world companies often uses malpractices to promote sales and revenue of their company, hence it is necessary that all companies should follow fair practices. Thus, industry associations lays down the policies, rules, and guidelines to be followed for open and fair-trade practices.

Epilogue:

Industry Associations offers creation of standards, best practices, educates the members, development initiatives, acts as a bridge between industry and government, technical standards, leadership roles, and regulating competitive environment. Thus, the role of Industry Association is quite significant. They do face some challenges, but the pros outweighs the cons by a huge margin.