Adam Manzonie. Slurry Business Director,
Dow Electronic Materials
2017 took many semiconductor industry analysts by surprise. While a strong year was likely, no one anticipated that it would be a record-breaking year for the industry, topping $400B in total revenue for the first time in history.1 As we roll into 2018 on a wave of cautious optimism, voices throughout the industry are sharing their thoughts on the semiconductor industry’s outlook. How did such unprecedented growth impact materials suppliers, and how are we aligning ourselves for the coming year?
Early in the year, publications and trade organizations often look to thought leaders to share their perspectives on the state of the industry. Dow’s Adam Manzonie, Slurry Business Director, CMP Technologies, shared his thoughts from a material perspective with Solid State Technology for its annual outlook.
In his editorial, Manzonie noted the growing importance of efficiency, consistency, and quality of the products that materials suppliers are expected to deliver in higher volumes. This is because technologies like FinFETs, 3D NAND and through silicon vias, once considered to be bleeding edge, have hit the mainstream. Indeed, much of 2017’s explosive growth was in the memory market, particularly DRAM and 3D NAND. 2 This growth is expected to continue into 2018, albeit not at the same pace.
Manzonie went on to explain that because today’s chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) processes have tighter requirements than ever before, meeting these needs also requires ongoing innovation. With continued investment in R&D for Dow’s CMP pad and slurry offerings, the business feels prepared to take on 2018 and support its customers in meeting tighter process control requirements.
To learn more, read Manzonie’s editorial on the Solid State Technology website.
Are you interested in perspectives on the advanced packaging market? Be sure to read comments from Dow’s Rob Kavanagh, Global Business Director for Advanced Packaging Technologies.
References
[1] Semiconductor Industry Association, https://www.semiconductors.org/news/2018/02/05/global_sales_report_2017/annual_semiconductor_sales_increase_21.6_percent_top_400_billion_for_first_time/
[2] DRAMeXchange, https://www.dramexchange.com