SANTA ANA, CA — TTM Technologies, Inc. and Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, have reached a multi-year agreement to provide radio frequency assemblies, electronic hardware, and printed circuit boards for the SPY-6 family of radars. The agreement has the potential to reach $500 million over five years.
"SPY-6 provides the unparalleled capability to the U.S. Navy and will be on 40 ships of seven different classes by 2030," said Kim Ernzen, President of Naval Power at RMD. "Agreements like these ensure we continue to meet the demands of our customers."
TTM designs and manufactures the Beam Form Network (BFN) along with PCBs, and specialized assemblies for the SPY-6 family of radars. This type of multi-year commitment for supply enables TTM and its supply chain partners to increase value to the end customer and transform the way TTM's supplier partners conduct business, creating efficiencies throughout the supply chain.
"This significant agreement further strengthens our partnership with RMD and positions both companies for future business opportunities where technology and innovation are key points of focus for the ultimate end user, the U. S. Government," said Catherine Gridley, Executive Vice President and President, Aerospace & Defense/ Specialty Business Unit.
When compared to legacy radars, SPY-6 brings new capabilities to the surface fleet, such as advanced electronic warfare protection and enhanced detection abilities. SPY-6 radar installation is complete on the Navy's first Flight III destroyer, the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), which is scheduled to be operational in 2024.
CAMBRIDGE, UK — A new wave of electronics manufacturing is on the horizon, driven forward by volatile energy prices and increasing demand for sustainability. With the electronics industry accounting for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it requires substantial innovation to reduce its environmental footprint. Fortunately, this area has a lot of movement, with several potentially revolutionary technologies entering the scene. IDTechEx's "Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing 2023-2033" report explores the key opportunities for sustainable innovation and the most promising new manufacturing approaches. The report concentrates on the fundamental building blocks of electronics - printed circuit boards (PCBs) and integrated circuits (ICs).
Incentives for Sustainable Electronics
Sustainability within the semiconductor and electronics industries is being driven forward by government mandates and green investment initiatives. Increasingly relevant to the survival of traditional manufacturers is the conscious choice of the public to only purchase from, and even only work for, companies that prioritize sustainable practices.
Environmentalism is often perceived as an obstacle-laden with legislative red tape and burdensome disclosures. However, companies that embrace environmentalism reap long-term rewards, and as such, the negative perception is replaced by one of opportunity. The implementation of low-emission manufacturing processes or the adoption of material recycling and recovery schemes can be the financially astute choice presenting an opportunity to reduce costs associated with energy consumption, waste treatment, and superfluous steps. Prioritizing environmentalism keeps the industry ahead of the curve as legislation becomes stricter while positioning individual companies to benefit from designated ESG investment.
As energy prices rise globally, low temperature and rapid processing methods become more attractive. Some of these methods employ additive approaches that substantially cut waste by printing material only where needed. This spares manufacturers the costs and emissions associated with excess materials and etching required in traditional subtractive manufacturing. For example, switching to additive methods of PCB manufacturing can lower water consumption by up to 95% - an outcome that could save the sector hundreds of millions of liters of water annually.
IDTechEx's analysis expects additive manufacturing to be particularly significant to the scaling of flexible printed circuit boards. Flexible PCBs are an important part of the emerging electronics industry as they enable a wider variety of applications than conventional rigid electronics. Flexible PCBs inherently require an overhaul of traditional processing - for example, using plastic or paper rather than conventional FR substrates. Embracing a new technology enables scope for further changes, such as transitioning to new materials and additive methods. Low-temperature processing may also be imperative for PCBs made on plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), considering that these have relatively low heat tolerances.
Digitization for Smart Manufacturing
Sustainable electronics manufacturing presents many opportunities to be more efficient, reduce waste, and improve cost-effectiveness. Sustainable manufacturing can be facilitated through artificial intelligence and Internet of Things. Using smart digital manufacturing methods to automate processes and sensor technology to detect leaks and improper material usage can help companies minimize waste and cut down on excess costs.
Digital data analysis can help remove superfluous steps and illustrate where to focus efforts to eliminate excess material and energy consumption. Digitization is becoming increasingly popular, with many household name brands adopting similar measures. At the end of 2021, Apple announced it had joined Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) - a program created by the Belgian research institute, imec, to reduce the environmental impact of semiconductor manufacturing. Imec's SSTS program aims to improve sustainability by employing digital solutions that can assist in modeling less wasteful manufacturing methods. In addition to Apple, imec is also working with Microsoft and Amazon.
Outlook
Reducing the carbon footprint of the electronics industry is a daunting task, particularly for well-established manufacturers that are reluctant to divert from traditional methods. Across the world, government and consumer pressure are forcing manufacturers to take on greater responsibility in reducing their emissions. IDTechEx believes that by embracing sustainable manufacturing methods, companies can benefit financially and demonstrate significant reductions in environmental impact. A comprehensive analysis and exploration of sustainable innovations within the field can be found in IDTechEx's report, "Sustainable Electronics Manufacturing 2023-2033".
This report analyses the many innovations aiming to make electronics manufacturing more sustainable and how they are being deployed. It examines the current status and latest trends in technology performance, supply chain, and manufacturing. It also identifies the key challenges, competition, and innovation opportunities within sustainable electronics manufacturing. IDTechEx has 20 years of expertise covering emerging technologies, including printed and flexible electronics. Our analysts have closely followed the latest developments in relevant markets, interviewed key players across the supply chain, attended conferences, and delivered consulting projects on the field.
PETACH-TIKVA, ISRAEL — Eltek Ltd., a global manufacturer and supplier of technologically advanced solutions in the field of printed circuit boards, announced today the company has received a follow-up purchase order in the amount of $1.1 million from an existing customer in the defense sector. The original purchase order in the amount of $1.4 million was received during the first quarter of 2022. The order will be supplied by Eltek over a period of four months commencing in March 2023.
"This follow-up order represents the customer's recognition of our high technological capabilities and the quality and reliability of our products," commented Eli Yaffe, CEO of Eltek.
SAN JOSE, CA — NextFlex®, America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Institute, today announced $8.45 million in funding (including $4.25M in cost-share contribution from participants) for nine new projects as part of its Project Call 7.0 to further promote FHE development and adoption throughout the U.S. advanced manufacturing sector.
Project Call 7.0’s awarded projects represent a diverse and innovative set of companies and universities that are jointly focused on maturing the industry’s capabilities while leveraging the strong foundation established in prior Project Calls. Several projects in this latest round of funded projects focus on advancing additive manufacturing approaches for hybrid electronics and addressing critical needs in domestic advanced semiconductor packaging capabilities, which directly aligns with the needs described in the recently passed Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act.
Project Call 7.0 also focuses on using hybrid electronics manufacturing processes and materials to improve environmental sustainability in electronics manufacturing. This will include using water-based inks and lower temperature processing, as well as assessing the manufacturing reshoring of low-cost single use medical devices that utilize more environmentally sustainable manufacturing approaches and materials.
This latest round of funding brings the total amount invested in FHE developments to more than $124M, including cost share contributions from Project Call participants.
“I am pleased to announce these important new projects, which will enhance the state of the art in hybrid electronics, support national efforts for semiconductor package manufacturing, and help to transition an increasing number of new capabilities into the U.S. industrial manufacturing sector for further advancement of the industry,” said Malcolm J. Thompson, PhD, Executive Director. “The NextFlex member community is accelerating FHE and additively manufactured electronics toward commercialization in a number of critical application areas addressed in these projects.”
Project Call 7.0’s awarded funding will go to:
Development led by Lockheed Martin Advanced Technologies Laboratories for creation of FHE interposers for heterogeneous integration of a high-density fiber optic Multi-chip Module (MCM) for thinner interposers with finer feature capabilities.
Development led by GE Research and Binghamton University for Radio Frequency (RF) Multi-chip Module (MCM) with embedded die, printed substrates, antennas, and interconnects for fast turn low loss, high thermal conductivity.
Development led by Raytheon Missiles & Defense for printed interconnect solutions for microwave multichip packaging for improved die density.
Development led by General Dynamics Mission Systems for additively manufactured, doubly curved multilayer circuits with active and passive components for embedded RF functionality in complex structures.
Development led by Auburn University for sustainable, additively printed electronics through water-solvent inks, FHE repairability, and low temperature processing with high reliability.
Development led by Auburn University for in-mold electronics interconnection and thermoforming for 3D-integrated applications including automotive, aerospace, and medical components and devices.
Development led by GE Research and Binghamton University for manufacturing approaches for low-cost, sustainable single-use medical devices with cost and environmental life cycle assessment.
Development led by UES, Inc. for creation of scalable manufacturing systems for ELMNT liquid metal inks for highly stretchable electronics applications.
Development led by Sentinel Occupational Safety, Inc. for safety assessments of FHE wearable chemical and voltage sensors for risk-reduced industry adoption.
WESTFORD, MA, USA; BRISTOL, UK; MUNICH, GERMANY — Zuken, a global leader in the area of software and solutions for electronic and electrical engineering, and Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult are announcing an important milestone in their R&D collaboration aimed at building a development environment for state-of-the-art compound semiconductor products.
CSA Catapult is a UK government-funded non-profit organization headquartered in South Wales that was founded to help the UK become a global leader in compound semiconductors. Working with both large companies and start-ups, CSA Catapult develops and commercializes new semiconductor technology applications.
Collaborating with Zuken on a project to bring a power module layout from a graphical concept to a 3D model, CSA Catapult has identified several requirements and optimizations to Zuken’s CR-8000 Design Force chip, package and PCB co-design software that will provide designers of power electronic products with the ability to co-develop mechanical and electrical design in unison. The integration with industry simulation tools enables the efficient design iteration needed to effectively explore the design envelope for new compound semiconductor products.
As a result of the collaboration, an intuitive function was created to generate interconnections between chips and copper layers in a substrate or a printed circuit board, as well as a function to export a CAD model in a format compatible with FEM software. These advanced features will help designers significantly decrease the time required to generate a 3D model of the power module substrate, chip layout, and chip-to-chip, as well as chip-to-copper interconnections.
Regarding the progress of the R&D collaboration, Dr. Alejandro Villarruel Parra, Senior Power Electronics Engineer at CSA Catapult, said: “The creation of a 3D model of the substrate, chip layout, and chip interconnections is an important part of the early-stage power module design process. Zuken’s advanced design solutions have helped to provide a preview of the module performance, which in turn makes our decision-making process faster when several concepts are being compared or helps to steer the refinement of the module geometry if a concept has already been selected.”
The new capability is included in the 2022 release of CR-8000 Design Force.
BRUSSELS — SEMI, the industry association serving the global electronics design and manufacturing supply chain, today applauded the progress on the European Chips Act by the European Council, expressing strong support for the swift start of the negotiations in 2023.
With the European Council’s adoption today of its negotiating mandate, or so-called “general approach,” member states and the Czech Presidency of the Council have reached a critical milestone in supporting Europe’s efforts to advance manufacturing and supply of critical components, while bolstering R&D capacities for development of next-generation semiconductor innovations.
“The future for Europe as a region of semiconductor manufacturing excellence is brimming with possibility,” said Laith Altimime, president of SEMI Europe. “The adoption of the European Council’s general approach marks a critical step in passage of the European Chips Act as landmark initiative for our industry.”
As a next step, the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) is expected to vote on the European Union Chips Act Report in January 2023. Once approved, the Committee will submit the text to plenary for adoption. The vote in plenary is scheduled to take place in February 2023. The text would constitute the European Parliament’s negotiating position and marks the last step before the start of trialogue negotiations among the European Commission, Parliament, and Council.
“SEMI looks forward to continued collaboration with the European institutions and our member companies to ensure the timely adoption and implementation of the European Chips Act, putting Europe’s semiconductor industry on a competitive footing with other regions,” said Christopher Frieling, director of Advocacy and Public Policy at SEMI Europe.
Visit SEMI Global Advocacy to learn more about public policy efforts and developments, and SEMI Workforce Development for more information on efforts to address the microelectronics industry’s talent needs.
