In IC foundry business, capacity is the most important task for company to maintain their competitiveness. Since the IC foundry is such a capital- intensive business and capacity expansion is the major capital expense for IC foundry. In last 20 years, IC business has a routine business cycle. Every 4~5 years, it will have up and down turn. In recent years, the cycle became more and more difficult to catch up. A system dynamic model is build up for the IC cycle forecast and 4 capacity expansion scenarios were simulated. The question will be addressed in the simulation is: What is the reasonable capacity expansion model for IC foundry fab?

No description available.

台灣的半導體產業以完整的產業鏈與優秀的製造能力在全球IC產業佔有一席之地，但隨者產業西移，與全球經濟衰退導致的寒冬都將讓以代工和生產為主的台灣的半導體產業面臨更嚴峻的挑戰，而且這是場生死攸關的戰爭。面臨競爭考驗，未來必須能在創新能力作更大的突破，才能突圍而出。IC產業的特性：技術密集度高、資金需求龐大、產品生命週期短、價格競爭激烈、市場應用廣泛、市場變化快速且風險高、研究發展需求強及國際化競爭程度高等特性。而其創新能力則是公司勝出的主要關鍵，仰賴的是公司願意投入龐大的資金與研發團隊，才能開發具有競爭力的產品。所以本文的重點即在探討台灣ＩＣ產業研發投入的決定因素，期望藉由這樣的探討釐清真正影響公司投入研發的因子並能對公司管理者及未來研究提供建議。 本文企圖由台灣自1997至2005年的上市櫃IC廠商的資料以計量估計的實證方式探討影響廠商研發投入的因素。俾使企業管理階層能在研發創新的投入上能有更多的了解與判斷，我們從幾個面向來探討影響影響研發比例的因素，1)廠商規模、2)員工的教育水準、3)外銷比例、4)對外投資、5)固定投資成長率，經由實證估計我們發現： 1.)廠商規模對研發比例的影響不顯著 2.)員工的教育水準越高對研發比例的提高有顯著影響 3.)外銷比例愈高的IC廠商其研發比例也愈高 4.)對遠赴已開發國家直接投資的IC廠商，其研發活動並沒有顯著的增加。然而，對開發中國家直接投資的IC廠商，投資愈高，其研發活動有顯著減少。 5.)固定投資成長率雖和研發比例的關係無法推測。但結果顯示固定投資成長率的估計係數為正值且統計上顯著，這顯示出固定投資成長率越高的IC廠商，其研發的比例也越高 綜合上述，台灣IC產業公司為維持其產業競爭優勢，並不在其公司規模，而是公司願意僱請高學歷素質的員工與投入大量的研發的成本，去開發具有競爭力的產品。可以說創新能力則是公司勝出的主要關鍵。所以本文的重點即在探討台灣ＩＣ產業研發投入的決定因素，期望藉由這樣的探討釐清真正影響公司投入研發的因子並能對公司管理者及未來研究提供建議。

本研究個案公司聯發科是台灣IC設計龍頭廠商，亦是全球第三大IC設計公司，其競爭力對於整體台灣產業競爭力具關鍵代表性。過去在光碟機與山寨手機市場勝出，亦曾經因未能掌握智慧型手機的3G晶片趨勢，遭遇不小的挫敗，雖然後來扭轉局勢，站穩中國智慧型手機中低階市場，甚至推出八核心晶片產品，打開中高階市場，迎向4G時代。面對物聯網為半導體下一世代關鍵成長動能，聯發科積極發展與佈局，希冀能在物聯網時代同樣佔有一席之地。 本研究首先針對聯發科所處全球IC設計產業發展，予以了解與掌握產業的機會與威脅，加上利用波特的五力分析行動通訊產業競爭態勢。本研究更進一步探究出，聯發科如何由其核心能耐出發，發展出具循環增益的競爭優勢鐵三角，並透過一次次併購與策略合作，整合並內化以提升其競爭力，一步步堅實的壯大競爭優勢鐵三角，來因應強大的產業競爭威脅，避免了一代拳王的命運之外，更為其開展出新產品發展機會，為企業帶來優異成長與未來契機，更甚者，達到核心能耐、競爭優勢與成長策略不斷良性循環與增進之效。 綜合上述，縱然面臨嚴峻的產業趨勢發展與競爭態勢，聯發科早已採取策略予以面對及因應，是否能再次複製成功經驗，突破困境？以其長期發展有成且又不斷循環增益的競爭優勢鐵三角，縱然目前困境仍須步步為營，但當下一世代物聯網應用產品爆發性興起時，聯發科亦將再嶄露頭角，我們對於聯發科的未來應無悲觀的理由。

Recently, there is a new trend of demand of a biomedical device that can continuously monitor patients vital life index such as heart rate variability (HRV) and respiration rate. This desired device would be compact, wearable, wireless, networkable and low-power to enable proactive home monitoring of vital signs. This device should have a radar sensor portion and a wireless communication link all integrated in one small set. The promising technology that can satisfy these requirements is the impulse radio based Ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) technology. Since Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the 3.1GHz-10.6GHz frequency band for UWB applications in 2002 [1], IR-UWB has received significant attention for applications in target positioning and wireless communications. IR-UWB employs extremely narrow Gaussian monocycle pulses or any other forms of short RF pulses to represent information. <p>In this project, an integrated wireless UWB transceiver for the 3.1GHz-10.6GHz IR-UWB medical sensor was developed in the 0.18µm CMOS technology. This UWB transceiver can be employed for both radar sensing and communication purposes. The transceiver applies the On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation scheme to transmit short Gaussian pulse signals. The transmitter output power level is adjustable. The fully integrated UWB transceiver occupies a core area of 0.752mm^2 and the total die area of 1.274mm^2 with the pad ring inserted. The transceiver was simulated with overall power consumption of 40mW for radar sensing. The receiver is very sensitive to weak signals with a sensitivity of -73.01dBm. The average power of a single pulse is 9.8µW. The pulses are not posing any harm to human tissues. The sensing resolution and the target positioning precision are presumably sufficient for heart movement detection purpose in medical applications. This transceiver can also be used for high speed wireless data communications. The data transmission rate of 200 Mbps was achieved with an overall power consumption of 57mW. A combination of sensing and communications can be used to build a low power sensor.

With sub-micron silicon processing technology reaching under 30nm, it becomes more difficult for integrated circuits to achieve higher integration through the scaling down of the transistor size. Three-dimensional integrated circuit (3D-IC) technology stacks multiple dies together and connects them using through-silicon vias (TSVs). This is a low cost and highly efficient way to increase integration. TSVs and stacked dies are two major features of the 3D-IC technology. However, the stacked structures using TSV interconnects induce concerns in reliability such as TSV strain effect, heat problem, and TSV coupling at high frequency, etc. The reliability concerns need to be carefully addressed before 3D-IC technologies can be widely adopted by the industry. Many studies have been carried out in this field, but there has not been much significant work done for testing electrical, mechanical and thermal issues of the 3D-IC technology simultaneously on a single test chip. In this work, a test chip including various test structures was designed to study and analyze these issues in a 3D-IC technology. An accurate resistance and capacitance (RC) model of the TSV for low frequency design was developed, high frequency electrical performance of the TSVs was characterized, coupling between TSVs was modeled, and the stress effect and the heat dissipation method were analyzed in the 3D-IC technology. The TSV model could be added to the design kit for future 3D-IC design and other results could be used to improve the reliability of 3D-IC designs and optimize the performance.

Recently, there is a new trend of demand of a biomedical device that can continuously monitor patients vital life index such as heart rate variability (HRV) and respiration rate. This desired device would be compact, wearable, wireless, networkable and low-power to enable proactive home monitoring of vital signs. This device should have a radar sensor portion and a wireless communication link all integrated in one small set. The promising technology that can satisfy these requirements is the impulse radio based Ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) technology. Since Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the 3.1GHz-10.6GHz frequency band for UWB applications in 2002 [1], IR-UWB has received significant attention for applications in target positioning and wireless communications. IR-UWB employs extremely narrow Gaussian monocycle pulses or any other forms of short RF pulses to represent information. <p>In this project, an integrated wireless UWB transceiver for the 3.1GHz-10.6GHz IR-UWB medical sensor was developed in the 0.18µm CMOS technology. This UWB transceiver can be employed for both radar sensing and communication purposes. The transceiver applies the On-Off Keying (OOK) modulation scheme to transmit short Gaussian pulse signals. The transmitter output power level is adjustable. The fully integrated UWB transceiver occupies a core area of 0.752mm^2 and the total die area of 1.274mm^2 with the pad ring inserted. The transceiver was simulated with overall power consumption of 40mW for radar sensing. The receiver is very sensitive to weak signals with a sensitivity of -73.01dBm. The average power of a single pulse is 9.8µW. The pulses are not posing any harm to human tissues. The sensing resolution and the target positioning precision are presumably sufficient for heart movement detection purpose in medical applications. This transceiver can also be used for high speed wireless data communications. The data transmission rate of 200 Mbps was achieved with an overall power consumption of 57mW. A combination of sensing and communications can be used to build a low power sensor.

Taiwan IC assembly industry has became mature. from survey of World Journal about the top 100 entrepreneurs,average profit is around 1.3%, that reached the bottom of valley within these 17 years and it drive the industry into low cost competitive environment with fast cost erosion, it announces ¡§the low profit times is coming¡¨. IC assembly house entry barrier is low. normally 50 sets wire bond are treated as a start point with 10 millions NTD investment and products covered dual in line,small outline,quad flat package,tape carrier package,ball grid array,image sensor,chip on film,ball bumping.While similar products is produced within competitors, the low cost strategy is selected.it caused Amkor / ASE / SPIL trying to merge some small companies in these years, aim to reach economical scale and cost benefits .in the same time,Main China ic-assembly capability is built and the impact will be appeared gradually . by means of suitable competition theory,we select 8 major issues as study topics and through interview with several ic assembly president /vice-presidents, this study aim to find out the competitive advantage and workable managerial strategy tool in this low profit times,and hope to contribute to Taiwan IC assembly house.

The current packaging trend toward smaller and thinner package has pushed the manufacturing technology to the limit. Due to fast development of encapsulation technology, the need for shortening factory time and upgrading technological ability are vital to promote companys¡¦ competitiveness. Most of IC packing factory are expanding resources to adapt on the technology development needs. Technology transfer methods are utilized to effectively cope with the technology trend. This research takes technology suppliers, characters of the technology and receivers of technology as three major independent variables. In other words, the negative effect of the absorptive capacity can be reduced effectively by using proper technology transfer mechanism and thus achieving satisfactory performance. In the technology transfer process , in-depth factors other than existing procedures and rules are considered. This will affect the effectiveness and goals of the transfer. Besides, the technology characteristics and technology transfer performance are related to each other. The knowledge and ability to technology transfer with shorter gap between technology provider and accepter, help developing new products and improving management process with consolidated firm competitiveness and has become the significant theme of the 21st century. Keyword: Technology transfer¡BIC Package

The profit of semiconductor industry became slight while the industry is mature today, new competitors enter this market with these strategies such as low price, join venture, committed capacity to build up the good relationship of customers in order to acquire order. How do the IC foundries use their competitive advantage to keep growth when they face the forceful competitors? The IC foundries should focus on the development of advance technology, capacity expansion, and keep proper capacity utilization to increase revenue and growth. At the same time, they also need to keep good customer services on production cycle and on time delivery. The study is to discuss the past history, current status, and future developed trend for global semiconductor industry and IC foundry first. Then uses the performance of operation and capacity utilization to do the relative data analysis. Finally, refer the Five-Forces Framework, Diamond Structure, Value Chain, and Dynamic Strategy to find out the competitive advantage of IC foundries, also provide the best proper model of capacity utilization to create the maximum value for customers.