The technical challenges of designing and building devices that pack tremendous computing power into tiny packages are considerable. But new high density semiconductor technologies offer a path to keeping Moore’s Law alive. For nearly 60 years, Moore’s Law has set the pace of advancements in semiconductor chip density, but a combination of physics and economicsRead More

Researchers from University of Tokyo have successfully built fundamental components from the semiconductor germanium for integrated photonic circuits that work at mid-infrared wavelengths and could improve Internet speeds.      Mid-infrared light, which has a wavelength longer than visible light but shorter than microwaves, has many important applications in remote sensing and communication technologies. ResearchersRead More

In December, the semiconductor market grew to a record $336 billion (up +10.0% YOY), while connector growth strengthened as well. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported excellent growth in December 2014. December sales were a record $29.1 billion, up +9.3% from December 2013 and down -2.2% sequentially from November. 2014 semiconductor sales were up +10.0%Read More

Dave Pheteplace examines the performance of six companies to determine how the instrumentation market regains ground with strong semiconductor sales. Bishop & Associates tracks six companies in the instrumentation market sector. This market has shown strong improvement over the last three quarters, as measured by these six companies’ revenues. In 2013, these companies grew 1.1%Read More

The semiconductor market maintains its momentum so far in 2014, which is good news given how closely trends in the connector market follow trends in the semiconductor market. Global semiconductor market performance in early 2014 has continued where 2013 left off  – with positive sales growth. As the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported at the beginning ofRead More

Semiconductors drive the electronics industry, and the connection between semiconductors and connectors spans more than three decades. The semiconductor industry has grown from roughly $10B in 1980 to $300B in 2013. Along the way it transitioned from analog to digital, ECL and Bipolar to CMOS, and has featured sizes from 100s of nm to as lowRead More

So far, 2014’s facts and figures show the connector industry in a sweet spot: The first three months suggest the full year is going to result in high single-digit growth. There are three issues that can create turmoil in the connector industry and cause a serious drop in profitability when they are experienced: Decline in connector demandRead More

The semiconductor market surges as booming sales of cars, smartphones, and tablets drive sales to new highs. Bishop tracks 13 companies in the semiconductor market sector. Growth in the semiconductor market, as measured by these 13 companies, was strong in 2013. For the full year, the market grew 5.7% over 2012. Trends in the globalRead More

As average sales prices for devices decrease, the cost of testing needs to decrease at the same or greater rate. The PXI platform for semiconductor ATE may be the answer. This is an excerpt from a white paper available from Geotest – Marvin Test Systems. The electronics industry is under constant pressure to lower itsRead More

As goes the semiconductor market, so go interconnects. The Semiconductor Industry Association shares the five things to know about global semiconductor sales now. 1. Global semiconductor sales reached a record high in 2013. Worldwide semiconductor sales for 2013 reached $305.6 billion, the industry’s highest-ever annual total and an increase of 4.8% from the 2012 totalRead More

March 7, 2013 – Semiconductor sales year-over-year growth has been declining or negative for the past seven quarters.

Whenever there is a tragedy in any area of the world, thinking about the impact on business comes second to thinking about the impact on individuals. But restoring a stable business environment is one of the first steps in bringing about recovery.