Continuing our multi-year tradition, Brewer Science is joining hundreds of other worldwide exhibitors in showcasing our latest technologies Dec. 16–18 at the 38th SEMICON Japan, the largest annual gathering for the semiconductor manufacturing industry.

This year we highlight our BrewerBOND^® materials, temporary bonding equipment suite, and ARC^® materials at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center event, also known as Tokyo Big Sight. Brewer Science representatives will network with other industry leaders while attending seminars covering key technologies and business models important to industry growth.

We opened our Tokyo office in 2010 to better serve Asia with process and material solutions for the semiconductor, MEMS, and LED industries. We also maintain offices in Taipei, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul.

Japan’s semiconductor industry is in growth mode, with a rebound in capital expenditures last year and a projected 13 percent increase in equipment spending this year, according to SEMI, the global industry association that organizes SEMICON. The group forecasts a 33 percent increase in front-end equipment in Japan, identifying investment drivers as NAND flash, CMOS sensors, power semiconductors, and automotive semiconductors.

This year the SEMICON format includes more exhibition and programming, most notably the show-within-a-show exhibition and conference “World of IoT.” That event will focus on the complete Internet of Things supply chain, from silicon to system. Key IoT industry players from across the world, as diverse as IBM Research-Tokyo, Toshiba Healthcare Co., and Toyota Motors, will showcase applications and technologies. First-time showcasers this year include Tesla Motors and Amazon Web Services. Key speakers at “World of IoT” are set to come from Amazon Japan, Cisco Systems, Fujitsu, Google, IBM Japan, Microsoft Japan, Nissan Motor Co., and Rakuten.

Coined in 1999, the term “Internet of Things” refers to the concept of connecting a device via an on-and-off switch to the Internet — everything from cellphones and computers to lamps, jet engines, and people. Analyst firm Gartner Inc. projects the world will have 26 billion such connected devices by 2020.

For the first time, SEMICON will also feature “Innovation Village,” a showcase area for high-tech start-ups that bring the potential for new driving forces in the microelectronics supply chain. Attendees can gain insight into new technologies and products, advanced research solutions, investment opportunities, technology transfer, and opportunities for new partnerships. Programming includes start-up pitches and a unique “speed-dating” format for matchmaking between start-ups, venture capital firms, and corporate venture capital firms.

SEMI is made up of 1,900 member companies representing the nano- and microelectronic manufacturing supply chains. It maintains offices in Bangalore, India; Beijing, China; Berlin, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; Grenoble, France; Hsinchu, Taiwan; Moscow, Russia; Seoul, Korea; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Tokyo, Japan; San Jose, California; and Washington, D.C.  

The U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Embassy are facilitators of SEMICON. Platinum sponsors this year include Applied Materials, DISCO, and Tokyo Electron. Gold sponsors include Advantest, ASE Group, Daihen, Ebara, Hitachi Chemical, Hitachi High-Tech, JSR, Lam Research, Screen Semiconductor Solutions, and Tokyo Seimitsu.