Components and Subsystems Comment
Subsystems and components continue to drive technology
One of the results of a maturing industry that is heavily focused on market returns is the decreased return of investments and tighter margins along the entire value chain.
Due to this there is a need for manufacturers to look at every aspect of the manufacturing process in an effort to improve manufacturing costs as well as to further technology along the path of Moore’s Law. Increasingly the industry is discovering aspects of sub systems and components that can be utilised to improve technology and yields and to assist with improving shrinking returns.
No longer are sub systems and components regarded as an after thought and the companies that supply sub systems and components are no longer simply providing extraneous equipment but are active solution providers whose expertise is as important as the products they supply. When you are talking about millions and billions of units the tiniest incremental improvements translate into mega savings for fabs and foundries.
As shown in some of the articles presented here, the work involving sub systems and components is also discovering potential new applications in a variety of markets as well as helping to drive down production costs. In a sense they are following the path of OEM tool providers who find themselves the experts in their field. This is mainly due to the ever increasing complexity of electronic devices from the macro to the nano regions and device manufacturers have understood for some time it is impossible for one engineer or even a group of engineers to keep up with the exponetial increase in manufacturing knowledge.
Sub system and component providers are only going to find their knowledge becoming more specialised and therefore more in demand as the industry continues its push in manufacturing more density in devices at ever decreasing costs.
In line with market expectations rather than technology potential.
David Ridsdale
Editor-in-Chief
