Bringing material solutions to the automotive industry

According to IHS Market’s Luca De Ambroggi during his presentation at SEMICON West 2017, a high-end car will contain more than $6,000 worth of electronics in five years, driving a $160bn automotive electronics market in 2022. Advanced IC chip packages, power systems, microcontrollers, sensors, camera, analogue devices and application processes are driving the greatest adoption of semiconductor technology. Further, automotive has additional requirements regarding redundancy and specific chip packaging, as well as minimum requirements for performance, reliability and operation for more than ten years under harsh conditions (e.g., high temperature).

Electric vehicles and autonomous driving are key drivers for electronics’ continued growth in semiconductor sector, representing a new frontier for automotive electronic packaging and safety features. Future artificial intelligence platform applications will require ongoing collaboration with chipmakers and the automotive industry to understand their specific needs.

“Merck is providing a broad range material solutions specifically for the automotive industry,” said Benedikt Ernst, Head of Business Field Semiconductor Packaging Solutions at Merck. “Merck can build on 350 years of experience in chemistry, premium product quality and technology. We have a strong expertise in semiconductors, opto-electronics, display and industry sectors. Based on our close cooperation with the automotive OEMs we are confident to become the premium material solution partner to enable future autonomous car.”

Merck’s automotive materials for the semiconductor chips include:

• Turnkey atomic layer deposition material for producing powerful graphics chips, AI chips and processors
• Spinfil spin-on dielectric material offers an essential component for automotive memory chips
• Liquid-type photoresists for sensors and advanced packaging applications to achieve the narrowest and most conformal feature lines 
• Lead-free sintering paste material offering low interfacial resistance, high thermal conductivity and adaptive process techniques for power chips and system-in-package modules able to operate in very high temperatures

Besides the semiconductor material solution, Merck’s automotive platform provides various solutions for the industry, including liquid crystal(LC)/OLED lighting, LC window, smart antenna, and effective pigments, aiming to bring safety, functionality and infotainment to future automotive experience.

To learn more about how Merck is advancing the automotive industry, visit them in booth B1-169 during SEMICON Europa. The show will take place from 14th to 17th November 2017 in Munich.