Stronger competition forecast

Displays FPDs and TFTs Flexible Displays Touch Technologies
In this issue: • Strong fab equipment spending expected in 2015; Slowing but positive 2016 • Increasing demand for larger TVs leads to growing large-area TFT LCD shipment revenue • Stronger competition forecast for mobile phone display manufacturers this year • Samsung, LGE and Sony to account for nearly half of all TV display panels shipping in 2015 • Breakthrough in OLED technology • Engineers create chameleon-like artificial 'skin' that shifts color on demand • Cypress debuts reliable, secure fingerprint sensing solution for mobile devices • Insights from the Leading Edge: SEMI 3D Summit Part 3: Besi, IMEC, AMS, Asahi Glass and Yole Developpement • Cypress and Spansion complete $5 Billion merger • Global semiconductor industry posts highest-ever January sales • SmartKem collaborates with Centre for Process Innovation to support customer pre-production • January 2015 book-to-bill supports positive outlook for semiconductor equipment industry	Share:
Top News Strong fab equipment spending expected in 2015; Slowing but positive 2016 SEMI announced an update of the SEMI World Fab Forecast report which updates outlooks for 2015 and 2016. Share:    Increasing demand for larger TVs leads to growing large-area TFT LCD shipment revenueLarge-area TFT LCD display panel suppliers enjoyed moderate growth in shipments, revenue and display area in 2014 as the market demand for key applications grew. Share:    Stronger competition forecast for mobile phone display manufacturers this yearGlobal mobile phone display module shipments in 2015 are expected to rise just 4 percent year-over-year to reach two billion units, leading to even stronger competition among mobile phone display manufacturers.Share:    Samsung, LGE and Sony to account for nearly half of all TV display panels shipping in 2015Leading global TV brands, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Sony, gained market share and increased their year-over-year shares of LCD TV shipments by an average of 11 percent in 2014, which is higher than the market average. Share:
Tech News Breakthrough in OLED technologyOrganic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are made from carbon-containing materials, have the potential to revolutionize future display technologies, making low-power displays so thin they'll wrap or fold around other structures, for instance. Share:    Engineers create chameleon-like artificial 'skin' that shifts color on demandBorrowing a trick from nature, engineers from the University of California at Berkeley have created an incredibly thin, chameleon-like material that can be made to change color -- on demand -- by simply applying a minute amount of force. Share:    Cypress debuts reliable, secure fingerprint sensing solution for mobile devices The flexible solution enables designers to create custom home buttons with specialized shapes and sizes or to integrate the sensor into any mobile device's industrial design or home button.Share:    Insights from the Leading Edge: SEMI 3D Summit Part 3: Besi, IMEC, AMS, Asahi Glass and Yole DeveloppementFinishing up our look at the Semi 3D Summit in Grenoble we'll look at the presentations of Besi, IMEC, AMS, Asahi Glass and Yole.Share:
Business News Cypress and Spansion complete $5 Billion mergerCypress Semiconductor Corp. and Spansion, Inc. announced that they have closed the merger of the two companies in an all-stock, tax-free transaction valued at approximately $5 billion. Share:    Global semiconductor industry posts highest-ever January salesGlobal sales from January 2015 were 2 percent lower than the December 2014 total of $29.1 billion, reflecting normal seasonal trends.Share:    SmartKem collaborates with Centre for Process Innovation to support customer pre-productionSmartKem has announced an extensive collaboration programme with the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) for the development of pre-production prototypes featuring the SmartKem unique range of semiconductor inks for the manufacture of ultra flexible thin-film transistors (TFT). Share:    January 2015 book-to-bill supports positive outlook for semiconductor equipment industryA book-to-bill of 1.03 means that $103 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.Share:
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