On May 6, 2024, the 2nd Microelectronics Technology Forum was successfully held at Hong Kong Science Park (HKSTP) and recorded a high attendance. The organizing committee, consisting of Prof. Han WANG, Prof. Lance LI, Prof. Yang CHAI and Dr. Meikei IEONG, delivered opening remarks with Dr. Ming GE, the Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology) .
The conference saw the participation from the Honorary Chairmen of SNA, Prof. Philip CHAN and Mr. Ming Yam WONG, alongside leading industry experts, top-notch scholars, leaders from various industry associations, renowned investors, and entrepreneurs from all around the world. Their collective participation contributed to the conference’s success and provided a platform for valuable exchanges of knowledge and expertise.
This year’s conference theme focused on “Fostering collaboration for microelectronics”. The programme included keynote presentations and panel discussions, providing a comprehensive platform for knowledge sharing and interactive discussions on the subject.
During the first keynote presentation, Dr. Bich-Yen NGUYEN, Senior Fellow of Soitec, delivered a talk on “The innovation in substrate technology and heterogeneous integration”. Dr. Nguyen introduced the innovative Smart CutTM which offers a cost-effective, high-volume solution and greener process for 200mm SiC wafers.
Thereafter, the first-panel discussion was given about RAISe+ (Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus) Scheme from both academic and investor perspectives. The first session of the panel discussion, focused on the academic aspect of the scheme, was hosted by Prof. Philip CHAN, Team Leader (Special Duty) of Innovation and Technology Commission. The panel members included Prof. Max SHEN, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU; Prof. Martin WONG, Provost and Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science of HKBU; Prof. Michael TSE, Associate Vice-President (Innovation) and Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering of CityU; Prof. Hon Ki TSANG, Interim Dean of Engineering of CUHK; and Prof. CY TSUI, Director of Entrepreneurship Education of HKUST. During the discussion, Prof. Philip CHAN introduced the essence of the RAISe+ Scheme, while the panel members shared their experience from a recently completed round of the scheme. This session provided a platform for fruitful discussions and exchange of perspective on the scheme’s implementation.
The second session of the panel discussion, focused on the investor perspective of the scheme, was hosted by Mr. Andy WONG, Head of Innovation and Technology of InvestHK. The panel members included Mr. James IEONG, Chairman of Pagoda Capital; Mr. Johnny HE, Founder and Partner of SinoVest Capital; and Mr. Michael XUE, Director of Lenovo Capital. During this session, the panel addressed on various aspects involving commercialization models, supply chain management, and mass production in the context of microelectronics. The panelists emphasized the importance of collaboration with relevant stakeholders to increase the success rate of new ventures in the field.
The second panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Carmen FUNG, Associate Director of HKSTP, focused on the topic of Advanced Manufacturing. The panelists included Mr. Yuping LIU, President of SiScan Technology; Dr. Qi XIANG, CTO of AscenPower Semiconductors; and Dr. Ning QIAO, Founder and CEO of Synsense. During this session, the pros and cons of setting up advanced manufacturing in Hong Kong were discussed, and several supporting schemes led by HKSAR for advanced manufacturing were shared by the moderator.
In the afternoon programme, there were three keynotes that featured three new innovative technology breakthroughs in the “Advanced Concepts” session. The session commenced with a presentation by Dr. Bin ZHAO, President of IEEE EDS, who shared the activities of IEEE EDS and highlighted the new application trends of electron devices. Following that, three distinguished professors including Prof. Can LI from HKU, Prof. Qiming SHAO from HKUST and Prof. Shien Ping FENG from CityU, presented their latest developments in their respective fields.
Two additional keynotes were presented by Prof. Xiaoming TAO, Chair Professor at PolyU, and Dr. Olga BUBNOVA, Chief Editor of Nature Review Electronic Engineering. Prof. TAO introduced the digital engineering design and manufacturing of smart textile wearable devices and Dr. Bubnova provided insights and tips on how academic papers to be selected by Nature.
In advanced
EDA sessions, Prof. Martin WONG gave his point of view on EDA for
next-generation chips. This was followed by Prof. Guan Hua CHEN from HKU, Prof.
Bei YU from CUHK, and Dr. Alex ZHAO from SiChip. They shared their latest
breakthrough in EDA, including the application of AI to optimize the process
flow and the deployment of 3D heterogeneous integration.
The final panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Meikei IEONG, Chairman of Simbury. The discussion began with a presentation by Dr. Patrick HUNG, Co-Founder of Alta Sicuro, who highlighted the upcoming opportunities in spatial computing. Dr. Daniel SHI, VP of ASTRI, demonstrated ASTRI’s development in ASICs. Mr. Alex HO, Director of Construction Industry Council, shared the vision of digital transformation and several initiatives undertaken by the Construction Industry Council. Mr. Larry YUEN, Engineer from EMSD, introduced E&M InnoPortal, and Mr. WM LO, COO of Giant Microelectronics, shared an exciting experience in a journey of an IC startup company. Dr. IEONG further shared several exciting developments in innovative chip applications, particularly highlighting the advancements in UWB chips. The discussion provided valuable insights in the current landscape of chip applications and their evolving possibilities and opportunities.
The MTF 2024 came to a close with concluding remarks from Prof. Lance LI, a member of the organizing committee, who encouraged more dialogues and collaborations among various stakeholders in the field to boost the development and cultivate a thriving microelectronics ecosystem.
Thank you to all the participants for their valuable contributions and active engagement throughout the MTF 2024. Your insights and expertise have made this event truly remarkable. Together, let us continue to drive innovation, foster connections, and shape the future of the microelectronics industry!