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Publication Abstracts:

Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry: Assessment, Challenges, and Future Trends:

Abstract:

In this work we evaluate the state of the semiconductor manufacturing industry and its challenges and trends. Future trends in the industry are analyzed from three perspectives: the evolution of Industry 4.0, the advances in semiconductor materials, and the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The semiconductor manufacturing industry witnessed an acute decline in the United States and other regions in the two decades prior to the CoVid-19 pandemic. The decline was only uncovered after the chip shortage of 2021 that resulted from the severe supply chain disruption. Trends in the industry were analyzed from three perspectives: Industry 4.0, advances in materials, and the Post-pandemic era. As a result of the evolution of the fourth generation of industry (Industry 4.0), trends in semiconductor manufacturing include robotization, which caused the industry to become the largest market for industrial robotics since 2020, and an all-time peak globalization. The semiconductor industry is a very globalized industry with corporates from different parts of the world taking part in the production of the final product. Although some materials such as carbon and Gallium Nitride show promising trends to replace silicon as the material of choice. It will likely not be before two or three decades when a semiconductor material will be able to replace silicon. Challenges for the industry include the shortage of the trained-workforce, and the added inter-country restrictions that may hinder the globalization of the industry.

Is it Time for Electric Vehicles or Has the Golden Age for Combustion Engines Just Started?:

Abstract:

As electric vehicles experience an all-time peak growth, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles continue to make a strong case in range and performance, particularly in extreme low and high weather conditions. Their main drawbacks include their greenhouse effect and their low thermal efficiencies which are in the range 30−43%. Research suggests that electric vehicles excel in the compact and short-range vehicle classes even without government subsidies. Their performance, however, decreases as vehicle size class and range increases, making them underperform ICE vehicles even with government subsidies in the large vehicle classes. The main challenge that faces electric vehicles is the extremely low specific energy of current battery technologies compared to that in hydrocarbon fuels, for instance current batteries can store up to 2.5% of the energy stored in gasoline of similar weight. Under a scenario where research achieves ICE efficiencies in the 60% range, these engines could potentially remain a significant force in global transportation for several decades. However, eventually for them to continue dominance, a revolutionary change in internal combustion engines that is not based on the Carnot cycle is needed, in order to advance their efficiencies to beyond the 67% limit.