THE UTILIZATION OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES

AND INTERGRATED CIRCUITS IN INDONESIA

by Prof. Dr. Samaun Samadikun

Bandung Institute of Technology
Bandung, Indonesia

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDIZATION SYMPOSIUM ON

ELECTROTECHNIQUE
JAKARTA, 15-17 NOVEMBER 1983

Organized by
LEMBAGA ILMU PENGETAHUAN INDONESIA
(INDONESIA INSTITUTE OF SCIENCES)

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I. INTRODUCTION
The growth of the world semiconductor devices and integrated circiuts technology has been
phenomenal. This trowth is measured in the increase of the number of functions integrated in a
chip as well as the decrease in price per function. This trend stimulated the production of
multi.function equipments such as computers, games, timepieces, communication equipments,
instrumentation system, etc. Another phenomena which is developing in the integrated circuit
area is the increased use of custom and semicustom integrated circuits made possible by services
offered by the silicon foundries amd programmable ligic array vendors. This will, with the help
of Computer Aided Design stations, proliferate the design ofintegrated systems, and necessitates
the standardizatio,n of system functions. Speaking bout computers and integrated circuits, it is
imperative that the subject of software be touched upon. The implementation of software in the
fonn of hardwired memory circuits will give a microprocessor circuit an almost unlimited
flexibility. The value of an operating system is shifted more and more toward the software part,
which also means that efforts for trade and transfer of technology is also shifting towards this
end. Another development spurred by advancement in the integrated circuit field is the increasing
use of digital techniques for many applIications which traditionally has been an analog domain.
All the above mentioned developments will col or the technology used and industry set up of
the electronics sector in the Republic of Indonesia in the years ahead.

II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ELECTRONICS SECTOR IN INDONESIA.

The biggest user of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits in Indonesia are the
assemblers of entertainment electronic equipments. There are presently 56 factories assembling
radio and television receivers, 17 of which have very close relation with their partners abroad.
The remaining 39 are independent assemblers and are acquiring their components from
independent supplilers. They are presently producing about 1.5 million radio receivers, 650
thousand B/W TV receivers, 200 thousand color TV receivers and 350 thousand casette recorders
a year. An increasing number of manufactures are entering the professional electronfc equipment
field by producing telephone exchanges and P ABX, satellite earth stations, TV transmitters,
radio transmitters, transceivers and micro computers. About 200 professional satellite earth stations
were build during the past 5 years for TV rebroadcast, limited channel telephone links and the
Armed Forces. Some of the operations are catering for the re-export business and does not
reflect the domestic demand.
Professional electronic equipments of various kinds are imported to satisfy the demand in
the fields of telecommunication, defence, aviation, shipping, medicine, energy and data
processing, while some of the high-end entertainment electronics are also still imported.
Starting with the Fourth Five Year Development Plan, which will commence on April 1,
1984, electronics is specifically mentioned for the first time as one activity which is going to be
given priority for development. The Government of the-Republic of Indonesia has identified
elctronics as an important and strategic growth sector, able to create employment, has export
earning potential and introduces high technology into the country. It can be expected that in the
years ahead more encouragement will be given to domestic as well as foreign investment in the
field of electronics industries to provide goods for export and domestic consumption.
Several technological developments will give its color to the professional electronics activities
in Indonesia in the years ahead, and all of them made possible because of advances made in the
field of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. All of them have been mentioned earlier,
and they are the Indonesian commitment of using satellites for communications, the use of
digital techniques for its telephone system and the use of computers as design tools.

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III. THE NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION OF ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS IN INDONESIA
Starting with the theme of this symposium; the familliarization of semiconductor devices
and integrated circuits standardization to encourage local industrial development, to promote
export and to accelerate technology transfer; this theme is indeed very appropriate for the
electronics industry in developing countries such as Indonesia. Foolowing a strategy of increased
activity in the years ahead for the creation of goods for export as well as for the domestic market
and to accelerate technology transfer, the standardization of components will greatly benefit
this effort, since it will improve the independence of the equipment manufactures and hopefully
will improve their competitive edge as well. Having said about all of the benefits of standardization
of electronic components, it is probably not so easy to implement. The complexity and functional
definition of present day electronic components in the form of a Very Large Scale Integrated
Ciracuit is staggering, and this will be even more so when larger integrations are attempted,
such as the envisaged Waver Scale Integrated Ciracuits. On a less sophisticated level, where
companies will try to develop their own custom chips to gain a competitive edge for specialized
functions, this also will hamper standardization efforts. The already agreed international
standardization on semiconductor devices and integrated circuits concerning mechanical
dimensions, ratings, measuring techniques and other aspect has helped considerable the
manufacturing and trade of electronic equipments. More should be done in the future, and since
Indonesia is going to participate more actively in the manufacture and trade of electronic
equipments in the future, it will also continue to participate actively in future international
standardization efforts in general and semiconductor devices and integrate circuits standardization
in particular.

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