Blog Review: Jan. 25
Synopsys’ Anand Thiruvengadam looks at why there’s an increased need for mixed-signal verification. Mentor’s Craig Armenti argues for incorporating design for reliability into PCB projects. Cadence’s...
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New Embedded Memories Ahead
The embedded memory market is beginning to heat up, fueled by a new wave of microcontrollers (MCUs) and related chips that will likely require new and more capable nonvolatile memory types. The...
View ArticleThe Week In Review: Manufacturing
Chipmakers Faced with a huge write-down at its nuclear operations, Toshiba is looking to spin off its semiconductor division, which makes NAND. As expected, Toshiba seeks investors in the new company,...
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OSAT Biz: Growth And Challenges
Amid a challenging business environment, the outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) industry is projected to see steady to strong growth in a number of packaging segments this year. Right...
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Chipmakers Intel has announced plans to invest more than $7 billion to complete its previously-announced fab in Chandler, Ariz. The fab was announced several years ago, but Intel delayed the plant in...
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Battling Fab Cycle Times
The shift from planar devices to finFETs enables chipmakers to scale their processes and devices from 16nm/14nm and beyond, but the industry faces several challenges at each node. Cost and technical...
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Chipmakers Toshiba’s problems have gone from bad to worse. “Toshiba postponed its earnings call by up to one month, and the chairman resigned. The provisional results show large losses in its nuclear...
View ArticleFractilia: Pattern Roughness Metrology
A new startup has emerged and unveiled a technology that addresses one of the bigger but less understood problems in advanced lithography–pattern roughness. The startup, called Fractilia, is a...
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MEMS: A Tale Of Two Tough Markets
The MEMS market is growing rapidly, profits not so much. In most market segments, this would be a signal that more automation and standardization are required. But in the microelectromechanical systems...
View ArticleBlog Review: March 8
Mentor’s Andrew Macleod proposes that the growing complexity of automotive systems opens up room for a Tier 1.5 bridging systems engineering and design optimization. Cadence’s Dave Pursley argues that...
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Fab tools In response to SEMI members and partners, SEMI says it is not organizing Semicon Russia 2017, or any other events in Russia this year. “In light of the current market conditions and SEMI...
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MEMS: Improving Cost And Yield
MEMS devices inspire awe on the design side. On the test and manufacturing side, they evoke a different kind of reaction. These are, after all, the intersection of mechanical and electrical...
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China: Fab Boom or Bust?
China’s semiconductor industry continues to expand at a frenetic pace. At present there are nearly two dozen new fab projects in China. Whether all these fab projects get off the ground is not entirely...
View ArticleWhat’s New On The MEMS Horizon?
In my previous blog post, I discussed emerging trends and the increased demand for MEMS; now I’ll focus on what we can expect in the immediate future in terms of new device technologies and...
View ArticleFollowing Multiple Patterns
The lithography market is in flux. Today, chipmakers plan to extend today’s 193nm immersion lithography and multi-patterning to at least 10nm and 7nm. For the most critical layers, though, it’s unclear...
View ArticleThe Week In Review: Manufacturing
Chipmakers At this week’s TSMC Technology Symposium in San Jose, Calif., TSMC rolled out a dizzying array of new processes and technologies. Perhaps the most surprising announcement was a 22nm bulk...
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Patterning Problems Pile Up
Chipmakers are ramping up 16nm/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm now moving into early production. But at 10nm and beyond, chipmakers are running into a new set of problems. While shrinking...
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Chipmakers At an event, Intel’s Technology and Manufacturing group outlined the company’s vision. As part of the event, Intel reiterated what many are saying—the current node designations are...
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Electroplating IC Packages
The electrochemical deposition (ECD) equipment market for IC packaging is heating up as 2.5D, 3D and fan-out technologies begin to ramp. Applied Materials recently rolled out an ECD system for IC...
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The Week In Review: Manufacturing
Fab equipment and test VLSI Research has released its top 10 semiconductor equipment supplier ranking in terms of sales in 2016. Applied Materials topped the list again, achieving a growth of 18%. ASML...
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