Secure Movement Of Data In Test


Historically, test data flowed out of the tester and was loaded into a file. But with heterogeneous integration, including chiplets and IP from multiple vendors, test data is now being streamed across the manufacturing floor where it can be used to make real-time decisions. Eli Roth, product manager for smart manufacturing at Teradyne, talks with Semiconductor Engineering about challenges in da... » read more

IC Test And Quality Requirements Drive New Collaboration


Rapidly increasing chip and package complexity, coupled with an incessant demand for more reliability, has triggered a frenzy of alliances and working relationships that are starting to redefine how chips are tested and monitored. At the core of this shift is a growing recognition that no company can do everything, and that to work together will require much tighter integration of flows, met... » read more

Early STEM Education Key To Growing Future Chip Workforce


A key factor in building a domestic workforce for the chip industry is attracting kids to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects at a younger age. That way they are more likely to follow through and attain the skills and degrees needed to enter the semiconductor job market. Industry and government are partnering with schools and community organizations to address the chal... » read more

DTCO/STCO Create Path For Faster Yield Ramps


Higher density in planar SoCs and advanced packages, coupled with more complex interactions and dependencies between various components, are permitting systematic defects to escape traditional detection methods. These issues increasingly are not detected until the chips reach high-volume manufacturing, slowing the yield ramp and bumping up costs. To combat these problems, IDMs and systems co... » read more

AI/ML Challenges In Test and Metrology


The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) into semiconductor test and metrology is redefining the landscape for chip fabrication, which will be essential at advanced nodes and in increasingly dense advanced packages. Fabs today are inundated by vast amounts of data collected across multiple manufacturing processes, and AI/ML solutions are viewed as essential for... » read more

Strategies For Detecting Sources Of Silent Data Corruption


Engineering teams are wrestling with how to identify the root causes of silent data corruption (SDC) in a timely and cost-effective way, but the solutions are turning out to be broader and more complex than simply fixing a single defect. This is particularly vexing for data center reliability, accessibility and serviceability (RAS) engineering teams, because even the best tools and methodolo... » read more

Blog Review: Feb. 14


Siemens’ Dilan Heredia and Karen Chow explain why fast, accurate parasitic extraction (PEX) is essential to design success, especially for the 3 nm node and GAAFETs. Synopsys’ Srinivas Velivala debunks the myth that layout-versus-schematic (LVS) checking is a static step in the chip development process, and details its evolving role in modern SoCs. Cadence’s Mark Seymour digs into a... » read more

Chip Ecosystem Apprenticeships Help Close The Talent Gap


Competency-based apprenticeship programs are gaining wider acceptance across the chip industry as companies and governments look for new ways to address talent shortages, and as workers look for new skills that can span multiple industry sectors and industries. Funded in part by the CHIPS Act in the U.S. the European Chips Act, and various other nation-specific and regional programs, apprent... » read more

Adaptive Test Ramps For Data Intelligence Era


Widely available and nearly unlimited compute resources, coupled with the availability of sophisticated algorithms, are opening the door to adaptive testing. But the speed at which this testing approach is adopted will continue to vary due to persistent concerns about data sharing and the potential for IP theft and data leakage. Adaptive testing is all about making timely changes to a test p... » read more

Hidden Costs And Tradeoffs In IC Quality


Balancing reliability against cost is becoming more difficult for semiconductor test, as chip complexity increases and devices become more domain-specific. Tests need to be efficient and effective without breaking the bank, while also ensuring chips are of sufficient quality for their specific application. The problem is that every new IC device adds its own set of challenges, from smaller f... » read more

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