May 2016 - Page 4 of 10 - Semiconductor Engineering

Power/Performance Bits: May 24
By Jesse Allen - 24 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

Reducing MRAM chip area Researchers from Tohoku University developed a technology to stack magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) directly on the via without causing deterioration to its electric/magnetic characteristics. The team focused on reducing the memory cell area of spin-transfer torque magnetic random access memory (STT-MRAM) in order to lower manufacturing costs, making them more compe... » read more

Synopsys Buys Gold Standard Simulations
By Brian Bailey - 23 May, 2016 - Comments: 1

[getentity id="22035" e_name="Synopsys"] has made another quiet acquisition, this time in the TCAD space. [getentity id="22272" comment="Gold Standard Simulations (GSS)"] offers a suite of solutions for design technology co-optimization (DTCO), PDK development and exploration and screening of future technology options. Their tool chain integrates predictive Monte Carlo and statistical TCAD s... » read more

How To Make 3D NAND
By Mark LaPedus - 23 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

In 2013, Samsung reached a major milestone in the IC industry by shipping the world’s first 3D NAND device. Now, after some delays and uncertainty, Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and the SanDisk/Toshiba duo are finally ramping up or sampling 3D NAND. 3D NAND is the long-awaited successor to today’s planar or 2D NAND, which is used in memory cards, solid-state storage drives (SSDs), USB flash dr... » read more

Synopsys Buys Simpleware
By Ed Sperling - 20 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

Synopsys bought [getentity id="22916" comment="Simpleware"], which makes tools for turning 3D images into models that can be used in simulation. The deal extends [getentity id="22035" e_name="Synopsys"] into a spectrum of new markets, including medical, dental, oil and gas and even food sciences and archaeology. While the company still has a play in computer-aided engineering and design, Sim... » read more

The Week In Review: IoT
By Jeff Dorsch - 20 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

The Internet of Things "doesn't just mean tiny devices," said Charlene Marini, vice president of segment marketing at ARM. "It needs a network." Speaking at the Mentor/ARM Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., this week, she identified several key elements in her presentation, titled “Enabling the Ecosystem for the Backbone of IoT." Among them: Capacity and latency, scalability, agility, infrastruct... » read more

The Week In Review: Design
By Jesse Allen - 20 May, 2016 - Comments: 1

Acquisitions ARM acquired embedded computer vision and imaging technology company [getentity id="22917" comment="Apical"] for $350 million in cash. According to ARM, the company's technology has been utilized in more than 1.5 billion smartphones and in about 300 million other consumer and industrial devices. Synopsys acquired [getentity id="22916" comment="Simpleware"], a provider of soft... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 20 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers IC Insights released its top chip makers in terms of sales for the first quarter of 2016. The top-20 ranking includes three pure-play foundries (TSMC, GlobalFoundries, and UMC) and six fabless companies. Intel remained in the top spot, followed in order by Samsung and TSMC. The biggest movers in the ranking were made by the new Broadcom (Avago/Broadcom) and Nvidia. Broadcom jumped f... » read more

The Other Side Of Device Scaling
By Ed Sperling - 19 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

The push to 10nm and 7nm is a relatively straightforward path in PowerPoint. In multiple presentations across the semiconductor industry, in fact, it has been portrayed as a straight line progression spanning decades. While most chipmakers are aware that the cost per transistor has been increasing below 22nm, due to double patterning and the challenges in designing finFETs and dealing with d... » read more

Toward Better Acoustic Resonators
By Mattan Kamon - 19 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

After some lively conversations with the top researchers in MEMS acoustic resonators during the 2014 Sensors and Actuators Workshop (familiarly known to the MEMS community as “Hilton Head”), we set to work on a simulation solution to better serve researchers and commercial designers. Acoustic resonators for RF filtering have received a lot of attention in the past few years as the number... » read more

What’s Next For NAND?
By Mark LaPedus - 19 May, 2016 - Comments: 2

NAND flash memory is a key enabler in today’s systems, but it’s a difficult business. NAND suppliers require deep pockets and strong technology to survive in the competitive landscape. And going forward, vendors face new challenges on several fronts. On one front, for example, the overall NAND market is currently in the doldrums, amid soft product prices and a mild capacity glut. Demand ... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy