Author's Latest Posts


Why Analog And Mixed-Signal Chips Resist Adaptive Test


Key Takeaways Analog and mixed-signal test remains heavily specification-based because the measurements do not always produce a single expected result. The absence of objective coverage metrics has historically encouraged conservative test flows, which IEEE 2427-2025 begins to address. Separating device behavior from test-path variation is a prerequisite for any adaptive flow—and h... » read more

Curvilinear Masks Push The Limits Of Inspection And Metrology


Key Takeaways: Curvilinear masks require native data flows across design, mask data prep, writing, inspection, and metrology. Inspection is shifting from finding all defects to identifying which mask variations actually print on wafer. High-NA EUV will intensify inspection challenges, particularly for small printable defects and actinic contrast limits. Experts at the table:... » read more

Mask Technology Faces A New Set Of Challenges


Key Takeaways: Mask inspection and repair remain the critical bottleneck, even as multi-beam writers have reduced mask-writing constraints. Curvilinear masks are becoming viable for critical layers, but qualification, metrology, and inspection standards still lag production needs. Scaling curvilinear requires curvilinear-native data flows, model-based checks, GPU/HPC compute, and les... » read more

Smart Test Collides With The Data Chain


Key Takeaways: The promise of smart test is a data-chain problem before it is an algorithm problem. A device can pass every checkpoint and still carry a latent defect the test record never captured. As test grows more adaptive, the validity of the measurement environment matters as much as the measurement itself. For years, the test roadmap has pointed toward more adaptive f... » read more

When Semiconductor Materials Misbehave


Key Takeaways Material behavior in production depends on the process context that no development environment can fully replicate. In advanced packaging, the interactions that cross domain boundaries are increasingly where failures originate. The most accurate materials data is also the most commercially sensitive, leaving simulation models calibrated against generic inputs rather tha... » read more

Panel-Level Packaging’s Second Wave Meets Engineering Reality


Key Takeaways Panel-level packaging is arriving not because the engineering is ready, but because wafer-level economics are breaking down. Glass improves the warpage and dimensional stability problems of organic substrates but introduces a different class of failure modes that require materials solutions, not process adjustments. The central challenges of panel-level processing are m... » read more

What’s Failing At The Interface


Key Takeaways The interface is where failures in advanced packaging become visible, but it's increasingly not where they originate. Weak interfaces often don't fail at time zero, but they do degrade due to parametric drift and margin erosion that binary test screens miss entirely. The temporary test interconnect is the largest variable in the measurement chain and must be controlled ... » read more

Advanced Packaging Limits Come Into Focus


Key Takeaways: Packaging is now a performance variable. Substrate, bonding, and process sequence determine what can be built at scale. Warpage underlies most advanced packaging failures and gets harder to control as package sizes grow. Every proposed solution, such as glass, panel processing, and backside power, solves one problem while creating another. Moore's Law has shif... » read more

Detecting Chemical Variability At Advanced Nodes


Key Takeaways Yield loss is increasingly driven by molecular variability in thin films, interfaces, and contamination rather than visible defects. Reliability issues often appear first as parametric drift or margin erosion under workload and thermal stress. Detection requires correlating molecular metrology, embedded electrical telemetry, and AI-driven wafer inspection. As s... » read more

Tool And Methodology Changes Coming In Fab And Package Automation


Experts at the table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss what's changing in semiconductor fabs and packaging houses with Michael Lowman, senior product marketing manager for Data Analytics at Cohu; Aftkhar Aslam, CEO at yieldWerx, Woo Young Han, product marketing director at Onto Innovation; and Lihong Cao, senior director of engineering and technical marketing for ASE. What foll... » read more

← Older posts