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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

UCIe Goes Back To The Drawing Board


The integration of multiple dies within a single package increasingly is viewed as the next evolution for extending Moore’s Law, but it also presents myriad challenges — particularly in achieving a universally accepted standard integrating plug-and-play chiplets from different vendors. “In some respects, people are already doing this,” says Debendra Das Sharma, Intel senior fellow an... » 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

Inspection, Metrology Issues In Advanced Packages


Experts at the Table: Semiconductor Engineering sat down to talk about how to inspect and measure smaller features across large areas in advanced packaging, with Frank Chen, director of applications and product management at Bruker Nano Surfaces & Metrology; John Hoffman, computer vision engineering manager at Nordson Test & Measurement; and Jiangtao Hu, senior technology director at O... » read more

Navigating Heat In Advanced Packaging


The integration of multiple heterogeneous dies in a package is pivotal for extending Moore’s Law and enhancing performance, power efficiency, and functionality, but it also is raising significant issues over how to manage the thermal load. Advanced packaging provides a way to pack more features and functions into a device, increasingly by stacking various components vertically rather than ... » read more

Glass Substrates Gain Foothold In Advanced Packages


Glass substrates are starting to gain traction in advanced packages, fueled by the potential for denser routing and higher signal performance than the organic substrates used today. There are still plenty of problems to solve before this approach becomes mainstream. While glass itself is cheap and shares some important physical similarities to silicon, there are challenges with buildup, stre... » read more

Closing The Test And Metrology Gap In 3D-IC Packages


The industry is investing in more precise and productive inspection and testing to enable advanced packages and eventually, 3D ICs. The next generations of aerospace, automotive, smartphone, and wearable tech most likely will be powered by multiple layers of intricately connected silicon, a stark departure from the planar landscapes of traditional integrated circuits. These 3D-ICs, compos... » read more

Rebalancing Test And Yield In IC Manufacturing


Balancing yield and test is essential to semiconductor manufacturing, but it's becoming harder to determine how much weight to give one versus the other as chips become more specialized for different applications. Yield focuses on maximizing the number of functional chips from a production batch, while test aims to ensure that each chip meets rigorous quality and performance standards. And w... » read more

Big Changes Ahead For Photomask Technology


The move to curvilinear shapes on photomasks is gaining steam after years of promise as a way of improving yield, lowering defectivity, and reducing wasted space on a die — all of which are essential for both continued scaling and improved reliability in semiconductors. Interest in this approach ran high at this year's SPIE Photomask Technology + EUV Lithography Conference. Put simply, cur... » read more

Wirebonding Is Here To Stay


Few technologies in semiconductor manufacturing have stood the test of time as steadfastly as wirebonding. This process, which involves electrically connecting semiconductor devices to their packages, has been a cornerstone of the electronics industry since the beginning of the electronics industry. Like everything else in the semiconductor market, wirebonding technologies have changed over ... » read more

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