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Laura Peters

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Laura Peters is the executive editor for manufacturing and test at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Digital Twins Find Their Footing In IC Manufacturing
By Laura Peters - 09 Jul, 2024 - Comments: 0

Momentum is building for digital twins in semiconductor manufacturing, tying together the various processes and steps to improve efficiency and quality, and to enable more flexibility in the fab and assembly house. The movement toward digital twins opens up a slew of opportunities, from building and equipping new fabs faster to speeding yield ramps by reducing the number of silicon-based tes... » read more

Controlling Warpage In Advanced Packages
By Laura Peters - 24 Jun, 2024 - Comments: 1

Warpage is becoming a serious concern in advanced packaging, where a heterogeneous mix of materials can cause uneven stress points during assembly and packaging, and under real workloads in the field. Warpage plays a critical role in determining whether an advanced package can be assembled successfully and meet long-term reliability targets. New advances, such as molding compounds with impro... » read more

3D Metrology Meets Its Match In 3D Chips And Packages
By Laura Peters - 11 Jun, 2024 - Comments: 0

The pace of innovation in 3D device structures and packages is accelerating rapidly, driving the need for precise measurement and control of feature height to ensure these devices are reliable and perform as expected throughout their lifetimes. Expansion along the z axis is already well underway. One need look no further than the staircase-like 3D NAND stacks that rise like skyscrapers to p... » read more

Reducing Risk In The Semiconductor Supply Chain
By Laura Peters - 23 May, 2024 - Comments: 0

Companies that were hit with chip shortages during the pandemic are changing their strategies to prevent future problems, deploying a combination of supply chain mapping, second sourcing, and digital transformation. Those shortages caused a $200 billion loss for automotive manufacturers, and the disruptions were far more widespread, in many cases lasting for years. Companies of all sorts wer... » read more

Using Predictive Maintenance To Boost IC Manufacturing Efficiency
By Laura Peters - 14 May, 2024 - Comments: 0

Predicting exactly how and when a process tool is going to fail is a complex task, but it's getting a tad easier with the rollout of smart sensors, standard interfaces, and advanced data analytics. The potential benefits of predictive maintenance are enormous. Higher tool uptime correlates with greater fab efficiency and lower operating costs, so engineers are pursuing multiple routes to boo... » read more

Electromigration Concerns Grow In Advanced Packages
By Laura Peters - 18 Apr, 2024 - Comments: 0

The incessant demand for more speed in chips requires forcing more energy through ever-smaller devices, increasing current density and threatening long-term chip reliability. While this problem is well understood, it's becoming more difficult to contain in leading-edge designs. Of particular concern is electromigration, which is becoming more troublesome in advanced packages with multiple ch... » read more

IC Test And Quality Requirements Drive New Collaboration
By Laura Peters - 09 Apr, 2024 - Comments: 0

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

Digital Twins Target IC Tool And Fab Efficiency
By Laura Peters - 21 Mar, 2024 - Comments: 0

Digital twins have emerged as the hot "new" semiconductor manufacturing technology, enabling fabs to create a virtual representation of a physical system on which to experiment and optimize what's going on inside the real fab. While digital twin technology has been in use for some time in other industries, its use has been limited in semiconductor manufacturing. What's changing is the breadt... » read more

DTCO/STCO Create Path For Faster Yield Ramps
By Laura Peters - 12 Mar, 2024 - Comments: 0

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

Backside Power Delivery Gears Up For 2nm Devices
By Laura Peters - 26 Feb, 2024 - Comments: 1

The top three foundries plan to implement backside power delivery as soon as the 2nm node, setting the stage for faster and more efficient switching in chips, reduced routing congestion, and lower noise across multiple metal layers. The benefits of using this approach are significant. By delivering power using slightly fatter, less resistive lines on the backside, rather than inefficient fro... » read more

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