Mark LaPedus

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Mark LaPedus is Executive Editor for manufacturing at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 13 Nov, 2015 - Comments: 0

IC Insights released its preliminary top IC rankings in terms of sales for 2015. In the rankings, Intel remains in first place in terms of chip sales in 2015, followed by Samsung and TSMC. GlobalFoundries and UMC also moved up in the rankings. Beyond that, the market is in flux. “The pending mergers of Avago and Broadcom and NXP and Freescale will have a significant impact on future top-20 ra... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Nov. 10
By Mark LaPedus - 10 Nov, 2015 - Comments: 1

Etching superconducting materials Superconductors are devices that have zero electrical resistance, making them attractive for a range of applications. But superconductors must be cooled down to temperatures at or near absolute zero on the Kelvin scale to work. This, in turn, limits their applications. Absolute zero equates to −273.15° on the Celsius scale and −459.67° on the Fahrenheit ... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 06 Nov, 2015 - Comments: 0

China is investing billions of dollars in the IC industry and equipment sectors. The nation is also in the midst of an acquisition and an investment spree, especially in IC packaging. For example, Jiangsu Changjiang Electronics Technology (JCET), a Chinese OSAT, shook up the landscape by recently announcing a deal to acquire STATS ChipPAC for $780 million. The deal was completed in August of 20... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Nov. 3
By Mark LaPedus - 03 Nov, 2015 - Comments: 0

World’s fastest phototransistor The University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed what the university claims is the world’s fastest and most responsive flexible silicon phototransistor. Phototransistors are semiconductor light sensors. They are based on a transistor with a transparent cover. They provide better sensitivity than a photodiode. The futuristic phototransistor from the Un... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 30 Oct, 2015 - Comments: 0

Lam Research’s proposed move to acquire KLA-Tencor is still generating a buzz in the industry. One executive from Lam has explained the reason for the deal. Meanwhile, analysts are also weighing in. “We believe the deal itself is a positive one for Lam as it supplements its leading etch position with the market share leader in process control with significant accretion and earnings leverage... » read more

China’s Fab Tool Biz Heats Up
By Mark LaPedus - 28 Oct, 2015 - Comments: 0

For years, China has been a steady growth market for suppliers of semiconductor equipment. Internally, though, the country is comprised of trailing-edge fabs and IC-assembly houses, which means equipment vendors sell relatively mature tools and compete on price. That’s about to change, however. Today, the IC equipment business is heating up in China as the nation begins to upgrade and pour... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Oct. 27
By Mark LaPedus - 27 Oct, 2015 - Comments: 0

CD-SAXS makes progress For years, chipmakers have used metrology tools based on various optical techniques, such as scatterometry. But optical-based scatterometry may one day run out of steam, prompting the need for a possible replacement. One long-awaited candidate is called X-ray scattering. There are various flavors of X-ray scattering, including CD small-angle X-ray scattering (CD-SAXS)... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 23 Oct, 2015 - Comments: 0

In a major and surprising move in the fab tool business, Lam Research has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire KLA-Tencor for about $10.6 billion in cash and stock. "Lam Research and KLA-Tencor have been working to tie together process and process control in an effort to expand process windows and better enable complex production steps, like multi-patterning. This acquisition form... » read more

Inside The Quantum Dot
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Oct, 2015 - Comments: 0

Quantum dots, a relatively new and emerging technology, are creating a buzz in the industry. Basically, when inserted into an LCD TV, quantum dots can boost the color gamut in the display, enabling vivid picture quality with relatively little capital. Quantum dots can also be used in other applications, such as solar and LED lighting. To get a handle on the technology, Semiconductor Enginee... » read more

Taming Mask Metrology
By Mark LaPedus - 22 Oct, 2015 - Comments: 0

For years the IC industry has worried about a bevy of issues with the photomask. Mask costs are the top concern, but mask complexity, write times and defect inspection are the other key issues for both optical and EUV photomasks. Now, mask metrology, the science of measuring the key parameters on the mask, is becoming a new challenge. On this front, mask makers are concerned about the critic... » read more

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