Mark LaPedus

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Mark LaPedus is Executive Editor for manufacturing at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Imec Launches R&D Tool Hub
By Mark LaPedus - 04 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 1

The semiconductor industry is entering yet another inflection point. Consumers want faster mobile systems with more functions. So, chipmakers are under pressure to deliver new and low-power chips that are smaller and faster. The problem is that IC design and chip manufacturing costs continue to escalate. These costs, in turn, are fueling an ongoing shakeout in the chip and fab tool industrie... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: June 3
By Mark LaPedus - 03 Jun, 2014 - Comments: 0

World’s thinnest TFTs The U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory has devised the world’s thinnest flexible, 2D thin-film transistors (TFTs). The transistors are just 10 atomic layers thick. TFTs are typically used in screens and displays. In the lab, Argonne researchers fabricated the TFTs on both a conventional silicon platform and a flexible substrate. [caption i... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 30 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

GlobalFoundries’ campus in upstate New York employs over 2,200 workers. It is looking to add 600-800 more people by the end of 2014. The company is seeking out engineers with four-year degrees and technicians with associates degrees. It is also bringing in engineers from IBM to ramp its fab in New York. Applied Materials introduced the Endura Ventura PVD system that helps reduce the cost o... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: May 27
By Mark LaPedus - 27 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

Chip printing process Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials has developed a novel way to make systems using electronic components, such as resistors, transistors and capacitors. Researchers use simple printers and a robot-assisted production line. The components and other devices made from the technology could be used in various applications, such as digit... » read more

Test Challenges Grow
By Mark LaPedus - 27 May, 2014 - Comments: 3

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss current and future test challenges with Dave Armstrong, director of business development at Advantest; Steve Pateras, product marketing director for Silicon Test Solutions at Mentor Graphics; Robert Ruiz, senior product marketing manager at Synopsys; Mike Slessor, president of FormFactor; and Dan Glotter, chief executive of Optimal+. SE: In our ... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 23 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

About 150 to 200 employees from IBM’s chip unit will be dispatched to work at GlobalFoundries, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal. GlobalFoundries said the arrangement is temporary, according to the report. GlobalFoundries is the leading candidate to buy IBM’s chip unit, which is apparently on the block. To date, however, GlobalFoundries and IBM have yet to make any announcements on the... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: May 20
By Mark LaPedus - 20 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

Brain chips Pennsylvania State University has developed a technology that could enable futuristic biochips, namely those that mimic the human brain. In the lab, Penn State combined a thin film of vanadium dioxide (VO2) on a titanium dioxide substrate to create an oscillating switch. VO2 is an exotic material that exhibits semiconductor-to-metal transitions at 68 °C. In the R&D stage fo... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 16 May, 2014 - Comments: 0

IC Insights has released its rankings of the Q1 ‘14 top 25 semiconductor suppliers. Outside of the top five spots, there were numerous changes. MediaTek jumped up four positions. Also, last year’s Micron/Elpida merger created a new giant semiconductor company with Micron’s sales expected to be over $17 billion this year. Toshiba will demolish the No. 2 semiconductor fabrication facilit... » read more

Atomic Layer Etch Finally Emerges
By Mark LaPedus - 15 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

The migration towards finFETs and other devices at the 20nm node and beyond will require a new array of chip-manufacturing technologies. Multiple patterning, hybrid metrology and newfangled interconnect schemes are just a few of the technologies required for future scaling. In addition, the industry also will require new techniques that can process structures at the atomic level. For example... » read more

How Much Testing Is Enough?
By Mark LaPedus - 15 May, 2014 - Comments: 1

As chipmakers move towards finer geometries, IC designs are obviously becoming more complex and expensive. Given the enormous risks involved, chipmakers must ensure the quality of the parts before they go out the door. And as part of quality assurance process, that requires a sound test strategy. But for years, IC makers have faced the same dilemma. On one hand, they want a stringent test me... » read more

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