Mark LaPedus

  (all posts)
Mark LaPedus is Executive Editor for manufacturing at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Manufacturing Bits: April 14
By Mark LaPedus - 14 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Complex microparticles A team of researchers have developed the world’s most complex microparticle. In the lab, researchers have assembled hierarchically organized particles with twisted spikes and polydisperse Au-Cys (gold-cysteine) nanoplatelets or nanosheets. The sheets all twist in the same direction. Cysteine is a proteinogenic amino acid. The structure is said to be more complex ... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 10 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Market research The coronavirus pandemic continues to reduce the outlook for worldwide GDP as well as the electronics and IC markets. For example, IC Insights has lowered its IC forecast from 3% to minus 4% in 2020. The IC market is now expected to hit $345.8 billion in 2020, which is $39.0 billion less than the original forecast, which called for an 8% increase this year. Due to the imp... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: April 6
By Mark LaPedus - 06 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Powerful electromagnets The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) has tested a new and powerful superconducting solenoid or electromagnet that operates at high currents. MagLab develops several different types of large and powerful magnets, which are used as scientific instruments. MagLab’s solenoid or electromagnet could one day be used to drive particle accelerators and compa... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 03 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Fab tool shipping costs The coronavirus is impacting semiconductor equipment companies. Many have withdrawn their previous forecasts. “It has also led to a rise in shipping costs,” said Krish Sankar, an analyst with Cowen, in a research note. Most semiconductor equipment and components are shipped via air, according to Sankar. The exception is flat-panel display equipment and other sys... » read more

How And Where ML Is Being Used In IC Manufacturing
By Mark LaPedus - 01 Apr, 2020 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the issues and challenges with machine learning in semiconductor manufacturing with Kurt Ronse, director of the advanced lithography program at Imec; Yudong Hao, senior director of marketing at Onto Innovation; Romain Roux, data scientist at Mycronic; and Aki Fujimura, chief executive of D2S. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. Part one ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: March 31
By Mark LaPedus - 31 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 0

Whiskey webs The production and sale of counterfeit wine and spirits is becoming a big and nefarious business. Using time-lapse microscopy, researchers have developed a way to detect counterfeit whiskey. To detect counterfeit whiskey, the University of Louisville and North Carolina State University have uncovered the mechanism behind what researchers call “whiskey webs.” Whiskey webs... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 27 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers TrendForce has released its projected foundry rankings in terms of sales for the first quarter. TSMC is still in first place, followed by Samsung, GlobalFoundries and UMC. Samsung has been ramping up chips based on its 7nm logic process using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Now, Samsung is ramping up its DRAM devices using EUV and plans to expand its capacity in the arena.... » read more

What Machine Learning Can Do In Fabs
By Mark LaPedus - 25 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss the issues and challenges with machine learning in semiconductor manufacturing with Kurt Ronse, director of the advanced lithography program at Imec; Yudong Hao, senior director of marketing at Onto Innovation; Romain Roux, data scientist at Mycronic; and Aki Fujimura, chief executive of D2S. What follows are excerpts of that conversation. L-R:... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: March 24
By Mark LaPedus - 24 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 0

Autonomous microscopes FLEET, also known as the ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies, has developed an autonomous scanning probe microscopy (SPM) technology. SPM is an instrument that makes use of an atomically sharp probe. The probe is placed in close proximity above the surface of a sample. With the probe, the SPM forms images of the surface of the sample... » read more

Memory Issues For AI Edge Chips
By Mark LaPedus - 23 Mar, 2020 - Comments: 3

Several companies are developing or ramping up AI chips for systems on the network edge, but vendors face a variety of challenges around process nodes and memory choices that can vary greatly from one application to the next. The network edge involves a class of products ranging from cars and drones to security cameras, smart speakers and even enterprise servers. All of these applications in... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy