Mark LaPedus

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Mark LaPedus is Executive Editor for manufacturing at Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

China’s Latest Goal—More DRAMs
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

China is once again making a concerted effort to get its domestic DRAM industry off the ground. Past efforts have fallen short or failed. This time around, it’s unclear if China will succeed, but the industry should pay close attention here. So why would China want to play a bigger role in the tough and competitive DRAM business? For one thing, the U.S. and China are in the midst of a t... » read more

200mm Cools Off, But Not For Long
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 4

After years of acute shortages, 200mm fab capacity is finally loosening up, but the supply/demand picture could soon change with several challenges on the horizon. 200mm fabs are older facilities with more mature processes, although they still churn out a multitude of today’s critical chips, such as analog, MEMS, RF and others. From 2016 to 2018, booming demand for these and other chips ca... » read more

Challenges Grow For 5G Packages And Modules
By Mark LaPedus - 18 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

The shift to 5G wireless networks is driving a need for new IC packages and modules in smartphones and other systems, but this move is turning out to be harder than it looks. For one thing, the IC packages and RF modules for 5G phones are more complex and expensive than today's devices, and that gap will grow significantly in the second phase of 5G. In addition, 5G devices will require an as... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 15
By Mark LaPedus - 15 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Atomtronics The Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser of the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (IESL-FORTH) and others have developed an atomtronic accelerator ring, a move that could advance the field of atomtronics. Researchers have developed a small accelerator ring-shaped matterwave guide, which is capable of accelerating sub-atomic particles at hypersonic speeds. It c... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 12 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Semi takeover targets Semiconductor M&A activity is heating up again. So who is next? “Within our coverage universe, we believe AMBA (Ambarella) and SLAB (Silicon Labs) represent the most likely targets moving forward,” according to KeyBanc in a research note. KeyBanc also listed some other “M&A Combinations That Could Make Sense.” Some of these combos make sense, while othe... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 10
By Mark LaPedus - 10 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Semicon West It’s Semicon West time again. Here’s the first wave of announcements at the event: Applied Materials has unveiled a pair of tools aimed at accelerating the industry adoption for new memories. First, Applied rolled out the Endura Clover MRAM PVD system. The system is an integrated platform for MRAM devices. Second, the company introduced the Endura Impulse PVD platform for P... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test
By Mark LaPedus - 05 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Fab tools and materials Applied Materials has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kokusai Electric for $2.2 billion in cash from investment firm KKR. With the acquisition of Kokusai’s semiconductor equipment unit, Applied expands its customer base and gains a foothold in the batch processing equipment business, where a tool can process wafers in parallel. Applied’s strength is in the ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: July 3
By Mark LaPedus - 03 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Gamma-ray inspection The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has started a program to develop gamma-ray inspection techniques. The effort, called the Gamma Ray Inspection Technology (GRIT) program, is aimed to develop gamma-ray radiation sources in compact form factors for use in national security, industrial, and medical applications. [caption id="attachment_24151285" alig... » read more

Applied Buys Kokusai For $2.2B
By Mark LaPedus - 01 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Applied Materials has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kokusai Electric for $2.2 billion in cash from investment firm KKR. For years, Kokusai Electric was a subsidiary of Hitachi. It sells epitaxial, thermal processing and other equipment. Then, as part of a complex business deal, KKR in 2017 acquired the semiconductor equipment business of Hitachi Kokusai Electric from Hitachi. ... » read more

EUV, Deep Learning Issues In Mask Making
By Mark LaPedus - 01 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, photomask technologies and machine learning issues with Emily Gallagher, principal member of the technical staff at Imec; Harry Levinson, principal at HJL Lithography; Chris Spence, vice president of advanced technology development at ASML; Banqiu Wu, senior director of process development at Applied Materials;... » read more

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