Flash Dance For Inspection And Metrology
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Chipmakers are moving from planar technology to an assortment of 3D-like architectures, such as 3D NAND and finFETs For these devices, chipmakers face a multitude of challenges in the fab. But one surprising and oft-forgotten technology is emerging as perhaps the biggest challenge in both logic and memory—process control. Process control includes metrology and wafer inspection. Metrolo... » read more

FinFET Rollout Slower Than Expected
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 1

The foundry business is heating up as some new and large players are entering the 16nm/14nm [getkc id="185" kc_name="finFET"] market. But foundry customers are taking longer than expected to migrate to finFETs amid some technical and cost issues. On the foundry front, [getentity id="22846" comment="Intel"] has been the sole player in finFETs for some time. But now, [getentity id="22865" ... » read more

Predictions For A Good Year
By Jim Feldhan - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

First quarter 2015 is now history, and companies will soon be reporting their Q1 earnings. Here at Semico we’ve checked the IPI Index against our forecast and year-to-date actuals to see if the industry outlook is on track for 2015. Here’s the critical review. First of all, Semico’s forecast for total semiconductor sales in 2015 is $378 billion, up nearly 9% over 2014. Units will incre... » read more

50 Years Of Moore’s Law
By Bettina Weiss - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

The Industry at 50 This month marks the 50th anniversary of Moore’s Law, an amazing milestone for the semiconductor industry. Looking back through our industry’s history, we must marvel at the speed, growth, technical sophistication and transformative changes computer chips have made over the past few decades. None of this would have been possible without semiconductor equipment and materi... » read more

Faster Time To Root Cause With Diagnosis-Driven Yield Analysis
By Mentor, a Siemens Business - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

ICs developed at advanced technology nodes of 65 nm and below exhibit an increased sensitivity to small manufacturing variations. New design-specific and feature-sensitive failure mechanisms are on the rise. Complex variability issues that involve interactions between process and layout features can mask systematic yield issues. Without improved yield analysis methods, time-to-volume is delayed... » read more

5 Issues Under The Foundry Radar
By Mark LaPedus - 16 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

In the foundry business, the leading-edge segment grabs most, if not all, of the headlines. Foundry vendors, of course, are ramping up 16nm/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm in R&D. The leading-edge foundry business is sizable, but it’s not the only thing going on in the competitive arena. In fact, there are battles taking place in many other foundry segments, such as 2.5D/3D packag... » read more

Tech Talk: Mobile Security (Part 2)
By Ed Sperling - 15 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Simon Blake Wilson of Rambus' Cryptography Research Division talks about where security needs to fit into the design flow and where the biggest risks are. To view part one of this video, click here. [youtube vid=_nnniakpP3M] » read more

Ecosystem Changes
By Ed Sperling - 15 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor Engineering sat down to discuss changes in the semiconductor ecosystem with Kelvin Low, senior director of foundry marketing at [getentity id="22865" e_name="Samsung Semiconductor"]; John Costello, vice president of product planning at [getentity id="22849" e_name="Altera"]; Randy Smith, vice president of marketing at [getentity id="22605" e_name="Sonics"], and Michiel Ligthart, p... » read more

Blog Review: April 15
By Jesse Allen - 15 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

How much memory do you need to look 13 billion years in the past? Rambus' Aharon Etengoff ponders the Square Kilometre Array's massive number of radio telescopes and what it means for computing. NXP's Martin Schoessler argues that for smart cities to work for their citizens, both technology companies and government entities will need a new mind-set. Reinventing the wheel is a good thing i... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: April 14
By Mark LaPedus - 14 Apr, 2015 - Comments: 0

Monster waves of light The FOM Institute AMOLF has observed what researchers call monster waves of light. In this phenomenon, monster waves of light appear from nowhere and then disappear again. Researchers have shown that it is possible to influence the probability of this phenomenon. As a result, the technology could lead to faster telecommunication systems or more sensitive sensors, acco... » read more

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