Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive, mobility The number new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold went up 80% from year over year, says TrendForce in its review of market for Q1 2022. NEVs are battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel cell vehicles. Over 2.004 million units sold in the first quarter of 2022 (1Q22), with BEVs making the strongest showing at 1.508 million units, a 271% ... » read more

Wafer Shortage Improvement In Sight For 300mm, But Not 200mm


The supply chain for bare wafers is off-kilter. Demand is appreciably higher than the wafer suppliers can keep up with, creating shortages that could last for years. For 300mm starting wafers, the top five big players — SEH and Sumco of Japan, Siltronic of Germany, GlobalWafers of Taiwan, and SK Siltron of Korea — finally took action over the last year, spending billions on new wafer fac... » read more

Shortages Spark Novel Component Lifecycle Solutions


The semiconductor industry’s supply chain problems are prompting some innovative solutions and workarounds, and while they don't solve all problems, they are improving efficiency and extending equipment lifetimes. The shortages, which affect everything from the chips used in automotive, IoT, and consumer ICs to the equipment used to manufacture and test them — span global supply lines. T... » read more

There Is Plenty Of Room At The Top: Imagining Miniaturized Electro-Mechanical Switches In Low-Power Computing Applications


The first computers were built using electro-mechanical components, unlike today’s modern electronic systems. Alan Turing’s cryptanalysis multiplier and Konrad Zuse’s Z2 were invented and built in the first half of the 20th century, and were among the first computers ever constructed. Electro-mechanical switches and relays performed logic operations in these machines. Even after computers... » read more

Driving Toward More Rugged, Less Expensive SiC


Silicon carbide is gaining traction in the power semiconductor market, particularly in electrified vehicles, but it's still too expensive for many applications. The reasons are well understood, but until recently SiC was largely a niche technology that didn't warrant the investment. Now, as demand grows for chips that can work in high-voltage applications, SiC is getting a much closer look. ... » read more

The Drive Toward Zero Defects


The automotive semiconductor market has doubled twice in the past 20 years. But the next doubling will be even faster. While short-term results may vary, it is certain that auto semis will be much larger 10-20 years from now. Today, a gas-powered car has ~$400 of semiconductor content whereas the Tesla Model 3 with an electric powertrain and Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) has >4... » read more

The Changing Mask Landscape


Semiconductor photomasks have undergone some major technology changes in the past few years after relatively minor changes for many years. New technologies such as multi-beam mask writers and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography are major breakthroughs as they ramp into high-volume manufacturing. A new trend related to these technologies is the use of curvilinear features on photomasks. Aki... » read more

Our Wireless World: How Wi-Fi 6 Will Seamlessly Integrate With 5G To Help Keep Us Connected


Most of us have a good understanding of what 5G is by now. Buzz around the fifth-generation wireless technology has reached a fever pitch – and for good reason.  It offers significantly greater bandwidth, faster connectivity, and lower latency, enabling it to power a much broader range of digital applications than its predecessors. 5G is ushering in a new wave of business and societal trans... » read more

Reducing Greenhouse Gases In Manufacturing


Businesses must reduce their environmental impact. One of the most significant ways to do this is by reducing their carbon footprint, and this starts with monitoring carbon emissions. Carbon emissions are responsible for 81% of overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and businesses are responsible for a lot of it. The rest of the GHG emissions are methane (10%), nitrous oxide (7%) and fluorin... » read more

Deep Tech Drives Semiconductor Sustainability


SEMI spoke with Luc Van den hove, president and CEO at Imec, about semiconductor sustainability, healthcare trends, and deep tech, and their implications for the semiconductor industry. Van den hove shared his views ahead of his keynote presentation at SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium Europe (ISS Europe), on May 30, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. Join us at the event to meet experts from Imec... » read more

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