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

Chipping In For Equipment Suppliers: The Equipment Multiplier Effect On The Chip Shortage


By Ajit Manocha and Sanjay Malhotra Global semiconductor supply imbalances have hindered countless industries including essential segments such as automotive and medical as well as workers and consumers. Around the world, policymakers are increasing semiconductor manufacturing capacity to strengthen supply chains and meet growing demand for semiconductors through robust incentive packages to... » read more

BEOL Integration For The 1.5nm Node And Beyond


As we approach the 1.5nm node and beyond, new BEOL device integration challenges will be presented. These challenges include the need for smaller metal pitches, along with support for new process flows. Process modifications to improve RC performance, reduce edge placement error, and enable challenging manufacturing processes will all be required. To address these challenges, we investigated th... » read more

Challenges For Achieving Automotive Grade 1/0 Reliability In FCBGA and fcCSP Packages


As the quantity, complexity, and functions of electronic devices in automobiles increase, understanding and characterizing package reliability is of significant concern and importance. The Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) Q-100 specification for Grade 1 and 0 reliability introduces unique challenges as thermal cycling (TC) and high temperature storage (HTS) requirements increase. Additional... » read more

Curvilinear Photomasks Can Be Made Today


Multi-beam mask writers (MBMWs) and GPU-accelerated curvilinear ILT are enabling curvilinear photomasks to be made today. Despite the benefits of improved process windows, curvilinear photomask adoption is slow. Industry luminaries surveyed by the eBeam Initiative in 2021 ranked photomask inspection and infrastructure as the top barriers to adoption, as shown in figure 1. Yet only 4% say the b... » read more

Equipment Perspective At U.S. Senate Hearing On Chipmaking


In March, Lam Research President and CEO Tim Archer testified before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The hearing examined a variety of issues including the correlation between American competitiveness and semiconductors, the impact of vulnerabilities in semiconductor supply chains and the importance of CHIPS legislation within the U.S. Innovation a... » read more

Mask And Metrology Technology Trends


Aselta Nanographics of Grenoble, France, which produces software for wafer and mask patterning based on e-beam technology for IC manufacturing, along with advanced metrology solutions for scanning electron microscopes, recently became an ESD Alliance member. Adding to its impressive credentials, Aselta is a spin-off of CEA-Leti, the electronics and information technologies research institut... » read more

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