eBeam Initiative Surveys Report Upbeat Photomask Market Outlook


Every year, the eBeam Initiative conducts surveys that provide valuable insight into the key trends that are shaping the semiconductor industry. This year, industry luminaries representing 42 companies from across the semiconductor ecosystem participated in the 2020 eBeam Initiative Luminaries survey. 89% of respondents to the survey predict that photomask (mask) revenues in 2020 will stay the ... » read more

Building Predictive And Accurate 3D Process Models


Process engineers and integrators can use virtual process modeling to test alternative process schemes and architectures without relying on wafer-based testing. One important aspect of building an accurate process model is to ensure that the model is calibrated. Having a calibrated model is important, since it provides assurance to the process integrators and engineers that the model will refle... » read more

Upturn Seen In Semi Equipment Biz


Business continues to get better in the semiconductor equipment sector. VLSI Research, for one, has raised its forecast in the arena. But there is still some uncertainty amid mixed growth for semiconductors, trade wars and other factors. After a downturn in 2019, the semiconductor equipment market expected an upturn in 2020. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Suddenly, a large percentage... » read more

A Mid-Year End Market Recovery For Semiconductors


Although the semiconductor chip and capital equipment markets performed well in the first half of 2020, many of the electronic equipment end markets struggled globally. World electronic equipment sales declined almost 10% in 2Q’20 vs. 2Q’19 (chart 1). Better mid-year end market demand However, world business conditions are improving. The global purchasing managers index, a measure of broa... » read more

Understanding Advanced Packaging Technologies And Their Impact On The Next Generation Of Electronics


Chip packaging has expanded from its conventional definition of providing protection and I/O for a discrete chip to encompassing a growing number of schemes for interconnecting multiple types of chips. Advanced packaging has become integral to embedding increased functionality into a variety of electronics, such as cellular phones and self-driving vehicles, by supporting high device density in ... » read more

What’s Next For Semis?


It’s been a turbulent year in the semiconductor industry. 2020 was supposed to be a strong year. Then, the coronavirus outbreak hit. Suddenly, a large percentage of countries implemented various measures to mitigate the outbreak, such as stay-at-home orders as well as business and store closures. Economic turmoil and job losses soon followed, not to mention the human tragedy involved. M... » read more

ML Apps Enable Tool Diagnostics


Diagnosis of any kind requires the synthesis of information. As humans we are much better at doing this when we have ways of visualizing information versus looking at numbers and statistics, especially when the data represents something happening over time. Think of a GPS tracker that shows where you have walked in a day. The raw data are coordinates and time stamps. A map that shows you this i... » read more

Semiconductors Up Globally, Warnings Ahead


Things are picking up. Purchasing managers indices indicated July manufacturing increases in most key countries with only South Korea and Japan having PMIs still in contraction territory (chart 1). The Global PMI recovered sharply (chart 2), reaching 50.3 in July. Service sector still fighting pandemic The manufacturing sector is recovering but the service sector is still struggling, hit h... » read more

Time To Watch China’s Equipment Efforts


For years, China has been developing its own semiconductor equipment and materials industry. The goal has been to reduce its dependence on foreign equipment and material vendors. Some China-based equipment vendors have made their presence felt. But overall, China’s equipment companies have barely made a dent in the market. Hardly anyone has been paying attention to China’s equipment ... » read more

Semiconductor Memory Evolution And Current Challenges


The very first all-electronic memory was the Williams-Kilburn tube, developed in 1947 at Manchester University. It used a cathode ray tube to store bits as dots on the screen’s surface. The evolution of computer memory since that time has included numerous magnetic memory systems, such as magnetic drum memory, magnetic core memory, magnetic tape drive, and magnetic bubble memory. Since the 19... » read more

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