Luminary Panel Sees Multi-Beam Mask Writers And Curvilinear Masks Key To 193i And EUV


Attendance was up and the mood was optimistic at this year’s SPIE Photomask and EUV conference held September 29 through October 3, 2024. The optimism was apparent as well for multi-beam mask writers and curvilinear masks during the eBeam Initiative’s 15th annual reception and meeting held on October 1. In the eBeam Initiative’s annual Luminaries survey, 93% of those surveyed said that pu... » read more

Revolutionizing IC Packaging With High-Density RDL Technology


The demand for high-performance devices, particularly in AI, HPC, and data centers, has surged dramatically in the ever-evolving landscape of integrated circuit technology. This demand has been further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the boundaries of silicon technology to its limits. Enter Amkor’s S-SWIFT, a packaging solution designed to address these challenges and revolution... » read more

Multi-Tier Die Stacking Enables Efficient Manufacturing


Advanced packaging is currently facing a critical challenge to increase manufacturing efficiency without sacrificing device performance. Vertical integration techniques, such as multi-tier die stacking and hybrid bonding, enable increased integration density, therefore improving yield of high-quality devices. However, these highly precise processes require significant attention to defectivity... » read more

The Growing Imperative Of Hardware Security Assurance In IP And SoC Design


In an era where technology permeates every aspect of our lives, the semiconductor industry serves as the backbone of innovation. From IoT devices to data centers, every piece of technology relies on integrated circuits (ICs) such as intellectual property (IP) cores and system on chips (SoCs). As these technologies become increasingly pervasive, the importance of hardware security assurance in t... » read more

Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications


The conventional flip chip ball grid array (FCBGA) package platform has wide industry usage and provides high electrical performance. However, as high performance requirements increased, it encounters significant challenges. FCBGA packages frequently encounter underfill cracks after long term reliability or harsh reliability test conditions for automotive devices. Figure 1 shows the typical und... » read more

Reducing Transistor Capacitance At The 5nm Node Using A Source/Drain Contact Recess


In logic devices such as FinFETs (field-effect transistors), metal gate parasitic capacitance can negatively impact electrical performance. One potential way to reduce this parasitic capacitance is to add a source/drain contact (CT) recess step when building the source/drain metal structure. However, this additional structure can potentially increase the source/drain to via resistance. Using... » read more

Legacy Process Nodes Are Critical To Many Industries


As the semiconductor industry continues to push the boundaries of innovation with advanced nodes, it is easy to overlook the critical role that ICs manufactured at legacy process nodes play in our everyday lives. While the spotlight often shines on the leading-edge advancements of 5nm technology and below, it’s the mature nodes, those above 28nm and even above 130nm, that are the unsung ch... » read more

Semiconductor Photomask Market Poised For Another Year Of Growth


The semiconductor photomask market, a crucial component in chip manufacturing, is on track for another year of robust growth. This growth trajectory is supported by a series of technological advancements and market trends that continue to drive innovation in the industry. As the annual SPIE Photomask Technology Conference approaches in early October in Monterey, California, it presents an oppor... » read more

Smart Manufacturing, Smart Data-AI, And Future Of Computing


By Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, Pushkar Apte, and Mark da Silva Use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) is on an exponential rise across fields1 including all aspects of the semiconductor industry. In the last decade, the use of ML/AI exploded in the areas of speech recognition, facial recognition, smart phone features, search engines and now large language models like Chat... » read more

Current Characterization Of Various Cu RDL Designs In Wafer Level Packages (WLP)


Copper (Cu) redistribution layer (RDL) technology is used to interconnect chips in various high current Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) applications. Typically, Cu RDLs with thicknesses of 5-9 µm and widths of 5-20 µm are used for high current sourcing. In this case, the temperature of the Cu RDL metal line increases due to the Joule heat generated when current passes through the metal line. If a... » read more

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